Reggae & Dancehall 132 Items

If you're a fan of Daptone Records, chances are you've read or heard the name Victor Axelrod, and even if you haven't, you've heard music from his hand. As a producer, arranger, recording and mixing engineer, and keyboardist, his creativity has extended across more than two decades of the label's releases, even dating to its prehistory with Desco Records. If You Ask Me To..., the first LP under his name for the label, is a collection of singles released between 2007-2023 as well as unreleased tracks from Sugar Minott and Binky Griptite. The genesis of which came via an 11th hour request from Daptone for a Sharon Jones remix (2007) that resulted in the reggae version of "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?" found here. This opened the door to additional explorations of reggae/soul synergies within the catalogue, affirming the musical and cultural link between Daptone's core soul sound and Axelrod's passion for Jamaican music. While previous projects like Ticklah Vs. Axelrod and Roots Combination (produced under the alias Ticklah) were inspired by the Jamaica of the 1970s and 80s, this set specifically channels an earlier period in the 1960s when Jamaica was both strikingly original in its continuum of genres but also closely and empathetically attuned to Black American music. Through Axelrod's exceptional taste and the notable contributions of guitarist Tom Brenneck, original tapes from Bob & Gene's MoDo discography, members of The Frightnrs, and others from the NYC reggae community, the legacy of trailblazing Jamaican artists like Alton Ellis, Tony Gregory, and Ken Parker continue to resonate and inspire a whole new generation of reggae and soul enthusiasts.

New reissue. Vibronics, the future sound of dub, have been vibrating the world with bass since 1997. Their music is at the forefront of the UK Dub scene, proven by over 60 releases on their own legendary SCOOPS label. The album consists of some of Vibronics most signature songs, including Jah Music, Positive Direction and On Jah Side!

Studio One Freedom Sounds is the new collection from Soul Jazz/ Studio One focussing on the intense period in the second half of the 1960s when Studio One’s vast and unbeatable output of ska, soul, rock steady and reggae made it literally one of the hottest musical empires in the world.
During this highly successful period, Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd released hundreds and hundreds of superlative singles seemingly on an almost daily basis, in the process making huge stars out of Jamaican singers such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, The Wailers, Slim Smith, Jackie Opel and many more.
Powered by the finest in-house musicians working in Jamaica, whether it was The Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo’s Soul Brothers, The Sounds Dimension or The Soul Vendors, Studio One functioned as hit factory on the scale of Motown in the USA, shaping and defining reggae music for decades to come.
Singlehandedly Studio One’s founder Clement Dodd was able to create the most successful vertically-integrated record company that Jamaica had ever known with pressing plant, printers, studio, shops, and sound systems all running at once, with over 50 employees and hundreds of artists working with Studio One during this time.
Studio One Freedom Sounds tells the story of Studio One in the 1960s with a stunning set of ska, soul, rock steady and reggae killer tunes as well as informative sleevenotes and track-by-track info by Noel Hawks. The album is released as heavyweight double vinyl (+ free download code), deluxe CD and digital album.

Brand New 2017 Recut - finally available on Vinyl for the First time. 2LP+Mp3 in full Original Coverart. The legendary movie soundstrack based out of Kingston, Jamaica in April 2008, telling the story of the original vocalists and musicians involved. The sixteenth release on the Moll-Selekta label shares its title with a wonderful film, a heartwarming homage to the golden age of rocksteady. It documents the recordings being made for this very album at the Tuff Gong studios, Kingston, Jamaica in April 2008, telling the story of the original vocalists and musicians involved. Excerpts from an all star reunion concert staged in Kingston and older archive material complete the picture. Never before in the history of Jamaica, which already occupies a unique place on the world map of song, its sound embraced by western popular music, has such an illustrious collection of singers and players been assembled. The album showcases 15 rocksteady classics in sparkling, deeply inspired new versions, recorded in the studio which also played host to album sessions of a certain Bob Marley. Under the musical direction of Ernest Ranglin, a guitarist of considerable renown not only on the reggae circuit, but also on the jazz scene, mixed by legendary engineer Errol Brown - in Duke Reid’s employ at the Treasure Isle studio in the sixties - and freshly arranged by Lynn Taitt.

This is the second collection to bring together many of the visionary producer Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd’s early recordings made with Jamaica’s most exciting young artists and musicians who helped define the world of reggae music over the decades following Jamaican Independence.

These recordings were made when Sir Coxsone ruled the dancehalls of Kingston in the late 1950s and early 1960s with his number one Downbeat Sound System, where songs were tested out on dub plates at a dance to see a crowd’s reaction - the most popular of which were then released commercially.

Featuring early material by Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond, Tommy McCook (all of whom would form The Skatalites), Toots & The Maytals, young singers such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, Delroy Wilson and Owen Gray, all captured in their formative days.

