since efficient space excavated andy rantzens mind-bending will i dream? the rest of the world has become better acquainted with the darker & dubbier side of one of australias rave superstars. were excited to present a selection of tracks from andys incredibly diverse oeuvre, 6 songs that sit somewhere between 80s digital reggae, 90s rave and the horizon of our accelerating future. lifting the veil speeds up snappy drum programming and a thundering bassline to breakneck speeds, pitting them against sombre chords and strings, perfectly capturing the reflective headspace of a night drive through babylon. cosmic vibrations harks back to the development of fully computerised rhythms emanating from jammy and tubbys waterhouse studios, by way of erskineville. in the same vein, bedtime for boo boo sees andy joined on the boards by sydney dub technician sheriff lindo, creating a dynamic digi-dub number that is sure to come alive on any soundsystem worth its weight - a heady showcase for two of australia’s finest reggae talents. flip the disc to find move it, the most concentrated dose of the jungle vibes that permeate the ep. rantzen channels the headrush sonics, breakneck drums and euphoria of d n bs heydey, nailing the red-eyed early am atmosphere of a sydney warehouse ca. 95 - and its just as likely to cap off the night of many a secret inner west location to come. magic lantern marries a dreamy synthesizer melody with a wicked, subby bassline. if there was a dancehall scene in ferngully, this wouldve been the soundtrack, with enough low end to really rattle the treetops. on closer dub generator, a slightly-creepy mechanized voice urges you to “leave your worries at the door come and join your friends upon the floor - an introduction to the dancefloor or an induction into some sinister cult? whatever the message, the dub chords and massive bassline lull you into the headspace where these words take hold. all songs recorded at masking tapes, liquid blue and 1/66 enmore rd, 1997-2000.

for this new release, the french uk am-bass-ador comes back with a 5-tracker ep, on the infamous imprint brothers from different mothers, expanding a bit more his tempo range with few special riddims. influenced by dancehall music this ep collects five party-oriented moods and interpretations of the genre with simo cell’s signature and sound design skills.

dreadsquad, aka marek bogdanski, returns to the scene with the second and third instalments of his riddim machine series. as part of a collaboration consisting of dreadsquad’s own superfly studio and the renowned moonshine recordings, listeners are in for a treat, courtesy of poland’s most prolific reggae dancehall producer. as ever, dreadsquad manage to encapsulate all evolutions of reggae – from rocksteady, roots and rub-a-dub to dancehall and dub – all with a present-day twist to keep the bass bins rumbling and the people skanking.

dreadsquad, aka marek bogdanski, returns to the scene with the second and third instalments of his riddim machine series. as part of a collaboration consisting of dreadsquad’s own superfly studio and the renowned moonshine recordings, listeners are in for a treat, courtesy of poland’s most prolific reggae dancehall producer. as ever, dreadsquad manage to encapsulate all evolutions of reggae – from rocksteady, roots and rub-a-dub to dancehall and dub – all with a present-day twist to keep the bass bins rumbling and the people skanking.

numa crew and killa s army join forces on this banger that will represent the first release of the brand new label numa recordings. the first release of numa recordings is all about a mediterranean and jamaican alliance, an explosive blend of grime and reggae vibes.&#8232, killa s army is a crew from london formed by killa p, irah and long range, one of the most powerful trios in the contemporary uk grime scene, their own original style is distinguished by a -heavy- jamaican dancehall & reggae influence. the italian collective numa crew has developed their unique sound over the years, ranging from dubstep to jungle, through a limitless exploration of the different styles in the wide spectrum of genres in the uk underground scene. in the production of -we nuh tek talk- lies the essence of this musical journey. the main theme of the tune is the legendary motive of courtney melody s ‘ninja mi ninja chorus, adapted to a modern day grime beat. backing the title track is the we nuh tek riddim version by numa crew, the beat and the bassline are simple and heavy at the same time. it will be fire in the dance

gaika, inspiriert von hochschule, britischen reggae-soundsystems, philosophie, politischer theorie und vielen künstlerkollegen, liefert seine bislang ausgereifteste arbeit ab: eine düstere, süchtig machende mixtur aus gothic-dancehall und industrial-electronics, das von persönlichen geschichten von liebe, verlust und rebellion handelt. -basic volume- erweitert die horizonte elektronischer musik als auch das erbe britischer soundsystem-kultur und lädt den hörer in eine einzigartige klangwelt ein. produziert wurde das 15-track-werk von gaika und weiteren, ähnlich progressiv denkenden zeitgenossen wie sophie, dutch e germ, dre skull, dadras, aart, jam city und nick leon. es erscheint physisch als 6-seitiges cd-digipak und doppelvinyl in bedruckten innentaschen im vinylschuber mit download-code und obi-strip.

