Clint Warren | Reggae Beat | Reggae Tastemaker

Reggae rock artist Clint Warren releases his single “Reggae Beat,” off his EP “Pacific Coast Reggae,” through Interstate Records.

The EP details Reggae’s growth across the U.S. Pacific Coast through the lens of Clint’s personal relationship with the genre. “Reggae Beat” offers a unique blend of Traditional African Roots Reggae mixed with Jawaiian Reggae while paying respect to the various musical and cultural influences throughout Clint’s life.

With time spent living in South Africa, the United States, and Albania, he has found a way to combine the most beloved components of each region’s musical style to form a type of Reggae that is as captivatingly catchy as it is singular.

Born and raised in South Africa, Clint Warren spent the earlier part of his life learning the customs of locals, and he became particularly interested in the Rastafari religion through a woman whose family hailed from the Horn of Africa. This rich education sets him apart from most American Reggae artists – the foundation of westernized Reggae often references the Rastafari movement without a proper or respectful understanding. While fostering a love for Roots Reggae (Ska, Soca, and Rocksteady), Clint worked in television as a child, performing alongside the likes of African reggae legends Lucky Dube, Ras Dumisani, and Colbert Mukwevho, as well as Dave Matthews.

Pacific Coast Reggae EP in full

“One of the coolest upcoming [musical] artists with an old school feel we haven’t heard since Eminem”
Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel

A family move in the 1990s brought about Clint’s fascination with American and Jamaican Reggae. After enlisting in the US Marines, he was stationed in California where he picked up Jawaiian Reggae, a mixture of the genre with Hawaiian and Jamaican influence. After sustaining injuries in the service which led him to using a wheelchair, Reggae music became a source of hope. It was the sounds of his youth that helped him through homelessness and PTSD, the positive chants and engaging rhythms serving as comfort. Following time spent as a civil rights lawyer, Clint found purpose in the US Peace Corps as the first (and only) US Marine to transition to that role. His time in the Peace Corps brought him to Albania, where Mediterranean music began to influence his own style as an artist. By incorporating the Flamenco guitar into a blend of Roots-based Reggae, his vision was nearly complete.

This unique sound became solidified upon Clint’s return to the West Coast, specifically the Pacific Northwest. He served as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of various groups before embarking on a career as a successful solo artist and film score composer. Clint’s single “Puppy Dog Eyes” was included in WOA Record’s “Independent No 1’s Vol.12” compilation, which charted at #1 on Amazon UK “Hot New Releases.” His single “Tawney Allure” was featured on Pandora AMP: Fresh Cuts and SiriusXMU Channel 35.

“Pacific Coast Reggae,” is an EP built around the three most popular songs from his former act, “Land Piranha,” “Jacue,” and “Pragmatic.” “Land Piranha” and “New Caledonia” are Pop Reggae/Surf Pop tracks, a nod to Californian influence. All of the tracks keep the listener on their feet while teaching them about the evolution of Reggae. From Ska and Soca, to the Pacific Coast, the EP is a collection not only of sounds, but of Clint’s life experiences and his commitment to providing listeners with the same sense of hope that he found in Reggae.

“Reggae Beat” in particular has a traditional Roots Reggae structure with an earworm of a chorus. While the song pairs well with artists like SOJA, Tribal Seeds, Green, Movement, J Boog, & Iration, Clint’s masterful mixing of Reggae subgenres is not lost. All you have to do is list the instruments used in the track and you can see the diversity. Recognizable drum and guitar lines seamlessly fit with wooden Guiro, Matraca, PVC pipe, mbira, bongos, and djembe. As you feel yourself getting lost in the track, the chorus continues like a mantra: “Take it easy.” Clint’s message of resilience appeals to listeners of all backgrounds.