one of the sweetest and most idiosyncratic voices in reggae, tenor singer cornell campbell also has one of the longest-running careers of any jamaican recording artist. taken under studio one founder clement sir coxsone dodd’s wing at a very young age, cornell cut his first recordings in 1956, long before ska was even established. he remained based at studio one for many years (working as a label printer as well as a recording artist), and also voiced sides for king edwards in the ska years. he then briefly joined the sensations in rock steady and recorded at treasure isle, before moving back to studio one as leader of the eternals when reggae arrived, cutting huge hits there such as stars and queen of the mistrel, and giving early coaching to slim smith, jacob miller and bassist robbie shakespeare. joining forces with ace producer bunny striker lee in the mid-1970s brought a dramatic new surge in popularity that greatly boosted his profile overseas. the ropin lp was issued on third worlds justice subsidiary in 1980 a sub label set up to handle strikers product in the uk (though hits like mash you down and the title track had been handled in jamaica by joe gibbs). one of the albums outstanding moments is bandulu, an anti-rude boy epic voiced on the late night blues rhythm, while opening cover, just my imagination, has an uncredited toasting portion from errol scorcher.

back to back 70s roots shots from joe morgan, his first and second ever tunes. while many know joe from his wackie s anthem basement session, joe was already producing himself in the mid 70s on his own afro black label in jamaica before coming to nyc. both of these tunes are stone cold classics long hunted by roots collectors, and the rhythms used should be familiar to astute listeners from other brilliant cuts. joe continued to record and produce himself and other artists on his own main imprint fish tea, and other labels label thru the 80s. the two tunes issued on this fish tea 12inch both originally appeared as afro black label 45 s in jamaica, and the b-side also on a pet shop label 45 in nyc

the ultimate edition of the roots reggae masterpiece release 1977-2017! the album classic was originally issued in 1977 in jamaica only and 20 years later in 1997 released by the blood & fire label as the outstanding but now deleted heart of the congos. vp records sub-label 17 north parade has released now the definitive 2017 re-mastered 3lp deluxe edition put together with both respect and gratitude to that illustrious antecedent (also available as 3cd-set incl. the ultrarare original lp mix). this new 3lp-vinyl-set is based on the more well-known mix and master from the blood & fire re-release, plus dubs, disco mixes, seven and twelve inch versions and has with -don’t blame it on i- an overlooked previously unreleased track unearthed. the 3lp-vinyl was state-of the-art re-mastered again by kevin metcalfe and comes in a 6mm spine jacket sleeve with full colour printed illustrated inner sleeves and the liner notes by noel hawks. stickered with the quote: the best roots reggae album ever...(lloyd bradley)

limitiert und remastered: fünf nachpressungen vergriffener studio one bestseller.

brand new 2017 recut finally available on vinyl for the first time. 2xlp+mp3 in full original coverart. the legendary movie soundstrack based out of kingston, jamaica in april 2008, telling the story of the original vocalists and musicians involved. the sixteenth release on the moll-selekta label shares its title with a wonderful film, a heartwarming homage to the golden age of rocksteady. it documents the recordings being made for this very album at the tuff gong studios, kingston, jamaica in april 2008, telling the story of the original vocalists and musicians involved. excerpts from an all star reunion concert staged in kingston and older archive material complete the picture. never before in the history of jamaica, which already occupies a unique place on the world map of song, its sound embraced by western popular music, has such an illustrious collection of singers and players been assembled. the album showcases 15 rocksteady classics in sparkling, deeply inspired new versions, recorded in the studio which also played host to album sessions of a certain bob marley. under the musical direction of ernest ranglin, a guitarist of considerable renown not only on the reggae circuit, but also on the jazz scene, mixed by legendary engineer errol brown in duke reids employ at the treasure isle studio in the sixties - and freshly arranged by lynn taitt

following on from the pasteur lappe compilation “african funk experimentals” lp, we are really pleased to be re-visiting pasteur with a repress of his second album from 1979, “na man pass man”.

