RiseUp zooms in on Turbulence

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Turbulence's presence on the music scene is rather low-keyed these days, having established himself locally and internationally as a bonafide Reggae artiste with a slew of positive chart-toppers and an adoring fan base.

Notwithstanding, the artiste, who once referred to himself as Turbulence The Future is now a force to be reckoned with in Jamaica's competitive music industry; a fulfillment which was prophesied in RiseUp, a feature-length documentary on the island's underground music scene which focuses on Turbulence and two other aspiring artistes rising from obscurity to stake their place in Reggae and Dancehall music pantheon.

Turbulence, whose given name is Sheldon Campbell has had Reggae hits such as Notorious, Name and Number, Babylon You Doomed and Not Like Them and Those. However, while the singer tasted success in the dancehall, and received relative exposure as the opening act for Sizzla prior to the start of filming in 2003, Turbulence propelled into the music's mainstream as he was being featured in the award-winning RiseUp, directed by Argentina native and Los Angeles transplant, Luciano Blotta.

Turbulence is "the conscious ghetto youth with enough determination to move mountains," states RiseUp official synopsis, as the documentary delved into the life of artiste, allowing him to reach the audience through the most potent medium of film, in ways that music alone would disallow.

RiseUp is yet another classic in Jamaica's film arsenal, failing to embellish, preferring to showcase Turbulence in his unpolished form from his tenement home base in Hungry Town, Kingston; scouring for opportunities with his crew; The Higher Trod Family, impressing in the dancehalls, and ultimately being himself.

The artiste bares all in the film, and audiences are being promised a treat when RiseUp: Stories from Jamaica's Music Underground premieres in Jamaica on October 26 at Kingston historic cinema, the Carib, and opens in theatres islandwide on October 27.