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The smooth and funky sound of prime-time Japanese reggae pop in the 1970s and ‘80s fired up an obsession with Jamaican music that persists to the present day.

If there is a year zero for the introduction of reggae music to Japan, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers toured the country, trailed by an entourage of journalists, photographers and fans ready to spread the message of the music into all corners of Japanese society. But the story of Japanese reggae is not a linear one, and the music that is collected on Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 captures the moment J-reggae entered the broader public consciousness, merging commercial city pop style with an infectious backbeat, that has drawn comparisons with the emergence of Lovers Rock in the UK.

Rather than look directly to Jamaica, many producers and artists in Japan were inspired instead by the more approachable sounds of The Police and Ub40, their reggae fix arriving pre-filtered through the lens of new wave pop from the UK. Playful and groovy, these album deep cuts have been overlooked for too long. Among them are Miki Hirayama, the idol singer who borrowed the bassline from Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic on ‘Denshi Lenzi’, Chu Kosaka, who headed to Hawaii to cut the Jimmy Cliff-inspired ‘Music’ and Marlene, the Philippine songstress whose cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Hittin’ Me Wear It Hurts’ owed much to her producer’s obsession with Sly & Robbie’s Compass Point sound. Then there was Izumi “Mimi” Kobayashi, who enlisted the Babylon Warriors to perform on a dubbed-out version of her own track ‘Lazy Love’, the city pop-meets-new wave reggae sound of Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’, Junko Yagami’s anti-apartheid deep cut ‘Johannesburg’ and Lily, whose ‘Tenkini Naare’ was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and closes out the compilation with a flourish.

While these stories may not always conform to neat narratives, they do provide a more accurate reflection of the indirect ways in which styles infiltrate one another and, in their naivety, have the potential to create something beautifully strange and entirely new. Previously only available in Japan, the tracks on this compilation are a testament to that curious alchemy.

Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is released on vinyl and as a full album download (no streaming), featuring original artwork by Japanese Fukuoka-based artist Noncheleee, whose cover pays homage to the iconic dancehall album art of Wilfred Limonious. Released on 1st September, Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is part of Time Capsule's Nippon Series, a loose series of compilations exploring different musical scenes from Japan between the 1960s and 2010s.

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.

Heavyweight soul providers Fat Freddy’s Drop are about to take flight once again with the worldwide release of new album Blackbird!

We've been overdue to let off a modern gem from the Wackie's vaults, so here we go. Another of our favorite 12 Tribes related artists, the late great Judah Eskender Tafari, on a hard and moody but uplifting digital stepper straight from the Bronx. B-side features a great ghostly raw rhythm version from Bullwackie.

Get ready to unleash another fine release on BCSM Records. We present you a powerful tune
and version by singer Christine Salem from Reunion Islands and danish dub wizard Dub Across Borders (DAB) ,
combining the best of world music and dubwise business.

The characteristic, deep and powerful voice of Christine Salem first made its way to
the speakers in the Dub Across Borders studio one winter night in 2018. Through a musical
friendship in Brazil, DAB was presented with a recording of one of Salem’s live concerts.
Instantly, the stripped down vocal/percussion style arrangements of the songs resonated with a
raw authenticity and nerve which sparked inspiration. Shortly after, with a sort of ‘bootleg-approach’,
DAB was found reworking the song “Kadjembawe” into a heavy dub version, adding several other instruments
like, organ, bass, guitars, etc. Some years later when the rework had gone rounds with friends and alike,
it was presented to the Swiss bass clarinet virtuous Eloi Cálame.
From his studio in Switzerland he then transcribed and recorded the horn arrangements
with trumpeteer Jaronas Hoehener. After many e-mails with Christine and her management,
the song being reborn into its dubby self. Then it was presented to Tino from BCSM who took charge
in the endeavour to present it to the world.

The song 'Kadjembawe'' is an ancient incantation to connect and pay hommage to our ancenstors.

Stix Records proudly presents Push Push by Taggy Matcher (aka Bruno « Patchworks » Hovart), back with upraising singer LMK, with a strong message to all the street stalkers harassing women! After the success of “My Man”, from Singasong album in 2014, every visit from LMK at Taggy Matcher’s studio is the occasion to embrace their shared love for vintage “Rub A Dub”, a genre that she champions. “Push Push” is an assumed tribute to the early digital productions of King Jammy, one of the best references when it comes to marry Lo-Fi & strongness. LMK sings with conviction a clear message to all the stalkers: “Push Push / Get Out Of My Way”… the message is quite clear! On B side, you’ll find the instrumental version for all DJ’s & MC’s ready to blast through their soundsystems.

Stamped White Label

Alter Echo & E3 return for their third chapter on ZamZam with a dark, low-slung steppers featuring the one Rider Shafique of Bristol’s esoteric Young Echo crew. AEE3’s first collaboration with a vocalist, “Heights” provides a rockstone riddim for Rider to step forward with a powerful lyric, a declaration of principles and intention to trod outta Babylon, tearing off mental chains along the way with total focus on the destiny of liberation for those with the will to persevere. Rider’s presence transforms every track he graces into pure message music, as heard in recent months on collaborations with Gorgon Sound, Ishan Sound, Gantz and more.

"Heights" rocks with swirling atmospheres and pointillist detail, powerfully psychedelic dubbing at once organic and metallic, always with fundamental dub principles anchoring and propelling forward, ever forward. The version “The Sound Tonight” strips the vocal out completely, using that space to push the kick, bass and ricocheting snares further forward with extra dub flourishes, mirages, and sample grinding.

Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare or Sly and Robbie as they are affectionately known are the drum and bass backbone of Reggae Music, they have played on, produced, invented, reinvented more records then many of their contemporaries put together.

Sly Dunbar born Lowell Charles Dunbar on 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica, drummed his first session for Mr Lee Perry which included a Jamaican hit ,a track called 'Night Doctor', before moving on to the group Skin, Flesh & Bones who had a residency at Kingston's famous 'Tit for Tat' club. This band would evolve into the Channel One house band The Revolutionaries where Sly named after his fondness of the band Sly and the Family Stone would begin to play alongside a bass player who would become his long standing partner in music, namely one Robbie Shakespeare.