The music here spans a wealth of styles - Jamaican rhythm & blues, jazz, gospel, proto-ska, Rastafarian - all of which were drawn upon to create the future sounds of Jamaican reggae that Sir Coxsone and the artists featured would soon create at Studio One, which first opened its doors in 1963.

This album from an Italian-based production outfit on Aloe Vera Records celebrates the label's early years and the unique style of one of the imprint's key acts, The Officinalis's. They were known for classics like 'Si Comme' Si' and for blending. Naples and Jamaican musical cultures. Aloe Vera Records skilfully merged these worlds in their output and created a distinctive and recognisable sound that bridges past and present. These are all well-crafted sounds with warm low ends, rich bass and plenty of loved-up melodies that make it a nice escapist listen.

Der lang vergriffene Longplayer als Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung im Original Cover von 1981! Ein Klassiker im DeeJay Genre - Toyan liefert hier sein bestes Album ab mit exzellentem Toasting über Riddims wie "Gunman", "Ice Cream Love", "Jacqueline", "Another One Bites The Dust". Die LP wurde im Channel One Studio mit den Roots Radics aufgenommen und bei King Tubby's von Scientist abgemischt!

Death Is Not The End's 333 series is back with another dig into the catalogue of the NYC-based Flames label on this reissue of a highly coveted Revolutionaries LP, Meditation in Dub.
One of reggae music's most famed session bands, The Revolutionaries were an often revolving cast of some of the finest session musicians on the island during the roots and early dancehall periods of the mid/late 1970s and early 1980s. These would include Earl 'Wire' Lindo, Radcliffe 'Dougie' Bryan, Ansell Collins, Bobby Kalphat, Lloyd Parks, Uziah 'Sticky' Thompson, Bongo Herman, Stanley Bryan, Bo Peep, Eric 'Bingy Bunny' Lamont, Errol 'Tarzan' Nelson, Skully Simms, Robbie Lyn, Mikey 'Mao' Chung amongst many others. The enduring core of the group, however, was undoubtedly in the coming together of the legendary rhythm section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare - with the formation of The Revolutionaries marking the first time that this often unparalleled duo worked together.
The group laid down these rhythm tracks at their base at the storied Channel One recording studio, Maxfield Avenue, Kingston sometime in the mid 1970s - under the arrangement of one of reggae music's great undersung figures, Ossie Hibbert. Early in 1975 Ossie was to move to Maxfield Avenue just as Jo Jo & Ernest Hookim's studio was starting up. A well-respected session musician himself through the late 1960s and early 70s (he played keys for Bunny 'Striker' Lee and Keith Hudson and would also form part of another foundational session band, The Soul Syndicate) he was initially summoned by Jo Jo as a band member for The Revolutationaries but quickly assumed the role of producer, engineer and talent scout for the studio, responsible for selecting the artists to bring into the studio.
These tracks were recorded by Hibbert around this time for Winston Jones, the original singer and composer of Stop That Train (later made world-famous by Keith & Tex's version) with his Spanishtonians for Prince Buster's label in the early 1960s. Jones had moved from JA to NYC in the early 1970s where he established and ran the Flames label. The imprint would go on to form a core part of Brooklyn's reggae scene from the mid-1970s until the early 1990s, though Jones often employed the use of Channel One, Hibbert and The Revolutionaries back home in the recording of rhythm tracks for his productions. Thus the Meditation in Dub LP is essentially formed of stellar dub versions to many of the early Flames labels 45s, produced and released by Jones throughout the mid to late 1970s, including crucial takes on a great many popular rhythms of that period. One of any self-respecting dub LP collectors' holy grails, with originals going for up to £400, it is issued here under license from the now Texas-based Jones with the kind assistance of Rob at DKR in sourcing the audio for this new cut.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

Hot on the heels of the first new album from The Last Poets in over 20 years, the title track "Understand What Black Is" gets the remix treatment from Digital Mystikz, DMZ and Deep Medi legend "Mala" and UK Dance music innovators and legends "Dego and Kaidi Tatham". The Last Poets new album "Understand What Black Is" is out now.

Comprising Leroy Sibbles, Earl Morgan and Barry Llewellyn, the Heptones first burst onto the Jamaican music scene with a series of sublime rock steady and reggae classics recorded for Coxson Dodd’s celebrated Studio One enterprise. By the mid-seventies the trio were regularly recording for Harry Johnson at his studio in Kingston, having scored big with the producer with ‘Book Of Rules’, a highlight of the 1972 cult movie classic, ‘The Harder They Come’.

