0am001 is the first in a series of various artists 12-s in which we ll aim to capture the spirit of the 00:am dance floor with music we ve received and road tested across our beloved city s bars, clubs, & half cocked after parties. the first release brings together local neighbourhood staples / roommates priori and adam feingold alongside our good australian pal mike midnight and la s very own ashtrejinkins. expect house from the melancholy to the roughed up, live drums & breaks, and beautiful dubby atmospherics. all this to say, there s no set rules here, just good music from good friends, and hopefully a little something for everyone inside.

it goes without saying that space has always been central to techno – both in terms of its cosmic and futuristic trajectory, as well as in the spatial dimensions of sonic elements. etapp kyle’s first full ostgut ton ep release sees the ukrainian-born, berlin- based berghain resident emphasizing the connection between the two, while avoiding techno’s overt intergalactic clichés. by partially linking to his continuum ep (unterton, 2016), the results are four tracks of pristine, sci-fi minimalism, propelled by ambient synths and percussive explosions in distant skies – more utopian than dystopian. opener “alpha” establishes the cosmic theme from the get go, with chord swells and a whirring, phasing spacewind panning across the stereo image. while a subdued kickdrum gets things started, it’s the rhythmic interplay between dynamic high-hats and halled-out rimshots that guide the track through space. from there, “quantum” on a2 strips the voyage down to a glowing, unwavering arpeggiated synth line, interspersed with twisted, high-pitched bells and updated 909- esque snare patters.

great house cuts by mr. g on his phoenix g imprint. gotta keep pushing forwards. this one’s personal!

purify records aims to explore and expand the boundaries of contemporary electronic music with timeless, defined and mature sound that is guided by the past, present and future. the first release features three tracks by the label founders.

revered swedish producer sebastian mullaert releases his first exclusive vinyl on default position after the huge success of his remix to vedanta in 2014. sebastian first made his name as one half of the acclaimed duos minilogue and son kite, but in recent times focuses on his solo career, which sees him appearing at clubs and festivals all over the world and releasing on some of the industry s most respected labels and imprints. samunnati is a brand new double vinyl ep featuring four original mixes from mulleart, with remixes from fellow swedish duo johanna knutson & hans berg, belgium s danieli and label founder joseph s. joyce. its genesis lies in a melody recorded live on sebastian s roland sh101 which has been resampled and processed in many different ways, offering several contrasting mixes to suit many different tastes and styles.

a second release for verdant recordings and another deftly curated collection of deep vibes for the heads. a thread of deep and dubby acid runs throughout with havantepe opening and appearing alongside the mysterious rv800 (the two last joined forces on the subsync ep from japan s formula). a bubbling acid track and first vinyl release from russia s low orbit satellite maybe the pick of the four here? or perhaps the trippy closing work from mick welch? sophie o leary provides another colour study for the ep s artwork.

after dropping their first various, figures, slowciety is about to release guru, sunrom’s next ep. the artist has already worked with prestigious labels like kompakt, ancient future now and the bricks. the ep lays down four organic tracks for a blend of deep house, world music and techno. the title track sounds like a ride on acid and is followed by quirigua, a rich track conjuring transcendent mayan rituals. the b side opens with elephant’s deep muffled kicks and takes off with utopia’s elegant arpeggiator for a final flight. this strange and personal ep will cast a spell on the dance floor.

soma welcome back long time collaborator tony scott under his edit select alias with the bridge. having recorded such classics as x-track under percy x, tony has since found new depths with his edit select moniker which has seen countless releases on his own self titled label and more. with an album currently planned for release on soma in early 2018, edit select takes his first steps onto his hometown label with this new single.
suitably deep production is always the order of the day with any edit select release and this one is no different. title track, the bridge, begins with a chugging beat before gradually undulating into epic soundscapes. flux takes a darker turn as twisted synths resonate throughout the typical atmospheric backdrop. tonalist creates more rhythmic scenes with intense percussive elements keeping the track moving.

