Roots & Culture 347 Items

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!

It's been a long journey from the day in Nigeria when we found, inside an Alpha Kuffa - Messiah I sleeve, a blank test press of the Yangaman Bob Lp with a little Top Rank sticker on it to the day we met the producer, the great and brilliant George Dureke, who gave us the test presses of the remaining unreleased albums from his Top Rank label, till to the complicated audio Restoration handled by Colin Young and Bassi Maestro. After two years of hard and intensive work it's finally arrived the time for this compilation to be ready and see the light! Eight Unreleased Digital Roots tracks made in Nigeria in the late 80s, never released or pressed, if not on a couple of test presses made on recycled plastic. Surely it includes some of the most interesting Reggae Music made in the Roots Land call Nigeria! Now Ready to be spreaded worldwide!

Oscure 80's Jamaican roots by Oswald 'Timbo' Stewart.

Talented singer who used to sing alongside Larry Marshall back in the 70's.

New life for a tune that hold a special place in the discography of one of the greatest rub-a-dub and fast-chat specialists in the history of the UK sound system movement, here comes a fresh version of Tippa Irie's powerful “I’m An African” ! First making an appearance as the highlight of O.B.Fs album “signz” in 2020, this fresh reworked version of “I’m An African” features on Tippa’s brand-new album of the same name. To celebrate this, the track was pressed onto 7” vinyl alongside its dub version “African Dub” ! Rufffff

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.

As Beatlemania approached its peak, Jamaican music was undergoing a transition that started with ska, and then morphed into rocksteady, before assuming its ultimate form as reggae. Inevitably these cultures collided, with artists such as the Paragons and Marcia Griffiths establishing a tradition of creating dynamic reggae covers of the Beatles’ hits that continues to this day. This album extends this lineage, as some of the best reggae Reggae artists set out on a series of version excursions that include some of the Fab Four’s best loved bitter-sweet cuts.

During the eighties dancehall era, a number of record producers claimed to be the real authentic sound of downtown Kingston but Ossie Thomas’ Black Solidarity label, operating out of Delamere Avenue in the heart of the ghetto, was the real deal.

“Black Solidarity was a youth club in the Kingston 13 ghetto in a road named Crescent Road and it was a Rasta come up with the name Black Solidarity. But through the political violence a get high man start to spread rumours saying Black Solidarity a go gets guns to go kill off people and it’s a revolutionary Cuban thing we’re there ‘pon! A lot of people used to go away to Cuba and we called them brigadista. So, through it was in a PNP area man start spreading rumours saying the PNP a go plan to send the whole of Black Solidarity to Cuba and them all turn brigadista!

So, the rumours kinda mashed up the club! But we held on to the name and said, ‘we’ll give you a record label named Black Solidarity’. So, after that I talked to the Rasta who coined the words and he said, ‘I have to rate you’ and me say ‘why?’ and the man say, ‘Black Solidarity is a struggle and you realise that’ and me say ‘Yeah… me realise’. So, we take it up serious and deal with it and make it work! You know what I mean?” Ossie Thomas

There was no safe uptown haven to retreat to after work had finished but, after growing up in the deprived Kingston neighbourhoods of Denham Town and Jones Town, Ossie Thomas had nothing to be afraid of.

“This was the start of the seventies when the political rivalry got heated between the JLP and the PNP and the shots start fire… you know. Mum got scared and said she’s going to get a safer place for us to live so she moved up into the hills of St. Andrew… then six months after she died! Can you imagine that? She’d gone to the safest place and died there. From that me just go right back to Kingston… I said to myself ‘don’t be scared… if you’re gonna die you’re gonna die’. From that me not scared of Kingston… me just say to myself ‘my mother scared of Kingston and run and left Kingston’ but through me just live there all of my life on any street downtown me just feel comfortable.” Ossie Thomas

This album provides an insightful glimpse into life in these unforgiving Kingston neighbourhoods describing not only the poverty and desperation but also how, at times, styles, fashions and the cathartic joys of music and the dancehall could transform this harsh, unforgiving environment into one of joyous celebration.

Find the most beautiful pieces of the Reggae legend "Bob Marley" reinterpreted by the Jazz scene. A selection of the most beautiful covers from "I Shot The Sheriff" to "Sun Is Shining" or "Jammin'" and "Jammin'". "Buffalo Soldier" with Pink Turtle, The Holmes Brothers, Sly & Robbie, Kim Waters...

Jamaican love songs always came across as heartfelt poetry whether they conveyed a broken heart, unrequited love or even the message ‘it’s all over don’t bother to come back’ anecdotes. But whatever the mood the singers of these songs were so good and versatile that putting such subject matter over in a few verses was always so moving and believable. Jamaican love songs were a constant in the ever evolving sounds and journey’s that reggae music took us on, from ska to rocksteady to the early reggae sounds of the late 1960’s early 1970’s. We have complied a great selection of songs that all deal with that timeless subject matter. Max Romeo’s heartfelt ‘Sometimes’ opens our set in fine style, known more for his roots singing this song proves what a great singer he is. The Melodians a great Jamaican vocal group are featured here with ‘Best Girl’. The Sensations provide us with our title track ‘Born To Love You ‘and the theme for this compilation a great rocksteady tune with fantastic harmonies. Alton Ellis gives us the soulful ‘Room Full Of Tears’. Ken Boothe provides us with his rendition of Dennis Brown’s ‘Money In My Pocket’ the ode that money cannot buy you everything. Cornell Campbell sings one of his most overlooked classic songs with his prideful `She Wears My Ring’. The great singer of love songs himself Mr John Holt tells us that we should all `Reconsider’, before giving up on love and a great lost singer Monty Morris gives us two great examples of how to find love in `Do It My Way’ and `Magic Moments’. A great selection delivered as only Jamaica can do with style and feeling…….

Hope you enjoy the set …greetings from Jamaica… love songs for all…

A definitive guide to Dancehall Reggae! Over 30 killer tracks from Yellowman, Eek a Mouse, Gregory Isaacs, Tenor Saw and loads more.

Stix is back in 2014 with a scorching Disco Reggae Volume 2!

Following 2 acclaimed first editions, Stix Records presents the 3rd volume of its Disco Reggae compilation series.

Like previous one, the 9 tracks comp is made both from productions of the home labels now sold-out as vinyl, and from brand new exclusive music by the like of Taggy Matcher, Mato or newcomer Rosemary Martins, taking over classics titles from Donna Summer, Stephen Encinas, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, Steve Parks, or Inner City.

The perfect soundtrack to extend the summer!!