Elijah Salomon’s been part of Switzerland’s reggae heartbeat for almost two decades now, and if you’ve followed the scene even a little, you might have crossed paths with his work. He first stepped out with Beweg Di back in 2009, linking up with The Dubby Conquerors and dropping sixteen Swiss-German tunes that instantly set him apart. A few years later came Eat Ripe Fruit on his own One Camp Records, then its dub counterpart Dub Ripe Fruit. By the time he reached Salomon in 2022, he was juggling Swiss-German, English, and even a touch of Italian. The album’s dub edition dropped the next year with mixes from King Jammy’s son John John and Mad Professor’s Joe Ariwa.
Now Elijah Salomon is back again. As 2025 winds down, Elijah delivers Essenz, his sixth album and one that marks a turning point in his artistic career. The roots of this project go right back to the quiet days of the 2021 lockdown, when he locked himself in the studio with a pile of synths and samplers and chased new sounds just to stay sane. You can hear that freedom in the music. It’s still Elijah, still switching between Swiss-German and English, but this time he adds two tracks sung in African languages and leans deeper into afrobeat, soul, hip hop, and electronic flavors.
Elijah has been teasing his new album since 2024 with the release of singles like Bliib Starch, Keep On Rocking, Essenz, and All Night Long. They all find their place here. And the new tunes fill in the colors. Mir Zwei and Whine Up are pure dance-floor joy, the kind of songs that remind you why we love reggae and dancehall in the first place. The title track Essenz, featuring Didi and Jamaican artist Angel Doolas, slows things down and talks straight about love and belonging. Fatou is another standout, built around the the sound of the West African kora and powered by Nigerian producer Juwhiz, a tribute to the spirit of the Mandinka woman. And of course, Elijah never leaves out the uplift. Keep On Rocking with Jamaican legend Mike Brooks, plus Stronger and Bliib Starch, all steady reminders to push through and hold your center.
Essenz shows an artist still growing, still experimenting, but never losing the soul that made people follow him in the first place.