crafted in the style of old school dancehall clashing, “veteran” is a mixture of classic heavyweight dancehall lyrics and a new school flow. the tune is set to be a timeless banger aiming to keep the dancehall massive rocking and swinging day and night. inspired by the riddim and sounds of blind prophet, clinton sly is ready to run the sound system! slowing down the tempo to 120bpm, blind prophet delivers a heavy dose of dubwise for the b-side. “hugh dub” starts off with a mutated vocal and quickly drops into a tuff steppers riddim. a distorted bassline and thumping kick drive the track. accompanied by plucked guitars, organ skanks and dub fx it’s a sound system stomper for sure!

bristol’s finest reggae producer meets doncaster’s number one dancehall mc as mr benn & parly b join forces for an ep chock full of vibes. first up -gwarn go bathe- is a cautionary tale of lacking personal hygene in the dance underpinned by a bubbling dancehall riddim. -heat up- is much of the same as things get hotter, whilst -session cork- slows things down a little with some more laid back vibes. despite working on various remixes together, this is the first time mr benn and parly b have worked in a combination - hopefully the first of many more to come!

momentous album from 1982 building a bridge between roots reggae and dancehall. a conscious compilation with a variety of youth deejays, including lee van cleef, prince hammer & trinity chanting down babylon over a selection of the very best roots radics rhythms.

k.o. ist die blaupause für einen futuristischen neuen dancehall-style, der miss red in ein gemeinsames outernationales beat-continuum mit seelenverwandten acts wie equiknoxx (jamaika) und seekersinternational (kanada) setzt. ihr debütalbum erscheint auf dem neuen label pressure ihres produzenten kevin martin aka the bug, der schon auf ihrem ersten mixtape -murder- (2015) neben mark pritchard, mumdance und andy stott zugegen war. die zwischen london und berlin pendelnde mc aus israel tourte als teil von the bugs line-up mit mc-kollegen wie flowdan, daddy freddy, warrior queen und riko dan und arbeitete erfolgreich mit dem warp-künstler gaika zusammen.

arcola presents mwr157 contains six lost slices of leftfield electro including the mythical and mysterious hotline a track that was originally scheduled for release on mo’wax back around about the year 2000 but only ever reached test pressing for reasons no one can quite remember, alongside five other tracks that take in dancehall, hip-hop and 2-step garage, all recorded during the same session...

gothika shade has been a long time fan and supporter of kniteforce records since the very earliest days. not only is he a man of fantastic taste (obviously) but he is also very much the producer of proper old skool. with a sound that touches on early jungle, 95 style hardcore both dark and light, his sonic mixtures are truly something to be reckoned with. this ep lays down his mandate with effortless style, showing a range but never leaving the key touchstone of proper, break beat hardcore. kniteforce style.

* after nearly 10 years, kfa returns to vinyl. as a label, kfa was widely loved for its ability to shift styles and genres, always hitting slightly off center, to produce such off kileter classics as the original “truffle shuffle”, a jungle anthem that gets a much deserved remix on this ep. new signee scartat brings the pain with monstrously heavy beats in “role model”, which kf digital man of the moment bucksta keeps it slightly mellower with “killer sound”, leaving luna-c & mr arthur to bring the dancehall vibes with “judgement”.

philippe cohen solal (of gotan project) celebrates the 50th anniversary of summer of love, covering one of its anthems “aquarius / let the sunshine in” of hair the musical which premiered on stage in october 1967. a complex but soothing modern reggae moombathon riddim carried by the ethereal harmonies of legendary jamaican reggae singer horace andy (massive attack, skylarking, ain’t no sunshine...) with a delivering coda sung by an empowering choir.
¡ya basta! records asked two legends of the underground scene, somewhat connected to the spirituality of the song, to remix this take. first with an afro house / deep-house take of the master of the genre @boddhi-satva, and jack of all trades, mashup virtuoso @jstar-1 (remixer of major lazer / dj vadim...) for a retro catchy drum n bass/uk bass remix. finally lazy flow and face-t deliver a dancehall filler of a remix.