Robbie Shakespeare born 27 September 1953, Kingston, Jamaica, had worked his way through session bands including the legendary Aggrovators before uniting with Sly Dunbar in The Revolutionaries. Both musicians had worked with other respective bass / drum players including such figures as Lloyd Parks [bass], Carlton 'Santa' Davis [drums], but everything seemed to fall into place when they worked together.

They also both had a quest to push the boundaries of reggae music, which they would do throughout their careers, over many sessions to numerous to mention. But highlights would include the groundbreaking Mighty Diamonds 1976 set 'Right Time' with its fresh rockers rhythms which lead the way in the 1970's. Also their work with the bands Culture and Black Uhuru the later of which they toured extensively with, spreading the reggae vibes across Europe and America. Not to forget to mention their Taxi label / productions which are always inventitive whether its in the reggae field or outside where their playing / production skills are much in demand.

The third piece of this jigsaw is the mighty Mr Bunny 'Striker' Lee who brought these legends together. Born Edward O'Sullivan Lee 23 August 1941, he must be one of reggae's most underrated producers. Leading the way in the 1970's especially in the dub field and being one of the early exponents of a King Tubby remix ,which would see nearly all his 7'' releases carrying a Tubby reworking on its flip side. Bunny started his musical career in 1962 working for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label and soon moved into the world of production gaining his first hit in 1967 with 'Musical Field' by Roy Shirley for the WIRL label. The 1970's was a very productive time for Bunny Lee and saw the launch of his LEE'S label which was producing hits in Jamaica. Not having a studio of his own and renting studio time from the existing establishments like Randy's Studio 17 and Channel One he had to have a crack team of session players to carry out this task, fast and efficiently. This happened firstly under the guise of THE AGGROVATORS [ see The Aggrovators dubbing it studio 1 style JRCD005] and then with the group of musicians THE REVOLUTIONARIES[ see The Revolutionaries at Channel 1 dub plate specials JRCDOO3]. It’s here in the latter of these groups that Bunny matched Sly and Robbie together for the first time and it’s this match made in heaven that these tracks on this release are culled from. Sessions that Bunny Lee produced with Sly and Robbie during this magical 70's period. These rare dubs are taken from the original master tapes, you may have heard the tune before but not these versions. So sit back and enjoy Reggae Musical History in the making....

Some Dub Stories is a hybrid project combining music and video: it is a live band of four musicians mixing the codes of a powerful dub with soaring melodies, harmonizing electronic and acoustic. The concert is closely linked to a video show that tells us the story of Obaba, the cosmic turtle, at the borders of multiple universes. Back on Earth in a post- apocalyptic atmosphere, Obaba delivers the story of her odyssey.The protagonists of this quartet on stage are: a multi-instrumentalist who juggles between Trumpet, Flugelhorn and Melodica, a Drummer, a Guitarist and finally a Bassist who also controls the machines! The public is then immersed in a unique sound and story, which renews the genre while filling the afficionados of Dub.The members of the group come from various formations having toured around the world: Hubris, Dub Silence, Lamuzgueule... A first album is coming soon and the group is receiving a warm welcome from professionals and are already supported by Take It Easy Agency & Alpine Records (labels). Regarding the live, NMB Booking signed the band in their roster in 2022 and the doors of Château Rouge (Live Venue and artists' residency) are open to them to prepare their first tour. The band is promised to scour the Dub scenes of France and Europe. Discover the stories of the cosmic turtle that comes to life under the pencil strokes of Lucas Roig, graphic artist. An astral journey to discover on stage.With its album « Chapter One » (which will be released during 2023) the Electro-Dub Live Band delivers an ambitious first opus combining a rhythmic Dub with deep bass. We discover a beautiful musicality as well as a professional production quality. The band’s sincere music with videos that echo problems of our time.Some Dub Stories creates a colored and powerful new kind of video- instrumental Dub with modern sounds in a style cut for contemporary music.

South African Warrick Sony is a ground breaking composer who was behind the Kalahari Surfers project which now gets a vital spotlight courtesy of Emotional Rescue. This compilation shows how effortlessly eclectic his sound was - from jive rhythms to jazz, tabla to political speeches and much more in between. A Hindu pacifist who was once conscripted into the South African Defense Force, he founded this group as a way out getting his ides out there, calling on other musicians as and when he needed them. It was the first radical white anti-apartheid pop in South Africa and as this vital collection shows it explored polyrhythms, slow motorik, dub sound collage and even a goofy cover of Nancy Sinatra.

Wade "Jimmy" Dyce was an original member of Cultural Roots. He was a vocalist and played a key role in shaping the sound of the group. Cultural Roots emerged as a four-part harmony group for producer Donovan Germain in the late 1970s, releasing « Revolutionary Sounds » and « Mr Bossman » which counts among ‘Jah Shaka's favourite tunes’. Then they released « Hell A Go Pop », one of the Greensleeves label’s lesser-known classics. In the early 80's, Wade Dyce produced alone three songs at Chris Stanley's famous Music Mountain studio. Wade Dayce surrounds himself with the best musicians of the time, namely the Revolutionaries, but does not remember the exact formation apart from Sly Dunbar on drums and Bongo Herman on percussion. « Humble », « Money Mare » and « Hide & Seek » are three forgotten songs that can be described as killer roots from the middle of the 80s and which you can (re)discover again through this reissue on the original Moving On label. For this release, Jamwax worked with Parade Studio for this original and unique Disco 45 cover graphic creation. Today, Wade, now sixty-seven years old, is living in Salem, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 2010 as a mental-health specialist. Long live to the Cultural Roots !

Channel One production from 1979, conscious roots and dubs for these times.

“Tubby did three original dub albums, ‘Dub From The Roots’. ‘The Roots of Dub’ and the third is ‘Brass Rockers’ with Tommy McCook ‘pon the flying cymbals. Where he mixed it with the horn going in and out in a dub way and one named ‘Shalom Dub’ you can call Tubby’s too because he mixed the versions as they were off forty fives’’ Bunny ‘Striker‘ Lee

King Tubby and Producer Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee are intertwined in the birth of Dub Music. After discovering a mistake that made a ‘serious joke’ ( more of which later...) they went on to release the first pressings of this new musical genre namely ‘Dub Music’. Tubby’s vast knowledge of electronics and Bunny’s vast catalogue of rhythms would lay the foundations of what today is taken as a standard... the Remix / Version cuts to an existing vocal tune.