the foundation of this dub album was created by some of the finest sessions musicians ever to grace the studios of 1960s & 70s jamaica. their instruments were the cornerstone to countless dub lps that began to surface in the early 70s and continued on into the 80s creating a whole new genre of music. as they did back in the early days of dub, the kingston all stars gathered together in kingston, jamaica at mixing lab studios and laid down a series of riddims that would lay the groundwork for what comes next: the singers. both greenwich farm rasta, prince alla, and falsetto, cedric myton of the the congos, contribute vocals to the album but half of the riddims on this lp are, to date, unreleased, and have yet to be voiced. in essence, this album is a sneak peak into upcoming releases. the style of riddims that were created during these sessions range from the cumbia influenced reyes dub to the ethiopian jazz flavored kebra dub that pays tribute to the african sound system, kebra ethiopia sound and shows the wide variety of influences that fuel these musicians. tracks like dub ova combine ansel collins keyboard work with hux browns infectious grooves to create a funky rhythm that you have not heard the last of.

the foundation of this dub album was created by some of the finest sessions musicians ever to grace the studios of 1960s & 70s jamaica. their instruments were the cornerstone to countless dub lps that began to surface in the early 70’s and continued on into the 80’s creating a whole new genre of music. as they did back in the early days of dub, the kingston all stars gathered together in kingston, jamaica at mixing lab studios and laid down a series of riddims that would lay the groundwork for what comes next: the singers. both greenwich farm rasta, prince alla, and falsetto, cedric myton of the the congos, contribute vocals to the album but half of the riddims on this lp are, to date, unreleased, and have yet to be voiced. in essence, this album is a sneak peak into upcoming releases. the style of riddims that were created during these sessions range from the cumbia influenced reyes dub to the ethiopian jazz flavored kebra dub that pays tribute to the african sound system, kebra ethiopia sound and shows the wide variety of influences that fuel these musicians. tracks like dub ova combine ansel collins keyboard work with hux browns infectious grooves to create a funky rhythm that you have not heard the last of.
limited pressing on yellow & green marbled vinyl.

distinctive tenor singer linval thompson honed his singing craft in his formative years, growing in the west kingston ghetto of three mile, where he was associated with dennis brown, johnnie clarke and al campbell. a subsequent move to new york brought him into expatriate act hugh hendricks and the buccaneers, with his debut recording, ‘no other woman,’ being made circa early 1974 at patrick alley’s art craft studio. a series of other singles followed from his new york sojourn, but the return to jamaica in 1974 led to more noteworthy singles for stamma hobson, phil pratt and lee ‘scratch’ perry, with ‘jah jah redder than red’ and ‘girl you’ve got to run,’ both cut at the black ark for pratt, being the most successful. yet, it was all but a prelude to the breakthrough success he would finally achieve upon teaming up with bunny lee for ‘don’t cut off your dreadlocks,’ one of the most popular releases of 1975, a debut album of the same name, issued by third world in 1976, contained some of his most outstanding material, including the devotional ‘jah jah the conqueror’ and ‘long long dreadlocks,’ the romance thriller ‘black princess lady’ and the anti-rude boy opus, ‘cool down your temper.’

one of the very first artists to begin recording in jamaica, derrick morgan is beloved as a ska icon and a pioneer of the ‘skinhead reggae’ style. blessed with a rich, deep tenor, which with he belts out his clever and often humorous lyrics, morgan became known on the kingston music scene through vere johns’ regular talent contests, and enjoyed a lengthy run of hits during the 1960s for producers such as simeon smith, duke reid and clement ‘sir coxsone’ dodd (among others), cultivating a popular vinyl feud with prince buster after being brought into leslie kong’s camp by the young jimmy cliff. morgan moved to england during the late 1960s to capitalise on the skinhead reggae craze, but was back in jamaica from the early 1970s, and since bunny lee was his brother-in-law, the two have always maintained a close working relationship. people decision, voiced at king tubby’s studio for lee and released by third world in 1977, sees morgan in politicised roots reggae mode on songs like ‘let’s build a better jamaica,’ the symbolic racetrack drama ‘racing at ballistic park,’ and the title track, which all boosted the socialist policies of the ruling people’s national party, ‘natty dread forward out of babylon’ updates the ‘tougher than tough’ saga, and there’s a slew of rude tunes when you flip the disc, including ‘my dickie,’ ‘rough grinder’ and ‘ride manny fanny.’