veryone loves -why can t we live together- by timmy thomas: how could one resist such a strong music vibe coming with a message more relevant today than ever! it has been covered by the most creative artists more than a few times… recorded in paris and kingston, the soul sugar crew & leonardo carmichael make it their own with a sultry reggae groove. jahno on drums and syndrums, thomas naim on guitar, and guillaume -gee- metenier on keyboards and production duties, are delivering the classic hit in all its majesty, in the superior categories of both extended discomix, and dub version under the spell of dubmaster extraordinaire dennis bovell! what to say about the breathtaking interpretation of leonardo carmichael? growing up in jamaica, leonardo learnt many a song from his father glendon joseph mcfarlane, who would sing to his mother geraldine, who sang in a choir. leonardo grew up as a drummer and a singer in churches. through a mutual friend, he met nastassja hammond, daughter of beres hammond, with whom he started writing and releasing music for various artists including courtney john and kreesha turner. leonardo has a wide appreciation for diverse genres but keep an international reggae and dancehall feel at the core of his music. it can be said leonardo has faith & soul to the bone

as dancefloor-friendly as it is mystical, bienaventuranza is as chancha as it gets- with elements from cumbia to dancehall to andean folk to global house, crystal clear production, and collaborations that are evidently natural and genuine, the record holds true to the sound that canale has played such a huge part in creating. from a new generation of producers to more listeners in unassuming parts of the globe, pedro has been humbled to see the sound develop- and proves with this album that he s grown swiftly alongside it.

new blundetto 7inch. the second from his new album “slow dance” . after ken boothe, blundetto invited another legendary jamaican singers : little harry (dancehall figure and burner of dubplates) and cornell campbell (whose reggae falsetto can be heard on island productions from studio one to bunny lee) to add their voices to his burning riddims.

the remarkable thing about belp s new album is its two-dimensional function. it works both on a loud and a quiet volume. some tracks would go down well as a club track, like opener travelling thru galaxies . this track brings back memories of the best work released on the hyperdub label, with it s fine combination of synths and irresistible, dubby beats. elsewhere, off ending might start off as dancehall-but-not-quite dancehall track but when half way the synths kick in they change the feeling of the track to a more cerebral level.

first heard on the equiknoxx music fader mix this dub of -fly away- features gavsborg on the boards dubbing & scrubbing things good and rotten launching dancehall deejay alozade s vocals into another dimension along with wayward cymbals & wonky hats.
300 copies artwork by karen cazabon

drum and bass // jungle

repress - black vinyl - more vinyl remixes from psychemagik with the long awaited official > dancehall days< remix sanctioned by jack hues from wang chung himself. jack liked psychemagiks re-edit of dance hall days so much he contacted the duo and offered them the parts for an official remix. the result is a monster dancefloor friendly beast that is true to the original edit but with some extra magik!... psychemagik stand out from the crowd with high production values and innate musicality. i usually find remixes tedious, but this takes you on some off-world journey – very cool. jack hues (wang chung)

it s been around three years since jpattersson opened up a whole new horizon of formerly unheard possibilities between the worlds of dub and techno. a lot has been happening ever since, and that’s very noticeable on his second album. it still has all the signature elements of jpattersson: there s his dreamy, virtuous trumpet play and his witty vocals, there s his dubby delays and heavyweight beats which often line up in a downbeat rhythm. however, besides his fanfares there s now also many folks, many musical friends who contribute to the vibe of this album. there s a track with berlin mc longfingah, latin-flavoured rhythms from polish reggae and dancehall producer dreadsquad as well as a stylistically wide range of remixes that reflect the symbiotic cooperation and mutual inspiration of these last years.