Osbourne ‘King Tubby’ Ruddock was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 28th January 1941 and grew up in the High Holborn Street area of downtown Kingston. He studied electronics at Kingston’s National Technical College and also on two correspondence courses from the U.S.A... When he had qualified Tubby began repairing radios and other electrical appliances in a shack in the back yard of his mother’s home. His work in the early days included winding transformers and building amplifiers for Kingston’s Sound Systems. Tubby built his first Sound System in 1957 playing jazz and Rhythm & Blues at local weddings and birthday parties. His reputation as a man who knew and understood both electronics and music grew steadily and as the sixties drew to a close. Tubby purchased his own basic two track equipment. He installed this alongside his dub cutting machine, a home made mixing console and his impressive collection of Jazz albums in the back bedroom of his home at 18 Dromilly Avenue which he christened his music room.

At the beginning of the eighties reggae music became increasingly in tune with what was happening in Kingston’s dance halls… probably more so than at any time since the sound system operators had started to make their own shuffle and boogie recordings in the late fifties. The international audience and the critics were too busy looking for a new Bob Marley to appreciate what was happening downtown and failed to acknowledge that this was a return to the real, raw roots of the music. Brash, confident, young record producers who were totally in tune with the youth audience stepped forward and seized the moment…

Oswald ‘Ossie’ Thomas began his apprenticeship in the music business at the age of

fourteen and served his time as a record salesman for Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee and Winston ‘Niney The Observer’ Holness before moving on to Miss Sonia Pottinger’s Tip Top Records.

“I ended up working in three record stores on Orange Street from 1976 to 1981… Yeah man! Me deh ‘pon me bicycle till I buy my motorcycle! Them days records were coming out left, right and centre… every day!” Ossie Thomas.

It was during his time with Miss Pottinger that Ossie began to produce records for

himself and in 1979 Ossie and Phillip Morgan began the Black Solidarity label based deep in the Kingston ghetto on Delamere Avenue. Phillip initially inspired Ossie to start the label and soon Triston Palma, Phillip Frazer and “a youth named Gary Robertson” joined in although Gary later left for Canada.

The Soul Syndicate rehearsed in the Delamere Avenue area and Tony Chin gave Ossie a cut of a rhythm that he used for Triston Palma’s ‘A Class Girl’… the label’s inaugural release. The record was a sizeable success and paved the way for hit after hit after hit on Black Solidarity. Ossie worked with just about everybody who was anybody during this critical period of the music’s development including vocalists Robert Ffrench, Little John, Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul and most notably Triston Palma.

For this release we have compiled some of the version sides to those releases. Dub still being an integral part of the Reggae Sound System Sound. So sit back and listen to what Black Solidarity, one of the most important and often overlooked labels were bringing to the dance, dubwise, back in those heady 1980’s times.

With grateful thanks to: Paul Coote, Nick Hodgson & Hasse Huss

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…

"Late Night Attack come catch the Late Night Attack!" Good things come to those who wait. We're thrilled to finally unveil the latest reissue in our Harry J grail series, a long-anticipated release "Late Night Attack." This 1987 gem shares the same rhythm as "Jam The Calypso," a reissue from a couple of years ago. Vicious Irie, also known as Sedley Downer, delivers an absolute fire performance, spitting lyrics over this fast-paced Harry J digi riddim.

A tumultuous selection of recordings from Black Ark, Perry's legendary studio and hotbed of creation. Rare 12" versions, unreleased mixes and featuring a stellar line-up, including:

Drums: Mikey ‘Boo’ Richards, Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar
Bass: Boris Gardiner, Radcliffe ‘Dougie’ Bryan
Guitar: Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, Ernest Ranglin, Robert ‘Billy’ Johnson, Lynford ‘Hux’ Brown
Keyboards: Winston Wright, Robbie Lynn, Keith Sterling
Percussion: Noel ‘Scully’ Simms, Lee Perry

A quick internet search brings up some extraordinary footage of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry producing a session at the Black Ark. Taken from the film ‘Roots, Rock, Reggae’, directed by Jeremy Marre, the sequence shows Junior Murvin collaborating with members of the Congos and the Heptones on a song improvised on the spot for the film crew. Before the vocals are recorded, the Upsetters lay down the backing track. The musical director of the session is the afro-haired bass player, Boris Gardiner; unusually, it is he who counts in the band to start each take. After a long conversation with Boris a few years back, I asked Lee about his contribution to the Black Ark sound.

Lee Perry: ‘Boris Gardiner was a good person, just a humble person, and he’s the best person I ever met in the music business so far. Boris is a very top musician, and with him you could put anything together, him do “Police And Thieves” and all that. You just tell him what you want and him can do it. A very great person.’

Boris is probably best remembered today for his huge international hit from 1986, the schmaltzy ‘I Want To Wake Up With You’. Yet in the 60s and 70s he was one of Jamaica’s top bass players and arrangers, having an international hit with ‘Elizabethan Reggae’, and creating a run of classic tunes at Studio One.

Boris Gardiner: ‘I did at least seventy or eighty songs at Studio One, all in this one short period between January and April 1968. And we used to work four days per week, and we did four rhythms per day for 30 pounds a week – it was good money. I played on songs like “Feel Like Jumping”, “Nanny Goat”, “Baby Why” by the Cables, the whole “Heptones On Top” album, and “Party Time”. Lee Perry used to be at Studio One same time as me, kind of working around, so he know me from there. So he came and roped me into the group when the Black Ark studio was in progress. He built it right there at the back of his home. So Scratch called me and asked me to come and do some sessions around his studio. I was always ahead of my time as I can see it, in the music in Jamaica. So the songs that I made you always hear chord progressions and changes. Sometimes I think it’s as if I was born in the wrong country, because I just couldn’t do a two chord tune – heheh! To me it need more than two chords to give it some excitement, like it need some changes or something.’

After years of moving between Jamaica’s competing facilities, Perry had decided to build his own studio at the back of his house in Washington Gardens.

Lee Perry: ‘The Black Ark make over a pile of shit – my pile and me put it under the Black Ark. I make the Black Ark over my shit piss, so the bass always go “Poo Poo Poo Poo”! Errol Thompson put the machines in there, and make the patch panel. So the studio was all waiting, but only me could operate it. I didn’t have the Soundcraft mixer then, I did buy a lickle thing you call a Alice mixer. We didn’t have anything professional, but the sound was in my head and I was going to get down what I hear in my head. And it’s like a toy, a toy affair, that’s the way music is. You see like when you buy a kid’s toy, well you bring a joy to them, so is that way I see music. I don’t see music like how other people see it, I see it just like a toy.’