tommy mccook to be leader of the skatalites in the early 1960s, he went on to become the chief exponent of rock steady as leader of the supersonics house band at treasure isle. mccook remained a key session player throughout the reggae era, and during the roots reggae heyday of the mid-1970s, his expressive melodies found particularly strong outlet, especially on the music he created for grassroots producer bunny ‘striker’ lee as a member of the aggrovators, the studio outfit lee hand-picked from the cream of jamaica’s musical crop. when enhanced by the adventurous mixing experiments of king tubby, the engineer that turned dub into an art form, instrumental aggrovators music became positively ethereal, yielding an exceptional listening experience. on king tubby meets the aggrovators at dub station, tommy mccook blows mean sax and flute over dubs of outstanding tracks by johnny clarke, cornell campbell, linval thompson, delroy wilson, and others greats. first issued on third world in 1976, this vinyl reissue comes complete with four thematic bonus tracks, and the whole disc makes for essential listening. reissued on lp and cd with bonus tracks!

the visionary musician and record producer augustus pablo made some of the most unique and individual recordings in the history of reggae. as with his friend and mentor, jackie mittoo, the man born horace swaby was of mixed indian and african heritage, and although his middleclass background might have pointed him in a very different direction, the lure of jamaica’s sound system culture captured him at a young age, particularly after debilitating health problems saw him drop out of school. he began recording as a session keyboardist as the 60s gave way to the 70s, but everything changed when a schoolfriend introduced him to the melodica, a small plastic keyboard operated by a mouthpiece, which he used on seminal recordings for producer herman chin-loy, credited to augustus pablo on release. during the early 1970s, pablo crafted melodica instrumentals for all of the leading reggae producers, scoring ‘best instrumental’ for ‘java’ in 1973, and launching the rockers label to showcase self-produced work at the same time. this multifaceted compilation, first issued on bunny lee’s attack label in 2005, compiles memorable melodica interpretations of some of lee’s greatest productions, recorded over dub cuts of immortal numbers such as cornell campbell’s ‘queen of the minstrel’ and john holt’s ‘my desire.’ reissued on lp and cd with bonus tracks!

eleven tracks courtesy the rockers production team, recorded & mixed by sylvan morris and arranged & produced by the mastermind augustus pablo aka horace swaby (born: june 21, 1954 in st. andrew, jamaica / died: may 18, 1999 in kingston, jamaica). the 1984 compilation album -king david’s melody- was longtime not available and it contains music created between 1975 and 1982 for the rockers and message labels, most were released as singles only previously. here’s the re-issue for the 21st century state-of-the-art remastered with the original catalogue number grel170 featuring melodica masterpieces and deep dubs, all built on augustus pablo’s signature rock solid drum and bass foundations.

das in der karibischen atmosphäre aufgenommene -the temple of i&i- atmet den spirit und den rhythmus jamaikas und klingt wie eine fortsetzung des legendären thievery corporation debütalbums -sounds from the thievery hi-fi- (1996). das duo siedelte für die aufnahmen mit seiner gesamten live-rhythm-section aus washington, dc in die geejam studios in port antonio im herzen jamaikas. dort entstanden mit viel ganja und rum und diversen vokalisten, darunter dem bekannten mr. lif sowie der exzellenten newcomerin aus kingston und ex-miss jamaica, racquel jones, 15 fabelhafte tracks zwischen dub, downbeat, reggae, hiphop und electronica, und damit ein inspirierender nachfolger ihres letzten brazil-albums -saudade- (2014).
das doppel-vinyl erscheint im klappcover, inklusive downloadcode und poster.

the dj/production duo from munich back with four tracks full of bass-heavy excursions into hybrid forms of club music close to grime, dancehall, dub, techno and the yet unnamed territory in between their natural habitat. lead single and first track of the ep is copper and lead, which features london city warlord riko dan of roll deep fame, spitting dangerous lyrics on a bashment/grimeriddim. following this is blurred vision, a low end monster named after their gigantic soundsystem event series, exploring the middle ground between dub and the technoleaning 4x4 universe. up next is killer, a song with warrior queen from jamaica, who prepares for a dancehall dub war on a 808-heavy beat straight from miami,err, munich. topping the ep off is siren riddim, an instrumental uptempo bomb for the apocalypse club gang and all the gunfinger crew.

