Reggae & Dancehall 209 Items

Jamaican trio Israel Vibration are one of Reggae's great vocal groups from the 1970s roots era. The trio re-formed in 1988, signed to the RAS label and set to work on a new album known as 'Strength Of My Life'. Produced by Doctor Dread and backed by the mighty force of the Roots Radics, the I-Vibes returned to form and found a new strength and power. The Radics perfectly complement their songs, laying down bass driven rhythms to create a masterful backdrop over which the harmonies conjure up a wide spectrum of moods. Featuring on this Limited 12" release is the crucial and perhaps more relevant to our current climate 'Middle East' plus 'Greedy Dog' with guest musician Augustus Pablo on melodica duties. Under licence and for the very first time ever with their Dub counterparts this release is one for the fans!

Introducing Bays a 9 track boil up heralding a fresh chapter in Freddys fantastic voyages. Bays opens with slow burn funk of ‘Wairunga Blues’ journeying through a hybrid of reggae, hi-tek soul and jazz with techno rhythms underpinning Freddy’s signature horns and Joe Dukie’s smooth & introspective vocals, 'Slings And Arrows', '10 Feet Tall', 'Wheels', 'Razor', 'Makkan', 'Fish In The Sea', 'Cortina Motors' and arriving finally on the crooked blues jam of ‘Novak’.
BAYS is named after our Wellington studio homebase, where the album was predominately written and recorded around beats, food, darts and a winter of content.

Tappa’s Classic ‘pick UP THE Rockers’ CUT AT Channel ONE BY THE Revolutionaries,

Along Side It’s King Tubby DUB CUT.

The Skatalites’ massive dancefloor ska Anthem + some serious dub on the flip

Jr. Thomas & The Volcanos’ sophomore effort Rockstone is more than just a love letter to the roots of Jamaican music. It’s an actual love letter. Tom McDowall aka Jr. Thomas explains, “I could write a musical love letter to all things I loved: my wife, my family, my friends, my band mates. I could write a song to tell me to Chin Up when times got tough. I could give gratitude to the Jamaican artists that paved the way for the beautiful music we now call reggae. I could write a song about what it’s like to lose someone important to you. Or write a song to invigorate me spiritually. Music is healing and that’s the best therapy there is for me.”
Rockstone isn’t just another throwback record to an era gone by. It’s a record that takes risks within the genre, but more importantly it’s a genuinely honest record.
“I called the album Rockstone because true love cannot be defeated. It lives forever. We write tributes on our tombstones because they live on beyond our lives as a remembrance of something special and important to us.”
Recommend for fans of: The Frightnrs, Toots & The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff

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.

This is the second installment of deep roots Rastafarian reggae at Studio One and features classic music from some of the most important figures in reggae music – Alton Ellis, The Heptones, Jackie Mittoo, The Gladiators – alongside a host of rarities and little-known recordings, such as a truly rare Mystic Revelation of Rastafari seven-inch single, Willie William’s first ever recording ‘Calling’ and Horace Andy’s righteous (and equally rare) masterpiece ‘Illiteracy.’
Black Man’s Pride 2 extends the legacy of Studio One’s ground-breaking path in roots reggae which began at the end of the 1960s and continued throughout the 1970s. The album tells the story of how the rise of Studio One Records and the Rastafari movement were interconnected, through the adoption of the Rastafari faith by key reggae artists – everyone from the Skatalites and Wailers in the 1960s, major singers such as Alton Ellis and Horace Andy at the end of the decade, through to major roots artists such as The Gladiators in the 1970s – and how Clement Dodd consistently recorded this heavyweight roots music throughout Studio One’s history.
The sleeve-notes to this album also discuss the links between Rastafari and Studio One in time and place, noting how both the religion and Clement Dodd’s musical empire had their roots in the intense period of pre-independence Jamaica in Kingston, expanded in the 1960s following the visit of Haile Selassie in 1966, and how roots music then came to dominate reggae music in the early 1970s. Also discussed is how the outsider stance of both reggae music and the Rastafari movement relate back many hundreds of years to the original rebel stance of the Maroons, escaped slaves who set up self-sufficient enclaves in the hills of the Jamaican countryside.