Unusually, Lee decided to do everything himself, both producing and engineering. The film clip shows Lee fully relaxed as he simultaneously directs the musicians and adjusts his recording machines.

Boris Gardiner: ‘To me Scratch always knew what he wanted. Out of all of them Scratch was a true producer, because he would be in the studio and he would listen and say change this or I don’t like that, and he was his own engineer also, so he was always around there listening. So he knew what he wanted and how to try and get it from the start, unlike Coxsone Dodd or Duke Reid, who knew what they liked or didn’t like only after they heard it. Scratch was in there with everybody, so he is really doing a full production as a true producer.’

Lee Perry: ‘I used to do them all by myself. Anybody in my studio could sit down in the visitor’s chair and look, but me do everything – me have a chair that can move from here to there, a chair that have wheels. So I could be turning in any area or any direction, so I could have my hand over here and my hand over there. Heh heh.’

And at a time when 8 and 16 track recording had become the norm in most high end studios, Lee recorded everything to a semi-professional TEAC 4 track recorder, which he can be seen casually adjusting with a screwdriver in the film clip. He explained that since he would end up mixing down to a stereo (or two track) master, more tracks would just be a distraction.

Lee Perry: ‘It was not a professional tape recorder, I was using those TEAC 4 track set that they was trying like experiment to see what would happen. Well, I have it all set up. The first thing I’d think about, all right, is you have to mix everything back down to the 2 track stereo or 1 track mono. Then you can press it and release it. So I knew what I wanted at the end, and I balance it just like that in the studio with the instruments. Sometime when you put only four or five instrument in the studio, you have a better, cleaner record, you can hear what everybody play. And if you have maybe eight musician in the studio, it’s more like a confusion, because everybody wants to play a different thing, yunno. If you is the producer and you can tell them what you want to hear it will be better. So I can put the bass and drum together on one track because me know exactly what me need. If you don’t know, then you need more tracks so you can balance it later. So for the backing, I would just do the two tracks: the bass and drum and percussion track, that is one; and the guitar, organ and piano on another track, that is two. So you still have two more tracks if you want to do vocal, that would be three. And if you want to do horns or a harmony vocal, you can do that on the fourth track. To me it’s a waste of time, a waste of energy with a 24 track machine, waste of current and waste of money. Because it all have to come down to one or two tracks in the end.’

The early Black Ark sound was stripped down and minimal, often with only one or two musicians playing keyboard or guitar. Lee would also use extreme EQ to emphasize the bass and tops, and his hi-hat sound is instantly recognisable from the earliest days of the Ark.

Lee Perry: ‘Well, I used to have an equaliser for the bass drum, and it’s like for heaviness on the beat, and then I had another equaliser for the cymbal, to give it that “Ssshhh ssshhh”. So we have different machine to send different instrument through that they can sound different. I managed to change the vibration of the music, because the music was just local music produced by rum drinkers and cannibals. So me turn on the music to a higher range.’

Boris Gardiner: ‘I think I always use a DI box to record bass at the Black Ark. Because bass want to fade into the other instruments’ microphone, so we often plug it straight into the board and then Perry sets the EQ on the board and take it straight. Then we built a drum booth so the drums really sound separate too – it give him more control.’

As the Black Ark evolved, Lee developed a richer collage of sound, built around three primary effects: the Mu-tron Bi-Phase phaser, a spring reverb and a Roland Space Echo.

Boris Gardiner: ‘One thing about Scratch was that he always used his effects – that was his sound. He always phase the ska guitar, but you don’t always know he’s recording it like that until he play it back. So until he play it back you have no idea what it will sound like.’

Lee Perry: ‘I did have a phaser that I buy, and then when I’m in the studio, in the machine room, and phasing them, the musicians don’t hear it, what I am doing, until them come in the studio, and them hear the phasing. So we did it all live. And the musicians they won’t even know what goes on! While the musicians are playing, I am doing the phasing. I take the musician from the earth into space, and bring them back before they could realize, and put them back on the planet earth. The phaser was making things different, like giving you a vision of space and creating a different brain, a phasing brain. So that’s where I take the music out of the local system and take it into space. The Space Echo also have something to do with the brain. You send out telepathic message and it return to you, so that’s how the Roland Space Echo chamber come in – what you send comes back to you. And while you know you send the telegrams out, you are waiting for what is the reply of the telegrams coming back. So that’s why the Space Echo go and come, rewinding the brain and forward winding the brain. I was also using a spring echo chamber, but just for drum, for the clash of the drum. And everything just fit in, like the thing I want to do it just come to me and come from nowhere, and then it appear and it happen.’

Boris Gardiner: ‘He loved to do things that nobody had done before, him always try a new thing. And he was a good writer too you know. Perry bring in a drum machine sometimes and we use that on some songs for the Congos and everyone. Well I actually like playing with a drum machine cos a drum machine is always steady. Most drummers they either push forward or pull back – they call it the human touch, but I call it out of time! Hahaha. “Row Fisherman Row” was really the great hit with the Congos, but that is all real drums and percussion, it’s just that Perry makes it sound almost like a machine with his echoes on the percussion. I played on “Police and Thieves” and that was a big hit too, maybe it was Sly Dunbar on that. One day Bob Marley came to him with a song on a tape and said “boy Perry, I don’t really like the bass and drum on this song here, if you can do anything to it then just change it and see if we can get something better”. Well Perry had only 4 track tape at his studio, but this was a 24 track tape that Bob bring. So Perry called me and Mikey Boo and took us down to Joe Gibbs studio and started playing the rhythm and all that on the 24 track. So I was on bass and Mikey Boo was on drums and we listen and we listen, and then we dub it back over to make new drum and bass. Well that song became “Punky Reggae Party”, so that shows you how Bob trusted Perry.’

Lee’s other great innovation was adding layers of sound effects, sometimes live through an open mic, but often pre-recorded onto a cassette tape which he would add to the collage on mixdown. Because these effects – bells, cymbals, animal noises, dialogue from the TV – were not synched to the music, they would add a layer of randomness to the sound.

