Reggae & Dancehall 237 Items

Soul Sugar drop their own reggae version of Marvin Gaye’s "I Want You". French outfit Soul Sugar – the brainchild of Guillaume “Gee” Metenier – deliver yet another soulful reggae 12”, this time a cover version of Marvin Gaye’s 1976 classic "I Want You". Jamaicain native Leonardo Carmichael sings lead vocals and legendary drums and bass duo Sly & Robbie add their flavor to the mix, with two versions on side B. Marvin Gaye’s single "I Want You" was a big step forward for his sound & vision and marked a change in direction – from hip Motown Soul to a more sultry, Disco sound. Marvin's vocals are notably intimate and the lyrics are more explicit, more personal. An original soul classic, "I Want You" is memorable for its unique combination of lush harmonies, a mesmerizing groove and the apparent sexiness of the theme itself. Soul Sugar's Discomix version combines a smooth mixture of reggae, soul and funk over beefy bass lines, designed for heavyweight sound systems. Sly & Robbie, rhythm duo known for their studio work on countless reggae classics since the 1960s deliver their version, taking us back to the golden age of Reggae, the days when it was typical for Jamaican musicians to record their own versions of American soul tunes ... Ace producer Jahno dubs the mix live and direct to tape, from his very own ' N.O.F Studio'.

On the 50th anniversary of the band's inception at an event in Harlem, NY to commemorate Malcolm X's birthday on 19 May 1968, influential spoken word artists, poets and commentators The Last Poets are set to make a glorious and relevant return with their first album in over 20 years, 'Understand What Black Is'.
Produced by Ben Lamdin (Nostaglia 77) and Brighton legend Prince Fatty, whose speciality is traditional reggae and dub production's, 'Understand What Black Is' is a ten-track album which speaks of a revolutionary struggle defined by both race and identity, that has never sounded more relevant. Released on Studio Rockers, there will also be an accompanying single featuring remixes of the title track "Understand What Black Is" by Mala (South London collective Digital Mystikz) and UK Dance music innovators Dego and Kaidi.
Since the initial line-up of Dahveed Nelson, Gylan Kain and Felipe Luciano formed in East Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park, The Last Poets have produced under various guises over the subsequent years. However, it was their seminal output, namely 1970's 'The Last Poets' under both Umar bin Hassan and Abiodun Oyewole that secured their legacy, becoming one of the most important influences in early hip hop.
Throughout the last 20 years, the band have remained largely on hiatus. But their influence could still be felt with their tracks being sampled by The Notorious B.I.G, NWA, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg. Umar has recorded various solo albums and featured on Common and Kanye West's Grammy Nominated 'The Corner'. Abiodun appeared on the Red Hot Organization's album, Stolen Moments which was named "Album of the Year" by Time. He also conducts weekly open house poetry readings, where he constructively critiques upcoming poets, helping to nurture them. He has also conducted classes at Columbia University, where he teaches creative writing.
The inauguration of Donald Trump as US President in 2016 inspired Hassan and Oyewole to resurrect the group to create a brand new record, modern and edgy, and deeply relevant and reflective of our times.
Tracks on 'Understand What Black Is' include 'How Many Bullets', which bridles with defiance as Oyewole works through a litany of injustices suffered by black people in the US: " You've Tried
To Blow My Brains Out With Bigotry, Chopped Off My Wings, So I Couldn't Fly Free, And Dared Me To Be Me, Took My Drum, Broke My Hands, Yanked My Roots Right Up Out Of The Land, And Riddled My Soul With Jesus" 'What I Want To See' describes a utopia - a refuge from hurt and those who'd make "our vision blurred, and our faith obscure", whilst the title track 'Understand What Black Is' aims to transcend ethnicity: "understand what black is….It's the source from which all things come...black is a hero, not a villain."
The album even takes reference from Prince's 2003 album of instrumentals, 'News', which Hassan drew comparisons from with his own childhood experiences: "That poem took me about a year to write….I just kept writing and writing but not getting too far and then I heard that album and the musicianship was amazing. I was left wondering if it was jazz, classical, rock or maybe something new but all those images that I write about came to me from listening to that album. I loved Prince in that movie Purple Rain because my father was a talented musician but he was into brutalising Mama at times and in the movie there's a Jerome and my name is Jerome, so it was like he was telling my life story as well."
The album acts as a body of work between individual members each speaking of their own personal journeys, but feeding into the much larger narrative of struggle and oppression, alongside a fervent hunger for social change. These are struggles and tests of personal resolve that have directly shaped and moulded the bands' unique sound over the course of an impressive 50 years, and their powerful and influential commentary remains as relevant as ever.

