Already a formidable force on the national reggae scene, Montreal reggae legend Jah Cutta - a.k.a. Carlton Williams, last year released the best album of his storied 34-year career, ‘A Me Dis’ (Stomp Records), mixed by legendary Jamaican producer Bobby ‘Digital’ Dixon.

For the last 20 years, there has been a rumble in the lion's den. Finally, Jah Cutta has decided it's time to roar. Early successes overseas lead to their at home release of their first full length album on Union 2112 Records "If It Wasn't Jah".

Renowned for his ferocious live performances, Jah Cutta and the Determination Band have shared the stage with some of Reggae's greatest entertainers including Peter Tosh, The Wailers, Gregory Issacs, Beenie Man and Buju Banton.

This long awaited third album finds the singer/deejay better than ever. Easy, bubbling roots rhythms are the order of the day, with Bobby Digital back in the studio chair, but the album takes a few welcome left turns. Notably, "Fight You Down" throws the mould out the window, preferring a stripped down, ethereal dancehall sound, occasionally punctuated by beefy guitar shots — simply perfect. Elsewhere, Cutta provides more of the sort of nu-roots he's made his name on: catchy celebrations of Rastafari and Ethiopia ("Know the King," "Tribute"), sultry, R&B-inspired lover's rock ("Baby," "Girl"), drum-driven dancehall ("100%"), and social commentary on the violence in society made all the more pertinent by recent events on the streets of Kingston ("Serious Time," "No Gun"). But it's the rollicking "Cry" that stands out as Cutta's best work yet and one of the strongest reggae tracks of the year. Harkening back to Johnny Osbourne's Truths and Rights era, "Cry" is propelled by Cutta's husky, singjay style and will have you singing along long after the record stops.

 http://jahcutta.com

         Oral Fuentes' musical experience started in his home country of Belize, where he was involved with a multicultural band, 'Caribbean Jam', playing for many local and countrywide events.   Since then Oral has traveled intensively to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Surinam, Guyana, USA, and the Caribbean.  Commencing his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Cambridge, Ontario in 1989, Oral traveled and wrote songs with  'The Warriors' rock band and  'Soul'd Out’ a soul/blues band, both from the Academy.   Their route took them many times to New York and Nashville. Moving to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1992, Oral teams up with musicians from Saskatoon, playing from the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Calgary Reggae Festival, Ness Creek Music Festival to many other festivals and cultural shows.  Oral has shared the stage with Maceo Parker from James Brown Band, Divine Brown, Ivana Santilli, Jason Wilson, and the African Guitar Summit, to name a few. Oral’s musical styles include Reggae, Soca, Punta-Rock and Brukdown (both musical styles from Belize) with other Caribbean and Latin Rhythms.                                                      Oral writes and performs his own songs.

 oralfuentes.com

Saskatoon’s hottest latin band plays a blend of sizzling tropical music including salsa, cumbia, meringue and chachacha! Created in the summer of 2010, Sabor a Salsa has grown to include up to 13 musicians from various backgrounds, each bringing a unique flavour to the mix! On the back of an exploding salsa dance scene, the band has played numerous shows including the 2011 Saskatchewan Jazzfest where it had everyone shaking to popular latin beats!

Past performances include opening for Fulanito for Cinqo de Mayo 2011, Francothon in Regina for French C.B.C Radio and TV this past April. Sharing the Jazz Festival Free Stage this past Canada day, with Cuban sensational band Wil Campa!

Valued and acclaimed as one of Saskatchewans' few, the bilingual singer-songwriter, Veronique Poulin has entered the world of indie-folk music with an array of musical influences culminating from an early appreciation of traditional Canadien-Francais folklore music to a classically trained background both in piano and violin, and most recently, to a discovered interest in making her acoustic/alternative jazz guitar sing alongside her warm and versatile voice. Veronique began writing while she was still in high school. After completing two years of studies in the Fine Arts Education program at the University of Regina, she embarked on a journey where her love of the artform would lead her to compete in events that showcased her French musical abilities. In 2008, she was granted first place at the multi-provincial competition, Chant'Ouest, which led her to compete at the prestigious Festival International de la Chanson de Granby in Quebec. Her music travels through the years left a mark in Vancouver, BC, Montreal, Qc, and Ottawa, On, among other Canadian cities. What happened as a result was a beautiful series of events that would lead her to grow as an artist and as a woman leaping towards her dream. Veronique completed a year of faith formation studies at St. Therese Institute in Bruno, Saskatchewan, where she was able to put her gifts and abilities to good use, especially through the provincial tour of the play, Paper Wheat in May of 2009. In December of 2010, she will have released her first EP recording. This young woman's enchanting melodies and riveting passion on stage has captured the attention and hearts of both, French-Canadian and Anglophone music listeners across the country and the voyage is only beginning for this talented local Canadian artist.

myspace.com/veroniquepoulin

Bio of  ALMA FLAMENCA :

Kari Alba, “La Aceitunita,” the artistic director of Alma Flamenca , has been living and breathing Flamenco for many years, ever since she stumbled upon the Flamenco movie “El Amor Brujo” on television when she was eight years old. She pursued her Flamenco training in Andalucía, the southern region of Spain from which Flamenco emerged. Alba has spent a total of 4 year in Sevilla, the hotbed of Flamenco in Spain, mentoring with some of the best dancers as well as attending the Teachers' Specialization Course at La Fundación; she returns every year or two to hone her skills with many of the most prominent flamencos of Spain. Alba's impeccable technique combined with an ability to convey the deep emotion and passion of the dance inspires audiences in Prague, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Regina, Saskatoon and all over Saskatchewan.

