New releases last four weeks: Roots/Lovers Rock

Review: Spanish musician Bass Lee delivers a strong debut instrumental album with Roots across 10 tracks of deep roots rockers led by his signature melodica. The collection was produced alongside Roberto Sanchez at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio and features standout tracks like the uplifting 'Enlightenment' and the meditative nyahbinghi-inspired 'East African Rift.' The album was developed during a studio session that also birthed albums by Clive Matthews and Lone Ark Riddim Force and completes a trilogy focused on timeless reggae foundations that are rich in analogue warmth and melodic finesse. All of this affirms Bass Lee's place in the new wave of roots reggae musicians pushing the genre forward.

Review: Originally released in 1990, Love Dub is a landmark in the dub landscape that reimagined the group's iconic material through a deeper sonic lens. With the legendary Prince Jammy at the controls, the album strips the majority of the vocals and amplifies the essence of the Black Uhuru sound-throbbing basslines, hypnotic rhythms and masterful use of echo, delay and reverb. Each track unfolds into a spacious, atmospheric journey that pushes the boundaries of reggae into more experimental terrain. Love Dub is more than a reinterpretation-it's a testament to Black Uhuru's legacy and Prince Jammy's visionary touch.

Review: Built on two decades of collaboration between drummer Sam Hobbs and bassist Neil Innes - no relation to the Monty Python and Rutles man of the same name - the pair's new ATA project blends rootsy Jamaican groove with the syncopated strut of New Orleans funk. Though technically a new release, it's more a continuation than a debut: the lineup includes jazz organist Bob Birch and session guitarist Chris Dawkins, drawing from deep wells of soul, rocksteady and r&b. Tracks like 'Grafter' and 'Bust Up' land squarely in the crossover zone between Studio One and The Metersiraw but slick, with a tight pocket and loose-limbed flair. 'An Autumn Sun' leans sweet and sentimental, while 'Strong Fish' pays organ-heavy homage to Jackie Mittoo's Hot Milk-era work. Elsewhere, 'Power Cut' and 'Night Bus' arrive with horn motifs that seem tailored to I Roy-style toasting, and 'Tough Swagger' is a heavy-lidded jam that could've wandered in off a Bunny Lee tape. But it's 'Iron Fist' that best captures the group's method: groove-first, melody-second, built on intuition and the friction of mismatched rhythms. Despite the vintage touchstones, it never feels like pasticheithe record balances reverence with invention, keeping one foot in Kingston and the other in Treme. For a group with so much history, it sounds impressively fresh.

Review: 70s and early 80s Jamaican producer Keith Hudson's approach to dub was never about smooth edges or easy rhythms. His productions are dense, disorienting, heavy with delay, bass and drums that sound like they're ricocheting down a well. The Soul Syndicate, his long-time studio band, provide the backbone hereideeply locked-in grooves that Hudson warps into something ghostly. 'No Commitment' staggers forward with stabbing guitar chops that seem to dissolve mid-strike, while 'Ire Ire' loops through warped vocal fragments and echo chambers that stretch into infinity. 'Bad Things' and its dub counterpart pull apart the rhythm until it feels skeletal, each hit landing in the empty space between delay trails. Hudson's use of reverb and tape manipulation isn't just about atmosphere, but about control as well. He shifts and reshapes the mix to turn steady rhythms into something unsteady, always shifting just out of reach. 'Desiree' drifts through flickering hi-hats and cavernous low-end, while 'Keeping Us Together' seems to slow down and speed up in the same breath. There's something darker, more claustrophobic in the way he structures space and silence. Even the brighter moments, like 'Mercy' with its open, rolling groove, carry an unease, as if the music itself is bracing for collapse. Hudson was an architect of mood, twisting familiar elements into something deeply immersive and strangely hypnotic.

Review: Leeds' Iration Steppas have spent over three decades reshaping dub into a raw, high-voltage force, blending classic roots selections with futuristic, bass-heavy energy. Here, Mark Iration delves into the Greensleeves archives, curating a deep selection of foundation cuts that have fuelled their sets since the early 90s. The first disc centres on heavyweight vocal performances - Michael Prophet's 'Righteous Are The Conqueror' and Johnny Osbourne's 'Mr Marshall' embody roots reggae at its most defiant, while Ranking Dread's 'Shut Me Mouth' and Wailing Souls' 'Busnah' channel the militant energy of early dancehall. The second disc turns up the pressure, diving into dub with Roots Radics' 'Conquering Dub', Augustus Pablo's 'Revolution Dub' and The Revolutionaires' 'Respect The Version'. Following the success of Down In Dub From The Vault, this latest Soundsystem series instalment reframes vintage selections through the seismic weight of Iration Steppas' vision.

Review: This ten-track dub sizzler is an essential long player that delivers five vocal cuts and five dub versions, oof of which do a fine job of spotlighting early 80s Roots Radics magic. It takes in a mix of long-requested classics and five previously unreleased tracks, which all add fresh fire to the legacy of vintage dancehall. This album forms a brilliant trio alongside the great Wayne Jarrett's What's Wrong With the Youths and Chip In albums for Jah Life and Junjo Lawes. The music's raw, rootsy energy is palpable in all cuts, and the timing couldn't be better as this is perfect summer soundtrack tackle.