Ark Angel Jah Mel is a recording artist, songwriter and musician from Jamaica. Beginning his career as a performer on the stage shows of the Twelve Tribes Of Israel of which he has been a member since his youth, Jah Mel made his debut sharing the stage with artists such as Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott, Brigadier Jerry & Denroy Morgan. His writing credits include songs written for Marcia Griffiths, Cecile, DaVille, Itana & Jah Mali, for whom he also produced tracks on his debut album El Shaddai. Jah Mel has worked with all of Jamaica’s top producers & musician in Jamaica such as the great Sly & Robbie, Steely & Cleevie, Earl Chinna Smith, Steve ‘Lenky’ Marsden & Donovan Germaine to who’s Penthouse label Jahmel was signed.
Jah Mel sees himself as a musical bridge between the original reggae sound & the dancehall sound of today, representing what he calls the real dancehall revolution, merging the spirituality of the old school & the energy of the new school. “Guiding Star” and “Stand Up To It” are the perfect examples to overstand this definition. Both song were produced by Roydale Anderson aka Andy's. “Guding Star” will definitely give you thrills if you are into deep synth and heavy digital rhythm while the superb piano notes will warm you in the analog style. Beware of “Guiding Star” dub version called “Guidance (Dance Mix)” that will break any bunker. “Stand Up To It” rhythm is an adaptation of one of the most classic Jamaican riddim called “Heavenless”. You will never know this riddim like before; This version takes the riddim to another level. A positive song with a bionic nuclear bomb dubwise! Play it loud, Jah is our guiding star!

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

JahYu: the Korean word for ‘freedom’, this is an artist whose music is rooted in the notion of freedom, freedom of sound, freedom of expression, freedom from mind and freedom of the soul. JahYu uses his creative freedom to connect directly with his ancestors and create music that somehow transports the listener through time and space. Oriental flute and string melodies slide effortlessly amongst powerful roots-based dubstep, creating a sound that is unique and full of flavour. This enigmatic Korean-German producer blends both sides of his heritage, the digital steppers that emerged from Europe in the 1990’s alongside the traditional oriental music of his mother’s homeland, Korea, augmented by a deeper exploration of contemporary bass music.

Deeply rooted & slowly explosive, Estonian Andres Lõo slides from loud guitar skanks to rumbling toms, all capturing periods of dub, jazz, folk music and the drama of an orchestrated band surrounding the Estonian Seto peoples musical background. B-side carries a generously beautiful xylophone, played, recorded and manipulated gently. Both sides highly polarizing his debut album Skeletons on Rock (Laton, 2009).

The studio and label Digital B of producer Bobby "Digital" Dixon became the ruling production house in the musical revolution that swept through Jamaica from the mid-80's onwards with a lethal selection of dancehall weapons and chartbusting reggae hits. "X-Tra Wicked" gathers many of his bestever productions from those heady times when specialist stores were awash with 7-Inch singles, freshly arrived from Jamaica, and reggae music was once more on the rise. This great double 2LP-set presents 24 selected tracks in a double wide vinyl jacket, with just the top hits from the two Bobby Digital Reggae Anthology releases.

In 1980 Gerald Moore - of G.T. Moore and the Reggae Guitars and Heron fame - was in Kingston, Jamaica working with Lee Perry on the `Return of Pipecock Jackxon’ LP. Gerald went into Harry J’s studio with James Lascelles (Global Village Trucking Company, The Breakfast Band) and Bud Beadle (Ginger Baker & Salt) alongside members of Zap Pow: Don Grant, Cornell Marshall and Dwight Pinkney. The tapes sat around gathering dust for the best part of 40 years and are now finally unearthed. Mixed directly from the masters by Dougie Wardrop are `Jerusalem’, `Working For The Dollar’ and `Constant Spring’. Also `Utopia’ gets a fresh mix.

Hollie Cook combines her unique vocal talent and charisma to craft a dynamic strand of lovers rock with enduring tropical vibes, weaving a path from her West London roots to an arena of diverse collaborations, critically acclaimed records, and iconic live appearances around the world. Cook’s ability to surprise, delight, and progress solidifies her position as one of the most exciting voices in reggae, and this is clear on her third full-length and Merge debut, Vessel of Love. Cook’s music career commenced at age 19, when family friend and punk trailblazer Ari Up asked Cook to join the raucous ’70s post-punk outfit The Slits for their reformation in 2006. Thrown into the deep end she thrived, and quickly cut her teeth with four years of back-to-back shows around the globe. Her talents recognized and nurtured, she then released her first solo album Hollie Cook in 2011, with a revered 2012 dub album follow-up, while singles such as “Milk & Honey” and “That Very Night” gained support from influential radio stations across Europe. Cook's latest, Vessel of Love was produced MARTIN "YOUTH" GLOVER (Killing Joke), who describes Cook’s songs as “sharp lyrical observations and clever word play combined with an exquisite and informed pop sensibility.” Special Indie Store version pressed on limited edition pink vinyl.

Vinyl with light scuffs and hairlines, close to VG+. Cover with slightly bumped corners. With booklet.

Record is close to NM!

Limited to 300 copies.
Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover corners slightly dented.

Cover is close to NM. Price tag.

