hugh ‘redman’ james is one of the greatest jamaican music producers of the late 1980s. raised in a musical household in the west kingston slum of hannah town, with his mother a sound system selector, redman gained his initial schooling in the music business from none other than king tubby, the legendary sound system owner and dub mixer that was responsible for voicing and mixing some of the greatest reggae of all time. after being immersed in sound system culture during his youth in the 1960s and 70s, redman began sitting in on sessions at king tubby’s studio, but migrated to hartford, connecticut in 1978 in search of steady employment. returning to jamaica a few years later, he established a popular sound system in kingston and began producing music with king tubby’s assistance in 1985, working with the roots radics during a time of great uncertainty in jamaican music, as the new dancehall style came to prominence, early work featured gregory isaacs, sugar minott and frankie paul, as well as rising stars such as little john and horace martin. then, following the computerisation of dancehall, redman began producing some of the most popular music of the day, crafting durable and complex rhythms with a broad team of players that included steely and clevie, augmented by members of the browne bunch and other players. redman helped establish a number of total unknowns in this era, including carl meeks, dave bailey and wayne palmer, and became a serious contender for king jammy’s crown. but the producer was ultimately frustrated by the dramatic changes to sweep jamaican music in the early 1990s, and subsequently retreated from the music industry redman international dancehall 1985-1989 compiles the best work from his glory days, with half of the twelve vocal tracks coming complete with corresponding dub versions.