Lee Perry: ‘You know cassette? I make cassette with sound track, and all those things with cymbal licking, flashing. In my Black Ark studio if you listen the cymbal was high, like “Ssshhh ssshhh”. But I did have them all recording on cassette, and while I was running the track and it was taking the musician from the studio, I was playing the cassette to balance with the drum cymbals and things like that, so them didn’t have to play that because it was already on cassette playing. You could call that sampling. And I have this “Mooooow”, like the cow, running on the cassette, and it go onto the track that I wanted to sound like that. Somebody discover it in a toilet. You know when the toilet paper is finished, and you have the roll, and the hole that come in the middle. Well you put it to your mouth and say “Hoooooo”, and it sound like a cow. You put it to your mouth and you imitating a cow and say “Moooooo”. Heh heh heh. Yeah, sound sampling. Well somebody had to start it, and we was loving to do those things.’

Boris Gardiner: ‘Well the Black Ark did have a strong vibe, but, once everybody all there, most of those guys who smoke really like it, but those who didn’t smoke didn’t really like it, like myself. Scratch is a man who never joke fi draw him herbs, you know? Heheh. But I am not a smoker cos it’s not good for my heart. I have a heart problem called tachycardia, an irregular beat of the heart. So it could be upsetting at times when there’s so much smoking going on.’

By the late 70s the relaxed atmosphere at the Black Ark had soured, as Lee attempted to extricate himself from various outside pressures, and his behaviour became more erratic.

Lee Perry: ‘What happened I did for myself not to be working with jinx and duppy called dread. And those duppies they think that me owe them favour. I open the door, and the duppies them find that me is the door opener, and then the duppies them take shape inna me yard and inna me house, and they were a jinx. Jinx mean bad luck. So to get rid of them, me had to burn down the Black Ark studio fi get rid of jinx.’

Boris Gardiner: ‘Was Scratch crazy? Well some say now that he was just putting on an act. But I think, why did he put it on? After all the problems he was having and that sort of thing, and they were saying that he was getting off his head, and he start to act strange, well I just stopped going. I stopped working there. It wasn’t a good atmosphere – nobody could really enjoy that again. So I called it a day. It is sad after all the good work we did. But when you try to be smart and try to outsmart others, well it don’t work out for long with you. He came and did a show here in Jamaica the other day, but I didn’t really know Lee Perry as a singer. He won the Grammy not long ago, but I find it surprising that he got a Grammy as a performer not a producer. He’s been very lucky: now he is successful in a sense and some people love him cos he’s a character, and they don’t see nobody dressed like that. Hahahah!’

Speaking to Lee in February 2021, via WhatsApp to Jamaica, he sounded relaxed and positive, with more praise for Boris and optimism for the future.

Lee Perry: ‘Boris Gardiner was very good, very great in the brain. He really intelligent in music, and me and him work miracle together! And remember that there was no end to the Black Ark, the Black Ark will be coming back. The Black Ark keep on living and cannot die.’

A one-off limited pressing from her forthcoming album. Sensational singer, Leba, daughter of reggae pioneer Toots Hibbert, highlights her vocal prowess & charm, on her first release for 2018 - a cover version of the Bob Marley classic.

Backed by the Taxi Gang Band, recorded and mixed at Channel One Recording Studios, Kingston Jamaica. Produced and arranged by Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare.

You should listen to the beauty of the Prince Buster All Stars’ Bongo-led horns version of all times Abyssinians classic “Sata Masa Gana” also known as the praise to god. The Earth Sound Records exclusive remastered reissue comes loaded with a Cool Operator drums & bass cut. This single sided 45 rpm 10-inch is pressed on red vinyl.

The Do No Hurry project is an EP born from the musical synergy between vocalist Tenah and riddim artisan Oddy. It intricately weaves the finest vintage digital sounds of 80s reggae into a contemporary, current, and incisive direction. This is evident not only in the artistic and musical choices but also in the thought-provoking themes explored. It embarks on a musical journey, characterized by the vibrant tones of synthesizers, drum machines, and lyrics that gracefully navigate the realms of depth and lightness. The project is unequivocally infused with dub techniques and sound effects, making it an exceptionally original and distinctive endeavor.

The first time we discovered Emanuel‘s voice was during the making of Pinnacle Sound‘s album Soul Medicine (bat 007), it was in 2021. Some slaps leave a deep and indelible mark. We knew then that a new adventure was about to be born. Everything comes in time to those who wait, and what was supposed to happen happened: Emanuel contacted Bat Records for the realization of his new project. Nations Shall Know is the fruit of this meeting.

Emanuel & The Bionites are the many facets of one man. A diligent producer, it is with a selection of his best compositions that he knocks on the door of Bat Records to put his unique style on tape. The idea is clear, to produce a Showcase album: for each vocal, a dub mixed by the flagship duo Dub Shepherds. From a children’s song with soulful power in the introduction to “Arkitect“, to Africa as the central theme on “Imansion“, to the pure song of praise on “Jah Love“, through warm riddims carrying texts with apocalyptic resonances like on the title “Nations Shall Know”, there will be something for everyone.

And in discomix, ladies and gentlemen, following Emanuel‘s favourite format! Latest illustration of a rising figure of a certain Roots revival in Europe, this album will reconcile young zealous dubbers and old reggae backpackers.

Sol Power Sound is back in a big way with a reissue and remix EP from the legendary Nigerian Ju-Ju king, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey. The double A-side EP features 'Eyi Yato' a tune from 1981 that captures Chief Commander and his band at their absolute funkiest, with a driving drum and bass groove, wah-wah guitar, and signature call-and-response vocals. Remixers include the legendary dub producer Mad Professor, the disco don Eddie C, and the Sol Power All-Stars themselves.

The Sol Power All-Stars keep things organic with chugging drums, heavy analog synth bass and sequences, as well as Daniel Meinecke’s additional keys and solos. The Canadian disco don Eddie C goes a little electro and a little acid with his analog bass-heavy flip. Like a good dub should, Mad Professor’s version accentuates the drum and bass groove and drenches everything in vintage sounding Mad Professor delay, reverb, and filtered dub-sauce, live and direct from his classic mixing desk. Alongside an extended edit of the original, the Eyi Yato EP is sure to find a permanent spot in DJ record bags around the world.

reissue, misprint

A command across genres has distinguished Yasushi Ide"s work as a DJ and producer since emerging from the multi-scene spawning big bang that was Tokyo"s highly influential club milieu of the 1980s. This productions draw variously from hip-hop, dub, house, punk, jazz dance, exotica and electronic music - and at their most expressive, synthesize sensibilities within a single track. Now available for worldwide distribution from Love Injection Records on 7-inch 45 vinyl, the Yasushi Ide "A Place In the Sun (Kaoru Inoue Remix)" is paired with the equally gorgeous "A Place In the Sun (Dub)."