In 2000, Alba founded Alma Flamenca , Saskatoon's only music and dance group dedicated entirely to Flamenco, intended to promote and inspire the art in Saskatoon and Canada. She explains the group's philosophy: “While we emphasize the importance of learning the traditional roots of Flamenco, we also seek to incorporate new and innovative influences, which has been the nature of Flamenco since its beginning.” In 2001, Alba founded the “Spain Meets Canada” Flamenco Festival & Concert, forging a unique link between Spanish and Saskatchewan Flamenco artists. In 2006, Alba took several of her students on the first biannual “Canada Meets Spain” trip, in which students had the opportunity to experience and learn Flamenco in the heart of Seville, Spain.

www.albaflamenco.com

Sephoria

Sephoria dancers:

Sephoria was created by two girls Shauna and Tara, who shared the same vision to dance freely all styles

meeting any challenges. Sephoria has grown stronger with the help of many beautiful dancers who desire to keep creativity and goal setting to a maximum. Sephoria goal is to entertain in the most up beat modern way possible, leaving the audience with something to remember. Sephoria enjoys dancing to all genres of music, but primarily focuses on Latin rhythms.    Still keeping to traditional movements,

Sephoria brings a unique twist that they emphasize in all performances.

def SOL Productions

 www.defsol.ca

Ritmo Latino  is local non profit dance group presenting the soul of the dance and

culture of Latin and south American and Spanish  speaking countries.

Our dance group is made up of people from different cultural backgrounds,

united by the desire to draw out the essence of each one of our cultures.

Ritmo Latino dance group integrants have been  together for more than a decade, always bringing

a solid and entertaining performances of

Merengue, Reggaeton, Punta Rock and other Latin and Caribbean Rhythms.  Their unique style of dancing, sometimes hip/hop mix with Reggaeton wants you to get up off your seat.

DJ Juan Valdez

DJ Juan Valdez got his start dj'ing in Saskatoon in the early '90's!  Anyone in Saskatoon's Latin scene can attest to his wide mix of music that represents all of Latin Americas musical flavours! Well known for his vast musical library tastes vary from Urban Latin Music, to Afro-Cuban masterpieces, to the top Latin tracks of the day...but he'll always bring fun energetic music for those who like Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Tango, Boleros, Cha-Cha's and of course Salsa!

R A . T I O N . A L

1. Having or exercising the ability to reason.

2. Of sound mind; sane.

3. Consistent with or based on reason; logical: rational behavior.

         March 30, 2010 marked the release of “Cocaine Cowboy” -- the single and accompanying music video. Shot over a two-day span in the heart of downtown Saskatoon, the video was released to rave reviews and critical acclaim for its heart-wrenching visuals and storyline. Fast-forward to July 20, 2010 and the release of Hard Labor: The BirthWrite Prequel -- a polished, 6-song promotional EP. Boasting features from Quannum Projects recording artist Pigeon John (Los Angeles, CA -- whose music was recently featured in the TV ad campaign for the all-new 2011 Volkswagon Jetta) and Saskatoon producer Graham “Factor Murawsky (whose production credits include Hollywood actor and former Dr. Dre protégé Xzibit -- host of MTV’s award-winning Pimp My Ride reality TV series). September of 2010 saw the emcee embark on a 3-week tour through Kigali, Rwanda. Funded by the Saskatchewan Arts Boards Culture on the Go pilot program, CTV national news picked up on the artist’s journey, airing a feature story on the tour. Crossing cultures, countries and boundaries with his music was an experience that Rash will never forget. To top it off, “Cocaine Cowboy” co-won “Song of the Year” – alongside 2011 Juno Award winner Shad – at the 2010 Sphere of Hip-Hop Awards in Minnesota.

         Enter 2011 and The BirthWrite LP. With a growing reputation for quality craftsmanship, Saskatoon hip-hop enthusiasts have anxiously awaited the 24-year olds debut full-length album. Having relished the opportunity of working with both Grammy and Juno award-nominated hip-hop artists, the passing of the torch is now. Hosting an energetic and interactive live-show, Rash has shared the stage with the likes of Pharoahe Monch (Brooklyn, NY), Zion I (Oakland, CA) and hip-hop super group -- not to mention Eminem’s newest signing to his own Shady Records label imprint -- Slaughterhouse.

Astrologists have coined 2011 the Year of the Rabbit. As the stars continue to align, 2011 may just be the Year of the Rash. You've heard of reality TV? Welcome to reality music.

Dj Scott Turner:

One of Western Canada's finest Urban Music dj's.

A veteran to the Saskatoon club scene for well over 16 years he has been devastating dancefloors with a unique world music mix. Seamlessly mixing and remixing live, the finest Hip Hop, Reggae, Bhangra, Arabesque into a truely unique cultural and musical Journey on the turntables. Having a successful radio show, a line of mix cd's and having djed at some of the top nightclubs all over Canada from Toronto to Vancouver over the years, Scott has gained the recognition and respect as a true embassador of world music and a much sought after talent with his large crowd and ethnically diverse following.    Scott has also been accredited as the first dj to break "dancehall reggae" and its riddims into the mainstream clubs of Saskatoon. Educating the urban population to world music and opening the door for other dj's to spin to the sounds of the caribbean and urban music.