Dancehall Vinyl Singles 117 Items

/ all out

/ like glue buyout riddim

The Pre-Historians' legendary 1975 track "Free Yourself" is finally getting the 7" reissue it deserves. Produced by Junior Smith (The Itals) and Elias Stewart, this roots classic from Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica, stands as a gold standard of 70s Roots music. Its powerful message remains as relevant today as ever. Special thanks to Richard McPherson for helping bring this essential reissue to life.

Lovers Rock at its finest with a beautiful cover version of Merlyn Brooks' "You'll Never Need Somebody". Originally released in 1981 this release is the work of Reggae heavyweight Geoffrey Chung (who also worked on Dhaima with Phillip Michael Thomas, previously released on Missyou). This release features the original 7" version along with a small collection of other new mixes. On the A side, the Dub Organiser skillfully extends the original 3 minute track into a 7 and a half minute long trip along with a new "Dub" version, respectfully re-mixed from the original multitracks 40 years later. On the B-side, the mixing console is handed over to a dedicated student of Dub, the Swiss Androo who's clearly no stranger to studio work when it comes to dubby landscapes. Elegantly walking the tightrope between traditional approaches and raw experimentation with 3 new mixes, each with very unique feelings.

Rhythm Discs! has unearthed the Disco MIX of Sister Candy’s lost gem Keep Bubbling / Version = originally released in 1984 on Raiders Records, the original has been remastered under exclusive licence from Sir Lloyd & Sister Candy. Includes a DJ Sports Remix!

Mallory Williams (son of Jamaican pianist and band leader, Luther Williams), a celebrated musician, singer, arranger, and producer, launched his musical journey in 1976 as a keyboard player in various bands within Jamaica's vibrant tourism industry. Along his path, he performed and toured with prestigious groups like Jimmy Cliff's Oneness Band and also We The People Band, providing backing for countless Jamaican artists.

In 1985, during the reggae's digital revolution, Mallory Williams collaborated with Tony DaCosta (from Skatalites fame) and his group the Tony DaCosta Affair (tda), to craft the remarkable single "Yu Saaf." This release not only showcases DaCosta's impressive vocal range but also highlights Mallory's instrumental talent, which incorporates a pioneering proto-digital rhythm. We are thrilled to announce that the 7" reissue of this single will be released back again on Mallory's original 'now' imprint. "Yu Saaf," which translates to "You're Soft" is a pure sound business! It not only serves as a testament to Mallory's production skills but also possesses the power to silence any selectors.

In the ongoing Harry J reissue series, we present Freddie McKay's 'Bag Over Shoulder,' one of his final recordings in 1986 before his untimely passing. Freddie, a truly talented singer, seamlessly navigated from the early Ska days right up to the Digital era. Check out this outstanding tune, giving a shout-out to all the backpack posse.

We've got a passion for two things: reggae and motorcycles, and we're thrilled to present a reissue that fuses these two loves in a fantastic tune. Singer Earl Anthony first graced the music scene in the early '80s, gaining recognition for his hit "Sensi Man Rock." However, he also left his mark with a few other undercover tracks over the years. In this feature, we highlight a hidden gem from 1987, a scorching digi production that celebrates his Kawasaki motorcycle and his woman's passion for high-speed thrills.

Out now! The revival of Ruddy Henry's "New Girl In Town," a cherished rubadub gem. Originally launched in 1986 under the AIT label (All Island Television), a short-lived yet impactful music project spearheaded by producer Peter Moodie. This revival features the stellar instrumental and synthesizer sounds courtesy of the talented Star & Rhythm King backing band. A heartfelt shout-out to our dedicated team in Kingston for their boots-on-the-ground efforts in locating Mr. Henry.

"Late Night Attack come catch the Late Night Attack!" Good things come to those who wait. We're thrilled to finally unveil the latest reissue in our Harry J grail series, a long-anticipated release "Late Night Attack." This 1987 gem shares the same rhythm as "Jam The Calypso," a reissue from a couple of years ago. Vicious Irie, also known as Sedley Downer, delivers an absolute fire performance, spitting lyrics over this fast-paced Harry J digi riddim.

