Roots & Culture 196 Items

Featuring Johnny Clarke, King Tubby, Dillinger, Prince Jazzbo, Tommy McCook, The legendary Aggrovators, The Mighty Diamonds & many more.

Repress of Mad Professor's 90s Japanese Mono Lovers remix masterpiece 7" S.S.W. Yoshiko Gotoh is also known as the vocalist of Denki Groove's 'Niji'. This is the first 7" release from '19, coupling the classic "First Light" with a superb dub mix of "Nameless Pierce", and is now being repressed in a limited edition of 300 copies Yoshiko Goshima was described as "a genius female singer with a five-octave voice" in the 1990s and early 2000s. She is a talented artist who is popular for her soulful singing that combines sweetness and toughness, and her 1999 hit single 'Open Up', which was used in a TV commercial, is also memorable. This 7" couples two rare remixes by the reggae dub scene's Mad Professor. The A-side features the 'Mad's Lovers Smooth Mix ver.' from the 'First Light Remixes' 12" single, which was released as a promo-only single in '97 and is now hard to find. A light dub number with dreamy synths and a stretched high-tone voice that feels great, the B-side is the "Mad's Summer Swim Mix" of "No Name Earrings" from the CD single "Swingin' the Swing", also released in '97. " from the CD single 'Swingin' the Swing', also released in '97. It is a moving song with powerful yet melancholy and delicate vocals and a chorus work that builds to euphoria towards the latter half of the song

Fat Freddy's Drop present the ‘lock-in’ album, a sonic moment in time as the band jam conscious songs of freedom and hope for a generation. The studio session was captured at the iconic Michael Fowler Centre in the band’s hometown of Wellington, New Zealand during the pandemic lockdown. Devoid of audience, it’s a reflection of the surreal times that’s halted tour life 2020. The band re-located their Bays studio to the MFC and set up in a circle on the MFC stage for the recording, providing a unique space to jam slow burn classics such as ‘Soldier’, ‘Hope’ and ‘This Room’ as well as test drive ‘Avengers’ a brand new track in the making. The other tracks recorded are 'Special Edition', ‘Six-Eight', ‘OneFourteen’ and 'Trickle Down’ from ‘Special Edition Part 1’ the band’s most recent album. The crisp multi-track production was recorded by Western Audio, monster mix back at Bays studio by DJ Fitchie, Freddys beat master and producer. Mastering at Calyx studio in Berlin. The ‘lock-in’ session melds Freddys fastidious studio chops and love of freewheeling jams with a tautness that comes from 21 years in the business and a reputation as one of the finest live draws in the world.

"play ON MR. Music”, one of the legendary songs from the recording scene of the documentary film ‘roots Rock Reggae’, which fascinated reggae fans all over the world, is finally available on record! This is a compilation of recordings from the Black Ark Studios during the heyday of the maverick Lee Perry.

Limited Edition.

One can imagine these words echoing in the wizard's mind of teacher and keys and synth man Nathan Spicer just before conceiving this, his "never meant to be released" masterpiece dub experiment. He, along with the lions share of the members of his Seattle-based funk/afrobeat group, Polyrhythmics, render a profound dub album as majestic and dynamic as if the members each had simultaneously recieved this missive from on high. Was it King Plachacha himself that dubbed these funk squires as true knights of the coming Pleiades/Earth 4th dimensional consciousness ascension portal event? The music seems to indicate so. As soundsystem technicians/prophets who came before such as Tubby, Perry, Scientist, and Pablo, Rezin Tooth and engineer/bass player Jason Gray succeed in manifesting a sonic blueprint of this possible fourth dimensional realm where peace and enlightenment flow freely as the true currency of the universe. Fellow Funk parishoners in this holy temple of dub are Ben Bloom (strings), Grant Schroff (drums and symbols), Lalo Bello (percussion) Art Brown (reeds) Elijah Clark (horns). Yes, praise the lord, Spicer et al did heed the call and indeed dubbed themselves. And you are now holding in your hand the Chronicle of their efforts. Rezin Tooth lays their new album of contemplative dub upon dub's mighty altar as an expression of their reverence to this beguiling and communal Jamaican art form. With this offering, they take communion with dub's sacrament from the basements and sound systems of planet earth and tape-echo it back out to the Pleiades. -Lucky Brown

Year 1964. Almost out of nowhere, the little-known and regarded director Sergio Leone transposes into a western key a film by Akira Kurosawa, and by putting together all the right pieces, adding a bit of intuition, lays down new rules for the 'spaghetti western' genre, giving way to an endless series of imitations.