Prince Fatty's new independent record label Lovedub Limited kicks off with a super 7" from the man himself. It is in fact something of an homage to the 1970s jazz-funk of Lonnie Liston Smith but with some hefty dub and reggae treatment. Shniece Mcmenamin stars on vocals and brings plenty of summer soul to the groove which is also lit up with free-flying flute lines over steady reggae rhythms that will sink you in deep to Winston "Horseman" Williams and Carlton "Bubblers" Ogilvie's drums, organ and piano. On the flip is the dub with the iconic Liston-Smith melody leading you through a lazy afternoon in style.

The Fire crew meets dub legend Adrian Sherwood for a live performance that is finally released on record today. A sonic clash between electronica, jazz and dub of which the British producer signs live mixes and dubs. Total interplay between the musicians and the dubmaster. This audio work has accompanied powerful live cinema visuals dedicated to fire in all eras and civilizations, up to the present day dominated by the uncontrollable effects of technological development on a planetary scale. The album cover, now out in limited edition, is a photo by artist Antoine Le Grand.

"Rough and Rugged sees Toronto Reggae Don Nkrumah pairing up with the analogue production wizards behind the enigmatic Local Dish label for a wild, synthy Dub excursion. Sounding something between 80's Dancehall and a late 70's Cabe Verde grail, Nkrumah's cool baritone rides this deeply funky, synth soaked analogue riddim. Originally released as a lathe cut 7" in miniscule quantities this is an edition of just 500 copies. Just wait until you hear the Dub!"

Mighty Mighty Bosstones Legend JOE Gittleman Meets Rising SKA Stars BAD Operation FOR A NEW Split Available ON Electric Blue Vinyl For nearly 40 years, Joe Gittleman was the heart and soul of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, easily one of the most beloved and influential ska bands in the world. Although the band suddenly parted ways in 2022, Joe had no intention of also parting ways with making music... quite the opposite. With the help of some friends like Bosstones’ saxophonist Leon Silva and original Big D & The Kids Table guitarist Sean Rogan, Joe has come roaring back with a collection of solo material that rivals that of anything in his extensive and storied catalogue but is somehow also imbued with an extremely modern, fresh, and positive energy. In Joe’s mind, nothing could be more refreshing than pairing his new work with one of the most exciting bands to have hit the ska scene in years. BAD Operation released their debut record in 2020 and instantly turned the ska scene on it’s head. Combining two-tone ska with both traditional and punk elements, the band coined the term NEW Tone to describe the new paradigm they were spearheading in the ska community; one that saw the music evolving creatively, while simultaneously returning thematically to the socially consicious, progressive, and political roots of the genre. Their songs felt entirely original, but contained enough throughlines to the various iterations of ska that every generation could agree that they were doing something extremely exciting. Now, for the first time since their debut, BAD Operation is back with new music that takes their sound and style to the next level. When Bad Time Records asked who they would want to do a “Wavebreaker” split with, the question was answered the moment BAD OP learned Joe Gittleman was working on new material. Stylistcally and thematically, this is a pairing that could not be a better fit. Joe has paved the way for progressive ska music for his entire career, and the influence on BAD Operation is clear from the moment the drums kick in on “What Keeps Us Moving”, or the way the bass leads you into the extremely fun “Grandma’s Car”. Joe’s lead track “Carrie O” grabs you right away with an electronic dancehall beat (right away nodding to the evolving modern ska sound), before launching into a danceable ska punk tune that will have enough recognizable elements to please any of his long time fans. The single most important element that links these two artsists together? Joy. A joy for making ska music, and relishing the medium for everything it can offer. You can hear the love bursting out of these tracks, and even when the subject matter turns difficult you know they are facing reality with an outlook that has love for their fellow human. This is a truly special release, and one that will certainly go down as a hallmark moments in ska’s storied history.

There’s something new under the sun. If you look at it closely, something new is only (and always) created at crossroads – when different and significant traditions are connected and combined. On their own, these traditions have often existed for a while. However, in this new form they have never appeared together. The latest manifestation of something new can now be found on the album “No Future Dubs”, the interpretations of “No Future Days” – the most recent album by German band Messer – by Finnish producer and old friend of the group Kimmo Saastamoinen aka Toto Belmont. The intentional traditions that merge on this grand and dignified album are post-punk, dub and techno. A new chapter in the culturally constant narrative of dub is written here. Through their past and parallel activities in hardcore and post-punk bands, Messer drummer Philipp Wulf met and befriended Kimmo, originally a drummer too. In their continuous dialogue discussing their musical journey, Philipp and Kimmo over the years more and more immersed themselves in the aesthetic possibilities of dub and reggae. Indeed, lots of musicians do not listen to the type of music at home that they write and play in their respective projects (Take me as an example: House is the music that I produce and put on as a DJ. On my own, I listen to various stuff, music by Monk and Messer for example). The same applies to the protagonists involved here. By discussing dub und through Toto Belmont’s steadily increasing producing expertise, the idea of creating dub versions of selected Messer tracks was born. The Messer album “No Future Days”, released in 2020, proved to contain the perfect raw material as the songs on this album are already produced in a much more transparent way than on previous LPs – and are hence more suitable for dub.

300 red vinyl press

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bassbins, Mysticisms brings the latest in its Dubplate series. After the success of his first digital dubb excursions on the version, Persian returns with a second 10” of reggae inspired electronics, covering Bass, Breaks, Digidub and now also, Jungle. Taking no prisoners with the massive opener Survival Dub, Persian marries classic breakbeats and toasting to bouncing, dance floor effect. THE party starter. This is followed by Smoke Mari, a looping steppas of FX and breaks to lay down the Dubplate clash. As ever the link between rave, breaks and sound system culture is explored, this time with the Roots’n’Lovers opening of There Is No Love giving way to a Junglist drop, before risin’ to a beautiful soul sermon. Finally, taking it all down, tings wrap with the deep, sampledelic dub of Zatoichi’s Troubles. With a bass to destroy many a speaker, it’s lanquidity morphs from the EP’s hedonism of sound clash styles to a gliding “tokers delight”. Smoke the Mystery. "

180 Gram Vinyl Following the success of the 2021 reissue of Ambient Warrior’s cult classic Dub Journey's (1995), Isle of Jura is pleased to present their unreleased second album, II. Born from the same oceanside fusion of instrumental dub, reggae, bossa nova and tango music that made Dub Journey's so distinctive and memorable, II is an equally sublime collection of eleven unheard tracks from the brilliant minds of Ronnie Lion and Andrea Terrano.

