Black Rhino Residency #25: Iration Steppas, Ma-Kaya, Low Freq 18+

We welcome the spring in great style and fashion, unfolding a lineup that brings forth two of the UK's veterans, marking Black Rhino Radio's 25th residency at Control Club.

March 14 — Black Rhino Radio × Control Club
Iration Steppas • Ma-Kaya • Low Freq
Amplified by Riddim Bandits Sound System

Headlining the night is Leeds icon Iration Steppas, a name that left a huge footprint in the evolution and development of dub music. Producer, selector, sound system builder, Mark also stands as one of dub’s most active teachers, having shaped generations of artists and passing along so much of his knowledge, keeping the culture alive and flourishing. His music legacy stands out as one that firmly succeeded in building communities. 

Next on the lineup, we are  happy to welcome Ma-Kaya. The Birmingham reggae sound is one of those grassroots cultural engines that helped shape the UK’s reggae landscape from the late 1970s onward. While not as globally documented as some London or Jamaican outfits, Ma-Kaya played a meaningful role in the community-driven sound-system culture of Birmingham, a city with one of the deepest Caribbean diasporas in the UK. Ma-Kaya's impact lies mostly in cultural infrastructure, where they helped nurture the Midlands reggae identity that later fed into UK lovers rock, dub poetry, and jungle scenes.

Black Rhino Radio founder and selector Low Freq joins the lineup and opens the sessions with a reggae and dub selection, setting up the atmosphere for the night.