Reggae & Dancehall 132 Items

Windy Pipes / Surfing Swan is Employee and Funkycan’s first split on Beatbude. Two magical fantasy tracks from next week, written and produced by Max Graef (A-side) and Am Kinem (B-side). BB 015 comes with funny stickers.
Recorded and pressed in Germany. Mastered by Kitaro Beeh (Schnittstelle). Artwork by Gabi & Hermann.

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.

Another scorcher for DJ superstar BIG Youth! Earlier this year, The 18th Parallel teamed up with Big Youth on the rockers one drop ‘Long Road’ released on Skankin’ Society Records. Now they are back together with a second single called ‘man With A Mission’. Super heavy rub a dub riddim driven by a powerful bassline and none other than legendary Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace on drums. Horns blowing like the trumpets of Jericho, moog synthesizer lurking like a haunting ghost and thunderstorm spring reverbs create an apocalyptic atmosphere perfectly suited to Big Youth’s poignant vocals. The power of this song comes from the way it was recorded. March 2013, downtown Kingston, 45 Charles Street at night. Gunshot in the neighborhood, police in the streets. Big Youth was outside the studio. He went right through the recording booth, never gave a listen to the riddim, ask the engineer to roll and put his heart and soul into the song: no filter, no second thought, just pure inspiration and message in the lyrics. One take. This is the most spontaneous and genuine testimony you can get from the magic of studio vibes in Kingston. Another masterpiece from Master Jah Youth!

Part 3 of 3 of the Disciples dub plate 7" vinyl series. Green Colored Vinyl. Played regularly as dubplate by King Shiloh sound system and many more. This fast tempo steppers tune drops well in sessions every time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lovers rock style soul runnings from Sydney, Australia on this debut 7” from D.D. Mirage featuring Private Joy. The Original has a true 80’s lovers vibe with sweet harmonies from Private Joy and the flipside features a dubbed version. Labels and sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

Music Mania and Indica Dubs is proud to present the next release in their Mania Dub series. Following the classic ‘Almighty Dub’ (MD001),comes another of the UK Dub scene’s most renowned producers; Alpha & Omega, with one of their most popular ‘Shaka killer’ classics from 1996: Rastafari.

"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.

Raise your lighter in the air, Uluru is back with another Reggae Hip-Hop 7”. All the way from Australia we welcome back fellow producer Dj Maars with two new instant classic.

Not much needs to be written here, one of reggae's all time anthems, one of the baddest tunes of the '80s. Finally back out on a crisp booming 45, rock to the sounds of Jah Life, internationally.

"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".

This third album, elected "Best French Reggae Album" at the Web Reggae Awards 2008, is rich in months of touring around the world that followed the first two albums. More electro and world music, still as mixed, Afrikya is very rightly carried by the title Métissage,which will be the subject of their very first video clip. The other acclaimed songs, Tiens bon, Djamila or Day after day oscillate between reggae, ragga and rai to the delight of an ever-growing audience. The album remained in the charts for 20 weeks, the record of the band's entire discography so far.

Dub inc has toured all over the world for many years, regularly playing in front of tens of thousands of spectators, setting the stage ablaze in the largest European and French festivals, thrilling South American and Indian audiences alike. Their videos get hundreds of thousands of views in daily, and they are followed on social networks by more than six hundred thousand fans. Blending Reggae, Dancehall or world music, Bouchkour and Komlan embody the band's voices in styles as different as they are complementary. They pass on a universal message whether the language of their song is French, English or Kabyl (an algerian language) insisting on how important mixed race and the mixing of styles are. The Saint-Etienne based musical group have never sought a particularly mainstream exposure; they went their own way, building their discography with passion, talent, and focus. Perhaps that is why they have been for now twenty years the best ambassadors of French reggae across the globe.

Annivesary edition with new artwork on green vinyl including download code.

Back in print. The Clash songs dubified. Limited to 555 copies.

A very welcomed reissue for this rare Jackie Mittoo album, originally released in 1979 on unknown label, Rite Sound inc. The original release was sold without a jacket (maybe a promo only release ?), adding a mysterious vibe to the whole thing. The dubby effects-intensive sound of the album extends from ‘Russian Satelite’ to the whole side A, with ‘Harder Than The Rest’, ‘Stepping Tiger’ and ‘World Of Love’ being an excellent triptych of note. The thrill of Jackie's crazy keyboards intertwining with the floating dub sound like a heavenly space is beyond description. Space is the place.

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.

Music is for Kids,a real producer album oscillating between reggae, hip-hop and electronic music, which crosses borders, with more than 20 guests and 8 different nationalities. Naâman's official beatmaker surrounds himself with the Jamaican legend Sizzla,the new rising stars of the French scene such as Demi Portion, Jahneration or Marcus Gad.

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

"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."

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”.

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.

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!

A download code is included. Music Mania and Indica Dubs is proud to present the next release in their Mania Dub series. Following multiple classic re-issues, we now bring you a long awaited freshly produced dubplate album on a 12” by UK Dub innovators; Alpha & Omega: Dubplate Selection Volume 3.

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.

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!