Back catalogue: Reggae

Review: Here's a proper genre fusion for the dancehall heads. On his latest reissue, Robert 'Dubwise' Browne testifies to over 20 years of hitmaking with a standalone 7" edition of his remix of Ramsey Lewis' 'Sun Goddess', first released on Vortex in 2023. Whereas Lewis' original 70s funk version is a sweet and sunkissed headboard-licker with a simple backbeat, Browne prefers to cant things dubwise, swapping the aforementioned out for a phat dotted stomp. Clock the new pairing with Browne's version of Grover Washington's jazz-funk classic 'Mister Magic'.

Review: Junior Delgado's album It Takes Two To Tango on the Fashion label arrived in 1986 and brought plenty of new ideas to the dancehall and lovers rock sounds of the time. It is one of an impressive 22 he has penned over his long career and now the title track from it has been pressed up to this 7" courtesy of the Real Rock imprint. 'It Takes Two To Tango' is a nice heavy roller with fat drums and bass and some great vocal work up top. On the flip is 'Jux In' (dub) which is a version of the A-side by Jux & The A Class Crew which adds some nice shiny synth smears that swirl about the mix.

Review: The Flesh & Blood label kicks on here with a nice blood-red vinyl 7" featuring a hard-hitting new tune from Dixie Peach. 'Rebel Muzik' hits plenty of key dancehall hallmarks - the shiny, metallic digital chords, the stepping rhythms, the swaggering bass down low and some fine bars up top. On the flip, you can find a more heady and stripped-back version with some melon-twisting effects and dangling piano chords courtesy of the in-house Flesh & Blood Posse's own version. Plenty of damage will done with either of these providing they are played loud and at the right time.

Review: The figurative "battle weapon" is a kind of warring sonic heuristic; a dirty, up-your-sleeve musical "tool" made expressly for the MVP DJ to use in times of soundclash-y trouble. The Battle Weapons label know this all too well, and here they welcome new trainee assailant DJ Maars to demo his skills in the colosseum, bridging a fine line of recognisability and productive sample-flippage. 'A Nah Gun Nah Heat' brews Snoop Dogg's 'Drop It Like It's Hot' and Doug E. Fresh's 'La-Di-Da-Di' to delicious acapella effect, whilst 'Feel Like Standing' smashes Ludacris and Marcia Griffiths in an almost fated blend. Why didn't anyone else think of these before?

Review: An eagerly awaited repress of DJ Shepdog's 2006 mashup of Damian Marley's 'Welcome To Jamrock' with Dead Prez's 'It's Bigger Than Hip Hop', effortlessly juxtaposing one of contemporary dancehall's most iconic vocals with undeniably one of the fattest basslines ever laid. This iconic pairing is flanked by ultra fun cut 'Sleng Hop' uniting the original Dead Prez acapella with another of the world's most famous basslines- Prince Jammy's Casiotone MT-40 'rock & roll' rhythm... You do the math!

Review: The proverbial 'Soundboy Killa' is an enduring trope in soundsystem culture at large, referring to the apparently inherent enmity and villainy of the turntablist. Said to have originated in the days of system clashes, the assassin in question presumably refers to the opposing MC, whose barraging verbiage may pack enough semiotic punch to K.O. the opposition through mere utterances alone. Here Natty Campbell and the Freestylers pay tribute to the theme as progeny of the 90s big beat scene; having come up in the age of Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, the supergroup first faced off in a whirl of tricky dub and armour-plated cold cuttage, dispatching two honorary tracks in the style of each artists' respective greatest scene-hitters: Dub Pistols' 'Cyclone' and Freestylers' 'Roughneck'. Now 'Soundboy Killa' and 'Jump On It' in turn hear a remix from Allergies and Guadi & Don Letts, the latter of which is especially experimental in its use of a peaky, 2-step shuffle.