Review: Veteran Wackie's artist and reggae don Coozie Mellers returns with a fresh ten-track long player that bridges the label's deep roots heritage with modern reggae sensibilities. It blends crisp digital rhythms with heartfelt lovers' rock and roots textures and features the standout track 'You Move', which was previously released as a 10" single in 2015. Mellers' vocals are beautifully soulful and glide over the smart dubwise arrangements and bring a mix of both warmth and grit, with jams like 'Special Friend' unfurling slowly and seductively and 'Your Love Is Dangerous' being sentimental heart swellers.

Review: Slowly over the years, Pachyman has whetted his dub reggae knife on a premium steel, reverse-engineering then rip-up-restarting the time-honoured techniques of legends King Tubby and Scientist, precisely piercing their sound with the pointed instruments of vintage gear and layer-caked bass. Another Place expands now on his vision, always returning to radical roots that otherwise often go unfairly unmentioned by dub historians - William Onyeabor's synthpop, YMO's new wave kooks, Basic Channel's ambient dub - all of which were contemporaries to the 70s sound. The result is a perfect ten of welling hertz-ology, from the studied 'Calor Ahora' to the simmering enveloper 'A.D.S.H.'

Review: Prince Far I's debut album was originally released in 1976 and produced by Lloydie Slim. It's a powerful and spiritual work in the roots and lovers rock world and features Far I chanting Psalms and prayers over heavyweight rhythms including reworks of Alton Ellis' 'Truly,' Ronnie Davis' 'Power of Love' which was also used on Horace Andy's 'You Are My Angel', and the thunderous 'Jah Jah Jahovia.' Although previously reissued over a decade ago, this new edition comes with original artwork and is pressed from fresh stampers made using the original mother plates. The result is a deep, full sound that faithfully captures the richness of the original Jamaican mastering.

Review: Kamikaze Dub from 1979 is a cornerstone of dub that has long been beloved by heads and considered an essential inclusion in any serious record collection. Emerging from King Tubby's legendary studio,Prince Jammy's take on dub of the day redefined the genre. It was psychedelic, minimal and masterfully produced, so is perfect for getting lost in on a nice hot day. Featuring dub legends like Sly & Robbie, Augustus Pablo and 'Deadly' Headley Bennett, the newly reissued gem is a showcase of top-tier musicianship and studio innovation that remains timeless and endlessly listenable. In short, Kamikaze Dub set a new standard for Jamaican music and inspired a wave of producers to explore its superbly swirling textures.

Review: Originally released on UK label Jam Sounds in 1975, this rare album brought together members of the legendary Skatalites, namely Lloyd Brevette, Lloyd Knibb, Ernest Ranglin, Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook with session greats like Horsemouth, Augustus Pablo and members of Ras Michael's Sons of Negus. Recorded across various Kingston studios including Black Ark and Aquarius, it was mixed at King Tubby's, though exact details remain unclear. Because it was initially pressed in limited quantities, it went largely unnoticed, overshadowed by the era's militant reggae. Now rightly revered, the album gets reissued in all its glory and again delivers rich, deep-rooted dub and roots of the highest quality.

Review: Marking 20 years of fresh dub experimentation, Jahtarian Dubbers's latest volume revives the Jahtari compilation series after a decade-long pause. This latest entry features a fresh wave of outsider dub, circuit-bent dancehall and cosmic low-end adventures with heavyweight jams coming thick and fast. Highlights include KingLMan's gritty opener 'The Loop Jerk,' Kiki Hitomi's sultry 'Red Mustang' and Kris Kemist's retro gem 'Casio HipHop.' El Fata brings vibes on 'Boom Sound' while Jura Soundsystem channels Sly & Robbie. Side B flows from Pupajim's extended 'Tidal Wave' to Legowelt and Mystica Tribe's tape-warped 'Cabal of Puppeteers' before finishing with Tiiu Helina's haunting 'Muuri' dub. This is a rich, twisted celebration of dub's outer limits.

Review: With standout tracks from proper legends like Barrington Levy, Delroy Wilson, Dillinger, The Mighty Diamonds, Yellowman and more, Reggae Anthology: The Channel One Story is an essential compilation chronicling one of Jamaica's most influential studios during its most famous golden era. Plenty of historic moments are included such as the country's first 12-inch maxi-single release (The Jays & Ranking Trevor's 'Truly Deejay Mix') and 'Queen Majesty,' a soul-drenched reggae rework of a Curtis Mayfield classic. Also included are extended cuts and rich production which means this anthology celebrates Channel One's lasting impact on reggae history with a little extra insight than you might have already heard.

Review: Reggae and ska heads unite - GG's Hit Disco Mixes is a well-assembled new compilation featuring 12 tracks across five different riddims. Across the course of both sides of wax, there is a real mix of vocal cuts, DJ cuts and dub versions for many different occasions. The album was produced by Alvin Ranglin and has some notable contributions from legendary artists such as The Maytones, Barbara Jones, Horace Ferguson, Enos McLeod, Trinity, Lone Ranger, U-Brown and more. With additional input from GG's All Stars and The Revolutionaries, some rare and unreleased versions are also included and sound tip-top as they have been sourced from the original master tapes, with extensive liner notes by Dr. Buster Dynamite.