this summer 2017 tom bulwer launches parasol culture, a vinyl only imprint, focusing on quality house and techno, with a tinge of “it’s a london thing”. dutch born tom came to london as a uk garage dj working up his way the ranks of pirate radio stations (freek fm, unknown fm), to producing and working with uk garage legend karl ‘tuff enuff’ brown. this year tom is focusing on tb audio, his analogue mastering studio in east london, and producing music on the deeper side of house and techno as a solo artist. tom has released on labels such as nu faze, !k7 and signatune records. he also regularly writes with long term partner in crime anna wall under their own names and under their moniker casse. the first parasol culture release is the output of tom and anna’s winter months under the same roof and in his studio in hackney wick. 2017 also sees tom start a new venture with dexter kane (murmur, get physical, fear of flying), aptly named, alternate facts, a vinyl only label and free party series, wax and stacks, party over profit, power to the people.

first time reissue of the very first dub lp released in nyc, 1975! part of the genesis of the jah life label! first time reissue of kaya dub from 1975, noted as the first ever proper dub lp pressed and released in new york city. the eponymous lp is among the first set of releases on the kaya label. this imprint was the first to showcase the partnership of percy chin and hyman jah life wright as producers and cornerstones of the burgeoning nyc reggae scene of the day. though these tracks originate from jamaica thru a connection with pat jah lloyd francis and have also been released elsewhere, this is none the less a killer selection of dubs from tubby s and randys. in sound and visuals, kaya dub serves as a fantastic snapshot of the music and vibes of roots reggae in the mid 70s, among the best dub lp s of its time.

this is a must have record and supplies are extremely limited. long out of print and extremely sought after, david porter’s “i’m afraid the masquerade is over” gets a proper re-issue on 45, but with a special twist. first released in 1972, this groundbreaking masterpiece was mostly overlooked by the masses of that generation. however, twenty plus years later, hip hop producers would revive newfound interests in this cut (and porter’s other works) after sampling bits & pieces of it for some of the most defning songs of the mid 90’s and early 2000’s (who shot ya, duel of the iron mic, it’s over, etc). for this special edition, the original multi-track session was resurrected from the archives, re-polished and re-edited into a brand new mix for your listening pleasure. familiar fans will go emoji crazy once they get a taste of the exclusive new version that boasts new breaks, alternate takes and a louder, fuller instrumental presence among other goodies, creating fresh opportunities for beats and lives mixes. pushing the 9 minute mark, parts 1 & 2 are presented between 2 sides, presenting the all of music in it’s entire glory. original pressings of “i’m afraid the masquerade is over” are not easy to come by. own this collector’s item while you can. “must have” vinyl for dj’s, producers and anyone else on the hunt

preservation records in collaboration with big dipp present the breezy and soulful estrelar album by marcos valle, the first ever vinyl reissue since its original release on som livre in 1983! arranged by the brazilian boogie and soul legend lincoln olivetti. killer coverart, with a fantasic 8 page booklet based on an interview with marcos valle, written by allen thayer

for the first time in label history, keinemusik is putting out an ep with just remixes. the moniker for this: doppelgänger. the reason for this: well, we like remixes and were curious to find out how other artists, artists that we appreciate a lot, would approach our material.

einzelkind and charlotte t. are proud to present brand spankin’ new label harlo records. kicking things off in style with this first release: vienna’s secret weapon paul walter and sensual records regular dario reimann on the remix tip. anthem alert !!!

limited repress of 200 copies on white vinyl - first come/ first serve!
another outstanding release on an|dromeda
vinyl only

darko esser returns with two powerful, finely crafted techno pieces on the eighth installment of his trip series, eighth trip his first release since 2015.

official re-issue of danish electronic music from 1974! vinyl lp comes with booklet and limited to 500 copies - no repress. frederiksberg records announces the first re-issue of stoned which is exclusively licensed from the artist and has been carefully restored from the original master tapes. it comes with a booklet of liner notes by thomas knak. stoned by gunner møller pedersen is a pioneering partly-electronic composition from denmark. gunner believes that its musically out of category. it was created for a slide show with focus on sculptures by the late american photographer stuart fox. gunner self-released the record in minuscule numbers in 1974. the music on stoned has an original and meditative quality which transcends time and should appeal to today’s music lovers with a taste for something different.