A great collection of classic roots recordings from the mid-70's for the singer who came close in challenging Bob Marley & Dennis Brown for reggae's crown. All re-mastered recordings available as 30-Track 2CD-Deluxe Digipak and 23-Track 2LP-set in a gatefold sleeve, both with in-depth sleeve notes by Noel Hawkes. The release is supported by several summer festival appearances.

Only Johnny Clarke would come close to challenging Bob Marley & Dennis Brown for reggae's crown, his unequaled run of hit songs, powered by Bunny Lee and King Tubby's aggravating versions, continued without a pause during the mid-70's leading Johnny to twice being named Jamaica's Artist Of The Year (and the signing of a two album recording deal with Virgin's Frontline label). Many of Johnny Clarke's classic roots recordings gathered here were first given wider international exposure in 1998 with the release of Blood & Fire's excellent 13-Track "Dreader Dread - 1976-1978" compilation, which has disappeared from the market for several years. Now re-mastered and drastically expanded, with a new artwork and entitled "Creation Rebel" the release captures the very essence of what is now regarded as the golden age of roots music!

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!

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'.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

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...

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.

"Full House" rhythm

The first international african hit, classic groove of summer ’73 gets instant jamaican treatments by ex-Melodians Brent Dowe backed by The Gaytones. Years before Manu Dibango came to Kingston for a Sly & Robby session, a tribute had been paid to the negropolitan”. From coast to coast! From Africa to Jamaica! This is Earth Sound!

An excellent 4-track roots and dub reggae 12-inch on the French Fruits Records label, of which the first release was I Kong's 'A Little Walk' album.

The Minyo Crusaders' 2017 debut album “Echoes of Japan” LP will be back in stock on vinyl! Purists beware, as these ten Japanese musicians have decided to give a cumbia, reggae, salsa, ethiopian groove and afro-funk twist to min'yo, an ancestral Japanese folk song genre of which they were all fans before they met. Their debut album, the eminently exotic (even zany) Echoes Of Japan, features ten tracks from the min'yo repertoire sung in the grand tradition of the style, to the sound of Afro-Latino brass and percussion. A delightful example of successful fusion, however unlikely it may seem.

2023 repress -

The next Moonshine release comes courtesy of Australian-based Erin McKimm aka Sekkleman. It's been over three years since his last full release and we are very excited to show you what he's been up to.

In 2012, ten years after its inception, Stand High Patrol released their first album: Midnight Walkers, which featured a multifaceted take on contemporary dub – a versatile sound with heavy bass, named dubadub. Following the success of their first LP, plus several EPs and singles released on Stand High Records, Pupajim, Rootystep and Mac Gyver now return with their second self-produced album, with sleeve art by Kazy.

Recorded in a home studio between June 2013 and July 2014, A matter of scale has brought the emergence of new influences. The three dubadub musketeerz intensify the genre crossovers and strengthen the foundations of their creative process. Theirs is an open approach, free from conventions.

Supported by the rich range of Pupajim’s vocals, the sounds travel incessantly between eras. The dubadub experience takes on new dimensions; jazzy rhythms and melodies stand alongside digital reggae, hip-hop beats, bass music and progressive dubs.

A matter of scale shows how Stand High Patrol design and compose their own music. The album reflects the undeniable penchant of the crew for experimentation and their obvious desire to break down barriers.

Tracklist :

A1 -Tempest A2 - No Matter How Long It Takes A3 - Geography

B1 - Gambling Johnny B2 - Sleep On It B3 - Routine

C1 - Overloaded Truck C2 - Blue Wax C3 - Ruckus C4 - Warehouse

D1 - Style And City D2 - The Bridge D3 - The Tunnel

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