{"id":22078,"date":"2026-03-23T20:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riddim.world\/?p=22078"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:31:30","slug":"lost-in-time-2026-a-festival-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riddim.world\/mystaging01\/lost-in-time-2026-a-festival-review\/","title":{"rendered":"LOST IN TIME 2026 \u2013 A Festival Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pho\u00adto: Ral\u00admar Pho\u00adtos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Lost In Time Fes\u00adti\u00adval took place for the third time this year\u2014expanded for the first time to two days, on Feb\u00adru\u00adary 28 and March 1, in Kingston\u2019s Hope Gar\u00addens. Antic\u00adi\u00adpa\u00adtion ran espe\u00adcial\u00adly high for Chronixx\u2019s first per\u00adfor\u00admance in his home\u00adland in sev\u00aden years. Ellen K\u00f6h\u00adlings was there and shares her per\u00adson\u00adal impres\u00adsions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text: Ellen K\u00f6h\u00adlings<\/a> \/\/\/ Pho\u00adtos: El Puru<\/a>, Des\u00adti\u00adnee Condi\u00adson<\/a>, Jun\u00adya \u201dThird\u00adeye\u201d S\u2011Steady<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tall palms com\u00adpete for atten\u00adtion amid the lush green\u00adery of Hope Gar\u00addens. The entrance to the fes\u00adti\u00adval is flanked on both sides by a row of bright\u00adly illu\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded hous\u00ades. The path leads straight toward a grand\u00adfa\u00adther clock set inside an open bam\u00adboo frame. It invites vis\u00adi\u00adtors to step inside and take photos\u2014much like the many scenic back\u00addrops scat\u00adtered across the grounds. The clock reads ten past ten. This week\u00adend, time stands still. Enter Lost In Time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s my first Lost In Time. And it is one of the most beautiful\u2014if not the most beautiful\u2014festival I have ever attend\u00aded. At the end of Octo\u00adber I hear that Chronixx<\/a> might per\u00adform. By then, \u201dExile\u201d<\/a> has already become my con\u00adstant com\u00adpan\u00adion. So my trip to Jamaica absolute\u00adly has to be planned around LIT. Where else would one be able to see the Young Sage, as Pro\u00adto\u00adje<\/a> affec\u00adtion\u00adate\u00adly calls him? I had already missed the SAULT<\/a> show in Lon\u00addon because of Roto\u00adtom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro\u00adto\u00adje has long nur\u00adtured the vision of hav\u00ading his broth\u00ader in spir\u00adit close the fes\u00adti\u00adval in a fit\u00adting way. Now that moment seems close. Years ago, he spoke of estab\u00adlish\u00ading a fes\u00adti\u00adval in Jamaica mod\u00adeled after Euro\u00adpean and Amer\u00adi\u00adcan events\u2014a kind of blend of Coachel\u00adla, Sum\u00admer\u00adjam, Roto\u00adtom, and Reg\u00adgae Jam. Today I\u2019m remind\u00aded of these fes\u00adti\u00advals. Pro\u00adto\u00adje seems to have tak\u00aden the best ele\u00adments from all these worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Yet it takes until the end of Jan\u00adu\u00adary before Lost In Time can final\u00adly be announced. The dream\u00adlike loca\u00adtion in Kingston\u2019s Hope Gar\u00addens is sur\u00adround\u00aded by a neigh\u00adbor\u00adhood whose res\u00adi\u00addents do not all nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly sway to a reg\u00adgae groove. In the end, King Digg is able to con\u00advince with his con\u00adcept. The festival\u2019s third edi\u00adtion is even extend\u00aded by an addi\u00adtion\u00adal day.<\/p>

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All the more aston\u00adish\u00ading, then, what the two founders\u2014Protoje and his sis\u00adter LeAnn Ollivierre\u2014together with the Lost In Time team man\u00adage to accom\u00adplish in just a few weeks. Pro\u00adduc\u00adtion runs smooth\u00adly and on schedule\u2014apart from one mishap I\u2019ll men\u00adtion lat\u00ader. Airy, open stages: the larg\u00ader one pre\u00adsent\u00aded like a cin\u00ade\u00adma in charm\u00ading old-school flair, the small\u00ader framed by green bam\u00adboo as part of the sur\u00adround\u00ading land\u00adscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Food Vil\u00adlage offers a diverse culi\u00adnary spread\u2014from Thai dish\u00ades to Zen bowls to local del\u00adi\u00adca\u00adcies. In