"A Fistful of Dollars" would not have the same impact without the inimitable music written by Ennio Morricone, who had curiously been an old elementary school Leone’s classmate. The main soundtrack themes were chosen from two arrangements that Morricone had already drafted two years earlier; once removed the lyrics and added the unmistakable whistle of Alessandro Alessandroni, the spaghetti-sound was finally complete!

The film was an incredible success, and projected Leone, Morricone, and in particular the actor Clint Eastwood into the Olympus of the Great. The soundtrack was released for the first time the following year (1965), along with the one of Sergio Leone's subsequent work "For a Few Dollars More".

This new edition sees the original seven tracks of the score in a completely new layout. The format is a 10" 45rpm LP, with a 26x26cm miniposter attached. Clear vinyl edition.

This album here is a lightning roller coaster musical journey through the music of Studio One, the most important record company in the history of Jamaican reggae music. Ska and Rock Steady feature from the greatest names in reggae: The Skatalites, The Maytals, Marcia Griffiths and The Heptones alongside vocal and roots styles from Horace Andy, Willie Williams and Wailing Souls; DJ and dancehall styles from Michigan and Smiley, Prince Jazzbo and Lone Ranger; plus some wicked instrumental and dub. It's all here! 100% essential foundation style.

The 45rpm vinyl edition is produced with a different track order across four sides and promises to deliver super fat loud audio.

Part 1 of a double album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, comprises of six tracks of which ‘Raleigh Twenty’, ‘Trickle Down’ and ‘Six-Eight Instrumental’ were written and recorded undercover at the band’s Wellington studio, BAYS, while the other tracks; ‘Special Edition, ‘Kamo Kamo’, and ‘OneFourteen’, have all been developed and evolved from the band’s celebrated live jam sessions, whilst on the road in front of audiences worldwide.

Supremely crafted at Freddy’s own BAYS studio in hometown Wellington, the deep musical and rich vocal layers reflect Freddy’s inspiration from the black music lexicon and is a response to the crowd energy at their world dominating live shows.

‘Special Edition Part 1’ is the first release of a long envisaged double album project with separate chapters. The next journey, Part 2 will be released in 2020 after stringent road-testing with audiences over 35 shows across New Zealand, UK and Europe celebrating the release of the Part 1. These upcoming live performances will allow the band to fully explore new song-writing technology and give rise to a slamming Part 2.

The new album follows on from 2015’s ‘BAYS’ LP, which saw support from Financial Times, Resident Advisor, Dummy, the DJ Mag and Clash-acclaimed ‘Blackbird,’ second album ‘Dr Boondigga and the Big BW’ - which gained rave reviews by The Guardian and BBC Music - and the band’s record breaking debut album ‘Based on a True Story’, which went nine times platinum and remained in New Zealand’s top 40 charts for over two years after its release in 2005.

The album cover artwork is by Wellington artist Otis Chamberlain, a continuing evolution from his creation for the ist first single ‘Trickle Down’, a work that's morphed from digital cover art to the band’s massive summer tour backdrop and the recently released late-night buttery steppers ‘Kamo Kamo’.

Debut vinyl album from Boston's top roots dub reggae band, whose sound is truly of another time and place. Deeply in debt to the original Jamaican engineers of the 70s who turned mixing consoles into the lead instrument, the Vipers drop steady drum & bass rhythms w/ post punk attitude.

Debut album from DC roots reggae / lovers rock band mixed by VICTOR RICE. Formed by current and former members of THE PIETASTERS, feat lush vocals of KELLY DI FLIPPO. Think THE BEATLES meets DENNIS BROWN, a must for fans of THE FRIGHTNRS, HOLLIE COOK or THE SKINTS. Songs of heartbreak...