Delving into the captivating world of the NY reggae scene of 1989, "So Dem Say" by Winston Fisher (aka Fisha) is an extraordinary yet elusive one-away record. Cherished by Digi dancehall aficionados, it's now poised to make a long-awaited comeback. Originally released as a 12" vinyl single, this sought-after classic is set to be revived in an economical 7" edition with none of its original essence, timing and power compromised. Everything remains intact and sourced directly from the original sources. Stay tuned for the highly anticipated release of this timeless gem.

Hard piece of stepping digital from 1989 with the masters of the era on the rhythm track, Steely & Clevie. Likewise, Conroy is one of the iconic artists of the late '80s digital era with numerous classics to his name.

Introducing Mark Anthony James, born on April 8, 1968, in Kingston city, Jamaica. A musical career spanning since 1983 when he adopted the stage name "Blacka Shines" and marked his entry into the studio with his first recording in 1987 amidst the digital reggae revolution. As the mid-'90s unfolded, a significant transformation took place, leading to a new chapter in his artistic identity. During this period, Mark James embraced the new name "Ultimate Shines," marking a conscious evolution in his artistic identity. Presented here are two 7"s from the earlier works of Mark James, featuring the 1989 recut of "Mob Him Kill Him" and the 1990 gem "Fraid A Prison," produced on Roland Gordon's imprints "Gorland" and "Gin". These releases were made possible through collaboration with Mark James and Richard McPherson.

Revisiting this dancehall gem! A genre-defining track from the late '80s, Kirk Wonder's "Dollars Weak," licensed from producer Mansfield McClean, features innovative use of synthesizers and infectious rhythm programming. Coupled with Wonder's signature vocals and the now-classic lyrics "dollars weak, but life is sweet," it captures the complex socio-economic realities of the era—a message that continues to hold relevance. Out Now!

Introducing Mark Anthony James, born on April 8, 1968, in Kingston city, Jamaica. A musical career spanning since 1983 when he adopted the stage name "Blacka Shines" and marked his entry into the studio with his first recording in 1987 amidst the digital reggae revolution. As the mid-'90s unfolded, a significant transformation took place, leading to a new chapter in his artistic identity. During this period, Mark James embraced the new name "Ultimate Shines," marking a conscious evolution in his artistic identity. Presented here are two 7"s from the earlier works of Mark James, featuring the 1989 recut of "Mob Him Kill Him" and the 1990 gem "Fraid A Prison," produced on Roland Gordon's imprints "Gorland" and "Gin". These releases were made possible through collaboration with Mark James and Richard McPherson.

New release from Superfly Studio is a collaboration between Poland based producers Dreadsquad and UK dancehall veteran Tenor Fly (Fashion Records / Freestylers / Congo Natty / Pendulum). It's a joyful-skanking-uptempo tune which evokes the good old days when music used to carry a lot of positive energy. On the single you will find many bass oriented remixes from such talented producers as: Mr Benn (UK), Riddim Tuffa (UK), Adam Faz (Poland).

On the third and final part in the series of updates of The Pass The Kouchie riddim, Kasi teams up with the great Tippa Irie for a version of the Faith Evans classic, backed with a drum & bass style mix with Mr Williamz vocalling ‘Tommy Ranks’.

Million Stylez (Sweden), Ziggi Recardo (Netherlands), Mr Williamz (England), and Cali P (Switzerland) make up the cast, directed by Curtis Lynch aka Da Grynch on a bangin’ bassline driven remix of the ‘Report To Me’ track by Gregory Isaacs.

Produced by Duppy Founders in Los Angeles and Jamaica, limited to 500 copies incl. Giant poster!

These records come with an oversized poster — half of the records with Fyah Flames, half with I Jahbar.

Tradesman has been grafting hard in the studio making another massive digital riddim named ‘Springbox’. On it Speng Bond vividly paints a vocal picture of a rammed dance as he has to ‘Fight fi come in’ while Parly B rips it up with the ‘Rudeboy skank’. One of the discs carries a dub on the flip, the other a clean riddim track - ideal for dropping versions to mash up any dance hall. These vinyls are strictly limited to 500 so you will need to move fast to secure your copy.

