Roots & Culture Vinyl Sale 204 Items

Black Pride' is the seminal Lovers Rock tune from Brown Sugar pressed loud for the first ever time on this new one-off press limited-edition (just 1,000 copies worldwide) 12" on Soul Jazz Records! Brown Sugar formed in London in 1976 made up of teenagers Pauline Catlin, Caron Wheeler and Carol Simms. After Brown Sugar Caron Wheeler became known worldwide as the vocalist in Soul II Soul and Carol Simms launched a successful solo career under the name 'Kofi'. "Black Pride" was originally released on the Lovers Rock label, a fledgling reggae label formed by musicians Dennis Bovell and John Kpiaye and producer Dennis Harris. Brown Sugar were unique - not only were they one of the most important of the first wave of lovers rock groups, they were the only group who managed to successfully blend together a reggae roots consciousness with a lovers rock sensibility. The classic 'Black Pride' perfectly reflects this unique sound.

Missed out on first pressing - waiting on repress

The definition of deep roots, here are a pair of almost never before heard tracks from the mythical Creole.

The A-side "Fishers of Man" is an extended mix, while the B-side "Walls of Jericho" is a vocal cut followed by a synth added version retrieved from dubplate. The vocal cuts are the band's personal rough mixes, which thankfully survived to now be heard. These tracks were meant for an LP that never materialized

Cool Ska Inst. Cover Of Spanish Flea backed with a funky vocal cut.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

After releasing the "Keithus Dimts Selassie I" vocal in 2020 on this great Royal Horses Riddim we are glad to present this 2nd version which was taken care by Radio Fontani Crew , Allo & Shanthi at the vocal with Fiaba at the mix of Side A , Side B with Michael Exodus at the mixes for a proper Dubwise!
Deep lyrics talking about the crazy reality of our times.

This is pressed in only 300 copies black.

Heavy Channel One business one more time!
Back in the early 80's with Soul Power & Sound in fine style.

Famous meditation Roots track called Yard Music for the first time on Maxi 12inch 45rpm.
The flip side receive a loud Steppers called Trample Romans.

Both sides Alternate extended mixes from Master Tapes!

Tribute to the Mighty Big 3 recorded on 4-Track reel tape.

Originally as vocal only, this beauty of a track receives here the proper instrumentals, dub and rockers take.
Recorded & mixed by Alan ‘Breadwinner’ Redfern at Bakery Studio, Manchester, UK.

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.

A mandatory selection from the Jamaican singer large catalog, recorded at Channel One Studio with the likes of Sly & Robbie, The Tamlins, Don Drummond Jr., Dean Fraser, Ansel Collins, Winston Wright. The songs have been engineered by Soldjie, Barnabas and Scientist! A legendary cast for a series of unbelievable numbers. Roland was born in Pennants, Clarendon in Jamaica and was destined to become a star from his early days at John Austin School which set the stage for a career in the music field. Growing up in Trench Town, he met Bob Marley and Toots Hibbert who gave him inspiration and counseling as he would often ‘jam’ with them. During his growing artistic years, he sang with a group called The Shades, where he encountered Lee ‘Scratch’ Perr. Along with Conrad Brown, they produced “Lonely Man.” Thereafter, Roland quickly rose to popular fame when he recorded the chartbuster “Johnny Dollar,” a song that topped the Jamaican charts in Europe, USA and Japan. He recorded his first album, “Johnny Dollar” for Tanka Records which included the hit songs “Hey Mama” and “Stormy Night.”

*Pachamama* (means "Mother Earth" or "Nurturing Earth" in Quechua) is a musical tribute to our "Mère- Veilleuse- Terre" ! A French reggae with Native American colors full of good vibes and poetry. The single *Pachamama* Feat. Chorale IJD & Michel Tirabosco is the fruitof the meeting between the original song of Manu Shamba, the children's choir of the Jaques Dalcroze Institute and the pan flute of Michel Tirabosco! All recorded, mixed and arranged by the excellent Yvan Bing(Kitchen Studio Geneva).

Taken from the self-produced LP "Empty Promises" released on Bridge records in Canada, 1987.

A super Mellow & Sweet roots sound created by a collection of artisans from popular bands such as Asound, Youth OF Roots, and Noroshi. With a focus on Jamaican rare grooves, they develop an original reggae sound as a reggae band that anyone can enjoy. This time, the original song "Sweet Time" written and composed by Seima, which is also popular in live performances, is released on 7-inch!!