This Road' is the debut LP by one-to-watch Denise Sherwood, which features writing, production and instrumental contributions from Adrian Sherwood (On U Sound), Lee "Scratch" Perry, Mala (Digital Mystikz, Deep Medi Music), Mark Stewart (The Pop Group, Mark Stewart & The Maffia), Skip McDonald (Tackhead, African Head Charge, Little Axe) and Doug Wimbish (Living Colour, Tackhead). In addition to this extended family who came together to help her talent flourish, the album also features drums by the late Style Scott, who the singer lovingly recalls as my "my beautiful uncle." Portraying dark themes and damaged characters through an empathetic filter of bittersweet optimism, 'This Road' is a work of contrasts, which musically matches the mixed emotions felt in life. Bass pressure, contemporary club beats, nourishing roots music, sumptuous instrumentation and accessible, pop-schooled melodicism are woven together by her soothing but heavy-hearted voice, which is perfectly matured and full of depth. Saturated in vibes and an ingrained cognitive understanding of recording, 'This Road' is in part the product of childhood/teenage osmosis spent imbibing the sounds at her father Adrian Sherwood's On-U Studios. The impressionable youth gained an unparalleled education in music and also human nature, living in a house/studio where Lee Perry, Neneh Cherry, Jah Wobble, Big Youth, Little Annie, Style Scott, Tackhead, Bim Sherman and countless more made tracks. Like an epic coming-of-age movie focussing on Denise's part in the ongoing On-U chronicles - charting her changing roles as daughter, musician, mother, lover and more - it's little wonder 'This Road' is both contemporary and timeless, spanning time like a family tree.

Limited Edition EP, Tribute to Stare McCallum. Four deep roots titles from the 70's with extended version.

Wonderful album. Previously released on CD within the Paris DJs Reggae Boxset, this album is now re-mixed and re-mastered by Grant Phabao. Gem!

"Blue Lizzard" is the first reggae instrumental album of its kind to come out of Jamaica since the heyday of Channel One and Joe Gibbs' studios in the late 1970s and Rico Rodriguez's influential "Man From Wareika". Packaged in a vintage style with additional printed inner sleeves with all musician credts and liner notes by Carter Van Pelt on the backside of the sleeve.

The album features original compositions and several classic adaptations, all arranged by Clive "Azul" Hunt, aka Lizzard, the veteran producer of The Abyssinians, Bullwackies, Beres Hammond, Jah9, Richie Spice, the acclaimed "We Remember Dennis Brown" tribute album and many more. The multi-generational roster of musicians contributing to the sessions included Dean Fraser, the late Bobby Ellis and Nambo Robinson, Robbie Lyn, Bubbler Waul, Wayne Armond, Squidley Cole, Kirk Bennett, and Clive Hunt, among others.

"I Man A The Stal-A-Watt" gathers together 13 sure shots from Cornell Campbell blending the very best of his all-conquering hit run of forty-fives for Bunny "Striker" Lee alongside a stretch of crucial cuts produced by Joe Gibbs - from the 1970s - 80s classic era. The title is a boast from the early soundclash era when many of Campbell's tracks, here produced primarily by Bunny Lee, would play first on King Tubby’s Home Town Hi-Fi in Jamaica. The songs run the range from clash-ready standards like "Mash You Down" and "The Gorgon" to cultural commentaries like "Jah Jah Me Horn Yah" and "Bandulu" to the lover’s masterpiece "The Investigator" which leads off the set. Stretching into the early 80s, the collection includes two originals that would spawn countless re-interpretations, "Rope In" and "Boxing Around".

Ten selected tracks have been compiled for the LP-vinyl edition with Singers on side one and the Deejays on side two, including Tessanne Chin's "Breakfast In Bed" and Noah Powa's "No Stress" feat. Shams The Producer as exclusives. The cover art is by Japanese illustrator Murasaki.

