Reggae & Dancehall 133 Items

Dub & Sound International returns for a third time and this one welcomes legendary Jamaican trombonist Vin Gordon who is rightly 'Digging The Vibes.' The title track kicks off and pairs his playful patterns with a Dubsetters rhythm and some nice sunny and soothing melodies from Trommie aka Don Drummond Jr.. After the horn-led, organic and unhurried instrumental comes a dub that is fleshed out with a little more echo and is a sublime bit of roots. A second version adds another perspective to the original and we already look forward to hearing more from this project.

Music Mania and Indica Dubs is proud to present the fourth release in their Mania Dub series.

The first in a series of mini compilations exploring instrumental Dub versions of sought after and long out of print titles from the world of Reggae, Disco, Boogie and House. Many of these versions still contain vocals, snippets here and there drenched in delay or reverb, a style you’ll recognise from many of the Jura Soundsystem edits on the label. The late Glen Adams & Finesse open proceedings with their Island Disco cover of Marvin Gaye’s classic, followed on the A2 by a super rare UK Boogie/Brit Funk mix of Tippa Irie’s ‘Panic Panic’ (shouts to Tippa for personally helping to push through the license) and the A side closes with the 80’s leaning ‘Yes I Do’ from Belgium’s Special Occasion. The first half of the B side comes from Carol Williams with the Special Club Dub mix of ‘Can’t Get Away’, originally a one sided promo only 10” from 1983 complete with spoken word intro from Carol thanking New York’s Metro DJs for their support of the song. The LP closes with a Jura Soundsystem Dubby Edit of La Palace De Beaute’s ‘Sin’ pulling back on the vocal and going heavy on the delay.

Limited Edition for Record Store Day 2022.

The compilation you hold in your hands features the best of U Brown’s 1983 release Jam It Tonight, cut at Channel One with the Roots Radics, coupled with enthralling earlier singles laid at Channel with the Revolutionaries. The high points are many in this thoroughly agreeable set that showcases the best of peak-period U Brown; beginning with the devotional ‘Jah Is My Father Still’ and ‘Walk With Jah Love’ from Jam It Tonight, the title track speaks of reggae music’s unstoppable nature and ‘Reggae Gone International’ is a celebratory take of the ‘Pick A Dub’ rhythm, here totally reconfigured, Maxfield Avenue style. ‘Rub A Dub All The Time’ (aka ‘Tu Sheng Peng’) is a killer take of the Dennis Brown song of the same name, while ‘Blow Mr Hornsman Blow’ is an awesome re-working of the ‘Take Five’ rhythm, and ‘Come Along’ a beautiful deejay counterpart to Sugar Minott’s ‘Steal Away Girl’. U Brown has since gone on to enjoy all kinds of musical adventures in the UK, USA, and Europe, where he settled in the 1990s; listen to the artistry on No Stoppin’ This Music and marvel at his enduring talents.

Producer – Jah Thomas Toyan aka Ranking Toyan (born Byron Letts, died 1991) was a Jamaican reggae deejay active since the mid-1970s and best known for his early 1980s recordings. Toyan began his career in 1974, deejaying on Kingston's sound systems, such as Socialist Roots and Romantic HiFi. He recorded his debut single, "Disco Pants" in the late 1970s for producer Don Mais. He went on to work extensively with Joseph Hoo Kim and Jah Thomas, resulting in a string of hits including "Girls Nowadays", "Kill No Man", "John Tom", and "Talk of the Town", as well as combination hits with The Mighty Diamonds ("Pretty Woman"), Badoo ("Rocking the 5000"), and Freddie McGregor ("Roots Man Skanking"). In 1981 he joined Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Sound system, and toured Canada. With Lawes, he recorded the album How the West Was Won, and went on to produce his own work and that of others such as Billy Boyo and Anthony Johnson. He toured the United Kingdom with the Jah Prophecy band and performed in Jamaica alongside Dennis Brown.

Toyan was murdered in Jamaica in 1991.

We always try to bring something special when it comes to release a single on vinyl. This time, we are pleased to announce the return of one of the most obscure and talented vocal group from the early 80's: Time Unlimited. It's been more than twenty years that Donovan Joseph, Hugo Blackwood and Orville Smith, have been off the musical scene as Time Unlimited. During the recording sessions of the Roots Architects project in 2017, we had the chance to meet Donovan Joseph passing by the studio. Straightaway, we were telling ourselves that we had to see his legendary group name written on black wax again. Here it is, with a deep rub a dub cut backed by the High Times Players remembering the golden years of the group!

