Review: Jamaican reggae legend Horace Andy has many great tunes in his back catalogue, but 'Get Down' is a classic roots gem often said to be one of his best. It's a signature sound with his trademark smooth and soulful vocals and is known for its deep, socially conscious lyrics and heavy bassline. This is one of those tunes that showcases Andy's ability to blend powerful messages with mellow rhythms and now gets pressed up to a tidy limited green smokey vinyl 7" thanks to Ruderalis. It comes with a fine instrumental version on the B-side
Dennis Bovell Dub Band - "Suffrah Dub" (Sufferer Sound Disco 45)
Pebbles - "Positive Vibrations"
Cosmic Idren - "Compelled"
Dennis Curtis - "Come With Me"
Matumbi - "Dub Planet"
Afrcian Stone - "Run Rasta Run"
Matumbi - "Fire Dub"
Errol Campbell - "Jah Man"
Young Lions - "Take Dub"
Dennis Bovell & Janet Kay - "Game Of Dubs"
Afrcian Stone - "Dub Choice"
Angelique - "Cry"
DB At The Controls - "Crying"
Review: Dennis Bovell's Sufferer Sounds compilation highlights a pivotal period in his prolific and diverse career, focusing on his work from 1976 to 1980. Best known for traversing reggae, dub, lovers rock, post-punk and disco, Bovell's production genius is evident throughout the album. Featuring deep cuts and lesser-known versions, the compilation includes works from his time with the Jah Sufferer Sound System, showcasing Bovell's ability to craft dynamic, emotionally resonant music. The CD version offers 15 tracks, including a rare dub mix of Janet Kay's iconic hit 'Silly Games', lovingly restored and remastered at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. This version features Bovell's intricate arrangements with a pristine sound, allowing the listener to fully appreciate the depth of his production. Accompanied by track-by-track notes written by Bovell himself, Sufferer Sounds offers fascinating insights into the creation of these tracks, bringing listeners closer to the mind of a reggae pioneer. This carefully sequenced collection showcases Bovell's versatility across reggae, dub, and lovers rock, making it an essential listen.
Review: Gun Fevah' and 'Wise Man' are the latest offerings from Champion Sound, blending halftime rhythms and jungle aesthetics into a seamless package of dub-infused tracks. Formed in the Russian underground, the crew behind this 7" came together through a shared love of reggae. Neekeetone's drums and Koondoongoo's bass laid the foundation, with the pair meeting Distant Roots at Dub Raw Camp in the Caucasus. It's clear that these global influences have seeped into the record. Released on 45Seven, a label known for pushing the boundaries of dubby jungle, this release feels both rooted in tradition and forward-thinking. 'Gun Fevah' opens with echoing horns and skanks before plunging into a murky jungle atmosphere, driven by sharp halftime snares. It's all about building tension, the kind of track that doesn't rush to make its impact but lingers, unhurried yet potent. On the flip side, 'Wise Man' takes a more familiar route, evoking Sesame's Treat with its playful energy, carried by a bassline that's endlessly rolling and hypnotic. The duo's mastery of space and depth makes these tunes perfect for sound system sessions, where each element resonates fully. It's dub music with a jungle twist, looking both back to its origins and ahead to its future.
Review: Johnny Clarke and Earth & Stone cooked up some real magic with 'Babylon'. It's a sumptuous sound that offers a symbolic representation of societal oppression and injustice. With Johnny Clarke's haunting vocals and Earth & Stone's mesmerising rhythms, the tune becomes a poignant commentary on the struggles of the marginalised and the quest for freedom. Through those lyrics and hypnotic melodies, it confronts issues of systemic inequality and political corruption, urging people to rise against oppression. As such it is anther great tune that proves the enduring relevance of reggae as a voice for the oppressed.
Review: Dice The Boss (Hopeton Reid) is a rags to riches story in music.Coming from a very poor area in Kingston Jamaica to then emigrating to London in the late 60s where he MC-ed for Duke Vin & recorded many great records for the UK/Jamaican booming new Reggae market in its infancy on the shoulders of the Bluebeat & Ska & Rock Steady music scene. Two of those early classics are 'Tea House From Emperor Roscoe' and 'Brixton Cat'.from 1969 and 1970 respectfully. Both influential and very rare to be had on an original physical copy. Thankfully, Harlem Shuffle is here to make these gems more available.
Yekermo Sew (feat Don De, Craig Crofton, Piotr Zabrodzki) (4:12)
Yekermo Sew (feat Don De, Craig Crofton, Piotr Zabrodzki - dub) (4:12)
Review: Dreadsquad's latest single marks the first glimpse of an upcoming instrumental dub album and pays homage to a pivotal moment in world music history. In 2005, Jim Jarmusch's film Broken Flowers introduced global audiences to Ethiopian jazz, particularly through the hauntingly beautiful 'Yekermo Sew' by Mulatu Astatke, who is considered the father of Ethio-jazz. Now reimagined as a reggae dub track, Dreadsquad has replaced electronic elements with live instrumentation and worked with an international team of musicians. Meaning "man of experience and wisdom" in Amharic, 'Yekermo Sew' reflects Dreadsquad's seasoned journey across continents and reaffirms the universal truth that music transcends all boundaries.
Review: Room In The Sky's latest limited edition release showcases The Inn House Crew and delivers some heavyweight roots rockers dubs featuring an impressive lineup of musicians from Jamaica and the UK. The collection includes performances by legends like Sly Dunbar, Flabba Holt, Vin Gordon, and Robbie Lyn, alongside talents such as Ben Bell, Horseman, and Jerry Lionz. Recorded at renowned studios like Tuff Gong in Jamaica and Ariwa, this is a record that is steeped in authentic roots vibes. The DIY-inspired artwork, featuring eco-friendly, inside-out sleeves, complements the music's raw and organic feel and makes it a must-cop for roots dub enthusiasts, especially as this pressing comes in a lovely scree-printed jacket so beautifully celebrates some deft craftsmanship and real heritage.
Review: Following their relocation to the United States in the early 1980s, roots reggae pioneers Israel Vibration found a home on Real Authentic Sound, the label helmed by Washington D.C-based entrepreneur and producer Doctor Dread (real name Gary Himelfarb). He took over behind the desk, producing and mixing a string of albums in the late 80s and '90s - including this freshly remastered gem from 1995. In keeping with the reggae style of the time, the sound blends digital and acoustic instrumentation - synths, drum machines, guitar and bass, basically - with the band's effortlessly soulful vocals sitting atop. Highlights are plentiful, from sun-soaked opener 'Mr Consular Man' and the organ-splashed shuffler 'Rebel For Real', to fan favourite 'Rude Boy Shufflin' and the conscious 'Struggling Youth'.
Review: A roots reggae vocal trio, Israel Vibration was modeled after the tradition of Culture, whom they recall in both their harmonies and their politically-charged Rasta concerns. On Praises, the group is backed by the crack reggae rhythm unit the Roots Radics as well as the RAS Brass, while lead vocals and songwriting duties are spread out among the core unit. The subject matter is a laundry list of Rasta issues, including social injustice, Jah, the threat of war and positive vibrations. Sage, nourishing itals of sound spring from our speakers like delectable dub treats, as the trio talents of Apple, Skelly and Wiss (Lascelle Bulgin, Cecil Spence and Albert Craig) effuse from this fervent ninth reggae album by the band, first released on Real Authentic Sound.
Review: Sonic gastronomists come therapists Ital Counselor serve the scene as musical physicians, prognosing the soul food hygiene ratings of each dub bit that comes their way, as they see fit. On the releasing side of things, however, their output meets the consistent quality of whatever the reggae equivalent of a Michelin star is. Welcoming reggaeist, melodica player and vocalist Hughie Izachaar to the fold for a debut single release after a ridonkulous string of releases kept steady since the early 1980s, 'Do You Really Know' carries an authentic vintage charm and yet is actually a brand new track; it hears Izachaar singjay with a birdlike glide, impressively navigating a bouncy dub firmament, using the genre's characteristic elegiac vibe to ask us if we really know what it's like to know righteousness. We're only a chosen few, after all...
A Thousand White Kites Flying High Above The Sea (3:43)
Review: Leo James is back on his own Body Language label with a sixth tasteful take on breakbeat-driven sounds. He shows his range here with different grooves all exploring different moments. 'Better Days' is one that has you gazing off to the middle distance, lost in the rueful pads. 'Olive Grove' is a slowed-down and dubbed-out sound with lots of lovely reverb and 'Burst The Gates' is a deep digi-dub style cut with angelic vocals. 'A Thousand White Kites Flying High Above The Sea' is the ambient laced downtempo closer for late-night dreaming.
Review: King Stanley and Indica Dubs deliver impressive harmonic weight to the London-based Guree Roots 7"s imprint, and tap into a nostalgic memory of better musical times with 'Bring Back The Vibes' and its inverse dub. The singer, songwriter, One Nation Sound System member and producer Stanley takes centre vocal stage on Indica's framing, laying down a heavily homesick narration set to a digi-steppers' churn. For those who like their dub and dubstep merged, this is the one, though don't let Stanley's memorial turn fool you; his tunes, this one mere the latest among them, still hit heavy on floors. Indica's version shines just as brightly on its own on the B-side.
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