Jah Cure is a musical adventurer, exploring rhythms, moods and meaning with his latest album "Royal Soldier", his first longplayer since "The Cure" in 2015. Jah Cure writes songs about love and consciousness and reality. His music moves between classic roots and smooth R&B and often challenges the boundaries of the reggae genre, his presence and influence among Caribbean fans has reverberated around the globe and earned him top status among reggae artists internationally. The music videos for set-up tracks "Telephone Love", "Risk It All" and "Marijuana" are all +1 million streams on YouTube. Guest appearances on "Royal Soldier" include Damien "Jr. Gong" Marley, Popcaan, Melanie Fiona, Mya, Phyllisia Ross, Tory Lanez two special multi-feature tunes with Yami Bolo, Junior Reid & Capleton ("Street Kings") and Dru, Sketch Carey & Alx ("Eyes On Your Body")

"Music Is Our Business" is a premium blend of the very best of Cocoa Tea's non-album tracks recorded for Bobby Digital alongside a gold leaf selection of previously unreleased nuggets. All recorded between 1985 and 1986.
The tracks gathered together here are amongst the most loved tunes in Cocoa Tea's illustrious catalogue and this collection is sure to please Cocoa Tea's many fans both old and new, his message are songs of the struggle, Love, Peace...
The success of VP's recent two Bobby Digital anthologies "X-Tra Wicked" and "Serious Times" has shone the spotlight bright and alight on the outstanding work that was coming out of the Digital B studio during this golden period. The release of "Music Is Our Business" shows there is still a lot more gold in the Digital B vaults.

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!

"Dub For The Radicals" are ten unearthed rock solid Roots Radics rhythm tracks dub charged by Alborosie and Flabba Holt at Shengen Studio, Jamaica. This is speaker shaking drum and bass from the original Roots Radics - pure dub fire - Alborosie meets The Roots Radics at their best in a heavyweight dub showdown! - It is Alborosie's fifth dub project following the strictly dubwise albums "Dub Clash" (2010), "Dub The System" (2013), "Dub Of Thrones" w/King Jammy (2015) and "Freedom In Dub" (2017).

Red vinyl

This is the first volume of the HOT Sauce compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related UK labels between 1965 and 1975. The initial plan is for at least 3 albums of 14 titles. HOT Sauce Volume 1 features Rocksteady, Boss Reggae, early Dub & early Reggae outstanding original Jamaican tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and some hits. The record labels showcased on the first volume are Attack, Amalgamated, Black Swan, Blue Cat, Downtown, Doctor Bird, Duke, Grape, High Note, Randy’s and Trojan. The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity. These tracks are all outstanding tracks, “killer tracks”, there are no “fillers” whatsoever. Particular attention has been paid to the way the songs are sequenced (or “mixed”) so that the album builds up nicely and gradually, generally starting with the Rocksteady songs on the A side and the 70s songs on the B side. HOT Sauce is a musical journey across the early Reggae UK labels and across different Jamaican musical genres & talents and the way they interact together. Since the early 70s “Tighten Up” series, no compilation have really explored these labels in depth on vinyl…

A third and final volume of Jamaican doo wop & R&B records taken from the late 50s and early 60s.

These records represent a period in which sound-systems were beginning to dominate the island, with Duke Reid and Sir Coxsone Dodd stepping up their rivalry by beginning to make and release their own records rather than rely on US imports for use in their dances. Many of these records are definitely more-or-less imitations of the American records, as the uniquely Jamaican ska sound was yet to take hold - however many of the future stars of ska, rocksteady and reggae were beginning to cut their teeth in the industry on these records, incl. Alton Ellis, Derrick Morgan, Derrick Harriott and more, and provide a unique view into the fledgling independent record industry culture in Jamaica that would prove to be unbelievably prolific and unparalleled for an island of it's size.

The album was originally released in Nigeria by Tabansi Records and recorded at Afrodisia/Decca studio in Lagos. The Lp never really saw a commerical issue and was probably pressed in very few promotional copies for Radios and Djs making the original nearly impossible to be found nowdays.
Musically it comes with some dope , slow and one-a-way digital roots riddims filled with mad synths , deep conscious lyrics and a deep bassline, it's quite unique as the two main track comes with a raw Dub which is very hard to be found on any other African Reggae albums , the last track call “If I'm To Rule The World” is a very interesting blend of Reggae and Boogie.
We have been working together with the lead singer of the band , Sharon Escco Wilson that we met personally in Lagos, to finally make the album available worldwide.
The cover have been fully restored and the Audio remastered , in the LP we'll add an insert with Lyrics , original pictures from back in the days (and a few new ones) , a newspaper article from 1990 and an extensive interview by Sharon Escco Wilson.

2019 reissue.