A cover of Heatwave's moist mellow soul with a euphoric arrangement. Cassandra's slightly mature and languid voice is also irresistible. The flip side is a cover of "Why", a well-known masterpiece from the early days of Beres Hammond. Harold Butler's soulful reggae is sublimated into a wonderful lovers' rock.

A cover of Ollie Baba's song, which appeared only on Sonia Ferguson's only album, "Magic Lady" (1980). It is a pure and healthy love song. The flip side is a Smokey Robinson classic that everyone knows, backed by the iron-clad rhythm section of Sly & Robbie, and is one of the biggest hits of the UK Lovers Rock era.

Knifeplay’s sophomore full-length, and first ever studio album Animal Drowning is a sprawling landscape of shoegaze and lofty slowcore. The album finds the band in a blend of folk instruments, walls of distortion, orchestral strings and delicate vocals, all carefully organized by Philadelphia engineer/producer Jeff Zeigler, known for his work with Nothing, Kurt Vile, and more. Though their sonic palette is vast, Knifeplay craft a cohesive aesthetic to carry frontman Tj Strohmer’s thematically heavy songwriting, which touches on loss of all kinds against the backdrop of a nihilistic world. These songs cry out with urgency no matter their ever-varied tempo and dynamic, each painting a unique vignette of tragedy. Yet the band’s dense, meticulously composed instrumentation exudes beauty, creating a lightness to balance the subject matter. With Animal Drowning, Knifeplay goes deeper into the sonic experimentation and brutally honest lyricism so beloved on their early bedroom recordings, creating an enrapturing experience that deftly builds on previous work.

33rpm

paper sleeve with plastic inner

insert

A mellow stepper lovers cover of T.I.M.E's soulful reggae classic. The album version is a different take from the one released as a single at the time. The reverse side is a great lovers rock song with a heavy one-drop backed by One Blood!!

First official re-issue for this roots reggae masterpiece, originally recorded in 1977. The Bushrangers, also known as Clem Bushay All Stars is the house band of producer Clem Bushay. They recorded the ''Stuntman'' album with musicians like Barry McVicker, Bunny McKenzie, Candy McKenzie, Carl Lewis, Dennis Bovell, Desmond Charles, Hughie, Janet Kay, Jimmy Haynes, Jimmy Mack, Jimmy Stratdan, Joseph Charles, Junior Bailey, Junior English, Michael Charles, Stanley, Suzy Browne, Moon Rocks and Zabandis...The album was also produced by Bushay.

A mid-tempo, cool arrangement with falsetto vocals, this reggae tune is reminiscent of the free soul that swept Japan in the 90's. Only a few hundred copies of this extremely rare tune were released in Jamaica at the time.

Earl Lindo production from 1984...

Back in 2014 Caio linked up with the legendary singer Clive Matthews in Jamaica as he was interested in recording some specials for his Dub Foundation Sound System. Talking about it came out the idea to play the Apology rhythm from scratch, one of Clive's biggest hits from back in the days.

It took around one year to organize everything and by the end of 2015 Clive Matthews was able to get in touch and gather all the original musicians who played the riddim back in 1973 : Bagga at the Bassline , Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace on drums , Norman Vessel on lead guitar & rhythm and Jah D on Keyboard. Music was then recorded at Anchor Studio, Jamaica, with Garfield McDonald's as Engineer.

“Mama Afrika” has been since 2015 one of the Anthem of Black Foundation Sound System and we at Dig This Way Records were lucky enough to cooperate with Caio to work on this release with a new mix of the vocal.

Mixed and dubbed by Michael Exodus at Dub Basement Studio in Rome and mastered by Matt at Pressure Mastering in Uk.

One of Rudy Thomas’ few roots tunes. The Kingston born singer was better acquainted with softer lovers material than this lament for Paul Bogle, the Jamaican nationalist and leader of the Morant Bay rebellion. A lovely tune, with a flute nagging away, giving the song an unusual feel. Rudy Thomas worked at Joe Gibbs’ studio as an engineer and percussionist, before moving on to a successful career as a lover’s rock artist. Produced by Lloyd Parks and comes in a hand stamped bag.