dj harrison is richmond va-based producer and multi-instrumentalist devonne harris. the son of a radio dj who introduced him to the world of record collecting, harris grew up with music, progressing from violin, to high school drum-line, to the jazz studies program at virginia commonwealth university. he also continued working with other instruments and developed an interest in sampling. his development as a producer at first, without a computer or sampler came first learning to replay samples on the drums, piano, bass or guitar. dj harrison finds himself inspired by local musicians in the richmond scene thats as diverse and nonexclusive as they come. among rappers, producers, punks and bluegrass bands, he falls within reach of an expansive pool of musicians to collaborate with. he lives and works in jellowstone, a house turned recording compound occupied by his band mates in butcher brown, a garage punk jazz funk group. hazymoods, dj harrison’s stones throw debut, was recorded there completely on tape, where the living room functions as a communal recording studio

one of the more unsung talents that came out of the gang starr foundation was the brooklyn-based duo group home, consisting of mcs lil dap and melachi the nutcracker. dap was first showcased on the gang starr posse cut “i’m the man,” on 1992’s daily operation, melachi appeared on “words from the nutcracker” from 1993’s hard to earn. the early group home song “so called friends” was also featured on 1993’s now-legendary gangstarr foundation sampler, which also gave the world jeru’s “come clean.” by 1995, dap and melachi had paid their dues and finally got their own full-length: livin’ proof. and it was everything that gang starr and any true school hip-hop fans could have wanted, produced almost entirely by dj premier (with two exceptions: “serious rap shit” helmed by guru himself, and “4 give my sins,” produced by jay-z mentor jaz-o (aka big jazz). beyond the album’s classic singles – “supa star,” “livin’ proof” and “suspended in time” – there are premier-overseen classics all over, including “the realness,” “inna citi life,” and “sacrifice.” in fact, many gang starr scholars agree that the beats on living proof are in the top 5 of all premier-produced albums – no small boast, but certainly hard to disprove.

after the acclaimed release of nature boy s ruff disco volume one, frame of mind is back with another re-issue of a 25 year old record. gerd s very first house release called afterglow, produced under the alias of it s thinking together with two of his (highschool) friends mark and dirk-jan, was picked up by john acquaviva for release on the short lived plus 8 subsidiary called malego back in 1992. the ep features five warm and atmospheric house tracks recorded at a dark attic room somewhere in the west of holland in 1991. these days afterglow is quite a sought after record that rarely turns up cheap on discogs. we are proud to be able to offer you limited copies of this re-mastered package.

alleviated records is proud to present another edition of the larry heard presents mr. white sessions. these 2 selections, produced and mixed by larry heard somehow both evolved into otherworldly future-house concepts as they took shape. first up, virtual emotion (main & dub versions) features mr. white vocals over an electro-funk flavored percolating deep-house track. then supernova (main & dub versions) features mr. white vocals taking us to a darker, almost tech-rocky mood off-world adventure. the two very different flavors should make this 12 one that can be played in many settings!! as always with alleviated records releases, created to be timeless so that you can enjoy it for many years to come. this special vinyl 12 will be another great addition to any collection! enjoy! and thanks for your continued support!!

deafstar s first release puts producer bunker hill on the map! a well crafted release of dubby electronix with a lot of eye and ear into the detail. this is the first part of the dizzy:eko:series which is dedictated to bass-heavy transmissions. advance limited edition of 500 for the world on two 180 g slices of vinyl including bonus disc with spoken word material.

valuri is a new project of recordeep with only hit hz s productions.

randomer & clouds combine for the first headstrong release

los angeles based natan h and malta based artist owen jay return as gauss with their first ep of 2017. entitled resonator it offers more deep music with an electronic soul and is their fifth ep for their cultured label gauss ltd. the title track opens things up with a crunchy and impactful mix of weighty dub drums and spangled techno chords. it s a heavy track that builds in momentum and is sure to mangle minds with its skewed stabs and wiry electronics. shifted is a more fierce techno track with urgency in the kicks and a sense of anger in the coarse little snare explosions. more gurgling synths add weight and this one is a real stomper as a result. cutting ever more loose, odyssey is a mix of idm sound design, soulful synth smears and percolating electro tinged drums that are slick and futuristic. least squares completes this techno picture with spitting hits and claps, underwater chords and acidic sonar pulses that soothe the mind. this is an expansive ep that marks an exciting evolution in gauss s sound.

first edition of the evoked potentials series.

roughneck psycho-house from r.b. on his first outing for dog in the night. three moody ultra saturated wild-ass tracks made for the adventerous club dj. jack is in the eye of the beholder, can you dig it?