in search of the perfect piece of veal to create yet another variation of the schnitzel, we ve sent out a team to new york and followed up on a lead regarding taking us all the way to the vibe alleys of kingston, jamaica. the results are just as confusing as they are satisfying, since it turns out that heat, tranquillity as well as endless traffic jams are all factors accountable for a nice and tender slice of deliciousness. the island s variation of up tempo deep tissue massages, as opposed to the confusingly more laidback style of the new york method both make for a great preparation, and are now served on both sides of this schnitzel before you. as always vinyl only and limited to a number that will most likely serve most of you, but probably not all of you.

this monster 1976 lp from nassau s munnings brothers aka beginning of the end is a stone cold classic. fact. well deserving of a place in any record collection! this, their second lp (with 1971s infamous funky nassau preceding it) features the brothers original, fresh sound a mixture of tough funk rhythms, bahamian soul and flourishes of jazz and rock is an extremely well executed and produced body of work. not surprising considering the band were one of the bahamas foremost musical outfits. the brothers musical backgrounds could not have been any more fitting, they cut their teeth playing regularly alongside the likes of nat king cole and count basie at their fathers well known nightclub the cat and the fiddle, what we get on this lp however is not jazz, but lean, melodic soul music! original copies of this seminal lp can change hands for 100 s on the used/second hand market and is a solid constant at the tops of the wants lists of record aficionados. the lp has been illegally reissued numerous times without any care or attention being taken to retain or respect the quality of the amazing music contained within. not so on this occasion, this is a fully legit, sanctioned reissue done in conjunction and with the assistance of miami s tk disco empire. now is the perfect time to revisit the deep, soulful sounds of the munnings brothers endeavours, a truly sublime collection of songs, drenched in sunshine, masterfully produced and performed with pure vitality. a truly classic album. sounding as fresh as it did almost 40 years ago. jump in the water!

12 track album from lennie hibbert released by dub store records.

king sighter war ein eher wenig bekannter reggae-dj, der stilistisch mit i roy oder big youth verglichen wird. das album wurde ursprünglich 1978 von phill pratt produziert und im channel one studio mit the soul syndicate aufgenommen. es erschien in jamaica als master of all von king sighta auf terminal. für das album wurden unter anderem riddims von al campbell’s “foot stool”, delroy webster’s “book of love” und ken boothe’s “who gets your love” verwendet.
limitertes 180 gramm vinyl.

welcome to the rocksteady sound from jamaica. towards the end of 1965 some say due to the extreme heatwave that was hitting the island the people that followed the sound system dances demanded a slower beat so they could still move and groove to the all night musical night affairs. so the jerky ska swing was slowed down to a steady beat that also allowed the songs cut at this time to shine throgh. so sit back and enjoy the tunes that rocked this islands between 1966-1968 the rocksteady sound that hit that town..

raging fyah is the celebrated five-piece band from kingston, jamaica making their name with retro sounding roots reggae riddims and sweet harmonies. the music is thoughtful and melodic, blending the best elements from groups like steel pulse and morgan heritage. “everlasting” is their third studio album and first with vp records and features busy signal, j. boog and jesse royal! the longplayer will carry the dub rockers imprint - an initiative targeting the growing us reggae live scene that has fostered bands like soja, rebelution and slightly stoopid.

the highest heights of 60s nyabinghi music from the drums of ras michael aka king negus fifteen tracks of glorious, devotional rastafarian hymns of praise originally released on rare zion disc singles in extremely limited pressings and never before available outside of jamaica

aquarius heaven is brian brewster, an artist brought up between texas and the caribbean who has laid down some compelling, socially and politically minded verses on magical eps for labels like wolf & lamb and circus company. fusing reggae, dancehall, house and hip hop he is a unique talent who has also worked with dop, miss kittin, ryan crosson, art department, mathias kaden and many more.

