Bio of Stefan “Bald Dread” / Sound Dimension
In 1981, at the age of 14, I first came into contact with Bob Marley's reggae music at a youth camp. The vibrant, bass-heavy beat of Bob Marley's Kaya album completely captivated me. It was the time of the Cold War and strong social conflict in Europe. Bob Marley's words resonated strongly with me and made me look in a completely new direction. The diaries of "Che" were my bedtime reading, and the power of reggae, with its words and beats, completely captivated me. Profanities like Boney M or Laid Back with "sunshine reggae" repelled me, and I didn't yet understand this contrast in music because, at the time, I hadn't yet understood reggae as just that, as a form of music in its own right.
Because the Allied forces were stationed in Germany, we, along with many soldiers and their families, had their culture imported to Germany. They brought their radio programs with them, as did the AFN (American Forces Network) and the British station BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service). BFBS in particular had a weekly show, "Roots, Rock, Reggae," hosted by none other than David Rodigan. It quickly became my "must" to record this show on my radio recorder, a combination radio and cassette recorder, so I could listen to the music every day. My school English improved, which was due to my interest in the music and especially to David Rodigan's commentary and background reports. I quickly understood the enormous diversity of this music, which, under its heartbeat, united at least 10 independent genres, from rocksteady and ska to roots and lovers rock. Through a classmate, whose sister was married to a Jamaican stationed here, I also made my first pen pals in Jamaica. A lively correspondence with them ensued for years, culminating in my first trip to my "dream island" in 1985, at the age of 18. Thanks to the thoughtfulness and care of my best friend, I ended up staying with his parents in Port Antonio, finding them to be my second parents, so to speak. With love and patience, they helped me process my intense impressions in a familiar environment, which prompted me to visit them again six more times.
My fire was lit. Dancehall, which supplanted roots reggae in the mid-80s, had captivated me. Barrington Levi's "Here I Come," blasted from towering speaker stacks with infernal power, version after version, followed by the instrumental, played for over an hour by local "toaster" DJs with their own lyrics—it was like music for my soul. That laid the foundation for my musical journey. With my first 7" records, I began my journey home in 1985, and ever since, I've always brought more weight home in my carry-on luggage than I had with me when I arrived. Back then, there was a really vibrant scene in East Westphalia, Germany, due to the large number of British military bases with a high proportion of Jamaican soldiers stationed there. Naturally, they had a lot of "free time," which manifested itself in frequent visits to many discos. It became a much-loved "must-do" on Wednesdays to go to the "Atlantik" at the RAF Gütersloh airfield, then at midnight to head to the "Rockpalast" in Harsewinkel, where the party continued. Thursdays were quieter, before Fridays saw us heading to "Max" in Hamm or "Studio M" in Minden. Saturday nights, however, were reserved entirely for "Neons" in Steinhagen. Every Saturday from midnight onwards, the freshest beats of soul, funk, R&B, and reggae were celebrated there by such greats as Calvin Francis (Capital Radio UK), Sugar, Dennis, Paddy, and many more, before a devoted and appreciative audience who regularly traveled from as far away as Stuttgart or even Munich. The Jamaican community in Germany was so united, yet so far apart. In the late 80s, my desire for my own sound system grew stronger, a system on which I could play my own records, brought back from Jamaica. Since it is still difficult to find long-term interested collaborators, I built my first sound system in 1987, which I called "shubeen", after the Frankie Paul song that describes a blues dance.
Over the years, many milestones followed, the most significant of which were a song contest in Dortmund with the participation of the then-unknown singer "Gentleman," as well as performances in Manchester and Birmingham, and numerous parties in East Westphalia-Lippe (OWL). Sound Quake played at Shubeen, as did Jawbone from Ragganoia, and the Gütersloh-based crew Wild Pitch, both of whom I introduced to reggae music from rap. At Summerjam in Wildenrath, Rhineland, we played so loudly at night, together with PowPow from Cologne, that the organizers felt compelled to issue a warning… Then came 15 years dedicated to my family, especially my two sons. Since 2015, I've been modernizing my sound again and, now under a new name and logo, as Sound Dimension, I'm back in full force with my own dances and sets at various venues. The scene has unfortunately changed drastically, not least due to the withdrawal of British forces. The lyrics became harsher and more exploitative, the beats were heavily influenced by African and American urban music, and the audience changed drastically as a result. That's the way things go, but anyone looking for truly authentic, raw reggae music from the "golden age" of dancehall and roots reggae will definitely find what they're looking for with Sound Dimension. Vinyl still forms the backbone of my collection, but the weight savings of thousands of tracks on MP3 is a considerable advantage for older folks like myself compared to my beloved vinyl...
Sound Dimension now looks like the picture on the right and boasts a usable output of a whopping 60,000 watts.
Should you be interested in a dub, roots, or dancehall session, or, like Im Neons once did, want to expand your repertoire to include funk, soul, and R&B, then Sound Dimension is certainly one of the top choices in Central Germany! Feel free to contact me at: