Back in stock: Reggae

Review: Cheeba's Reggae Sound Boys kicks off the Reggae 45 Series with a serious nod to Jamaica's golden era, reworking those unmistakable 60s and 70s vibes with a fresh, inventive spin. Think skanking rhythms and basslines so deep they'll rattle your bones, all layered with clever samples and a dash of FX magic. It's a perfect blend of old-school roots and new-school flair, guaranteed to light up the dance. Pressed on limited green vinyl, this one's pure fire for reggae heads and beat lovers alike.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Ghost Dubs aka. Michael Fiedler returns to pile on the Pressure. Following recent acclaim-gatherer Damaged, this extension of the LP further serves to distend the dub, surveying and excavating fossil-rich terrains of soiled bass and coarse texture. Six reconstructed dub reformations, only two tracks, ';Chemical Version' and 'Wired Version', were previously available digitally; both introduce the record as warped yet unassuming undercuts, ripe for the meditating-to. 'Thin Dub' dissolves the mood into an echo-drenched texture; the track is marked by an up-down, contradistinct set of tuned impacts. 'Dub Craft', meanwhile, snatches the crown for most subby tune of the year.

Review: Hyped in hushed tones, the latest dubbing by studio troubadour Mad Professor has been so successfully kept under wraps, that relevant preview clips and contextual info online for it remain intentionally, ambiguously short, and relatively impervious to sleuthing. Of course, this would reflect the anxious ambivalence of wholesalers to unleash it back into to the wild; it only goes with the territory of dubplate culture! But they may have good reason to um and ahh, since this is a rare, and perhaps the only, example of a Mad Professor rerub of a Marvin Gaye tune, and not just any: it's none other than 'What's Going On?', of course! The version first surfaced on KLTY Radio and has never heard a proper release since. Avianca Dubs does the honours of ducting two versions on wax, in what is sure to be a faster-than-light shelf-clearer...