"Full House" rhythm

We proudly present to you our new vinyl release, Subactive strikes with their first 12” on our imprint. After the first 7” release with the legendary Mikey Murka, Subactive now teams up with El Fata and Danny Dread on the vocals and a mad Dub Version from Naram and Art out of Jahtari and Colonel Mustard.

Side A features El Fata on a relick of the Run Run Riddim, a modern digital style with fat basslines and melodic progression chords that will shake up the dancefloor. The dub version comes in a very different style and influenced by the German down-tempo dub culture.

On the B side we can find the veteran Danny Dread with his conscious lyrics and a dub version by Naram which is heavily influenced by Asian and Arabic sounds. This is a limited edition of 500 copies with our first full print sleeve.

Taken from the acclaimed album "Migration", which covers a myriad of bass genres, this opening track "Positive Up" finds Poirier in a deep dubby dancehall mood. Reminiscent of classic Unity or Jammy's productions, the 80s digital vibe is updated to suit modern dancehalls and soundsystems.
Regular collaborator Face-T provides the vocal counter, once again displaying his brilliant lyricism and delivery, whilst also evoking the legendary Shinehead with a whistling solo - its been a while since we heard one of those!

"Digi Mi Digi" rhythm

Wild East is a record label established 2016 in East Germany by Jane Bee from Jahtari and partner in crime Stephan Rendke.
They are mainly focused on 7" releases and specialized in 80's Dancehall, Rub A Dub and Digital Stylees. This record is pure fun and crafted for the dancefloor!

Ken “Everything I Own” Boothe played a significant part in covering Sir Coxsone’s Studio One walls with gold — and goodness knows that label fostered its share of legends. Collaborating with the master, Blundetto could have laid it on thick with heavy production; instead alongside his discreet partner Blackjoy, he created a gorgeous production using the purest of Jamaican music, proving yet again that time has nothing on the suave tones of Mr. Rocksteady...

Dre Island, 5 Star, Iba Mahr, Aza Lineage, Earth and The Fullness, Monkey Marc jumping on the Yaad n Abraad Riddim. Six times dope.

Strictly limited edition of 300 copies of the 29th release in our »HHV Boombap 45's« series.

A true mid-90's classic jam for the dancefloor right here. Gettin' nutty with OGC and Cutty!

La Fe Daniel Rincon (NAP/Isla Records) in Montreal and Michael Red in Vancouver. Go further into mutated dembow/dancehall polyrythmns. “made over a weekend here in montreal while michael was visiting. we juss put our lil heads and hearts together and then boom. also the weekend I found out my studio was haunted. the ghosts were so into it that the lights would start going crazy flickering. ever since they flicker that shit when the beat is phat” -daniel

'Rayhana' EP is a departure from the cerebral, industrial deep dive of his debut album 'Unlit Signals', and now draws from wider influences, twisting Baile funk, broken beat and hi-tech bass music into floor-focussed, sinewy new shapes. Guaranteed to cause jubilant carnage wherever heard, the heavy artillery of title track 'Rayhana' is a vocal led, rumbling rhythmic monster with chest-pummelling low end, neck-snapping metallic claps and razor-sharp hats. Almost a deeper dub of its predecessor, 'Dark Lavis' is an instrumental tension builder, where mangled eastern elements whip up a head spinning vortex that's carried by behemoth bass and stuttering, swung beats, which take you deep inside the ride. Based around the UK broken sound, with a touch of dancehall, on '5G Bats' Smith slow things down but ups the energy, with double-time breaks, stroboscopic samples, machine gun like flickers and all manner of stretched, wavey tones. 'Rayhana' follows tastemaker favourites by Ploy on esteemed imprints Timedance, Hemlock, Hessle Audio and L.I.E.S., plus remixes of his music by Beatrice Dillon and Peder Mannerfelt. Ploy has graced Best Track Of The Year lists in The Guardian, Crack, FACT, Mixmag, Dummy and DJ. He did a week-long residency on Rinse FM, helmed multiple NTS shows and recorded mixes for Dekmantel. Boiler Room and FACT. A regular at discerning UK and European clubs, he has also appeared at Dimensions festival, Dekmantel Selectors, and has toured East Asia and the US multiple times. Last year Ploy released the impeccable album 'Unlit Signals' which was released via L.I.E.S. with no PR, and therefore only caught the attention of a few astute journalists. This future classic deserved to be huge, but slipped largely under the radar. On launching Deaf Test, Smith comments, "it's a vehicle for my personal output now. I have more club-focussed music on the way, and I'll be exploring meaningful collaborations too. The name is due to me being deaf in one ear from an early age".PRINTED SLEEVE WITH INN...