Evoking the delights of white sands, palm trees and sunsets, all set against clear waters and endless blue skies, Dub Journey’s and II document the golden moment when Ambient Warrior came together during the mid-90s to create some of the most Balearic Dub ever made. “Music is the greatest traveler, isn’t it?” says Ronnie. “It gets to places the actual artists can’t even get to really.”

The son of an orphaned Jamaican jazz trumpet player and professional boxer who enlisted in the military after stowing away on a boat to London, Ronnie grew up between Germany, Singapore and the UK before becoming a working musician in his mid-teens. A bass player by trade, he honed his skills playing in a series of soul, jazz-funk, blues, rock and reggae bands that performed throughout the UK.

By the time Ambient Warrior released Dub Journey’s, Ronnie and his business partner Ras Joseph were running the Lion Inc. recording studio and record label in Brixton, London. Having set up distribution arrangements with Roots Records (uk) and Semaphore (deu/nl), they recorded and released a series of singles, compilations and solo albums from a who’s who of roots reggae artists, including Twinkle Brothers, Delroy Washington, Michael Prophet, Alton Ellis, Little Roy, and Ronnie’s own band The Amharic. “Lion was a regular port of call for visiting Jamaican artists,” reflects Ronnie. “When you were in London, it was on the route.”

An accomplished guitarist, producer and recording engineer from Trieste, Italy, Andrea grew up listening to Russian folk, Klezmer and the Italian harmony tradition in a Sicilian-Ukrainian family. After completing compulsory Italian military service, he moved to London to continue studying music. One night, he turned up at Lion Inc. and approached them about running audio engineering classes from the studio.

In Andrea, Ronnie found a collaborator who shared his desire to create borderless music that reflected the diversity of their backgrounds. “I wanted to do something that had no boundaries,” Ronnie explains. “If you’re working on a roots album, it has to sound a certain way, but with Ambient, especially in the nineties, it was just a license to let off. You could do whatever you wanted to do.” “It was a melting pot of influences like London itself,” adds Andrea.

Although they wrote most of II at the same time as they were recording Dub Journey’s, it took them several years to finish off the album. “Things never got done quickly,” Ronnie remembers. By the time it was complete, Roots Records had gone out of business, leaving Lion Inc. without UK distribution. Not long after, their Brixton studio flooded, bringing the label to a close.

These days, Andrea continues to work as a session guitarist, recording engineer and producer in London. Over the last two decades, he has collaborated regularly with Basement Jaxx and released several solo albums. Ronnie, on the other hand, lives on a boat equipped with an onboard studio, where he has recorded a series of oceanic dub albums off the British coast. Twenty-eight years after the release of Dub Journey’s, he recently started working on demos for a third Ambient Warrior album he hopes to record with Andrea in the not-so-distant future.

Artwork By Bradley Pinkerton.

180 Gram Vinyl Following the success of the 2021 reissue of Ambient Warrior’s cult classic Dub Journey's (1995), Isle of Jura is pleased to present their unreleased second album, II. Born from the same oceanside fusion of instrumental dub, reggae, bossa nova and tango music that made Dub Journey's so distinctive and memorable, II is an equally sublime collection of eleven unheard tracks from the brilliant minds of Ronnie Lion and Andrea Terrano.

Evoking the delights of white sands, palm trees and sunsets, all set against clear waters and endless blue skies, Dub Journey’s and II document the golden moment when Ambient Warrior came together during the mid-90s to create some of the most Balearic Dub ever made. “Music is the greatest traveler, isn’t it?” says Ronnie. “It gets to places the actual artists can’t even get to really.”

The son of an orphaned Jamaican jazz trumpet player and professional boxer who enlisted in the military after stowing away on a boat to London, Ronnie grew up between Germany, Singapore and the UK before becoming a working musician in his mid-teens. A bass player by trade, he honed his skills playing in a series of soul, jazz-funk, blues, rock and reggae bands that performed throughout the UK.

By the time Ambient Warrior released Dub Journey’s, Ronnie and his business partner Ras Joseph were running the Lion Inc. recording studio and record label in Brixton, London. Having set up distribution arrangements with Roots Records (uk) and Semaphore (deu/nl), they recorded and released a series of singles, compilations and solo albums from a who’s who of roots reggae artists, including Twinkle Brothers, Delroy Washington, Michael Prophet, Alton Ellis, Little Roy, and Ronnie’s own band The Amharic. “Lion was a regular port of call for visiting Jamaican artists,” reflects Ronnie. “When you were in London, it was on the route.”

An accomplished guitarist, producer and recording engineer from Trieste, Italy, Andrea grew up listening to Russian folk, Klezmer and the Italian harmony tradition in a Sicilian-Ukrainian family. After completing compulsory Italian military service, he moved to London to continue studying music. One night, he turned up at Lion Inc. and approached them about running audio engineering classes from the studio.

In Andrea, Ronnie found a collaborator who shared his desire to create borderless music that reflected the diversity of their backgrounds. “I wanted to do something that had no boundaries,” Ronnie explains. “If you’re working on a roots album, it has to sound a certain way, but with Ambient, especially in the nineties, it was just a license to let off. You could do whatever you wanted to do.” “It was a melting pot of influences like London itself,” adds Andrea.

Although they wrote most of II at the same time as they were recording Dub Journey’s, it took them several years to finish off the album. “Things never got done quickly,” Ronnie remembers. By the time it was complete, Roots Records had gone out of business, leaving Lion Inc. without UK distribution. Not long after, their Brixton studio flooded, bringing the label to a close.

These days, Andrea continues to work as a session guitarist, recording engineer and producer in London. Over the last two decades, he has collaborated regularly with Basement Jaxx and released several solo albums. Ronnie, on the other hand, lives on a boat equipped with an onboard studio, where he has recorded a series of oceanic dub albums off the British coast. Twenty-eight years after the release of Dub Journey’s, he recently started working on demos for a third Ambient Warrior album he hopes to record with Andrea in the not-so-distant future.

