Our Story
The Steadfast story starts around 2010/11 when he first experienced his local Edinburgh sound system in action. As a friend of the operatorโs son, he soon got stuck in to lifting boxes and helping crew for Messenger Sound System on a regular basis. This close proximity to a well established Roots sound only intrigued him further in to the world of Roots Reggae Sound Systems and the following years saw him begin to travel South to take in some of the veteran sounds on the UK circuit.
In 2014 he and 6 other friends began playing reggae music in a small Edinburgh bar. As these regular nights continued 3 more companions joined the group and the 9 of them began collecting records and learning the basics of spinning records. This group soon became Edinburgh Roots Collective and as they began to outgrow the small bar and gain other gigs a few of the members floated away. It was soon after this Sylvatica decided to pursue his own path and, wishing the remaining members all the best he left the collective.
So, in 2015, the Steadfast brand was born and Steadfast Sylvatica began playing regularly in various Edinburgh venues. 2016 saw another local Sound System begin to appear on the scene and it wasnโt long before Sylvatica was crewing for Mighty Oak Sound System too. The rest of that year he began playing regularly on their rig and soon picked up some vital experience with a real reggae preamp, delay, siren and playing in the traditional style with one deck. In between crewing for Messenger + Mighty Oak, that same year saw Steadfast Sylvatica break on to the Scottish festival scene and begin to build a reputation as a righteous selector. Towards the end of the year he took a step back from playing with Mighty Oak but continued to contribute as a crew member.
In the following 2 years Steadfast Sylvatica + Mighty Oak began hosting some underground free parties in a private outdoor location. These were held a few times a year and included many fellow Scottish reggae crews as guest selectors. This period also saw SS go on to play on the same bill as names such as Channel One, Messenger, Chazbo, Mungo's HiFi, Misty In Roots + many more. By the end of 2018 he had already established links with most of the other up and coming + established names on the Scottish Reggae/Dub scene. By now he had also played at most Scottish festivals including Audiosoup, Doune The Rabbit Hole, Knockengorroch, Solfest, Kelburn Garden Party, The Psychedelic Forest Carnival, Belladrum, The Woodland Dance Project and other outdoor events. All these events also saw SS play over many different rigs such as Messenger Sound System, Mungoโs HiFi, Mighty Oak Sound System, Bass Warrior Sound System, Jambeater Sound System, Step It Up Sound System, 527 Sound System, Electrikal Sound System, Cenote Sound System, Ghost Sound System + Edinburgh Roots Collective (a.k.a Mandala) Sound System.
The beginning of 2019 saw a new venture for Sylvatica. Teaming up with Seb (Shebeen Scene/Homegrown Sound) + Cedric (Step It Up Sound System) the trio started hosting a monthly reggae radio show on community radio EH-FM by the name of โSip It Up Soundsโ inspired by the song/album by Johnny Clarke as well as the Sip A Cup label. By May 2019 SS spearheaded the creation of an additional monthly radio show on EH-FM by the name of โDimensions Of Dubโ
Thanks for taking the time to read our story so far and donโt forget to follow Steadfast Sylvatica on all social media to show your support. Watch this space... the future holds good things here at Steadfast HQ.
To get a taste of the action, we can't recommend enough that you should lend your ear to one of the many Steadfast Sylvatica mixes available on Soundcloud. These are also available, alongside all the โSip It Upโ radio shows on Mixcloud. However, to benefit from the full experience you simply MUST reach your local sound system session.
Roots + Culture.
Take it easy.