Review: Polish dub home-brewers Moonshine Recordings have commissioned an exceptional new release here from Bukkha, Dubbing Sun and Burro Banton; 'A1 Sound' really is more than worthy of its pronounced place at the top of the list, thanks to its unique fusion of heavyweight steppers dub production and a hardcore, doubletime beat worthy of any warehouse rave. The track bares an unusual push-pull, and it seamlessly introduces the A3 jungle mix too, whose tempo and pace matches the first two versions' dragged weightiness. But here it's all three artists' productive synergies that shine, the original mix flaunting a restlessly fickle fencing between hardcore techno, brusque rap-jaying and nu system dub, never totally settling on either sound.

Review: Jstar and Dubmatix's Scenario is an infectious mash-up of A Tribe Called Quest's 1992 classic, seamlessly blending hip-hop with dub and reggae influences. The remix revitalises the iconic track, infusing it with a modern, bass-heavy groove while retaining its original energy and lyrical parts. The instrumental version stands out on its own, showcasing the intricate production work and the deep, resonant basslines characteristic of Dubmatix. This remix respects the legacy of the original track while introducing it to a new generation.

Review: Daddy Yankee's Barrio Fino, the groundbreaking album that catapulted reggaeton into the global spotlight, is a genre-defining work of art for the sound. Released in 2004, this album introduced audiences to the pulsating rhythms of reggaeton through the indelible hit 'Gasolina', a track that became an anthem of the era. With its infectious hook and driving beats, it blazed a trail for reggaeton's international success. The album shows Daddy Yankee's versatility, juxtaposing high-energy tracks with more introspective moments. 'Dale Caliente' fires with explosive reggaeton rhythms and brash confidence, while 'Corazones' delves into social commentary, addressing the violence in Puerto Rican neighborhoods and calling for unity. Tracks like 'Like You' and 'No Me Dejes Solo' reveal the genre's romantic side, blending reggaeton with r&b influences to create crossover appeal. Produced by Luny Tunes, the album fuses traditional reggaeton with elements from other Latin genres, including salsa and merengue, amplifying its broad appeal. Despite some predictable beats, the album's emotional depth and cultural commentary cement its status as a landmark in reggaeton's evolution, reflecting both its roots and its future. 20 years later, this release is celebrated by this limited gatefold white edition

Review: All Bad Boy & All Good Girl is a fascinating mixtape, first released in 2022, documenting the few and rare radio broadcasts that propagated a now-elusive, but decade-long, Mancunian form of street soul. Lasting from at least the mid-1980s to the mid 1990s, this exciting ream of 'extracts', here on the vinyl version coming as a playlist of nine, transports us right back to this scratchy, no-holds-barred chuggers' sound. Featuring DIY cassette recordings of bands such as Broadway, Stereo Dan and Soul Control playing live at dances and blues parties in south & central Manchester from 1988 through to 1996, Death Is Not The End do a stellar job as ever of compiling the most exquisite forgotten tracks in the style, as though they'd been beamed into the present through a trans-temporal airwave. Packed with the radio phase distortion, hiss, vocal and SFX interjections, dub sirens and delay-outs, this is much more than just a functional soulful soundclash.

Review: The brilliant Death Is Not The End has always done a great job of digging into niche scenes and serving up great albums that document them. Here the label presents a mixtape-style collection featuring live recordings from London's Notting Hill Carnival, spanning 1984 to 1988. Originally aired on NTS Radio in August 2018, this release marks a milestone in their 10th-anniversary series and it now comes on cassette. Highlights include sounds from renowned systems like Jamdown Rockers, Saxon, Java Nuclear Power, Killerwatt Turbotronic, Stereograph, Sir Coxsone, and Volcano Express. The audio, meticulously curated by the Who Cork The Dance crew, features contributions from Jayman, Ruff House, Keimo, Omar, Gee Wizz and Jah Humble.

Review: If you like your reggae true to the original sound then this one is likely already long on your want list. It's a stone-cold classic from Dillinger that was one of the great DJ albums for Studio One back in the mid-1970s. It is packed with classic rhythms that were all produced with the expert guidance of Clement Dodd. Ready Natty Dreadie features non-stop highlights such as 'Pretty Looks' and 'Ten to One', the weighty low end of 'Full Up' and the magical top lines of 'Creation Rebel'. A crucial reissue.