Sly & Robbie HHV Records 8 Items

Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare or Sly and Robbie as they are affectionately known are the drum and bass backbone of Reggae Music, they have played on, produced, invented, reinvented more records then many of their contemporaries put together.

Sly Dunbar born Lowell Charles Dunbar on 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica, drummed his first session for Mr Lee Perry which included a Jamaican hit ,a track called 'Night Doctor', before moving on to the group Skin, Flesh & Bones who had a residency at Kingston's famous 'Tit for Tat' club. This band would evolve into the Channel One house band The Revolutionaries where Sly named after his fondness of the band Sly and the Family Stone would begin to play alongside a bass player who would become his long standing partner in music, namely one Robbie Shakespeare.

Robbie Shakespeare born 27 September 1953, Kingston, Jamaica, had worked his way through session bands including the legendary Aggrovators before uniting with Sly Dunbar in The Revolutionaries. Both musicians had worked with other respective bass / drum players including such figures as Lloyd Parks [bass], Carlton 'Santa' Davis [drums], but everything seemed to fall into place when they worked together.

They also both had a quest to push the boundaries of reggae music, which they would do throughout their careers, over many sessions to numerous to mention. But highlights would include the groundbreaking Mighty Diamonds 1976 set 'Right Time' with its fresh rockers rhythms which lead the way in the 1970's. Also their work with the bands Culture and Black Uhuru the later of which they toured extensively with, spreading the reggae vibes across Europe and America. Not to forget to mention their Taxi label / productions which are always inventitive whether its in the reggae field or outside where their playing / production skills are much in demand.

The third piece of this jigsaw is the mighty Mr Bunny 'Striker' Lee who brought these legends together. Born Edward O'Sullivan Lee 23 August 1941, he must be one of reggae's most underrated producers. Leading the way in the 1970's especially in the dub field and being one of the early exponents of a King Tubby remix ,which would see nearly all his 7'' releases carrying a Tubby reworking on its flip side. Bunny started his musical career in 1962 working for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label and soon moved into the world of production gaining his first hit in 1967 with 'Musical Field' by Roy Shirley for the WIRL label. The 1970's was a very productive time for Bunny Lee and saw the launch of his LEE'S label which was producing hits in Jamaica. Not having a studio of his own and renting studio time from the existing establishments like Randy's Studio 17 and Channel One he had to have a crack team of session players to carry out this task, fast and efficiently. This happened firstly under the guise of THE AGGROVATORS [ see The Aggrovators dubbing it studio 1 style JRCD005] and then with the group of musicians THE REVOLUTIONARIES[ see The Revolutionaries at Channel 1 dub plate specials JRCDOO3]. It’s here in the latter of these groups that Bunny matched Sly and Robbie together for the first time and it’s this match made in heaven that these tracks on this release are culled from. Sessions that Bunny Lee produced with Sly and Robbie during this magical 70's period. These rare dubs are taken from the original master tapes, you may have heard the tune before but not these versions. So sit back and enjoy Reggae Musical History in the making....

Available now the brand new single out of the Taxi hit factory. Presenting a scorching new instrumental "Freedom" out now on 7" vinyl. This dynamic track breathes new life into the Skatalites hit, "Addis Ababa," originally released on Studio One in 1964, thanks to the contemporary retouch of Sly & Robbie. Listen closely for the brilliant contributions of Charlie Organaire on harmonica, Robbie Lyn on vibraphone, and the captivating vocal vibes provided by Cherine Anderson. Together, they elevate the experience, harmonizing seamlessly with Sly Dunbar's masterful and fierce drum programming. In Sly's own words "I grew up listening to the Skatalites, they were the ones that inspired me to become a musician, I would sneak out of the house just to see Lloyd Knibbs perform, he is a hero of mine. So to lick Addis Ababa in a Dancehall style was cool".

Dub Wizard Dartanyan Winston has been working with Sly & Robbie and Tabou1 for more than 10 years now. Based in the US, he grew up listening to dub masterpieces created by King Tubby, Godwin Logie or the enigmatic Groucho Smykle. His approach is definitely "old school", avoiding modern-day gimmicks and AI-induced tricks used to disastrous effects by many engineers nowadays. His latest delivery to Tabou1 is a dubbed up version of riddims created by Sly & Robbie for Nu-roots artist Junior Natural. Dartanyan chose to go the Hard way in this unique collection paying tribute to Ogun, the god of warriors, hunters, blacksmiths, technologists, and drivers in the Yoruba region, where many Jamaicans and Americans originate from.

Dub Wizard Dartanyan Winston has been working with Sly & Robbie and Tabou1 for more than 10 years now. Based in the US, he grew up listening to dub masterpieces created by King Tubby, Godwin Logie or the enigmatic Groucho Smykle. His approach is definitely "old school", avoiding modern-day gimmicks and AI-induced tricks used to disastrous effects by many engineers nowadays. His latest delivery to Tabou1 is a dubbed up version of riddims created by Sly & Robbie for Nu-roots artist Junior Natural. Dartanyan chose to go the Hard way in this unique collection paying tribute to Ogun, the god of warriors, hunters, blacksmiths, technologists, and drivers in the Yoruba region, where many Jamaicans and Americans originate from.

Master rhythm duo Sly and Robbie first met on the Jamaican club scene of the early 1970s, when both were playing clubs on Kingston’s Red Hills Road. Thye began working together at Channel One studio when Sly was drummer and arranger of The Revolutionaries and Robbie the bassists mainstay of Bunny Lee’s Aggrovators and soon became the most in-demand drum and bass team on the island. This obscure dub album, originally released on the Imperial label in Canada, was produced by Lee in the late 1970s, and has the Rhythm Twins trying their hands at updating classic rhythms such as “The Liquidator,” “Death In The Arena,” “It’s Raining,” “Love Me Forever” and “My Conversation,” as well as killer cuts of Johnnie Clarke’s “Roots Natty Congo,” Gregory Isaacs’ “Storm” and an odd “Legalize It” rendition, plus some wacky between-song interjections. A must for all dub devotees.

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