reissue of the highly sought after nigerian funk-rock album, moving effortlessly between reggae, jazzy afrobeat and psych rock. soundway fans first got a taste of jay-u’s infectious beats with the track ‘some more’, featured on the soundway compilation “nigeria disco funk special: the sound of the underground lagos dancefloor 1974-79”. originally released by emi nigeria in 1977, this now-rare album was written by jay-u and engineered by disco-boogie artist goddy oku. opening with the up-tempo reggae number “reggae deluxe”, the album descends into mind-blowing jazz-funk featuring several killer saxophone solos. the journey ends with a trip into psych-prog rock, with a sound not dissimilar to that coming out of the early 70s british rock scene.

latest installment from eleve music is produced by madrid duo uanamani. derk and iterbio have been studying sound and spinning records for many years, and currently uanamani is one of the top local live acts in underground events in madrid. their analog multi-instrumental set up digs classic ambient and deep techno which morphs into a live organism, with tribal touchs from around the world. they join eleve inviting us to dive into their myths. during the journey, expect first class deep techno with bursts of reverberant hihats, syncopated percussions and harmonic wind whistlings, blurring the lines between adventure and mystery. the organic feeling is present through the whole ride with mutating arpeggios that will make the most obscure rituals go hypnotic.

including 2 remixes by osunlade under the collective name of yoruba soul! since their first acclaimed album apiafo, vaudou game turned down the heat over 160 stages across the world. peter solo has displayed his vaudou chants and charisma around the globe. on the road he and osunlade met and shared their musical visions. kidayu is the name of the 2nd opus and means “sharing”: it’s exactly what those versions of “on se pousse” are about. ! limited press.

debut lp on street corner music from the ct based producer. -while preparing for my radio show about a year ago, i put a kite out to the kids that i was looking for some heat to play. this kid sent me a 20 second clip of a work in progress. it was sublime. he kept sending beats per my request. it was exciting how consistently good the shit was. blissful, downtempo escapism. his production took me somewhere else, in a time where a retreat from the increasingly stressful day to day is more than welcomed. that first track he sent, -huey-, starts off balloons, wowflower s debut lp on street corner music, just as it started the dialogue between the two of us. the street corner faithfuls will not be disappointed. this shit is fantastic.-

london head aroop roy takes on brazilian rhythms for the 4th time on gamm and its quite possibly the best one yet. the working formula, simple but yet very well crafted to work both in clubs and for home listening. first off we get -flecha de foga- that uses a rare nazare pereira samba track as the foundation but with loads of added chords, beats and production details. on the flip todo mundo tem amor marries a driving analogue bassline to an amped up version of another sul americano classic - blazing !

vinyl only
lucretio s first solo release on memento, the -system pressure e.p.- is a piece of carefully handcrafted nightclub music. the late-hours anthem -addict to the dancefloor- combines the early 90s heart-felt grooves with the state of the art of contemporary electronic production. -2bpad1- is a relentless ride of voltage controlled oscillators and hexadecimal quirks over hefty bare drums processed with a juicy analogue filter. finally -love wont leave- bring back together house and techno, melting their rhythm and blues essence into an absolute peak-time conjunction.

vinyl only - 300 limited copies no repress)
bologna s increasing influence on dancefloors across the world continues as hotly tipped lo-fi house duo nas1 drop their first release on their home town label, sorryforthis records and is sure to be a big moment for their burgeoning reputations. it s an eclectic, multi-layered 4 track ep that pushes the boundaries of what is possible with such minimalist kit to the extreme and includes a remix from sound signature legend marcellus pittman. vino cheenese, as the title suggests, is a leftfield rumbler that, once finished, leaves you unsure how you got there - but sure you enjoyed the journey. oriental synths flutter over a pounding bassline, taking you from gloriously lo-fi, serene moments to being inundated with beats provided by a simmons sds8 and akai mpc1000 that puncture the surreal atmosphere. the pittman remix removes any pretence of serenity and has more of an eye on the dark end of the dancefloor. the bassline is rendered more ominous and the beats more relentless and distorted, while keeping the leftfield vibes in tact. ag pini brings in a lower tempo, with punching industrial yet melodic synths coming in and out of sparse rumbling beats it feels like a kraftwerk track if they had grown up in detroit. the springer is the hardest tune on the e.p – with layers upon layers of crunching beats surrounded by howling, swirling high end synths, looping in and out of each other, putting almost an entire history of dance music in one brutal track.