Killer 90's Afro-Root from Nigeria.

RE-ISSUE OF BRITISH TWO-TONE AND SKA BAND THE SELECTER'S LIVE ALBUM FROM 1996 - ON STUNNING CLEAR VINYL!"Greatest Hits Live" captures a reunited Selecter running through their greatest hits at a Minneapolis club in 1991. Includes live versions of the UK Singles Chart hits 'On My Radio', 'Three Minute Hero', 'Missing Words' and 'The Whisper'.

Reissue of this 1982 Reggae classic!!

Four years ago, Liam Bailey visited NYC from his hometown of Nottingham, England to write and record songs with Truth & Soul (Jeff Silverman & Leon Michels), that could help secure him the ever elusive major label deal. Shortly after the group met, an instant chemistry led to a series of reggae and soul songs that have been long-time favorites at T&S headquarters. Soon after his visit, Liam Bailey signed to Polydor Records. This is the first 45 from an upcoming series of Liam Bailey singles on Truth & Soul.

The Delegators play rocksteady, ska and early reggae, with hints of Motown and 60s soul. The Delegators features lead vocalist Janet Kumah, who commands an audience with her electrifying stage presence and gutsy vocal performance. Laying down a relentless groove behind her are a bunch of fine musicians, including Leon Vince, Ramy Eissa and Arthur Béranger. Since 2008 they have been inspiring audiences from London to Leipzig, from Rennes to Rome, to dance to their irresistible beat. To get an idea of the Delegators' sound, imagine the Supremes moved to Kingston via South London. They've shared bills with reggae legends and acts as diverse as The Pioneers, Dave Barker, Pat Kelly, Doreen Shaffer, The Nextmen, Hepcat and The English Beat. The Delegators kicked off the 2012 International Ska Festival in London with a bang, have performed four times at the Glastonbury Festival (including an opening slot for Lady Gaga!) and featured on Mark Lamarr's 'God's Jukebox' on Radio 2.

The release of debut album, All Aboard, was met with critical and popular acclaim, BBC Radio London 99.4FM's Robert Elms describing the album as 'one of my records of the year [by] one of my bands of the year.' A string of UK dates followed and continues into 2014, a year which will see the Delegators reach further and gain bigger and better exposure.

The album classic was originally issued in 1977 in Jamaica only and 20 years later in 1997 released by the Blood & Fire label as the outstanding but now deleted "Heart Of The Congos". VP Records' sub-label 17 North Parade release now the definitive 2017 re-mastered 3CD / 3LP deluxe edition put together with both respect and gratitude to that illustrious antecedent.

This new 3 disc-set and 3LP-Vinyl-set is the first to feature the now almost impossible to find, original mix of the album, unavailable since producer Lee Perry withdrew the set in 1977 following the refusal of Chris Blackwell's Island Records team to licence the album (Disc 3), together with the more well-known mix, dubs, disco mixes, seven and twelve inch versions and "Don’t Blame It On I" an overlooked previously unreleased track unearthed (Disc 2) and the 'Blood & Fire' Kevin Metcalfe master (Disc 1).

Reissue of a classic Jamaican roots reggae album by the vocal trio consisting of Carlton Hines, Dave Harvey and Paul Mangaroo, originally released on Message in 1978 and co-featuring Augustus Pablo, Hugh Mundell, Robbie Shakespeare, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and many others.

Piano skanked & cosmic dub stepper from Tapes & DJ Sotofett, this is the original live rhythm take from the two artists 2013 dub remixes for Thug Records. B-side a bit more dreamy with stiff plastic drums, rubbing sub bass and a whistly whirly synth solo guiding you through the instrumentation.

Der Modern Roots Classic ist wieder als Original US-LP Vinyl erhältlich! Der Longplayer wurde 1997 von Robert "Digital B" Dixon produziert und von Barry O'Hare, Benjy Myres, Bongo Herman, Dalton Browne, Dean Frazer, 'Dish', Donald Dennis, Ernie Wilks, Jazzwad, Melbourne Miller, Paul Crossdale, Paul Henton, Robbie Shakespeare, Ronald "Nambo" Robinson, 'Saxie' und Sly Dunbar eingespielt, die Backing Vocals übernahmen Dalton Browne and Marie Gittens. Als Riddims kamen u.a. diverse Klassiker von Coxone Dodd/Studio One Label, und/oder von Black Uhuru und The Abyssinians zum Einsatz: "Stars", "Drum Song", "Queen Of The Minstrel", "Leaving To Zion", "Satta", "He Prayed".