Artwork By Bradley Pinkerton.

Earth Sound Records is shaking the place with two rare cuts of Prince Buster & The All Stars classic hits.

Emotional Rescue looks back again with a 2022 repress, digging deep in to the early 80s Bristol post punk scene of Pig Pag, the Wild Bunch and the Dug Out club. A short lived project of just 3 releases, Mouth trail-blazed leftfield percussive jams in the rich vain of Liquid Liquid and ESG but in their own jazz-infused way. Centered round the cultural melting post of the St Paul's district, it's pubs, clubs and blues parties threw together young and old to the sounds of dub, funk, jazz and soul and took the spark lit by punk rock and new wave and spawned music that still resonates today. Consisting of a floating line up based around main members Andy Guy and Rob Merrill, alumina included a young Nellie Hooper before he would go on to be a founding member of the Wild Bunch and on to produce the likes of Bjork, U2 and Madonna. Based around a hard tribal drumming, mixing guitar, trumpet, shouted vocals and effects, the thrown in the mix nature was inspired as much by avant-jazz than punk's do it yourself attitude. Here then, on one EP are their complete recordings, including as the title cut, their best and deepest, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Featured on a compilation LP from the legendary Y Records, its bottom heavy dub sound is augmented by female and toasted vocals riding a top a heavy stepper style riddim. This is followed by an increasingly dizzy array of percussion jams. Acab Part 2) is all skips and trumpets, while the versions of Take Your Coat Off perfect skat vocal / tom interplay, before the finale busts out the rockabilly influences in full effect with jagged guitar, skipping hats meets double bass punk style.

One of the most popular and high profile of Jamaican reggae vocalists, Gregory Isaacs was a rough diamond who clawed his way out of the harsh western Kingston ghetto with an instantly recognisable voice that was wonderfully emotive, expressing both his toughness and determination for betterment, as well as the bleeding heart of a vulnerable lover. New Dance is one of the excellent mid-1990s dancehall albums expertly produced by Anthony Dehaney, alias Bunny Gemini, working as usual with the Firehouse Crew, this time with Fatman Thompson of King Tubby’s studio at the mixing desk and guitarist Lascelles Beckford of the Gifted Roots band as special guest. As usual, Gregory rides the rhythms with considerable aplomb, feeling completely natural atop the hard-edged rhythms and tackling a range of topics along the way. Much of the album deals with love lost, love gained, and love deferred; ‘Say A Special Prayer’ revamps the evergreen ‘Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On’ and ‘New Dance’ salutes the allure of dancehall music in the open air. This is one of Mr Isaacs’ better offerings from the mid-1990s, worth getting to know if you’re not already familiar with it, and a must-have if you’ve worn out your original copy.

Alek Lee is back on Antinote to release his debut LP ‘You’. Covering 16 songs and crafted in theproducer’s studio over the past few 4 years, the Tel Avivian has swapped the misty aura of his first two EPs for a smoked out haze. ‘You’ effortlessly blends digi-dub, boogie, and yacht rock to create a washed out, dub-pop sound befitting of its place of recording sat at the edge of the desert and the sea. If Lee’s earlier works were defined by brooding downtempo beats with kids television vocal samples sprinkled amongst them, then the album hears the producer open himself up to the process of the singer-songwriter, getting behind the microphone and optimistically speaking words of his own.

But perhaps that may be put too bluntly. Fankly, Lee fluidly moves between crooning, whispers, gasps all the way to full on ballad style singing effortlessly and with ease. His newly develop vocal experiments are too supported by an impressive array of collaborators which can be found in the LP’s liner notes. These collaborations also help to mix far-flung musical styles into the LP. For instance, take Kol Hayom featuring Keren Ilan. It’s a laid-back tune that would sit comfortably beside Rita Lee tropicália. Or Love To Puff You Baby featuring $hkuru, which upends Donna Summer’s bodily groove into a heady bop.‘You’ is a testament to Alek Lee’s prolific exploration of his own brand of dub: shimmering off-beat guitars, low-fidelity beats and deep grooves. Oh and always a melodica line found somewhere amongst it.

Known by reggae fans worldwide as an original sound system toaster, Micah Williams professionally known as Mr Williamz is a Reggae/Dancehall artist born in London before being moved to Jamaica by his father aged six. By age ten, he was already MC’ing and winning local competitions – such was the culture in Jamaica. At 15, he returned ‘home’ to London ready to take on the world. With single releases on both Necessary Mayhem and Greensleeves Records, Williamz authentic sound is heavily inspired by the Dancehall style of the 80s/90s and truly channels the sound of Jamaica through a familiar London lens. In demand as an artist, he appears features on tracks from Major Lazer, Shy FX, Mungos Hi-Fi, and Green Lion Crew to name but a few. He has also recorded and performed globally with the lines of Chronixx, Damian Marley, Hollow Point, Gappy Ranks and more. Despite all the features, Williamz has kept fans waiting for his debut album… but they need wait more as ‘2021’ brings about the release of ‘Soundkiller Mindset’ and ahead of that a super ltd double A-side.

The Disco Reggae Lovers series reaches a zenith with the first ever reissue of Dambala and their beautiful reggae roots song Lorraine. Long a diggers secret, it seemed only apt to ask the DJ who brought it to the attention of many, with a wonderful dub by label stalwart, Lexx. Born in Lagos, Nigera but growing up in the Harrow Road area of West London, Augustus "Gus" Anyia immersed himself in the music of area during the vibrant 60s awakening of African and Caribbean cultures. Learning drums as a boy, he quickly progressed to classical guitar and would perform at school and beyond. Jamming with guitarist Alvin Christie led to them forming Dambala in 1975. Their first releases set them on their way, produced by Jimmy Lindsey, mixed by Dennis Bovell and cut by Porky. From there more singles followed, repeatedly touring Europe and recording for a TV documentary, before pressures took hold and following a change in line up, the band recorded their sole album, Azania. Lorraine was the stand out, a wonderful love song of youth's forlorn love, it's warm drum and bass encompassing the yearning lyric. A small masterpiece of UK roots in it's own right, this special 7" comes with a simple, but perfect dub mix from Lexx and will be followed by a comprehensive reissue of Dambala by the label.