wieder lieferbar! “mister yellowman” aus dem jahre 1982 hat den superb zeitlosen sound, den die wahren klassiker ausmachen. mit den musikern der hi-times band und den roots radics im channel one studio mit produzent henry junjo lawes aufgenommen, am mischpult saß soldgie hamilton. das album zeigt den superstar des dancehall-reggae der 80er jahre zum höhepunkt seiner karriere! (soundsystem info: benutzte riddims u.a.. vanity, pressure and slide, i can t hide, dirty harry, gunman, bobby babylon aus dem hause studio one und volcano)

jah mel sees himself as a musical bridge between the original reggae sound & the dancehall sound of today, representing what he calls the real dancehall revolution, merging the spirituality of the old school & the energy of the new school. “guiding star” and “stand up to it” are the perfect examples to overstand this definition. both song were produced by roydale anderson aka andy s. “guding star” will definitely give you thrills if you are into deep synth and heavy digital rhythm, while the superb piano notes will warm you in the analog style. beware of “guiding star” dub version called “guidance (dance mix)” that will break any bunker. “stand up to it” rhythm is an adaptation of one of the most classic jamaican riddim called “heavenless”. you will never know this riddim like before, this version takes the riddim to another level. a positive song with a bionic nuclear bomb dubwise! play it loud, jah is our guiding star!

following the success of last years kunta kinte 2017 riddim, brooklyn-based label and collective dub-stuy add a new installment to their popular dancehall inspired series with a fresh riddim from in-house producer dj madd, featuring international vocalists from jamaica, spain and bermuda. jitta riddim is a brand new production from dj madd, a sturdy yet spacious riddim carried forward by a lilting melody and guitar stabs that are anchored by slapping snares, dub flourishes and a rolling bassline. this is a weighty but energetic riddim with the dancefloor in mind. bringing the riddim to life are a trio of vocalists representing the roots and global expansion of dancehall and sound system music. spains sr. wilson delivers an anthem in the making with zapatillas, a song dedicated to all the sneaker heads worldwide who like to sport fresh kicks when they hit the dancefloor. singing in his native spanish and english, sr. wilson shares tales of daily shoe addiction around a catchy refrain that name checks the best known brands. his blend of reggaeton-flavoured autotune and kicks geek outs is sure to resound loudly around clubs worldwide. backing him is jamaican veteran deejay cutty ranks, a man whos been lending his distinct flow to productions for over 30 years. on double trouble cutty speaks to the daily realities of life on the streets and the ills keeping people down, warning of the trouble that awaits those in charge. wrapping up the release is bermudas troy berkley who aims his vocal rifle straight to the orange-skinned resident of the white house, spitting rapid fire lyrics about the deteriorating state of things in 2018 america. lace up your sneakers and get ready to move and chant with dub-stuy’s new riddim.

the magnetic buzz riddim brings us back to the jamaican early dancehall days where heavy rub a dub riddims used to rule the dance. fruits records studio band the 18th parallel travelled to jamaica and teamed up with reggae greatest bass player robbie shakespeare from famous duet sly & robbie to build the explosive and powerful magnetic buzz riddim. sylvan white, famous for hit songs like africans unite or mountain top recorded in the early 80s, comes back in the business after years off the scene with his beautiful song mother nature. then follows an experimental dub mixed by spanish wizard roberto sánchez featuring robbie’s crazy lead bass line. b side shows for the first time on vinyl record young promising artist from rockfort earth warrior followed by the sweet voice of veteran singer delroy melody whos famous for hit songs from 1980 like ease up the pressure and natty dread she want. heavy maxi 12inch record paying tribute to the early 80s jamaican reggae!

the magnetic buzz riddim brings us back to the jamaican early dancehall days where heavy rub a dub riddims used to rule the dance. fruits records studio band the 18th parallel travelled to jamaica and teamed up with reggae greatest bass player robbie shakespeare – from famous duet sly & robbie – to build the explosive and powerful magnetic buzz riddim. sylvan white, famous for hit songs like africans unite or mountain top recorded in the early 80’s, comes back in the business after years off the scene with his beautiful song mother nature. then follows an experimental dub mixed by spanish wizard roberto sánchez featuring robbie’s crazy lead bass line. b side shows for the first time on vinyl record young promising artist from rockfort earth warrior followed by the sweet voice of veteran singer delroy melody whos famous for hit songs from 1980 like ease up the pressure and natty dread she want. heavy maxi 12inch record paying tribute to the early 80’s jamaican reggae!