tippa lee’s new album cultural ambassador will be released on stones throw, may 20, 2016. tippa lee was born and raised in kingston, jamaica. he started performing on his fathers sound system as a child, standing up on a beer bottle box to reach the mic. he made his first recordings at king tubby‘s studio at the age of 12. eventually he teamed up with rappa robert and as a duo had a number of hits including “no trouble we”, an anthemic statement against police harassment, which was a number one jamaican hit in 1988 and is still played often on jamaican radio. in more recent years he has been based in the us, performing live and releasing his own underground cds. produced by tom chasteen, dj and promoted at la’s long running dub club.
the vinyl lp includes a download code.

tippa lee’s new album cultural ambassador will be released on stones throw, may 20, 2016. available now is the dub version of the album, dub them with reality, mixed by producer tom chasteen (dub club, natural numbers), who has reconfigured the tracks live on the mixing board with echo, reverb and various arcane electronics. the lp covers, in two variations, were screen printed in gold and black by hit & run, with artwork by ellen g. tippa lee was born and raised in kingston, jamaica. he started performing on his fathers sound system as a child, standing up on a beer bottle box to reach the mic. he made his first recordings at king tubby’s studio at the age of 12. eventually he teamed up with rappa robert and as a duo had a number of hits including “no trouble we”, an anthemic statement against police harassment, which was a number one jamaican hit in 1988 and is still played often on jamaican radio. in more recent years he has been based in the us, performing live and releasing his own underground cds.
the vinyl lp includes a download code.

after the new album “still waters” recently released, and sustained by the lively “back for more” and the captivating “2good4me”, breakbot is back with a limited edition ep on translucent vinyl of 4 “get lost” remixes and one exclusive cover by the band jamaica. still with his sidekick irfane, breakbot is more than ever determined to make us dance with a new succession of hits each one more exciting than the last.

soul masooka. the first international african hit, classic groove of summer ’73 gets instant jamaican treatments by ex-melodians brent dowe backed by the gaytones. years before manu dibango came to kingston for a sly & robby session, a tribute had been paid to the “negropolitan”. from coast to coast! from africa to jamaica! this is earth sound!
single sided pressing on translucent red 10 inch vinyl.

friends and fans of tramp records in general, and of the feeling nice series specifically, will be feeling even nicer this time around with the release of this deep and soulful new collection: feeling nice volume 3. these recordings have been painstakingly sought-out and unearthed from as far away as hawaii, canada, and jamaica (in addition to the usual texas, ohio, and georgia). this music has been carefully transferred (in some cases form the sole known copy) and remastered to the highest standards of audio quality. the double vinyl lp comes in gatefold sleeve with bonus 7 inch and download code.

wiederveröffentlichung eines sagenumwobenen dub reggae album auf dem wiederbelebten englischen label burning sounds in einer hochwertigen 180gram edition (re-mastered und mit linernotes). das originalalbum erschien 1978 auf dem label jamaica sound (mit der katalog-nr. jslp 006), europäische pressungen gab es in 1979 für frankreich bei rca und für deutschland bei der fa. bellaphon. laut experten finden sich hier dub-versionen der bunny lee studio band the aggrovators zu dillingers warrior, sugar minott und weiteren noch nicht identifizierten originalen!

9 track lp of original material from zoovox. made with classic sounds of ana-digi machines of yore and filtered through some norman whitfield-in-jamaica 3d psychedelic dub. music to ride to the depths in your submarine, then climb tropical volcanoes with your gorilla pals.

our ninth record delivers a wonderful sampling of what we call bay area to berlin. that is, these are all tracks made by friends and family who ve moved from california s bay area to berlin.

special dub version of mandingos original track, another night on earth. this is an extended alternate version of the original which appears on bc009_909 modern underground v.3. it sounds like a spaced out house groove with some chicago style stabs, jamaica style rubs and detroit style chords. this is a strictly limited one-sided 12 release.

phoenix knight was born in may 1992 at the infamous castlemorton free festival slap bang in the middle of digs & wooshs now legendary set on the diy soundsystem.

