Roots & Culture 195 Items

Cut loud and proud with tracks carefully selected "Sweet Reggae Music" includes first time on LP appearances for the much sought after sound-system favorites "Whom Shall I Be Afraid Of", "Praise His Name" & "Pon Your Toe" alongside the broader than Broadway hits "Here I Come", "Mary Long Tongue", "Mini Bus" etc. - During this golden age of Jamaican music Barrington Levy was the undisputed lord of the dancehall - "Sweet Reggae Music" is 100% black vinyl proof!

Greatest dub album ever. Combination between the "Far East" style of Augustus Pablo playing Melodica, Clavinet & Organ and Dub's master Osbourne Ruddock aka "King Tubby's". Featuring the finest Jamaican musicians, Aston & Carlton Barret, China Smith, Vin Gordon, Bobby Ellis...Mixed at King Tubby's Studio in 1976. Produced by Augustus Pablo. A must have !

Limited Edition.

"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".

Deep instrumental & dub album. Recorded in 1978 in the best Jamaican studios, including Lee Perry's famous "Black Ark" along (as always !) the cream of the musicians including members of "The Wailers". Pablo mystical & meditative sound take us far away, to the ethiopian roots.

Dub inc has toured all over the world for many years, regularly playing in front of tens of thousands of spectators, setting the stage ablaze in the largest European and French festivals, thrilling South American and Indian audiences alike. Their videos get hundreds of thousands of views in daily, and they are followed on social networks by more than six hundred thousand fans. Blending Reggae, Dancehall or world music, Bouchkour and Komlan embody the band's voices in styles as different as they are complementary. They pass on a universal message whether the language of their song is French, English or Kabyl (an algerian language) insisting on how important mixed race and the mixing of styles are. The Saint-Etienne based musical group have never sought a particularly mainstream exposure; they went their own way, building their discography with passion, talent, and focus. Perhaps that is why they have been for now twenty years the best ambassadors of French reggae across the globe.

Cultures of Soul is very excited to announce this killer tropical reggae cover of Sade's Smooth Operator. Recorded at Circle Sound Studios in Miami the backing track was recorded by members of the famous reggae outfit Inner Circle with vocals by local area rising star at the time, Sabrina Rich. Sabrina (her real name is actually Sabrena) had been making records in her and her ex-husband's studio in their garage for years. The result of which was the disco 12" Exit/Whispering. Around this time Sabrina was performing in the Palm Beach / Boca Raton area of Florida and performed with Jimmy Bo Horne. Some time after Sabrina worked with a man named Kenneth Corey who mastered her recordings. Kenneth referred her to Roger and Ian Lewis of Inner Circle to help press up their vinyl. They became friends and around 1985 recorded Smooth Operator. During this time they were working and partying hard and experimenting with different ideas and sounds. The track was originally released in small numbers as sort of a demo and never really took off. Shortly after Inner Circle went on tour in Europe and the single went into obscurity until many years later when copies of the record turned up in New York and Toronto. This 12" includes a special discomix edit by Duckcomb a.k.a. Patrick Billard, DJ and record collector extraordinaire.

"The next release in the Lion’s Choice series is spread on two vinyl. One 12inch and one 7inch. Both are with the same vocal by the well-known MC Kenny Knots from the UK - a powerful tune called ‘Rise Again’ - but presented as several different mixes. While the 12inch offers another collaboration with Massive Dub Corporation from Bourges, France, on one side and a ruff and tuff remix by Digitron Sound from Zagreb, Croatia, on the flipside, the 7inch holds a more rootikal version by Ashanti Selah from the UK, ‘spiced’ with some violins by Ras Divarius from France. Of course each mix comes with a dub excursion.

Conscious music for heavy weight sound systems."

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’.

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Liam Bailey comes out swinging with "White Light," an instant-classic, dancefloor filler. The rough and tough drum break intro catches you from the first beat before the track gives way to an infectious and uplifting reggae-dis- co number. Liam's instantly recognizable voice showers his muse with praise over deep round bass lines and a four on the floor beat. The combination of Leon Michels' crushing production and Bailey's lyrics like "You love yourself, you're so exciting, like no one else"... is sure to make this a staple in dj sets around the globe.The B side "Cold & Clear" is a proper lighters in the air, slap the wall, top ranking tune. The track struts in the door with a natural and undeniable confidence. Liam weaves a heavy metacognitive story over the one drop drums, perfect basslines, and organ stabs that will have people stepping in rhythm. The lo-fi production weaves elements from the finest early rocksteady era with touches from the late 70s / early 80s digital era and takes the entire vibe into the present with unorthodox arrangements and vocal treatments. Bailey has a tune here that will hold up next to the classics in the dancehalls from the yards of Jamaica to the discotheques in his homeland of England.