"Good music never dies!" - This was Diane Ellis' mantra when she set out to produce this, her first record, in 1979. She recalls hearing the Rose Royce classic Love Don't Live Here Anymore on the radio and instantly thinking it would make for a great reggae cover, immediately envisioning the sound she was looking for. Drafting in the legendary Boris Gardiner and vocalist Sharon Forrester they created this timeless version of a perennial classic - now available here in it's full extended discomix glory for the first time on 12" since it's original outing, and backed with hornsman cut placing Dean Fraser's sax front row center.

The record was made when Ellis was studio manager for the world-famous Tuff Gong studios, but wanted her outing as a record producer to be a totally independent venture - gaining the great Bob Marley & the TG team's blessings in the process. And so Aquarius Studio in Half Way Tree was where it was all laid-down. Diane credits the Legendary owner and pioneering producer, Herman Chin Loy, as also being of great help on the record, providing a guiding ear throughout the process.

Despite this the evident strength of this first production, Ellis would follow up with only one other production, Junior Tucker's cover of "One of the Poorest People" (this time one recorded at Tuff Gong studios, and releasing the 56 Hope Road subsidiery). While both records performed well on local radio and charts, Diane exited the music industry shortly after. Now 43 years later, Diane is overjoyed her production is having a comeback, saying that "the support and love felt during the project can never be replicated, and I give thanks to all who supported then and now".

The second part of the all-time dub classic, "Dub Landing" Vol.2, originally released by Starlight Records in 1982! Even more rare than Volume 1 from the previous year it is now re-mastered by Kevin Metcalfe and matched with a second disc of original vocal versions of the Linval Thompson productions. The two disc set got a great newly created cover art by renowned illustrator Tony McDermott, and includes previously unreleased music from Sister Nancy, Papa Tullo, Hell & Fire and other much sought after tunes by The Viceroys and Barrington Levy. This is the classic sound from the Roots Radics band at Channel One with all tracks mixed by Prince Jammy and Overton "Scientist" Brown at King Tubby's studio. The 2CD-set is packaged in a deluxe six-panel hardcover digisleeve with a booklet glued in the package, and there are extended liner notes by reggae expert Harry Hawke. The 2LP-Vinyl set has a one sided giant poster of the frontsleeve atwork inside a 5mm spine double-LP sleeve!

With the fantastic 'Black Rabbit,' dub don Prince Fatty masterfully navigates the realms of dub and reggae, infusing each track with his signature vintage sound and infectious grooves. The single is a great trip through rich basslines, swirling echoes, and soulful melodies that all showcase Fatty's exceptional production skills and deep understanding of Jamaican music traditions. From the laid-back instrumentals to his lively vocal performance, this tune has timeless charm and undeniable authenticity so is a testament to Prince Fatty's enduring influence in the contemporary reggae scene.

Watch out, this clear 45 rpm single is limited to 250 copies worldwide!

Record Kicks presents a new limited edition transparent 45 rpm single vinyl by UK rock steady/soul/dub combo Pama International feat another two winners.
On the A side the new single "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" flipped by the reggae 69 stormer "Gasoline" on the B side.
In their first 10 years Pama Int'l recorded 9 albums, 3 BBCRadio 1 Maida Vale sessions, won the Rebel playlist on BBC6, and became the first new act to sign to Trojan Records in 30 years. Their collective nature saw them work with members of The Specials, Madness, Steel Pulse, Style Council, Galliano, Kasabian, Mad Professor, Toots & The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff to name a few.

UK reggae star Pablo "Hard Times" Gad returns by hooking up with Reggae On Top's Barry Issac at Conscious Sounds Studio for a heavy roots session.

Third release on O.M. Theorem is a nuclear club bomb featuring remixes by Ossia and DJ Sotofett as well as two VIP mixes of Lemma1. DJ Sotofett with his Dub-heavy output on Honest Jon's and Sex Tags Amfibia invites Ghanese Afro-Dub drummer Ekowmania for vocals and usual collaborator LNS for keyboard works on his bright, tight and colourfull Steppers remix. Bristol and Peng! Sounds Ossia drives the mixing desk in tru Dub-fashion with a classic riddim that meets an avant garde melody pattern going in and out of the mix. Both of the VIP mixes rebuilds percussion and bass while exploring further corners of UK-style Bass Music with Roots in D'n'B and Steppers.THIS 12" IS CUT With Loud Volume FOR Excellent Club USE!