following the release of their new album marble skies this january, django django will release a new ep focused on the single track surface to air, a track which features for the first time in the bands a guest as the sole vocalist: self esteem, aka rebecca taylor from the uk duo slow club. filtering a jamaican dancehall influence through a widescreen of dreamy psychedelic pop, the track is accompanied on this ep by its instrumental version as well as three remixes from canadian producer lunice, glasgow based dj nightwave and the multi-instrumentalist producer body in the thames.

celebrating the 100th release on tectonic, the label turns to riko dan for 6 cuts of uncompromising vocal mayhem featuring rhythm tracks from joker, mumdance, walton, ziro and label boss pinch. * riko dan takes centre stage for this ep, bringing his characteristic lyrical style, bringing his dancehall and grime styles together across a serious of hard-hitting tectonic rhythms. * the whole ep has been mixed-down by joker for added sonic power. the 12 inch is cut onto 180g heavyweight vinyl, packaged in a matt-finish, printed sleeve. * tough beats. tough vocals. hard food ep. tectonic 100

following on from the recent lp on brew records, that we love so much, cologne homeslice, tbz, drops a self released casstte. beat tape business (a load on here ranging from kooked out dancehall, pickled downbeat and nobbly electronics ). very much a winner. tip!

east man is a new project from anthoney hart and its material predates his previous work as basic rhythm. his unique take on grime reduces the sound to its steely fundamentals, bringing in influences from dancehall, drum and bass and techno to gird the voices of the mcs he works with. his own name for this hardcore continuum mongrel is hi tek.
anthoney struck a friendship with the academic and theorist paul gilroy, who wrote the album introduction below, after starting personal research on representations of working class and mixed race families. he asked paul for some help after coming across his work via stuart hall, paul’s mentor. their discussions and friendship developed, and it dawned on anthoney that his research and the east man album had some synergy, so he asked paul to write a piece conveying that.

dead man s chest aka alex eveson makes his debut appearance on myor massiv sublabel diamond life alongside head honcho coco bryce. dancehalls seem to be the common denominator on this 12”. and where mr eveson prefers to drop a tab of acid, coco opts for a helping of mandy to work his way through the night. both sides find the respective producers operating at the 160 bpm mark, wading through a hazy mist of sounds reminiscent of clandestine warehouse raves. but whereas dmc utilizes a fairly straightforward, 93 style hardcore drum loop in combination with acidic undertones and atmospherics which clearly reveal his love for the “golden era” of mo wax trip hop, señor bryce s jam is a far more hectic sounding affair, layering a chopped and re-edited apache on top of an already-frantic, percussion- laden break beat, adding even more to the rushy feeling induced by the nervous pads and rave stabs. quality, yet slightly off-kilter hardcore junglist exercises.

vinyl only. the second release for glasgow label full dose features two dancehall laced productions from ayrshire via kingston by lucchesi. the burro ep is uncompromising in approach & heavyweight in sound, reminiscent of the bug on rephlex, circa 2003. vinly only. single sided 12inch with insert.

p2s is back with a second break beat maboul edition by dj clif. including breakbeat, scratches & acapella!

following the success of last years playgroup ‘previously unreleased’ album and its critically-acclaimed run of nine weekly 12” vinyl eps, trevor jackson has compiled a second volume of 20 tracks (11 unheard and 9 previously vinyl only) released as a limited edition double cd and 6 track vinyl sampler on nov 3rd via yes wave records. the music featured is a collection of reworked demos and unreleased recordings. a hedonistic mix of raw disco, dub, funk, dancehall. electro, new wave & post punk that all still sound as relevant today as they did when initially recorded for the debut playgroup album during 1997 - 2001.

hailing from bristol, uk, borai is the progeny of the 90s jungle scene and has spent the last fifteen years careening his musical curiosity through every tile of the dance floor. borai s early years were occupied by bristol s many record shops as an employee and fan of the culture. while drenching himself in the expansiveness of electronic music history at work, he picked up djing to bestow his love for jungle, house and dancehall in the area s clubs. an obsession with hardware led borai to craft a slew of his own productions and releases on tasteful nudes, cahoots records, and brstl. with dark of the sun , borai is making his debut on the global cultural beacon halocyan records. the record will mark the 8th installment of the label s originary technicity series, which exemplifies techne in electronic music. dark of the sun is led by the rolling percussion of on the horizon , which feeds into the deep, grinding steam engine that is dark of the sun and followed by the transcendent bounce of wetware. the tracks are pressed on halocyan s signature 12inch cyan viny.

