Few artists enjoy a legacy that involves a re-engineering of the very genre in which they work. Lee “Scratch” Perry is such an artist. As a pioneer of dub reggae Perry viewed the mixing console as musical instrument in its own right. The influence of his revolutionary approach has been felt world-wide and into genres far beyond reggae. His 1976 effort, Super Ape, is considered a masterpiece of this or any genre. Working with The Upsetters at his Black Ark studio Perry created a sound with such a lasting appeal that The Rough Guide includes Super Ape as one of their 100 Essential Reggae releases.
A1 Zions Blood A2 Croaking Lizard A3 Black Vest A4 Underground A5 Curly Dub B1 Dread Lion B2 Three In One B3 Patience B4 Dub Along B5 Super Ape
"Fyah" features Wellette Seyon on vocals for the title track, followed by a triumphant horns cut from Dubkasm's brilliantly talented Digistep on the sax. After that, Dub Conductor take a journey deep into the mixing board with two dubwise cuts of the rhythm, with additional melodica melodies from Lucadread.
Dub Conductor have been crafting this track for more than 5 years! After many many versions of the Rhythm, we can say for certain that we are happy with the result - crisp, clear dubs which blend roots and steppas music just the way we like it!
Brazilian artists Nina Girassóis and Paulera join the Dubquake roaster with their neo-roots reggae hit “Heavyweight Sound’”. The track is getting pressed on to 7” vinyl with the dub version “Heavyweight Dub” on the B side.
Nina Girassóis, hailing from São Paulo, compliments the track with her sweet voice, singing and raising awareness about the ongoing Brazilian social-economic crisis. Nina tells us “Brazil is a country that’s rich in resources but only very few people get to reap the benefits. It’s not getting better with the current political situation. The lyrics were written in 2012, but things just kept on getting worse and worse”.
A1. Pee Pee Cluck Cluck A2. Loving Spirit A3. Dr. Lester A4. Gola Silver A5. Koo Koo A6. Revival Reggae A7. Thy Kingdom Come B1. One Eye Enos B2. A Time To Love B3. 9 O'Clock B4. Know Me Good B5. Got To Feel B6. Feel So Good B7. Give Peace A Chance
A1. C.B. 200 A2. No Chuck It A3. Cokane In My Brain A4. The General A5. Power Bank B1. Plantation Heights B2. Race Day B3. Natty Kick Like Lightning B4. Buckingham Palace B5. Crankface
The 30th release on Dubkasm Records, following up killer works since that first record, a Jah Shaka favourite, ‘Every Lion’ with Lidj Xylon came out in 2003, and was followed by a steady flux of high grade music over the last 17 years or so, with many milestone releases including collaborations with Iration, Aba Shanti-I, Mala, Lidj Xylon, Mad Professor and more –
Anyway – here comes ‘Kings Music’, the most prized and deadliest dubplate from the vaults of the Dubkasm studio in recent years, pressed up on a heavyweight 12″, hand-stamped, and cut with four wicked dub mixes – Each one hits nice in it’s own way – from the first cut, which lets the synthline sprawl out and introduces the full structure, through to 2nd and 3rd dubwise cuts focusing on the percussive details and rhythm foundations, and of course the fourth cut, the raw dub to explore the depths of this ruff & tuff stepper.
Each cut comes straight off the mixing desk, live & direct with Digistep on the board, sliding faders, running the fx red-hot into endless trails of reverb and delay, heavyweight dub style – play one cut after the next and zone into the hypnotic rhythm and dread bass.
There’s a real cosmic kind of feel to the tracks too, swirling synthesizers and full-focus percussive elements drifting ever-forward and outward like some kind of lift off into outer-space dubwise, anchored to earth only by that thunderous combination of bass, and drum – the kind of bass and drum that you KNOW will drop, very very heavy on a big sound.
These tracks have all been tested on the big soundsystem – previously only on dubplate by Dubkasm and the likes of Iration Steppas – but we’re 100% sure these’ll be lighting up many dances over the next years to come, the perfect tune to celebrate that time that will inevitably come, when we can finally string up those speakerboxes again and rally round. In the meantime…. Turn this one up extra loud and enjoy the vibes.
Cut loud & heavy, by Lewis at Stardelta Mastering. Hand-stamped edition, 180g heavyweight disc, vinyl-only.