Mungo's Hi Fi return with their exciting new vocal project Past And Present. Released on their Dumbarton Rock label, it's the eagerly awaited vocal companion piece to 2021 dub album Antidote. Past And Present is unique for Mungo's in being devoted to the Rub A Dub reggae style that arose in late 70s and early 80s Jamaica. The record has its roots in both past and present. Back in 2021, Mungo's responded to the pandemic with the dub project Antidote, an album of reflection among wide spaces and nature. As the world has reopened, Past And Present celebrates the return of verbal communication and dancing to hypnotic basslines, with the original vocal cuts by veteran and rising microphone talent. The haunting voice of French pure singjay Pupajim encourages us to face living in the now, on title track Past and Present. Pioneering Jamaican female deejay Lady Ann toasts the importance of Good Lovin' over a sensual, waist-winding rhythm. Ethereal UK neo lovers rock singer Hollie Cook revisits her classic Sugar Water, floating above a sparse and eerie future Rub A Dub soundscape. Honey-toned Londoner Kiko Bun exudes confidence and humility as a Riddim General while veteran talker Solo Banton shakes up the dance on his seismic, much requested, We Pulsating. The biblical voice of Jamaican legend Prince Alla sounds fresh on a revisit to his immortal Only Love Can Conquer. Fellow elder statesman of reggae Johnny Clarke contributes the sole non Rub A Dub offering with the "Flying Cymbals" driven, deep roots track Rain Keeps On Falling. French singjay Shanti D and Israeli chanter Ranking Levy pair up on the mighty Jaqueline rhythm for a warning against Total Disaster. The prodigious Charlie P joins Godfather of UK emcee-ing, Daddy Freddy, to request freer movement on Control The Border. The final statement is without words or vocals: as Mungo's production team take centre stage for the soaring Birds Of Vice - the A side to Antidote's closing dub, Birds Of Pleasure. In reggae, the vocal traditionally precedes the dub...

Emotional Rescue looks back again with a 2022 repress, digging deep in to the early 80s Bristol post punk scene of Pig Pag, the Wild Bunch and the Dug Out club. A short lived project of just 3 releases, Mouth trail-blazed leftfield percussive jams in the rich vain of Liquid Liquid and ESG but in their own jazz-infused way. Centered round the cultural melting post of the St Paul's district, it's pubs, clubs and blues parties threw together young and old to the sounds of dub, funk, jazz and soul and took the spark lit by punk rock and new wave and spawned music that still resonates today. Consisting of a floating line up based around main members Andy Guy and Rob Merrill, alumina included a young Nellie Hooper before he would go on to be a founding member of the Wild Bunch and on to produce the likes of Bjork, U2 and Madonna. Based around a hard tribal drumming, mixing guitar, trumpet, shouted vocals and effects, the thrown in the mix nature was inspired as much by avant-jazz than punk's do it yourself attitude. Here then, on one EP are their complete recordings, including as the title cut, their best and deepest, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Featured on a compilation LP from the legendary Y Records, its bottom heavy dub sound is augmented by female and toasted vocals riding a top a heavy stepper style riddim. This is followed by an increasingly dizzy array of percussion jams. Acab Part 2) is all skips and trumpets, while the versions of Take Your Coat Off perfect skat vocal / tom interplay, before the finale busts out the rockabilly influences in full effect with jagged guitar, skipping hats meets double bass punk style.

Singer and producer Mike Brooks along with Jah Lloyd created their Teams label kin 1969. This Vinyl re-issue is of 1976 Burning Sounds release What A Gathering – a compilation of tracks recorded at Channel One, produced by Jah Lloyd and named after Mike's biggest hit.