it seems like no part of the world has evaded discos ubiquitous inuence, including the caribbean. the caribbean in the late 70s and early 80s was a hotbed of musical activity and this compilation focuses on the best disco-inuenced tracks from trinidad and tobago, jamaica, and the bahamas. all of the tracks here were ocially licensed and reissued for the first time ever. highlights of the 13 tracks included on this compilation are: the under-the-radar cosmic disco tune -got to have you- by joanne wilson, a rare p&p records-inuenced track -dance with me- by odessey one, the icy cool synth-trenched -living on a string- by wild fire, the incredible dance oor-friendly -instant funk- by merchant, and the disco reggae cover of -rapper s delight- by prince blackman. this compilation was compiled and researched by deano sounds and includes edits by al kent, the whiskey barons, and waxist selecta.

summertime has passed and so has the time for relaxing. autumnal vibes and serious atmospheres are back and throne of bloods latest fits right in. marking the imprints very first collaboration with another imprint, the throne of black catalogue ep sees nyc mainstay pixelife (lets play house, horn wax) dropping two new originals alongside brand new jams from australias carter brothers (black catalogue, defected) and black catalogue mainman monty luke(mothership, planet e, black catalogue)

percep-tion is an electronic music label founded in 2013. homebase will be berlin, germany and amsterdam in holland. the music will vary from house to techno, but always of high quality and with the best producers in the scene.percep-tion is not just a music label i, we are also doing exhibitions and parties throughout europe. the designer of the label is herr von bias one of berlins fastest upcoming street art stars.
the first release is called jamaican summer and is build around a voice sample by one of the founders of rock steady from jamaica. remixes are made by jay tripwire, david alvarado and diego krause.

listening to flaws its hard to believe denai moore is only 19. born in spanish town in jamaica in 1993, she grew up surrounded by her musician fathers instruments and record collection at home, and by the time her family moved to tottenham, london when she was 10 she was already displaying songwriting abilities beyond her years.

from the ska era to reggay, earth sound, the roots of roots, brings you rare and exclusive tunes fully remastered for a crisp sound on vinyl.
the first release is the ultra rare earth sound, a bongo-led instrumental by the mountaineers, featuring rocksteady session man aubrey adams and best jazz guitarist on the island: ernest ranglin. recorded in 1970 at dynamic sounds, this session had been produced by the late sonia pottinger (i was one for drums). this is rasta-going-spiritual jazz. this is africa talking to the world through jamaica. this is bongo man jazz! limited edition of 500 copies.

if you ask the canadian producer and dj edward currelly aka eddie c to name you some things he havent done yet but always wanted he answers: visit greenland. Êsell 45s off the back of my motorcycle in jamaica. those who know the music of the former countryman that left the canadian nature to get inspired by the lively culture jungle of berlin get a winking smile on their lips.

this artist that s also known as simoncino takes on the second release for the conservation department series with a four track ep. the title track leads off and is followed by the killer groove on underwater sunlight. jamaica girls & lay it on the line on the flip bring more disco dance.

van she liefern ihre bislang unbeschwerteste und gleichzeitig präziseste arbeit ab. wie der titel schon verrät, ist >idea of happiness<, der nachfolger ihres 2008er debüts >v< (top 10 australien), mit songs wie >calypso<, >jamaica< oder >coconuts<, ein trip voller sonniger lichtfluten und flüchtiger wahrheiten. die band nahm sich reichlich zeit und muse, um das album in ruhe und bis ins letzte detail in sydney auszuproduzieren und übergab es dann zur finalen abmischung an tony hoffer aus dem sonnigen los angeles, der bereits werken von air, phoenix, m83 oder beck zu ihrem glanz verhalf.
code für kostenlosen mp3-download des albums inklusive.

over the course of a year, keith fullerton whitman performed a piece of live electronic music a few dozen times entitled >generator<. the debut was given in san francisco at root stratas on land festival at cafe du nord on september 19th, 2009 … over the months that followed stagings took place in venues ranging from flooded basements to festival stages in baltimore, boston, brooklyn, chicago, easthampton, iowa city, jamaica plain, northampton, raleigh, saint louis, san francisco, somerville, & washington d.c.
this lp covers the final two performances of the piece over two consecutive evenings , the opening solo set from the final night of high zero festival in baltimore at the theater project, september 26th, 2010, then the performance during the for eliane night of the propensity of sound festival dedicated to eliane radigues work at issue project room, brooklyn, september 27th, 2010. these recordings show the piece in two different iterations, taking two different trajectories entirely. they are considered as the definitive versions of the piece.