Roy Ellis releases this new single featuring his Swiss backing band, Cosmic Shuffling, one of the best traditional Ska and Rock Steady acts from central Europe. Jamaican artist Roy Ellis has toured with Cosmic Shuffling during the last years and from the good experiences and vibes resulting from the gigs together, they decided going to the studio for recording this single entitled ‘Shine Your Light On Me’ which is a great reggae stomper to hit the dancefloors. Roy Ellis doesn’t need much introduction nowadays, his first compositions were recorded in 1964 with the top of the cream from Jamaican artists at that time. Up to date, has released over 60 records and sold millions of copies, specially with his album on Trojan Records from 1969 ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’ which has sold over 7 million copies and still is one of the label’s best sellers. This brand new single is released on vinyl 7”.

Eight years after their first collaboration, ‘The Compass Joint’, slipped out as an ultra-limited white label, Charlie Soul Clap and Tom Trago have reunited to bring us a similarly warming, sun-splashed sequel, ‘The Compass Jawn’.

Like its predecessor – a now near-mythical 12-minute epic recorded late one night in Tom’s former squat-turned-studio close to legendary Amsterdam venue Trouw, and subsequently championed by DJ Harvey – ‘The Compass Jawn’ was inspired by the pair’s mutual love of both Caribbean keyboardist and FM synthesis enthusiast Wally Badarou, and the 1980s output of Chris Blackwell’s legendary Compass Point studio in Nassau, the Bahamas.

As sequels go, ‘The Compass Jawn’ is a bit of a belter. During the recording in 2019, Tom and Charlie sought to subtly evolve the original’s memorable lead line, reaching the for Yamaha DX7’s percussion patch – something utilized many times by Badarou during the 1980s.

The resultant ‘Studio Version’ is, if anything, even more emotive and uplifting than its predecessor. Underpinned by a shuffling rhythm pattern, the track ebbs and flows brilliantly, with jaunty synth stabs, undulating melodies and sparkling keyboard riffs ushering in held-note chords and a gorgeously rushing, ever-rising lead line. Throw in some starry pads and sunset-ready synth motifs, and you have another gorgeous, life-affirming treat.

‘The Compass Jawn’ comes backed with two top-notch alternative mixes. First up is an ambient ‘Dub’ mix from Trago that strips back the beats and instead focuses on the track’s many key melodic elements. Pushed forwards by drum machine handclaps, it’s a bubbly, sun-bright revision full to bursting with twinkling electronic motifs, jammed-out motifs, hands-aloft riffs and a bleeping take on the fluid and kaleidoscopic lead line.

Rounding off the package is the duo’s original demo mix – a raw, tough, and slightly more sub-heavy affair that’s notably more percussive and sweat-soaked whilst still sporting the key lead lines and FM synth sounds that make the studio version such a memorable and mood-enhancing affair.

When Will We Learn sees O$vmv$m reunite with Gloucester voice of thunder Rider Shafique for the spiritual successor to 2017’s Lion (lava Lava). These tracks have been circling around in various forms for a few years and graced dancefloors / soundsystems from Riga-Bristol-NYC - but for various reasons are only now coming to light. The A side features Rider delivering a wake up call / warning over a Computer Paul via Radiophonic workshop style rhythm track while on the B side Dj Neek sends it through the desk on the fly and strips the instrumental down to its core essence.