fallow presents his debut ep on the freshly established chow down label 6 typically epic and emotive tracks from the semi-infamous manchester-based dj & producer. on side a fallow serves up 3 gigantic grime instrumentals with all the bravado, theatrics and outrageous samples the genre has to offer. the tracks are as cinematic as they are energetic, weaving pulse sounds, choirs and dreamy sino samples into breakneck dance-floor gear to great effect. on the flip fallow adopts his dj chalice moniker to explore his softer side. still bursting with colour and melody, the tracks are as indebted to sunny dancehall records as they are a raw uk sound. peppering carefree mallets and flutes with angelic chipmunk vocals, chalice still captures the producers unique ear for bold melodies and vivid sounds.

wonderwheel is happy to welcome in montreal based producer & don dada poirier for his first release on the label, the be alright ep. moving away from the traditional dancehall, dub and soca sounds he s become known for, poirier delivers a 4 track of afro-house influenced dancefloor firestarters. sowia heads to south east africa with it s floating guitar hooks, big bassline, and vocals in portugese from canadian-moçambican singer samito. ginobili goes into deeper territory with four to the floor drums, heavily chopped percussion, and a hypnotizing distorted mbira line, while camera continues the tropical vibe with a nod to semba with its driving guitar lines, staccato synth lines and thumping drums. antilles trax rounds it out as the extended instrumental version of sowia

limitierter doppel-release des brixtoner künstlers gaika zu seiner gleichnamigen global-tour-party -the spectacular empire- mit unzähligen künstlerkollegen, die wie er von forschungsdrang und politischer provokation geleitet sind. speziell der track battalion vereint soziale weckrufe, politik und kunst in einem dröhnenden dancehall-powerhouse, der bis zum emotionalen ausbruch anschwillt und verdeutlicht, weshalb gaika zu den aufregendsten britischen künstlern der letzten jahre gehört. inklusive download-code, limitiert auf jeweils 500 stück weltweit.

• debut album from hundebiss bossman simone trabucchi aka still on pan
• mastered and cut by rashad becker at d&m
• artwork by bill kouligas
• riyl equiknoxx, the bug, wasteland
hundebiss bossman simone trabucchi - a pivotal figure of the italian scene - debuts his still alias on pan with a batch of banging, multi-layered dancehall tracks inspired by the complex historical links between his hometown, vernasca, with jamaica, and italy’s colonial past in ethiopia. part of a wider visual arts project, invernomuto, helmed alongside simone bertuzzi, and comprising a series of sculptures, installations, a book, and a long-feature experimental documentary under the title ‘negus’‘, simone takes cues from a “cleansing counter-ritual performed by lee ‘scratch’ perry in the vernasca square where 80 years earlier, an effigy of haile selassie i was burned” to cook up a madd set of dancehall tracks voiced by six milan-based, african-italian vocalists and singers...

• equiknoxx’s debut lp proper, following the hugely acclaimed bird sound power primer last year
• 13 brand new, darker, more psychedelic, starkly dubbed perspectives on up-to-the-second dancehall
• curated by jon k and demdike stare
• essential if you’re into lenky, haruomi hosono, errorsmith
• mastered and cut by matt colton @ alchemy

limitierter doppel-release des brixtoner künstlers gaika zu seiner gleichnamigen global-tour-party the spectacular empire mit unzähligen künstlerkollegen, die wie er von forschungsdrang und politischer provokation geleitet sind. speziell der track battalion vereint soziale weckrufe, politik und kunst in einem dröhnenden dancehall-powerhouse, der bis zum emotionalen ausbruch anschwillt und verdeutlicht, weshalb gaika zu den aufregendsten britischen künstlern der letzten jahre gehört. 2 x 10inch inkl. download-code, limitiert auf jeweils 500 stück weltweit.

the green returns with their first full-length release since 2013’s award-winning hawai’i 13. that record debuted at #1 on the billboard reggae chart and cracked the top 100, as well, before going on to win an unprecedented three na hoku hanohano awards in the band’s native hawaii. after years of touring to support that release, the band focused on making their next record with some longtime musical partners, including producers leslie ludiazo (j boog, hot rain) and christian mochizuki (graves). the band also solicited songwriter/producer brian fennell (ryan tedder, one republic, the fray, third eye blind) to help explore some new elements in their sound. the new release has an amazing mix of pop-influenced lovers rock along with the green’s patented island reggae. guests include jamaican dancehall superstar busy signal, grammy-nominees j boog and rebelution’s eric rachmany, as well as island music veterans fiji and the mana’o company.

