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Current mood:  mellow Category: Blogging
I haven't commented on it before but back on the 24.th of june, Copenhagen lost an irreplaceable voice. Natasja Saad, or just Tasja, was one of those cats that had always been around. I remember her back in '95 when I spotted her and her long time partner in rhyme, Karen Mukuba at a Beastie Boys show. At that time they were still No Name Requested, an early 90'ties hiphop/ragga outfit.From then on our paths crossed occasionally and through my friend Dwayne, I eventually came across and became a part of the danish reggae scene, just as it was ready to blow everybody's heads. Natasja hadn't been doing music back then for a while, she had been making money as a professional jockey but had suffered a serious crash and had undergone hip replacement surgery. I recall her from a session at Pharfar's studio when she was trying to write her lyrics for what would later become Bikstok Røgsystem's now legendary "Cigar" track. She wasn't sure if danish was a language she could deejay in, but Dwayne, Phar and Blaes all convinced her that she was on the money and then she went in to the booth and laid down what became the kick start of the danish reggae movement, of which I am still an enthusiastic sideline player.RubaDub Sundays quickly became the epicenter of the whole scene and I ended up by default as web designer for anybody within the scene who needed a site and who had a bottle of rum or some loose change. That's how I ended up doing Tasja's website.. Though, to be honest, it really wasn't any good. It looked cool, but..This last year was turning out to be Tasja's year for real. She had won Irie FM's "Big Break" contest in Jamaica as the first non Jamaican ever, she had gotten great reviews for a part in a danish stage adaptation of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and she did a killer performance at the Danish Music Awards. Me and Ane were on the program as well and we shared the same DJ set up as her crew and we had backstage areas right across from hers. It was really exciting to see her blast through on stage, her flow impeccable and her presence undeniable. I was overjoyed to see the same little lady who had sat in front of me in Pharfar studio, struggling to get her slender patois flow around the heavy danish language, no more than 4-5 years ago, on stage in a hot red dress and high heels, TV cameras everywhere, and she was killing them, moving as if she did this kind of shit everyday.The last time I heard her live was at Rubadub's 5 year anniversary. It was one hell of a night, David Rodigan & King Kong coming through + Tasja and Pharfar. I went on first with Ane and after that I did a few tracks on my own, backed up by DJ Cars10. I wasn't really on top that night, but I felt it went okay until Tasja and Phar went on.. The place blew up. It was seriously magic, her flow had gotten so sharp, so tight. King Kong came on afterwards and did alright, but no matter what his legend status might be, he had just been taken out by the local queen of the dance. Even Rodigan, with all his stage presence, all his seniority, seemed slow and old compared to what Tasja dished out that night.At her funeral yesterday, the vibe was very heavy. Funerals are always weird but at this one it felt like somebody had pushed the pause button on reality. You had a turnout of just about every creative head within the Copenhagen scene. People who are known for getting the party going within 5 seconds; drummers, bassists, guitarists, dj's, rappers, soul diva screamers, shit hot producers, hypemen, legends from the 60's & 70's, toasters, promoters, mashup masterminds, graphical designers, fashionistas, old hippies, smoked out Christiania bong veterans, punks, rastas, gipsies.. And everybody not saying a thing, not doing anything, not preforming, everyone sullen and slightly scared. Scared, because it could just as easily have been them in that box with all the pretty flowers. We've all tried to be all fucked up after a gig and then jumping in to a van with somebody who might be slightly over the legal limit, not giving it a second thought, just wanting to go home after a good show. You could almost feel all these super talented people asking themselves; 'Fuck, I'm glad this didn't happen to me' and 'How many would show up at my funeral?'.If Tasja has taught us anything up here, then it's to just fucking go for it. In real life she was a very humane person full of faults and mistakes, but through all that, she made her voice heard and she stood so much taller than her petite real life height of 5 foot zero. Anyway, that's how I will remember her.Here's some of the pictures that I've taken of Tasja while serving as photo dude for Rubadub Sundays and included is also a recording of Tasja live and direct from Rubadub's 5 year bashment.. Listen and learn, kids.More love to you, Little T.- Pato.Natasja Live From Rubadub Sundays 5 Year Birthday Party! 
// Rubadub 5 year birthday bash //
// Bikstok release party //
// Tasja album release party //
// Bikstok release party //
// Bikstok Pumpehuset backstage //
// Bikstok release party //
// Bikstok Århus afterparty //
// Bikstok release party //
// Bikstok Vega backstage //
9:31 AM
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