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Dr. Ring Ding joins In Defense of Ska to chat about the origins of the European ska scene, his own journey of falling in love with the genre, and the German ska bands he looks up to. Listen above, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Initially popularized by UK two-tone bands like Madness, The Specials, and The Selecter, ska eventually made its way into different pockets of Europe. One of these pockets was Germany, where a young Dr. Ring Ding fell in love with the genre’s unique stylings. He tells the story of how he discovered ska — shouting out bands like The Busters, The Butlers, Skaos, Blechreiz, No Sports, and The Bracers along the way — as well as how he got into the scene himself with his first group, Dr Ring-Ding and the Senior Allstars.

Elsewhere, the crew discusses Germany’s rocky relationship with skinhead culture and Dr. Ring Ding’s work with Jamaican icons like Doreen Shafer and Lord Tanamo. The artist also teases an unreleased album he recorded with King Django.

Listen to Dr. Ring Ding talk about German ska and more on this episode of In Defense of Ska, and make sure to like, review, and follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Fans can also get early and ad-free episodes by joining the IDOS Patreon, and don’t forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here. Additionally, you can support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition will be released in Oct 2024.