It’s not only the fact that the colors of the Lithuanian flag are strikingly similar to those of Ethiopia, the holy land of the Rastafarians, that makes Shidlas feel obliged to be a reggae artist. In fact, it would be more correct to assume that he is a natural-born one. Shidlas’ music is not a straightforward Jamaican (or any other) import – thanks to the talented local folks helping the MC with production and live instrumentals, it’s rather a distinctly Lithuanian brand of reggae, complete with subtle electronic dub vibrations and snippets of jazz. Yet even more important is the way in which Shidlas himself approaches the lyrics, discarding the usual heroic ‘natty dreadlocks’ lore in favor of tongue-in-cheek, specifically local humor based on clever wordplay. Even the habitual ‘Rastafarai’ as uttered by him might not mean what you’d expect.
Jurij Dobriakov
Website:www.myspace.com/shidlas
