Asha D is a must-know artist of the French-speaking reggae scene.
A singer, musician and producer from Montpellier, Asha D has lived and breathed reggae since childhood. A drummer first — self-taught on Bob Marley's records, from Carlton Barrett to Sly Dunbar — he carries the tempo in his bones, to the point of sometimes singing without ever leaving the drum kit. Only much later, after twenty years of reggae, would he learn that his grandfather had been born in Kingston.
In 1992, with Dr Vegas and Artikal Fab, he founded in Montpellier the collective that would become the Artikal Band and the Artikal Sound System — the heart of the Artikal Music label. Schooled on the VHS tapes of the legendary Reggae Sunsplash, they opened for The Wailers, Culture and Buju Banton and built their own studio. In April 2000, Asha D laid down his first recorded vocal, for a compilation produced by Pierpoljak.
For sixteen years, until 2025, he held the drum seat for Yaniss Odua: more than 380 concerts across some fifteen countries, from the Zénith de Paris to the main stages of Rototom Sunsplash, Summerjam and Paléo Festival. On stage he backed legends such as U-Roy and Pablo Moses, and crossed paths with a long list of Jamaican artists — Sister Carol, The Heptones, Natural Black, Queen Omega, Rod Taylor. A lifetime of live music that feeds everything he creates today.
A tireless producer, in 2019 he opened riddiminstrumental.com with Dr Vegas — nearly 480 original riddims, a new one every week, voiced by the likes of Sizzla, The Congos, Dean Fraser and Tiwony. From 2021 his own voice moved to the forefront: the EPs “The Pressure” (2022), “Roots Meditation” (2023) and “Vivre en Paix” (2024), then the mixtape “Serious Time” (2025), trace a roots, conscious and heartfelt reggae, true to a simple creed: a message that is useful and deep.
Every month he gives his community a new track — nearly 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a loyal family on TikTok and Instagram. In 2026, with Dr Vegas, he founded the Reggae Sound School to pass on thirty years of stage and studio experience. On 23 October 2026 comes his new album “Où va ce monde ?”: six tracks and six dubs, played live by the Artikal Band. It's not a statement. It's a path.
This is a playlist: use the player's ⏮ ⏭ arrows to move from one video to the next.
"Où va ce monde ?"
Six tracks, six dubs. One journey. One question.
Coming soon · full album out 23 October 2026
Asha D unveils his next album track by track: a new one every month to keep the anticipation building, up to the full album — six tracks and six dubs, carried by the Artikal Band in live roots reggae — on 23 October 2026. Every track also exists as a dub, not as an add-on but to extend the message. The cover, currently in black and white, will be revealed in colour at release.
It's not a statement. It's a path.
Asha D isn't only a singer: he's also the Artikal Band's drummer, and the producer and mixing engineer behind his own tracks. A true craftsman of sound, he shares his catalogue of original riddims with artists worldwide on riddiminstrumental.com.