limited edition box set, containing 7 x 7 inch vinyl and code for free mp3 download of all tracks.

originally recorded for chris blackwell of island records the rights of ‘life of contradiction’ were then given to joe higgs who released the album in jamaica and the u.k. in 1975. it was immediately obvious that this was a unique collection coming from a completely different direction to the other reggae releases of the period. although joe had first recorded some of the songs in the early sixties for studio one it was as if he was at last able to realise a vision of his own music that had previously been denied to him: either by financial constraints or from not having the right situation with the right musicians.

as 2011 unfolds, ld very much retains his own sound drawing from his roots: drum pan sounds of jamaica resonating throughout, flashes of soca drums, subtle tribal nuances, and the ghost of jungle reverberating in the warm, pulsating sub bass. it seems now is very much the time for ld to make the transition from behind the scenes and into the limelight.

studio one women is the latest in the series of studio one compilations released by soul jazz records. ska, rocksteady, funky reggae, roots, dub mixes, disco mixes, they are all here from the queens of the jamaican music scene. studio one women features a wide mix of classics and obscurities from the finest female voices in reggae. until now most of these tracks have only ever been available as extremely hard to find jamaican 7 inch and 12 inch singles and even if you were lucky enough to find them they d cost you a small fortune! marcia griffiths and rita marley (here with her first group the soulettes) are two of jamaicas most famous female singers hugely popular today. both these artists became internationally famous as the i – threes (along with judy mowatt), bob marleys backing singers alongside the wailers. also featured are hortense ellis, sister of alton who cut many smash hit on the island and jennifer lara, a lady who had a long career with studio one, singing on countless sides until she sadly passed away earlier this year. studio one is the greatest label in the history of reggae and is the foundation of all reggae music. it is where virtually every world renowned jamaican superstar started out, bob marley and the wailers included. under the guidance of the legendary clement >coxsone< dodd the musicians at studio one recorded hundreds of instrumental rhythms which still provide the backbone for many of the records made in jamaica today.

you might not be aware of this artist or lp… but thats all about to change. this is the holy grail of cosmic disco… that disco kids dont even know yet. released in 1978 on little known inter global records, this lp is one of the most in demand, expensive & undiscovered albums of this genre. just check discogs! not much is known about the group, where their from or what they went on to do, but that doesnt stop every track on this album being a bonafide killer. arguably the albums highlight is jamaica electric, but unlike most cosmic disco lps where there is just one main track, every outing on this lp is unique and of the highest quality. cosmic, mind bending disco at its finest… sounding so fresh it couldve been made by prins thomas or lindstrom this year.

taking influence from reggae, lotek explores the evolution of hip hop by way of the reggae sound system culture. he looks to jamaica for inspiration and takes pride in continuing the tradition of uk artists working with, and interpreting, the sounds of jamaica.

the legendary skatalites, alongside the later studio one in-house bands - the soul vendors, sound dimension, soul defenders and brentford road all stars ? were as much a part of the classic studio one sound as were the singers that they accompanied such as alton ellis, horace andy, marcia griffiths and bob marley and the wailers. this album features many of the musicians involved with studio one who literally defined reggae music. from the skatalites members tommy mccook, roland alphonso, jackie mittoo to killer sidemen such as trombonist vin gordon (a/k/a don drummond jnr), saxophonist cedric im brooks, keyboardist and twelve tribes of israel member pablove black. many of the rhythms that these musicians created became the back-bone of the jamaican musical world and their songs have been replayed and re-versioned by 1000s of reggae producers ever-since. the album features classic and super-rare tracks all recorded under clement ?sir coxsoneÊ doddÊs supervision at the legendary recording studio and record label. as well as sixteen killer tracks the album comes with new sleevenotes and photography by dennis morris and adrian boot making this another essential studio one reggae release for connoisseurs of reggae and newcomers alike.