This release represents the first original Zion Train album in 5 years and features 9 vocalists alongside extremely talented musicians. Vocalists include Cara, Michel Grena Prince Jamo and Rider Shafique whilst amongst the musicians are such luminaries as Paolo Baldini, Don Fe and Gianni Denitto.Zion Train are working alongside the Stop Ecocide and Extinction Rebellion campaigns with the release of this music to help attempts to build a brighter future for our planet - to this end we are reprinting the Leap Manifesto authored by Naomi Klein and friends with this release.

This release by The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love presents a new instrumental version of the heavily sought after debut release "Zota Yinne" by Alogte Oho, the meanwhile classic second release on Philophon from 2014 (PH45002). So far, The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love, as Philophon's house band, never had any release under its own name, but here we go! It's sure: more will follow.

"Zota Yinne" is a dubbed out variation of the original Frafra gospel classic with the one and only Jimi Tenor as a guest on flute and synth. "Starlet Road Filling Station Romance" is an other-worldly search for love, perfectly characterized by Jimi Tenor's love cries on the saxophone.

Stix Records rounds up all recent Mato’s 7inches anthems into this extended player, with all the cuts remastered for the occasion ... this collection
also includes four unreleased hits: “Gangsta Lovin’” by Eve, “La Saga”
by IAM, “Whateva Man” by Redman and “Off The Books” by The Beatnuts.

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.

Michael Edgehill aka Mikey Melody was born in the parish of Portland, Jamaica. As a youth he constantly raised his voice in song and performing with sound system in the neighborhood community. Known by his sweet voice, his friends gave him the nickname «Mikey Melody».
Mikey Melody was influenced by 60’s and 70’s US R&B icons and Jamaican singers like Bob Marley, Sugar Minott, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Bob Andy and Half Pint. In the 1980’s he went to Kingston and was identified early by Lord Sassafrass, who gave him his first recording single “Under Mi Fat Thing” that was covered by many reggae artists. He was then signed by Black Scorpio Corporation which he was a singer on the sound system and recording label. He did songs like “World Is A Disaster”, “Jumbo Mi Jumbo”, “Romance For The Moment”, “Ragga Muffin”, “Unemployment”.
He then moved on to Dennis Star Label which he did songs like “Mona Lisa”, “Maranda” and the hit song “Soldier In Town”. Released in 1988 on Dennis Star International records, ‘’Soldier In Town’’ by Mikey Melody is a pure late 80’s dancehall vocal over heavy digital rhythm by Firehouse Crew.

Interstellar digital dancehall with stunning synth, superb vocal by Robert Ffrench in extended mix & ad style by obscure DJ Shortie Ranks. Recorded at Creative Sound Studio (Kingston, JA) in 1985. "On “I Am Wondering” – a lovers of sorts – Ffrench is Dennis Brown in the high notes, and Gregory Isaacs in the song`s playboy sentiments. A guitar gently wah-wahs, while the synths do a giddy glissando. Midway through this discomix the bass becomes boss – throwing everything else – chopped piano chords and all – into echo. Then it`s rewind for the DJ cut – a brag and boast toast from Shortie Ranks – recounting his triumphs at legendary Kingston reggae venue, Skateland”. (Ban Ban Ton Ton - April, 21 of 2020) Robert French grew up in central Kingston and attended Kingston College. He recorded his first singles in 1979, at the age of 17. He achieved success in 1984 with his performances at the Festival Song Contest and the Reggae Sunsplash festival. He had a combination hit with deejay Clement Irie with "Bun & Cheese", and his first two albums were released in 1985. He had another hit in 1989 with "Modern Girl", a collaboration with Courtney Melody. In the mid-1990s he relocated to New York City, where he teamed up with rapper Heavy D, with whom he had a hit with "More Love", with an album following on Ras Records, featuring collaboration with several artists including Lady G and General Degree. He has since returned to Jamaica, where he runs the Ffrench record label and distribution company. He released the album Yesterday and today in 2001, collecting many of his earlier singles. After a period of inactivity as a recording artist, he returned in 2009 with the single "I Do". As a producer he has worked with artists such as Dennis Brown, Buju Banton (he produced Buju's first single "Ruler" on Stamina riddim), Beres Hammond, George Nooks, Luciano, Jah Cure, Yami Bolo and Sizzla to name a few. Robert French was the cosin of the late great Pat Kelly. As a french label, big fan from Ffrench productions, i'm very proud and happy to start a collaboration with Robert Ffrench, the most french jamaican. Stay tuned for many many more.