At long last, in proper quality and officially licensed, here's a pair of records long worked at, historically important, largely unheard, and most of all, musically brilliant. Above all, the dub mixes on these records are known among connoisseurs as being among a handful which can not only be considered a definitive King Tubby's style statement, but also among the most radical, transformative and forward thinking mixes ever committed to tape by the King himself. This is proper King Tubby's music; Tubby the man, not just Tubby's the studio. These two 12"s represent most of the known cuts of this brilliant rhythm, played by the Wailers' Barrett brothers, alongside Earl Chinna Smith, Augustus Pablo and Gladdy Anderson, all together truly a rhythmic force to be reckoned with. "Message from the Congo" and "God Is Love" are two vocals cuts produced via the mid 1970's partnership of Milton "Billy Hutch" Hutchinson and the late Linton "Bob Soul" Williamson. Together these upstart artist-producers operated from a base of operations on King St. in downtown Kingston, nothing short of a historic location that was both concurrent with and adjacent to both the Wailers own record shop and Channel 1's first pressing plant.

With the Barrett brothers at the helm of the session, the rhythm was laid at Randy's studio with Errol Thompson as engineeer, then brought to Tubby for voicing and mixing. "Message from the Congo" finds Bob Soul & The United Stars chanting a message of rastafari over the propulsive uptempo rhythm driven by the late Carly Barrett's masterful drumming. The harmonizers in the "United Stars" as they are dubbed on this record, were actually members of both the Righteous Flames and Rocking Horses vocal groups. The dub mix, "Congo Dread Chapter 1", is actually worthy of the type of genre cross-referencing hyperbole I normally decry in music writing. In hindsight we find in this track, Tubby prefiguring not only the remix and the 'edit', but also the frantic yet orchestrated chaos of a lot of the complex electronic dance music that would being to come into its own a full decade later. To try and describe the magic herein would be pointless, you must simply listen to Tubby deconstruct and reconstruct the rhythm using a melange of his now famous tools and techniques to devastating effect. Indeed, it is tracks like this one which made the man himself and those very techniques now so famous. These two tracks were originally released in Jamaica on both the Gemini and Danger Zone labels (in identical mixes). On the flip side of this first 12" we find Billy Hutch's little known vocal on the rhythm, entitled "Ten Long Years." The soulful vocal finds Bill in top form, and this track was originally released on Bill's very first album "Reggae Showcase", released only in NYC and extremely tough to track down. Rounding out the 12" is a real treat, a previously unreleased different take of "Message from the Congo", with different harmonies, and a background voice telling you "this is a message…", bringing the title of the song sharply into focus.

Green Vinyl.
Record is close to NM.
Includes original insert.

Released in 2017, the much-talked-about Yasuyuki Horigome & THE NEW Shoes "Aliens (Lovers Version) (12")" will be re-released by Urban Discos in limited quantities! The flip side features a dub version of the song, as on the first pressing. It was re-cut from the original master and retains the 12" 45rpm spec.

Brand new album from all-star Denver band, 10 tracks of top-shelf ska-jazz instrumentals for fans of THE SKATALTES or modern acts like NEW YORK SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE. Tracks range from BLUE NOTE flavored rock steady to uptempo scorching ska with a 2-TONE feel. A truly wonderful listen.

Jackie Edwards voice can be heard on hundreds of Ska, R&B, Soul, Rocksteady records. In fact, all the incarnations that reggae revolved into. He was at the birth of Island Records and his distinctive soulful voice has rightly given him the moniker of the original Cool Ruler.

Jackie Edwards (b Wilfred Edwards, 1938, Jamaica) was a renowned singer from the early days and by 1959 had presented future Island Records owner Chris Blackwell with two outstanding tunes. The first a sentimental ballad ‘Your Eyes Are Dreaming’ and a Latin-Beat tune ‘Tell Me Darling’. His song writing skills were in much demand and his popularity of such importance that when Chris Blackwell went to London in 1962 to set up his future record company Island Records, he took his top balladeer with him. This was to pay dividends when a UK group Blackwell had signed the Spencer Davis Group released two of Jackie Edwards compositions “Keep On Running’’ and “Somebody Help Me’’. Which topped the British Charts in 1966 and were important early cornerstones in the future success in the Island Records story.

We have compiled some of Jackie Edwards finest tunes including his own version of the fore-mentioned big hit “Keep On Running’’, the sublime “Who Told You So’’ , “Get Up’’, the cutting edge ‘’Johnny Your A Gun Man’’ and the title track to this album “Peaceful Man’’ which we named him after. All great tunes in different reggae styles but all sung to perfection.

7inch and video originally released in 2017 and now reissued by popular demand after the quickly sold out

After releasing the EP “Hear Mi Name Call” with Casio Love and the sad story behind it, we decided to repress this crucial album to spread even more Maddo´s music and his musical legacy.Maddo left among us his wife and son who we send our sincere condolences and strength, special thanks to Julie who also granted us permission to repress this masterpiece. Hopefully this record will help Maddo’s family and keep his memory alive between all of us.

Back to back two Killer 60s soul to reggae instrumental monsters - versioning Young-Holt’s classic Soulful Strut and Booker T and the MGs Seminal Time is Tight!

Roots Reggae Dub!

Pressed on 7 inch vinyl with a dinked centre hole.

Deep spaced out cut of the classic Jah Vengeance from Yabby and the Prophets. A side lifted from the Deeper roots 2 set. The version from the Beware dub set.