Rebel Control

Rebel Control

Rebel Control is a reggae act formed by Andy Baron and Concrete Johnson. Their music centres on melodic reggae with heavy bass and a modern approach to the style, with the aim of bringing reggae into the 21st century.

Background

Andy Baron begins his career as an MC with several sound systems before travelling to Jamaica in 2001, where he records his debut solo album, Believe In Yourself. He also performs as a solo artist and with his band The Believers in England, France, the Czech Republic and Jamaica. As a frontman and vocalist, he appears on festival stages with artists including Steel Pulse, Horace Andy, Morgan Heritage and Culture.

Concrete Johnson starts playing bass at the age of thirteen and goes on to work on numerous studio projects. He also records with Jah Bunny, a Trojan label drummer, and writes songs with N'Dea Davenport of The Brand New Heavies.

Rebel Control recordings and sessions

The group sets up jam sessions in a squatted derelict shop in West London, drawing in British-based reggae musicians including Richie Stevens, Jeff Scantlebury, Winston Rollins, Tim Cansfield and Milton Myrie. Those players have also worked with artists such as Maxi Priest, Aswad, Shaggy, Eddy Grant and Soul II Soul.

In 2007, Rebel Control release a lovers rock version of John Legend’s Ordinary People, which receives strong online support and specialist radio play across Europe and America. Producer Mike Pelanconi later mixes a set of tracks from the band’s studio sessions, leading to the debut album Jammin at Rebel H.Q.