Limited to 300 copies!

Limited to 300 copies!

The sounds across these four tracks were made by SIM and NAP from 2021 to 2023 with lots of love and bass... the sessions started from the first time they met at NAP's studio, point always to kick it, jam and see what happens. After a couple months of that of course a sound develops, a process shines and a friendship grows. After a year or so trust built and a language made present. Transcending the spoken word and feeling unique to both...things start to really go off and the jams turn to songs. Two years pass and it’s time to celebrate with the marker and archive of all those deep sessions, now in edited form to be shared with all. And yeah, you can have all in common with someone when it comes to digging wubs, riddims and drum machines but add vulnerable earnest meetings with meals in between and good conversation about things other than music (or maybe how other things relate to it) and then you get something really special, something like Sinnaz. SIM and NAP journeying into collaboration with a debut EP of rhythmic noise, driving bog beats, swampy dembows, radioactive Dancehall and unhinged experimentalia.

Death Is Not The End sub-label 333 returns again with... 333.

Originally released on his seminal Ujama label in 1988, Prince Jazzbo's 333 (aka Mango Tree) features the foundation deejay riding a killer update on the Mpla rhythm. One of the best 45s to come out of this late 80s digital era, no doubt.

YamashiRoll & Kaja is a unit established by Deejay / Human Beat Boxer "Kaja", who is active in the dancehall reggae scene, and guitarist "YamashiRoll", who also performs with many other bands. The first 7inch single of their career will be released at last. The A-side features "In The Groove," their breakout track that debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Store reggae chart. The flip side features the latest track "Get Up!".

In the debut EP ‘We Are The Ones/Fire/Forever’, Chicago DJ legend Rahaan collaborates with an incredibly talented group of musicians, including Marcus J. Austin on lead vocals, Nancy Clayton on backing vocals, Carnell C. Newbill (also known as Spike Rebel) on keyboards and backing vocals, Todd Swope on guitar, and Lou Terry on bass.

Together, they create a 3-track EP that perfectly showcases Rahaan’s production skills and the musical talents of the entire group. Rahaan’s experience and expertise as a DJ and producer are evident in each track, with grooves that are sure to keep the dancefloor moving.

The title track, ‘We Are The Ones’, is a story of adventure and return, with a twist. Created by Rahaan and The Ones while under the influence, the track was lost for years as it was unnamed on his computer. However, Rahaan’s determination to find it paid off, and with the help of Ohio Players’ Kenny Anderson on the horns, he built upon the elusive skeleton track.

With Marcus J. Austin on lead vocals and Nancy Clayton on backing vocals, ‘We Are The Ones’ delivers a soulful, 4-to-the-floor anthem that showcases the vocal talents of the group. And in ‘Fire’, Todd Swope’s guitar skills shine through, creating an epic production that draws spiritual inspiration from traditional AfroBeat rhythms.

It’s worth noting that The Ones features some truly talented musicians, including Carnell C. Newbill (Spike Rebel) on keyboards and backing vocals. Spike Rebel is a well-known producer and musician in his own right. With his soulful vocals taking center stage, Carnell Newbill leads the charge on “Forever,” he also superbly delivers on bass, keys, percussion, and guitar. Expertly mixed by Rahaan, this track is sure to become a dance floor anthem.

In summary, ‘The Ones’ EP is an impressive collaboration between some of the most talented musicians in the Chicago underground House and Disco scene. With Rahaan at the helm, this project is sure to be a hit with anyone who loves to dance.

Mastered with Love by the Grammy nominated The Carvery Studios, this is one for any worthwhile DJ’s record bag.

A self-released 12" by Toragon, recorded by Asuka Ando and other musicians active in live reggae bands in Japan. 70's roots style with clever backing playing and simple lyrics, similar to the popular killer roots BIG H & Carib Rocks "10 Nen Bun (for 10 years)", a typical Tokyo reggae urban style.