"Almighty" Fundamental 80's Sound System killer dubplate! Music Mania and Indica Dubs is proud to present their first joint-release in their Mania Dub series. Produced in 1988 by The Disciples, Almighty Dub is one of the most distinctiveinstrumental Dubs produced in that era. The Disciples were formed in 1986 by brothers Russ and Lol. They were given the name by Jah Shaka, after producing exclusively for him.

Who would ever think to hear a reggae collaboration between Switzerland and Denmark? This is what you get when the heavy sound of The 18th Parallel meets the subtle play of the Horns section of Guiding Star Orchestra. Layed on the Wonderland of Green riddim (The Silvertones, Burro Banton), this instrumental “Meeting Ina Wonderland” proposes a perfect mix between the raw and wild rub a dub vibes of the riddim and the lightness underlined by the jazzy influences of the horns players.

Record Store Day 2020 Release.
Limitation: 1000 copies.

The Specials' Terry Hall debut solo record from 1994. Available on vinyl for the first time. Forever J You Sense I Drew A Lemon Moon On Your Dress No No No What's Wrong With Me Grief Disguised As Joy First Attack Of Love I Don't Got You

"Skinhead Moonstomp Revisited" is a new recording of the classic album with Roy Ellis.

The Midnight Rock label was home to some of the greatest productions of the era, and like any smart Jamaican producer, label owner Nkrumah Jah Thomas worked his rhythms hard, using them to create scores of records by dozens of artists.

Thomas came up just at the right time, and his breakthrough recordings were made at the finest studios, using the finest musicians: often they were recorded at Channel One and used the Roots Radics. And sometimes the voicings that he created were released, but still more languished in the vaults. Caught on multi-track tape, but never released.

That was the fate of a session that he recorded with Sugar Minott. The singer – known in the UK for his monster hit ‘Good Thing Going’ – had made his name in the vocal group The African Brothers, before working as a soloist for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, where he became a pioneer of the dancehall, his voice riding over many of Dodd’s greatest rhythms to create timeless music.

Thomas has worked hard in creating sharp new mixes from his sessions with Minott, and this single – a plea against gun violence as apt today as when it was put down on tape – is the first fruits of that work. A fantastic Radics rhythm with an exceptional vocal and brand new dub by Jah Thomas and Rory on the flip.

Soul Jazz Records" long out of print classic "Studio One Funk" collection is being re-released in three new one-off limited-edition coloured pressing 18th anniversary format editions! Studio One Funk is made up of rare and unreleased Reggae Funk from the vaults of Studio One. Ever since the birth of Funk in America, the sound has been an ever-present ingredient in the melting pot of Studio One"s musical output.

Not from Kingston for once, but from Cologne/Germany, they have almost 30 years of experience in offbeat music. Their rich groove of two tone, ska and dub doesn't need to hide from the greats they have already performed with. The band's anniversary album has a Madness feel to it, the Toasters send their regards and the Hotknives also make an appearance. No wonder the highlights of their career are as numerous as the steps in the famous Cologne cathedral, the Dom. The title track leaves no doubt that the silverbacks from the Rhine are `leader of the pack'. Skankparty Galore!

"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".

Dead Men Don’t Smoke Marijuana is the last album by the beloved singer/
songwriter S.E Rogie. A collection of fingerpicked acoustic guitar tunes
rooted in the palm wine style of Sierre Leone, Rogie’s birthplace, and tinged
with gospel, reggae, country and blues, it was released to acclaim in 1994
and has become an indisputable classic. No wonder: to listen to this wrylytitled recording is to soothe the soul. To be transported to a gentle, unhurried
place where songs called things like ‘Jaimgba Tutu (The Joy of Success)’ and
‘Nyalomei Luange (Love Me My Love)’ tell life lessons in Krio and English over
the sweetest of melodies, in a silky baritone sung from the heart.
“Count your blessings, sisters and brothers,” croons Rogie on ‘African Gospel’,
his sentiments uplifted by call-and-response vocals, the chiming highlife
guitar of Ghana’s Alfred Kari Bannerman and the rhythmic double bass of
Danny Thompson, an Englishman whose ability to get to the heart of a piece
is palpable - and whose unlikely presence is part of the work’s uniqueness.
Rogie’s nearly fifty-year career was sprinkled with highlights. But it is this
album, his swansong — he passed away a few weeks after its release —
which endures. Ageing like a fine wine, indeed.

Neuauflage des Albumklassikers von 1980, aufgenommen im Channel One Studio und abgemischt in King Tubbys Studio von Scientist. Der Produzent Henry 'Junjo' Lawes engagierte folgende Musiker: Bass: Errol 'Flabba' Holt, Drums: Santa Davis, Sly Dunbar, Style Scott, Guitar: Sowell, Bingy Bunny, Melodica: Jimmy Becker, Organ/Piano: Ansel Collins, Steely, Gladstone Anderson, Percussion: Bongo Herman, Sky Juice, Sticky Thompson, Saxophone: Headley Bennett, Trombone: Val Bennett, Trumpet: Bobby Ellis

Peter Tosh's most "accessible" solo album, Mama Africa, would also be his best seller outside Jamaica, the only one his albums to break into the U.K. Top 50 and even push into the bottom reaches of the U.S. charts.

