Roots & Culture 91 Items

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.

Allan 'Ras Bombo' Kingpin's all time roots classic scorcher, better known as "Little Jimmy", it's working title during its pre-release. This release is a dubplate mix (original version here).

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!

"Step Forward Youth" takes a serious look at the reggae of the punk rock era in England and its resulting global impact. Here are 12 selected tracks especially for LP-Vinyl including the obscure roots reggae heat such as the Barry Ford Band's "Rebel" plus Prince Far I's "Heavy Manners", Culture's "Two Sevens Clash" and furthermore great tunes by Dr. Alimantado (as well pictured on the album's cover) alongside Jah Stitch, Lee Perry, Gregory Isaacs, Augustus Pablo, Keith Hudson, Michael Rose, Junior Murvin, Tappa Zukie and the dub version to Johnny Clarke's "None Shall Escape The Judgement.

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

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.

After the famous Andre Tanker’s “Back Home”, Jamwax is very proud to reissue River Come Down in its 12'' version.
Originally released on the Contraband label in 1979 and recorded at famous Semp studio in Trinidad, “River Come Down” is a blend of islands funk, soul, disco, soca with also a touch of gospel: “River, the river come down, the river come down, the river down...wind blow like a hurricane...the river come down, washing the right, washing the wrong, washing the weak, washing the strong, the river come down...”
On the other side you will find an obscure synth instrumental released on an impossible to find 7'' in 1986. “Movin Round” was produced by Andre Tanker for Horace Wilson's Turn of The Tide. This song was absolutely under the radar and remains a strong banger for any dances.

2 track Single from Millions released by Typhoon/Dub Store Records!

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!

Heavy Roots Track called Ethiopian Romance by The Cimarons recorded in the early 80's @ Easy Street Studio.
Has been released on CD back in the 90's but unfortunately never on vinyl.
Now released for the first time on vinyl !

Dub version was sadly never recorded…
Now the flip side received a proper Dubwise recorded & mixed @ Honey Studio.
Mastered @ Rectape Studio.
Limited Edition /// Letterpress printed the old fashioned way.

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.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2018!

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.

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.

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

Million Stylez, Mr Williamz and Charlie P flow over “Modern Time Riddim“ produced by Dreadsquad.

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!

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.

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.

colored vinyl edition

The best of the early singles by Bob Marley and the Wailers Volume 2. The partnership of Bob Marley and the Wailers in its short life would create what many consider to be some of the greatest reggae ever recorded.

Horus Records’ fifth release is the first production played and recorded at their studio ‘The Arch’ in Tottenham, North London. An all analogue affair, recorded with real instruments live and direct to tape, sounds pumped through homemade valve pre-amps and other equipment amassed over the last few years.A 2015 production, heavily influenced by Horus' love for the sonic qualities and approach of 1970’s reggae. Ronnie Davis shouldn’t need an introduction, considered one of the founding artists of reggae music. Starting off with legendary rocksteady and reggae group The Tennors, he remained a prominent force throughout the 70s working with producers such as Bunny Lee, Phil Pratt and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, to create tracks that are still relevant today. On this release, his voice is as distinctive and strong as it ever was – with lyrics to match.