“i’ve said it before, but dancehall and its influence on uk music has been a massive inspiration for me, going way back to hearing chris goldfinger on radio 1 playing music that was like nothing else i’d heard before. i love that fundamental rhythmic pattern, and i love how within the same world you can have some tunes that are built around the sweetest melodies and harmonies, and others that are built around super-tuff minimal drums and crazy squeeks and bleeps.
when it came time to build another ep for critical, i decided to link up with my good friend and long-time collaborator rider shafique, who has a much deeper knowledge of this music than me, and together create something that references both old and new dancehall, while still being playable in the kinds of sets i ve become known for. there’s no halftime and no chopped-up jungle breaks here - we wanted to make something really focussed and even disciplined - and hopefully we’ve succeeded.
big shouts to the vocal collaborators - super hyped to work with stush on a tune, irah came through with the righteous fire, and tiffanie malvo absolutely bodied her beat - but ultimate biggups have to go to rider. this wasn’t a project where i made the beats and rider voiced them - for pretty much every tune, we worked and reworked the riddims together. we’re both stoked on the results, and it seems like people in the dance feel the same way.” - sam binga

home recorded above a lawyers office and next door to a brothel, the retrospective is lead by the earth shattering digi stepper rock steady. originally intended for an abandoned dub album, rock steady and fantasy dub were saved from the cutting room floor by australian cd-only compilations on creative vibes and vital collective clan analogue, while green river was never released. now demanding wider appreciation, the dubs finally find union with green man’s new york hip hop/dancehall style, lifted from his second solo album the blue hour vol. 3: deep blue. humbly excelling in all electronic forms, rantzen helped guide techno-rave duo itch-e & scratch-e through the 90s with paul mac. winning the inaugural best dance release category at the 1995 aria awards, mac thanked all of sydneys ecstasy dealers, without whom this award would not be possible, while rantzen stayed at home. the two would also operate incognito as boo boo & mace and screensaver, often collaborating on looney dubs with sheriff lindo - the master of seismic shocks down under. rantzens earliest work stretches back to pelican daughters, an ensemble who proliferated industrial-leaning ambient and tape loop experiments

for this debut release, the munich-based crew behind fayah chords has turned to two experienced vocal talents: south african dancehall mic man crosby and veteran toaster longfingah.
this release provides enough musical fuel to light every dance on fayah. by the way - the cover and vinyl presentation is delicately finished. a matt sleeve with white walled finish with an artwork depicting the artists fight against injustice. the vinyl itself is uniquely white.

fresh blend of dancehall roots & uk grime & ukg moods.

ig culture and alex phountzi are namebrandsound and are back with their third ep on their own arena yard imprint. known for their roles in the broken beat movement, namebrandsound puts a nowadays take on a lifetime of different influences. their most comprehensive body of work today the seven track spell t.h.i.s.o.n.e ep joins the dots between broken beat, juke, jazz, jungle and dancehall, from the grime jazz of harvest your manor to the new school bruk style of patience which features west london r’n n sensation, abel miller, to the straight up juked style of the title track

new release by django django’s own kick + clap label. 12” ep kitted in kick & clap house sleeve and white dust jacket.
lady chann & rapha team up for ‘hard drive’… the uk’s ‘number one dancehall queen’ returns with a storming carnival heater called ‘hard drive’. ‘back it up, hard drive’ is the command from the lady on this minimal dancehall rhythm, which packs in solid sub-bass, a bark, and some well-placed/spaced-out percussion. the producer is the bern, switzerland born and raised raphaël ‘rapha’ gasser, who became hooked on dancehall after hearing a mixtape by berlin-based supersonic sound and has gone on to collaborate with the genre mainstays like i-octane, sheba, kiprich and more. on the flip b-side is the remix by newark-based jersey club original r3ll, upping the bpm and sure to keep forward thinking dance-floors bubbling. kick n clap is the record label founded by django django’s dave maclean.