german duo p.b.k. get a couple of their original jams reworked by two different emergent producers seeking to impart a smooth, finely balanced vision of drum & bass. first up, seba takes on -living on a membrane- and heads straight into liquid territory with a plethora of laconic keys and deep, pulsing pads. it s as dreamy as it gets in the d&b world. -moonflower- on the b-side gets taken care of by deep blue, who equally favours a mellow atmosphere but injects a sharper edge with the crack of the snare that anchors this floaty, vocal-peppered track.

lee burton is the next artist on raum musik and this is his first single for our label. lee is hailing from greece and we were quite happy to receive some demo tracks of him, as he caught our attention already a while ago. his productions are more house related, but always with a nice, modern twist. his powerful sound and also his very well structured sound design could easily be described as his signature and it s definitely worth keeping an eye on him.

limited capsule collection 2/3 from midnight shift. following the first of the ‘shift ltd’ capsule collection by xhin is an ep by kirk degiorgio with a remix from john beltran. full-bodied tracks fill in every frequency corner - ‘the nearness of flames’ as a headspin stomper, while ‘acid symphony’ weaves an acid line into a rich tapestry. ambient producer john beltran reimagines the original with a sunrise touch.

pressure traxx welcomes the backstage boys to our silver series. being regular faces on stages (and backstages) like sunwaves in romania and well educated dancefloor audiences all around the globe, these boys know the deal. dan andrei, andrei ciubuc and serban goanta aka kozo all individually made quite an impact in the past few years. for followers of a more subtle and smart club sound, these three names stand for constant quality. this release sees them combine forces for the first time in these two mind bending cuts, going deep down the rabbit whole with some truly exciting sonic adventures.

# twin bang # is mirko loko third album, the first own on his own label comet traxx, and proudly host collaboration with detroit techno legend derrick may, philadelphia singer ursula rucker and the french/italian duo moody preachers.
comet traxx is the new label of swiss prolific producer mirko loko, best known for his musical output on cadenza, visionquest and memento records. this new imprint is focused on cosmic grooves, with the aim to release quality timeless material. the first release on the label is the stunning -twin bang- album by the label honchos, mirko loko, delivering a modern sophisticated record with a very classic feeling, rich of collaborations with heavyweight musicians as derrick may and ursula rucker. for the next chapters of these astral tales, we can expect a spontaneous organic blend of electronic genres joined with a galactic touch: releases are not going to come only by mirko himself, but from interesting newcomers, as well as veterans as guido schneider who is in scheduled on the second catalogue number.

first ep of the label lowlife cartel. dissociative tones, texture of the sound and atmosphere sought here, more than melody. no boundary in genre but same sonic ethos. the two sides of the ep includes two tracks ambient/downtempo fitting with patient listening. three other, lofi tracks, and more efficient to play into clubs. face a starts with -nerve splicing- by telekommunist, also known as wpx7, face covered and steps muffled through a deadening blizzard of tape saturation and white noisey envelops that find a balance between deepening the sense of immersion and a retained groove. -kairu- by a. latif, affiliated to the experimental and elusive russian label john s kingdom. an arsenal of textures are employed, surrounded all the time by different kind of breeths carving out a growingly satisfying contrast between the shivery charm of its melodic line and the roughness of its elements. a rough diamond. face b, -kfs-, by vslds (present on the next cousin carl release, after kinway and voyd) is a delusional and abstract piece of lofi hip hop. setting skittish drums and heavily altered rapper vox sample, smothered against a grey-ish canvas of blurry, washed-out pads. this feels both playful and unhealthy. -gotta go fast-, by paul santangelo (venetian causeway), is marked with the very personal style of this artist who does his way across the ever effervescent lofi techno scene. the round, drag-shed bass, fits with an introspective melody and atmosphere. -every man has a woman who loves him-, by loophie (raw russians), surprises the listener at the end of the disc with a lofi house track sampled from john lennon, very effective in club. the czech lofi house videomaker moskalus edited a video of it on his youtube channel. 5 artists to follow.