between, art replaces reg\u00adgae kitsch, and of course there is I\u2011Nation Books & Neces\u00adsi\u00adties, whose impor\u00adtant role as a dis\u00adsem\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtor of knowl\u00adedge has been cel\u00ade\u00adbrat\u00aded in sev\u00ader\u00adal songs of the reg\u00adgae revival. Scat\u00adtered across the grounds like splash\u00ades of col\u00ador are seat\u00ading areas for pic\u00adnick\u00ading and relax\u00ading. Every\u00adthing is embed\u00added in breath\u00adtak\u00ading trop\u00adi\u00adcal sur\u00adround\u00adings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re strolling toward the main stage when Pro\u00adto\u00adje calls out to us from afar, ask\u00ading if we have every\u00adthing we need. With\u00adin moments he secures back\u00adstage pass\u00ades and wel\u00adcomes us warm\u00adly. Rarely have I seen a pro\u00admot\u00ader so relaxed yet so assured\u2014someone who seems approach\u00adable for every\u00adone at any time. Every\u00adthing here feels flu\u00adid; peo\u00adple car\u00adry out their respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties calm\u00adly and atten\u00adtive\u00adly, with\u00adout seem\u00ading stressed. All in the name of reg\u00adgae music, which is to be brought back to the fore\u00adfront. Only the Wi-Fi recep\u00adtion at the bar proves unre\u00adli\u00adable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though the grounds are well filled, we can move fair\u00adly smooth\u00adly from one stage to the oth\u00ader (8,100 vis\u00adi\u00adtors attend\u00aded on Sat\u00adur\u00adday, 8,500 on Sun\u00adday). The Sky Lounges fram\u00ading the area in front of the main stage are also well received. Fit\u00adting\u00adly, the staff there are dressed as stew\u00adards and stew\u00adardess\u00ades. Speak\u00ading of cloth\u00ading: rarely have I seen so much cool styling in one place\u2014bold, indi\u00advid\u00adual, strik\u00ading. Every\u00adwhere you look there\u2019s some\u00adthing eye-catch\u00ading. That goes even more for the artists. At LIT, cul\u00adture, art, cui\u00adsine, fash\u00adion, and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty come togeth\u00ader in the best musi\u00adcal mix of enter\u00adtain\u00adment and edu\u00adtain\u00adment with con\u00adscious music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the stages, gourmet fare is served. Every artist gives their all and more. Togeth\u00ader they cre\u00adate a con\u00adcert expe\u00adri\u00adence that is tru\u00adly sec\u00adond to none. Notably, sev\u00aden women take the stage on the first day: Joby Jay opens the fes\u00adti\u00adval with a whole heap of soul; the pow\u00ader\u00adful-voiced Tes\u00adsanne Chin; Yeza<\/a>, who bridges reg\u00adgae and dance\u00adhall, joined briefly by Patra; the fear\u00adless and rebel\u00adlious Tanya Stephens; the storm\u00ading Kof\u00adfee<\/a>; the melo\u00addi\u00adous Alaine; and the over\u00adwhelm\u00ading Lila Ik\u00e9<\/a>, deliv\u00ader\u00ading a super\u00adstar per\u00adfor\u00admance full of heart. Grate\u00adful\u00adly, she tells the audi\u00adence that she has over\u00adcome a dif\u00adfi\u00adcult peri\u00adod and is doing bet\u00adter again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The men are in the minor\u00adi\u00adty that evening. Pro\u00adduc\u00ader-turned-singer Ioto\u00adsh and the reg\u00adgae-and-soul croon\u00ader Mor\u00adtimer both impress, but the host him\u00adself, Pro\u00adto\u00adje, rais\u00ades the bar even fur\u00adther and\u2014much like his pro\u00adt\u00e9g\u00e9 Lila\u2014radiates super\u00adstar ener\u00adgy. He glad\u00adly shares the moment with oth\u00aders: for the \u201dFeel It\u201d<\/a> rid\u00addim he brings Romain Vir\u00adgo<\/a> and Alaine onstage, while Kof\u00adfee receives thun\u00adder\u00adous applause for the cheeky, cool \u201dSwitch It Up.\u201d<\/a> The grand finale begins with the mighty Dami\u00adan Mar\u00adley<\/a> com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion \u201dAt We Feet,\u201d<\/a> ful\u00adfill\u00ading a long-held wish for Pro\u00adto\u00adje, before Stephen joins for \u201dMis\u00adsion,\u201d and Dami\u00adan lead\u00ading every\u00adone into his anthem \u201dWel\u00adcome To Jam\u00adrock\u201d<\/a> while flag\u00adman Judah tire\u00adless\u00adly waves his ban\u00adner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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