180g vinyl.

Limited to 6700 copies.

First time available since 2002. The legendary show was recorded in 1983 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and originally released as a 1LP highlights album in 1984. The Complete Captured Live features all 15 songs performed that night, including fiery versions of “Equal Rights/Downpressor Man,” “African,” and “Get Up, Stand Up”.

Owen Gray was the island’s first home grown star to sing in a style that wasn’t mento, calypso or jazz. This is a 180 gram vinyl reissue of his 1961 album. This was the first Jamaican album to be manufactured and released in the UK. This re-issue commemorates the 60th anniversary of its original release.

Soundway Records completes the Lord Echo album collection, finally reissuing the second album in the trilogy from the in-demand New Zealand multi-instrumentalist and producer. Originally released in 2013, ‘Curiosities’ is now available as a DJ friendly double LP for the first time.
The entirely self-produced album blends jazz with disco-tinged neo-soul, reggae and classic afro-beat in effortless manner - and joins the dots between the more downtempo first album ‘Melodies’ and the disco, electronic, club-ready of his third album ‘Harmonies’.
The album also features a dub-funk cover of Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan”, with vocals from Lisa Tomlins.

Leon Dinero returns with "One Way Love", another magical rendition from the James Hunter catalogue. Dinero, along with the Inversions and produced by Victor Axelrod, transforms the uptempo R&B classic into a rocksteady mover whose relaxed groove and soulful vocal give the track an authenticity that may have folks scratching their head as to which version came first. A testament to the incomparable songwriting savvy of Mr Hunter, "One Way Love" is a track that defies the constraints of genre labelling with unfettered elegance and lyrical prowess.

"Limited edition of 500 copies from the Trojan Records vaults. Lee 'Scratch' Perry with Mad Professor on the mix, featuring the monumental Madman Dubwise version on the B-side—a true 80s classic. Original Trojan label reproduction, a top collectors’ item. Courtesy of Real Rock Records."

Originally released in 1980, this album is the final work to emerge from the Black Ark studio, before its permanent destruction. It concludes a series of such LP masterworks as Super Ape, War In A Babylon, Police And Thieves, and The Return Of The Super Ape. Enthrallingly, it crosses the soundworld of Roast Fish Collie Weed And Cornbread with new hybrids — like the irresistible elevenminute opener, rolling and delirious, a kind of reggae prophesy of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, but musically richer, and more glazed, randy and visionary.

Kumar, former lead singer of GRAMMY-nominated roots reggae band Raging Fyah, meets Switzerland’s The 18th Parallel on this album filled with Golden Age of Reggae-inspired riddims and positive roots lyrics and energy. Kumar has recently appeared on a number of releases, including as a guest on Jesse Royal’s GRAMMY-nominated Royal and Winta James’ Gratitude Riddim EP. The 18th Parallel, based in Switzerland, is the house band for Fruits Records and recently released music with Max Romeo, Big Youth, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Derajah, Micah Shemaiah, and Joe Yorke. The album is mixed by Tippy I and JAH David of Zion I Kings.

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!’

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!’

Punch for punch comes the dub companion to the iconic "Rasta Communication" album (GREL5) from 1978. Recorded at Randy's, Channel One & Chalk Farm studios by Clive Chin, Lloyd McKenzie, and Sid Bucknor with Sly & Robbie and members of the Soul Syndicate in full effect. Mixed at King Tubby's studio with engineer Prince Jammy. Keith Hudson aka the 'Dark Prince of Reggae' (born 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica - r.i.p. 14th November 1984 in New York, USA), was a Jamaican reggae artist and record producer. He is known for his influence on the Dub movement.

While far from a household name in reggae, Judah Eskender Tafari cultivated a loyal fanbase and respectable catalogue during his recording career. The Studio One single, "Rastafari Tell You" sits at the top of a small set of deep cuts he recorded for Coxson Dodd's famed studio starting in 1978. These have continued to find a place at roots reggae sound systems and DJ rub-a-dub parties after nearly five decades. The earnest lyrics and spiritual mission of these early recordings would define Judah's entire career, extending through the decades to "Great Escape", a new Daptone 45 produced by label stalwart Victor Axelrod. The song alludes to the Old Testament in a vision of mankind gone astray, trying to escape the confines of Earth for salvation. Axelrod provides a lush roots backdrop against which Eskender shines in a way we haven't heard in years.