a1. Call On Me a2. You Never Get Away a3. Every Knee Shall Bow a4. Gorgon Wise a5. Hold On a6. Number 1 a7. Joyful Jocks b1. I Originate b2. Cool Down You Temper b3. Creation Rebel b4. Stick Together b5. Riot b6. King Of The Road b7. Wet Dream
Repressed for the first time in well over a year. Toots & The Maytals' long and storied musical career spans all the way back to the dawn of ska. The group are not only key figures in the development reggae, they were among the first to utilize the word in a song title which lead to the popularization of the very term reggae. Among the numerous musical accomplishments of Frederick "Toots" Hibbert and his group was the song "Pressure Drop", which was released initially in 1970, but received widespreadacclaim for its appearance in the soundtrack to the film Harder They Come. It's since been covered by The Clash, The Specials, The Selecter, Robert Palmer, and numerous others, has been rated by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and is credited with helping introduce reggae music to the world. Though originally released in 1970, the US wouldn't get to experience "Pressure Drop" until 1975, when it was released on the US version of their album Funky Kingston, easily considered one of the strongest albums in Toots & The Maytals' catalog, not to mention one of the greatest in reggae history. Upon its release in the States it received massive critical applause (Even warming the cold, icy heart of Robert Christgau) for its infectious melodies and rhythms on tracks like "Sailing On", "Time Tough", and the eponymous title track, quirky Jamaica-infused covers of tracks by John Denver and Ike Turner, and of course the influential "Pressure Drop." Reissued in a lovingly re-printed version of the original LP sleeve, Get On Down now presents a superb reissue of a legendary piece of music history.
a1. Time Tough a2. In The Dark a3. Funky Kingston a4. Love Is Gonna Let Me Down a5. Louie Louie b1. Pomp And Price b2. Got To Be There b3. Country Road b4. Pressure Drop b5. Sailing On
Roots Garden records present the final instalment of the labels hugely popular 2007 rhythm series 'The Levi rhythm' from producer Manasseh, featuring this previously unreleased dubplate vocal and heavyweight dubwise mix.
a1. Dark Angel & Manasseh - Free Da Minds (original cut)
Dreadwise Music is proud to present: Massive Dub Corporation, “Time Collapse” & “Vent Solaires” with 2 heavyweight remixes from Digid and Dubbing Sun. Taken from the second studio album (The Event Horizon) by French Dub sensation Massive Dub Corporation. Both feature tracks on this 12” breath new life into the realms of dub and jazz with MDC's unique blend of electronic squelch and soundscapes, coupled with a musicianship un-matched and un-paralled within the current Dub landscape.
A-side: Time Collapse enters with a rough bass line, led by effervescent horns and an infectious growling groove while Dubbing Sun and Digid on remix duty take the track to the next level, with an absolute monster steppas version that rattles and thunders ever forwards, all the while maintaining skankability. Sure to rattle a few speaker boxes!
B-side: Vent Solaires is much gentler on approach, opening with a fuzzy distorted sound, giving way to a mellow marimba and then into some solo horn adventures which see us tumble up, down left and right before finally touching down back to earth on this wonderful musical journey. Digid and Dubbing Sun fail to disappoint yet again offering a remix that's as haunting as it is heavy.
Cut and Mastered at the legendary Stardelta, this 12” hits hard sonicaly from start to finish, a serious piece of wax for the forward thinking head and Muso alike. This is the 4th offering from Dreadwise Music, a vinyl only label based in Nottingham UK, focused on pushing a sound steeped in world music and Jazz while maintaining a dark Dub sensibility.
a1. Massive Dub Corporation - Time Collapse
a2. Massive Dub Corporation - Time Collapse (Digid & Dubbing Sun remix)
Freestyle Records are proud to present the first ever reissue of this rare Black Ark-era Lee "Scratch" Perry production on LP & CD w/ bonus tracks. Both formats feature liner notes from author of the acclaimed People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae, David Katz.
The late Bunny Rugs was best known as the frontman for legendary reggae band Third World, but prior to that he completed an apprenticeship at Lee Perry's Black Ark resulting in this solo LP, originally released in 1975 and credited to Bunny Scott.
The album captures the laid-back sessions of the early Black Ark, with a few surprising innovations lurking amongst the soul covers and love ballads. Highlights include the sought after Blaxploitation-influenced funk track 'Kinky Fly' featuring members of The Chi-Lites' backing band, passing through Perry's infamous studio whilst in Jamaica for a series of shows - their horn section and Chinna Smith's wah-wah guitar give the track its outstanding difference as synth overdubs add to the moody feeling, underpinned by the ghostly click tracks of the Conn Rhythm Unit (constituting one of Perry's earliest experiments with drum machines).
Breakup track 'Second Avenue' shows how suited Rugs' powerful, deep tenor was suited to a soul framework, the Chi-Lites' horns again making a striking difference. The Bee Gees' evergreen 'To Love Somebody' takes James Carr's soulful rendition as its reference and 'Big May' re-works the 'Return Of Django'/'Sick And Tired' rhythm, with a new drum part. while the broken-hearted 'What's The Use' was cut at the request of Sonia Pottinger, who ultimately failed to release it.
Somehow the sublime rendition of William DeVaughans' 'Be Thankful', recorded during the same session, was left off the LP - but appears here as a bonus track on the CD along with I Never Had It So Good & Hip Harry + it's version track.
Looking back on the sessions documented on this LP, Rugs said that Perry's creativity taught him that music could be limitless. As he explained, 'It was so simple that it became complex. The approach he has to music and to recording, I think the music nowadays lack that kind of intuition. He's somebody that would use pliers and a screwdriver to create percussion; he wouldn't hesitate to experiment. He was a little...not crazy, but somebody with that kind of thinking must be somewhere else, in another zone sometimes.'
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