Watch: Haseeb Iqbal on Jah Shaka

Haseeb Iqbal discusses his love of the late soundsystem legend Jah Shaka.

"There is no other sound and no other frequency that I've ever heard in my life that has made me feel the way that Shaka's sound system made me feel. And the really beautiful thing about that is having met hundreds of people who have said the exact same thing, yet we can't quite describe why."

Haseeb Iqbal's latest Listening Session at 180 Studios traces the life and legacy of Jah Shaka — the man many consider a father of UK sound system culture.

Iqbal's session is a 90-minute journey through Jah Shaka's world. Alongside key records from his personal collection, he traces a life that began in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, in the mid-1940s, through the Windrush generation's arrival in Southeast London in 1956, and eventually gave birth to a sound system that would reshape British culture.

"Shaka really does resemble a true pillar, a foundation of UK sound system culture," says Iqbal, "and somebody that many would say is the father of UK sound system culture."

Born Vivian Logan, Shaka settled in New Cross and went to school in Telegraph Hill. While he never strayed far from home , his music "changed British music, and many would say global music culture."

The session traces sound system culture back to its Jamaican roots and to the rhythm and blues records that first influenced it. Under British colonial rule until 1962, Jamaican radio stations were only permitted to play British and American music. The result was an underground explosion of outdoor sound system parties and selectors spinning whatever they wanted, freed from the restrictions of the airwaves.

"Suddenly these parties — sound system parties, sound system events — became these very innovative, profitable gatherings that united the community, but crucially allowed the Jamaican people to pick whatever music they wanted to hear, detached from the laws that underpinned what could be played on the radio."

Iqbal shares records including "English Girl" and "Faith Can Move Mountains" by the Twinkle Brothers, alongside "Jah Children Cry" — the first ever 12-inch on the Jah Shaka label, from 1980, featuring vocalist African Princess.

When Jah Shaka passed away a couple of years ago, the shock hit Iqbal hard. "I didn't realise how much he meant to me. Well, I knew, but it really hit me when he passed away." The last time they met, Iqbal had just warmed up for him at an outdoor festival in Crewe. Shaka signed a record for Iqbal: "Jah Love, Jah Shaka".

Watch the full session above.