since releasing his last album on hypercolour in february 2016 (æyou existÆ), dmx krew has not for one moment rested on laurels, releasing two further lps on the ekster and abstract form labels, as well as eps and singles for central processing unit, shipwrec, revoke and more. continuing to remain faithful to the roots of electro, idm and the deeper shades of techno, and without compromise, dmx krew cranks out emotive and brain scrambling electronica at a mighty rate, and never disappoints. æstrange directionsÆ is album number 21 from dmx krew, and lands once more on hypercolour, the british label that continues to make heady waves in the music scene with genre shifting releases from the like of matthew herbert, luke vibert, gary gritness, the cyclist, outboxx and a sagittariun in the last 12 months alone. youÆll know what kind of ride you are in for from the first few bars of album opener æsnowy blueÆ, hypnotizing bass and spatial keys float over dusty micro breaks, produced with an infectious aesthetic that continues over the long playerÆs fifty-five minute tenure. experimental and expansive joints such as æodd chillÆ and æstrange directionsÆ sit comfortably alongside funkier techno jams such as æthin hypeÆ and æzero sumÆ, whilst the melancholic synth sensibilities of tracks like æhip hopelessÆ and æaxial mode beatÆ catches dmx krew on fine form.

for fans of the italian avant-garde, few names inspire the loyalty and devotion offered to the percussionist and composer lino capra vaccina - a perfect emblem of the country’s extraordinary movement of musical minimalism. he first gained note as a member of aktuala, a project which laid the groundwork for a entire generation of practitioners following in their wake - creating a hybrid of rock, avant-garde, and ancient musics, while incorporating a diverse number of sonic traditions from across the globe - african, middle eastern, indian, etc. vaccina’s career as composer has been marked by two distinct features, an incredibly high bar of quality and ambition, and a tragically slim amount of recorded output. following his departure from aktuala, he worked extensively with others - juri camisasca, franco battiato, etc, and within the short lived super group telaio magnetico, but his astounding solo efforts have been slow to emerge. in 1978 he released the legendary lp antico adagio, and wouldn’t be heard from again until 1992’s equally extraordinary l attesa. fortunately, over the last few years, the milan based imprint die schachtel, has embarked on a multifaceted project - reissuing vaccina’s hard to find lps for a new generation, as well as offering a range of stunning archival recording which had never before seen the light of day. their latest release, an lp entitled echi armonici da antico adagio, falls into the later category. it is nothing short of a momentous even

in what might be something of an unexpected reissue move, early rave belter -sweetness & light- from australian duo itch-e & scratch-e gets a fresh airing for the 21st century no less than 25 years after it first landed in a hailstorm of bright melodic lines and raucous tempo. in its original form -sweetness & light- is everything you could possibly want from an early trance stormer, all plush layers of harmony reaching an emotional crescendo over an irrepressibly bouncy beat. the -for life- remix meanwhile flips the script with a blissed out, chord-heavy version that slows the pace right down, possibly for the original fans of the tune who need things a little slower now.

utter presents rgbpm, trevor jackson s four piece audio-visual work originally commissioned for a live performance at the optronica festival in 2007, on london s imax, the biggest screen in the uk. optronica, programmed by addictive tv/cinefeel in collaboration with the british film institute, held its second festival over five consecutive days at the imax, ica and bfi southbank in march 2007. a showcase of the most exciting talent working in visual music, optronica s 2007 event was a platform for live performances, talks, screenings and workshops from the likes of fennesz, peter greenaway and ryoichi kurokawa. jackson s piece took over six months to develop and yet was performed only once. on march 14th the premier of rgbpm opened the festival in spectacular fashion, jackson performing the music live with its accompanying hd visuals generated in real time using custom-built software created especially by weirdcore. a powerful multi-sensory experience, the event remains one of the defining moments of jackson s lengthy career. the visuals consist of abstract shapes synchronised perfectly to jackson’s soundtrack. choreographed to represent musical elements within each track, they explore the relationship between melody, colour, rhythm and form. the diverse soundtrack combines magical motorik experiments, demented acidic jams, melodic subterranean techno and dark discordant electronic soundscapes. it s a timeless selection of music that holds its own to this day. a decade on from rgbpm s lone airing, utter is proud to release all four parts together for the first time as a special 12- package, mastered and cut by helmut erler at d&m and housed in a sleeve designed by jackson himself.