Official re-issue and re-mastered 7-Inch single for much sampled singer Johnny Osbourne. "Ice Cream Love" (based on the 'He Prayed' riddim) is the 1980 tune produced by Henry "Junjo" Lawes and recorded at Channel One studio with the Roots Radics Band. "Extra Time One" is the dub version mixed by Overton "Scientist" Brown at King Tubby's studio.

The longtime portuguese dj-producer DEDY DREAD lands on DJ’S CHOICE label for his first full-on original production. "Don't Wanna Wake Up" kicks off the collaboration with the soulful Hawaiian-born singer OLIVIA RUFF, a velvety warm r’n’b banger which will certainly tear through the airwaves. On the flip side, a “bikini-dub” version by THE REBEL - helped by the sax of Danilo Desideri (Funkallisto) - which will make you wish summer comes sooner rather than later. Published and worldwide distributed by the Italian cinematic label Four Flies Records.

Original limited edition vinyl (500 copies)

Original limited edition vinyl (500 copies)

Legendary innovative instrumental tune by Augustus Pablo. Recorded at Randy's Studio in 1971. Produced by Clive Chin.

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

"Look at the trees, how their leaves are blowing away in the sky. Listen to the birds, how they're singing away their time. Look at the sun, how it shines, bright in the skies. Well, all these things were, created by the Father." Cover of the Dennis Brown's song. Recorded at Randy's Studio in 1975

"Killer roots" tune of one of the most prolific Jamaican singer. Heavyweight dub on the B side.Recorded in the 70's at Randy's Studio 17 North Parade.

Reissue of this classic roots anthem sung by Hugh Mundell & produced by Augustus Pablo. Accompanied by 4 Instrumentals & Dubs tracks. Mundell, prolific artist tragically died at 21, murdered in 1983. The year of his announced prophecy.

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…

Tommy McCook’s mighty hornsman version of Yabby You’s “Jah Vengence” re-mastered and reissued in perfect style. This 7” finds the great multi-instrumentalist re-imagining the dark vocals of the original track as a slithering horns track that bursts to crescendo amid the heavyweight bass and drums. The B-side offers up echo-drenched dub.

12" reissue of killer cuts from the Canadian label, Oswald Creary's Half Moon.

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...

The African Brothers are Lincoln "Sugar" Minott, Winston "Tony Tuff" Morris, and Derrick "Bubbles" Howard. Famous 70's hit song recorded at Randys Studio, Produced by Clive Chin.

Recorded at Harry J & Channel One in 1982 with iconic musicians as China Smith, Flabba Holt, Robbie Shakespear, along with Norris Reid and Delroy Williams on backing vocals.The album include a recut of the classic "Java" and the singing of Hugh Mundell on "Ratafari Tradition". Reissue with the artwork of the original Jamaican press.

Cut loud and proud with ten tracks carefully selected for black wax lovers ‘Pass The Knowledge’ includes first time on LP appearances for many sought after sound-system favourites alongside the big signature hits ('Right Time', 'Bodyguard', 'Pass The Kouchie')! - The Mighty Diamonds have stayed true their roots since inception, still going strong today with an unchanged line up; ‘Pass The Knowledge’ demonstrates that Diamonds are indeed forever! - This vinyl issue is accompanyimg the latest in VP’s critically acclaimed Reggae Anthology 2CD+DVD series that shines the spotlight on The Mighty Diamonds.

Recorded at Federal Records Studios in early 70's & produced by Alvin Ranglin. The song appeared for the first time in 1973 on the compilation "Pipeline" .The B side instrumental was previously unreleased, transfered from original tapes by Aad Brakus aka "Dr Buster Dynamite".

First cut recorded at "Randy's Studio 17" in 1973. Produced by Clive Chin.