steppas records presents ‘osaka steppas’ vol. 3, the third in a series of releases showcasing the japanese underground dub movement. this edition features osaka producers hiroshi and roots masashi in collaboration with spanish producer ojah and well-respected uk singer rudey lee. the osaka steppas’ raw and unrelenting sound developed in the subterranean clubs of osaka, a port city famous for its counterculture night life. inspired not only by the sounds of jamaica, but also drawing inspiration from uk and european soundsystem culture with enough bassweight to test even the toughest of soundsystems. presented in a beautifully designed full colour sleeve inspired by the works of the legendary ukiyo-e woodblock artist, hokusai. this release is not to be missed. side a features an earth rocker riddim from ojah & hiroshi, with conscious lyrics sung by the legendary rudey lee. side b features a much sought after dubplate from osaka producer roots masashi, a deep, dark & mystical steppa.

tripping, current digital dub reggae steppers.

limited edition of 500 numbered copies.

the chisa years: 1965–1975 (rare and unreleased) is a compilation album by south african jazz trumpeter hugh masekela. the album consists of 14 rare or forgotten tracks recorded by stewart levine and hugh masekela from 1965 to 1975 when they ran their own chisa records label. thom jurek of allmusic wrote “in sum, there isn’t a weak moment on this entire collection. it’s appeal is wide and deep and one can only hope this is the first of many volumes of this material to appear. bbe records has done a stellar job in making this slab available.” dan nishimoto of the prefix magazine stated “the compilation focuses on masekela’s original idea of “african american music.” from the early experiments of the zulus (a group featuring m’bulu) in mixing doo-wop, rhythm & blues and south african gospel and the mbaqanga/”grazing in the grass”-style work of the generically named johannesburg street band to the clearly fela-influenced ojah (masekela’s band in the mid-’70s, consisting of players from ghana and nigeria) and the readyfor-primetime belting of m’bulu, each track reveals a multi-pronged effort to find and challenge the notion(s) of how african and american cultural forms could interact.”