the story of the great roots reggae harmony trio black uhuru is one defined by many unexpected twists and turns. in its best known form, led by michael rose and with founding member duckie simpson and the black american female vocalist, puma jones, the group would enjoy the greatest popularity of any act in the wake of bob marley’s untimely death in 1981, but the origins of the group lay in the turbulent waterhouse district during the mid-1970s. duckie first formed the group as uhuru, the swahili word for unity, with garth dennis as lead singer and don carlos to join him in harmony, after cutting an adaptation of the impressions’ “romancing to the folk song” at dynamics, “time is on our side” at randy’s for clive chin, and “slow coach” for raymond “benno” anderson, dennis drifted into the wailing souls and don carlos went solo, leading duckie to recruit rising waterhouse vocalist michael “tony” rose as lead singer, and errol nelson from the jays for harmony. their debut album, love crisis, was produced, voiced and mixed at king tubby’s studio by prince jammy and remains and outstanding example of jammy’s roots reggae production phase. the song “hard ground” vamps on a similar theme to marley’s “talking blues”: rose sings of a life of everyday hardship, with destitution and homelessness the pervading factors. on the extended dub portion and dub the instrumental cuts that follow the alternate vocal take of this enthralling 12-inch ep, you can hear the non-standard instrumentation that helps make the work so innovative, with winston wright’s harpsichord melody emphasising the hopelessness of rose’s emotive lyrics, the commanding rhythm and understated bass and guitar from robbie shakespeare and chinna smith completing the picture.

roots vocalist barry brown has an inimitable style that has long made him a favourite of reggae enthusiasts. drawing from the popular phrasing of horace andy, but morphing it into his own delivery through the kind of wordless slurring that occasionally resembles the sound of a quacking duck, brown found his way into the jamaican music scene through the many amateur west kingston talent contests of the early 1970s, along with fellow aspiring talents such as johnnie clarke, sugar minott and the african brothers, and the mighty diamonds. he also honed his vocal skills on local west kingston sound systems such as tape tone, together with other young dancehall-oriented youth such as barrington levy, sammy dread, roy taylor and tristan palmer. there are still conflicting claims as to who was the first to record brown, with production veteran bunny ‘striker’ lee and sugar minott among the contenders, but in any case, during the late 1970s and early 1980s, he produced a range of captivating work for various producers, much of which is rightly coveted today. ‘ital rock’ appeared on barry’s 1983 lp i’m still waiting, issued by rocktone international, a spin-off of sugar minott’s black roots outfit, based in queens, new york (with a further branch in toronto), the b-side has dean fraser’s previously unreleased electrifying saxophone cut, rescued from dub plate obscurity by jah fingers.

drummer and music producer desmond mahoney is another of the unsung heroes of british reggae. born in jamaica, he moved to the uk in 1967 and began his professional career playing drums in a band called young ones from zion. he was a founding member of black slate when the group formed in 1974, played with them through their glory years and after running a sound system in north london for many years, returned to the fold when the group reformed a few years ago. his first foray in music production probably came during a brief period in toronto in 1978, working with a band called the ishan lions, but he was back in the uk in time for black slate’s breakthrough material, which brought them onto ensign in the uk, barclay in france and alligator in the usa. at the same time, he continued to arrange and produce for a number of british reggae artists operating in both the roots and lover’s rock modes, female duo nya & natty’s ‘one love stylee’ seemed to bridge the two styles quite successfully on this greatly sought-after 12-inch, first issued in 1981 on the s&g label, then based at a record shop in bow.

fresh off the back of releases on one eyed jacks, snuff trax and cómeme, as well as her much talked-about all-women covers of beloved house classics, from ur’s “transition” to mike dunn’s “so let it be house”, lisbon’s violet readies her first release for her own imprint - naive. naive is a place to come together, learn together and evolve together - while maintaining our own voice.

london s sugarhouse crew have already made some waves with their first two releases, and now the gang are back with round three of their soul-drenched deep house adventures. this time it s maurice jnr and seb miguel teaming up for three crucial jams, each with something different to say. -deebo s quest- is rich with aqueous pad tones and a slick set of drums that shuffle just the way you want it, while -science of life- takes a distinctly detroit-influenced approach that wouldn t sound out of place on mahogani music. that leaves it to -lovin u- to round the ep out with a warm, upbeat roller for those who like their house loaded with passion.