After 2 years since the last The Sound of Revolution, the ninth and much-anticipated new Los Fastidios album is coming on may the 16th of may 2019 on Kob Records (Italy) in collaboration with Potencial Hardcore (Madrid) and Fire and Flames Music (Kiel) !!!! Titled JOY JOY JOY, the new full lenght of this italian band on the road since 1991, includes 13 tracks in the classic Los Fastidios style, that's a winning blend of street sounds...streetpunk, ska, oi!, rocksteady, reggae, melodic punk and a touch of pop, sung in italian, spanish, english, a touch of french and for the first time also one song in german !!! 10 new songs, 2 cover songs "Ellos dicen mierda" of Basque Country band La Polla Records and "Joy Joy Joy" popular song in a funny ska version and the old Los Fastidios song "Guarda avanti" arranged in a new version. Many important special guests in the Joy Joy Joy album: Dirk & Elf (from the german band Slime) on vocals and guitar in the song "Schönen Cafe", Dj Koma aka Mauràs (italian hip hop) on vocals in the the song "Il suono della strada", Elisa Dixan (tour manager of the band and co-owner of Kob Records) on vocals in the song "A message pour toi", Fulvio & Lorenzo (from the italian band Skassapunka) on backing vocals, De Veggent on the keyboards on 3 songs, Giotanni (of the italian band Ashpipe) on violin in the song "Marichiweu" and the really special guest Paul Heaton (singer of the legendary UK bands The Housemartins & The Beatiful South, relevant bands since ever for Enrico, singer of Los Fastidios) on vocals in the song "I have a dream". An album that captures attention from the outset, presenting various styles from the first track. The messages in the songs are easily understood but also deeply meaningful, familiar and enjoyable to long-time fans of the band, and which will hopefully capture many new fans to Los Fastidios. So, are you ready for 13 songs that's going to drive everybody insane over the next months? Move your feet, shake your legs and sing proud, Joy Joy Joy is coming !!!

Liam Bailey comes out swinging with "White Light," an instant-classic, dancefloor filler. The rough and tough drum break intro catches you from the first beat before the track gives way to an infectious and uplifting reggae-dis- co number. Liam's instantly recognizable voice showers his muse with praise over deep round bass lines and a four on the floor beat. The combination of Leon Michels' crushing production and Bailey's lyrics like "You love yourself, you're so exciting, like no one else"... is sure to make this a staple in dj sets around the globe.The B side "Cold & Clear" is a proper lighters in the air, slap the wall, top ranking tune. The track struts in the door with a natural and undeniable confidence. Liam weaves a heavy metacognitive story over the one drop drums, perfect basslines, and organ stabs that will have people stepping in rhythm. The lo-fi production weaves elements from the finest early rocksteady era with touches from the late 70s / early 80s digital era and takes the entire vibe into the present with unorthodox arrangements and vocal treatments. Bailey has a tune here that will hold up next to the classics in the dancehalls from the yards of Jamaica to the discotheques in his homeland of England.

Two albums that shook the world! The release of these two ground-breaking dubs sets in 1975 altered the course of modern music forever. Dub From The Roots & Roots Of Dub make up a crucial selection of King Tubby’s mind-altering dub versions.
Produced by Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee – both albums are essential!

The ace reissue of these wicked dub albums collecting together classic 70's dub versions by dub pioneer and leader of ‘roots’ music in Jamaica, King Tubby! Tubby’s vast knowledge of electronics and Bunny’s vast catalogue of rhythms would lay the foundations of what today is taken as a standard. All the tracks on here are versions of classic tracks from Cornell Campbell, Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Linval Thompson, Derick Morgan & Hortense Ellis dubbed out by the King of Dub King Tubby!’

Got to be Conscious’ was a massive underground hit back in 2002 and is well worthy of a reissue presented here by Partial Records.

This years annual Dub-Team-Up 7" from Moss Norway, 10th issue, a decade strong with double A-side. Kambo Super Sound flexing a hard & heavy, ultra steady ghost-town stepper. Don Papa meets DJ Sotofett in the matters of dub & funk with that significant Latino Dub twist, live drums & percussions. A true crossover – true to its roots!

company sleeve

Get On Down presents an often overlooked crucial reggae release from the 1970s with Johnny Clarke’s “Rockers Time Now.” The record is a mix of covers and originals, including ethereal versions of the The Abyssinians “Satta Massagana” and “Declaration of Rights,” smash hits on the island just the year before. “Rockers Time Now” was first issued in 1976, Clarke had just been named artist of the year in Jamaica for the second year in a row. This is just one of three full lengths he released that year as this was a very prolific period for Clarke, in particular from 1974 onward when his output was directed by legendary producer Bunny Lee. The pairing resulted in a creative energy that resonates to this day. The release was recorded at Channel 1 with Bunny Lee producing, which of course means the band backing the popular Jamaican vocalist was The Aggrovators, which at the time included Robbie Shakespeare, Earl ""Chinna"" Smith, Augustus Pablo, and Aston “Family Man” Barrett. The release was mixed at King Tubby’s by Osbourne Ruddock…aka King Tubby. Crucial all the way around. Now is the time to rediscover a classic of the genre, “Rockers Time Now”.