Hip-Hop News

Previous unreleased compilation of vintage 90's Disciples output! Vintage "Boom Shacka Lacka" UK Dub, soundsystem-style!

To accompany the second instalment of the 4 part VA series on Modern Hypnosis. Behold this mighty little system shaker featuring a collab from Bukkha & Frenk Dublin with Somah on the flip.

140bpm dubwise sounds = minimum 8 scoops required for play back. Up.

* A welcome reissue of this long-deleted classic digital dub album from the deadly dub duo - The Bush Chemists.
* Originally surfacing on the Dubhead label in 2001, `Dub Fire Blazing’ was the follow up to `Light Up Your Chalice’.
* 10 slabs of throbbing heavy-weight bass pressure from The Bush Chemists crew.

“Born A Freeman”, one of the most sought-after tunes in the Studio One catalogue, currently valued at more than £2000 on Discogs. It’s also a great record. Blind singer and harmonica player Roy Richards cut "Dirty People" in 1972

Second batch of releases for Fruits Records’ imprint label Skankin’ Society Records!
Vin Morgan is well known by record collectors for being the man behind Soul Defenders Band (Studio One in-house band after Sound Dimension) and most of all the writer and vocalist of Roots anthem ‘Jah Love’ (New Era, 1984). Even if the larger audience haven’t heard his name much, Vin Morgan is probably one of the greatest songwriters of Jamaica. Musical director at Studio One in the seventies, Vin knows how to combine good writing with catchy melodies to get hits. Shadow worker, he only released his first solo album in 2017. This gem album was produced by Iroko Records and Roberto Sánchez and it features killer song ‘Thanks A Lot’.
Beautifully sung by Vin’s falsetto, ‘I’ll Rise Again’ was recorded in Kingston under the musical direction of legendary bass player and producer Boris Gardiner. It also features guest drummer and longtime Studio One partner Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace. ‘I’ll Rise Again’ has a strong lyrical content that shall give hope and strength to all survivors: “I’ll rise again, in the sunshine, through the rain / I’ll rise again, patch up the bruises and ignore the pain / I’ll rise again, don’t let the system conquer me / I’ll rise again, I wanna choose my destiny”. Words, sound and power!

Cornell Campbell - 100lb Of Collie Gorgon Records

You're Gonna Get A Beatin' / Beatin Dub - Delroy Wilson & The Aggrovators

“Under the Haramia Tapes veil, Laurine Frost wriggles his way through dub infected, smoke-laden horizons bending and stretching time mischievously while peering through his mask. The saga continues no differently than any of Frost's other elusive outings, genre defiant as ever, we get a glimpse of what allegedly is an unreadable and luminous future.

Following his complex concept driven offerings, on ‘Daydreaming’ we are treated to a set of groovy and hypnotic vignettes flowing ever so fluidly between beat, rhythm, and harmony. Surgically layered, yet expertly stripped back, these bedtime ragers are crafted for those waking moments where the body becomes the mind.”

Ali Safi

Superb LP from Helecho Dub featuring Monkey Tool and Marasm. A collection of deviant dub from south Argentina, France, Japan, Belgium, Germany …. Superb international collab with a common aim : Deviant Dub ! Noise or acoustic, roots or electro... nothing is clear here... In this kind of dub grey aera loads of creativity, ideas and futuristic sounds... Not an easy record for sure ! Probably better like that init ?

Khaliphonic 15 is the first full length release from Japanese experimental dub duo Undefined. Well-established as a live act since 2014, and releasing on their own Newdubhall label as well as ZamZam Sounds since 2017, it’s well-past time that their expansive and immersive sound be allowed to span the length of an LP, and this set is nothing short of a triumph.

The powerhouse duo of keyboardist/programmer Sahara (formerly of Heavymanners) and drummer Ohkuma (formerly of Soul Dimension) create an absolutely unique form of dubwise firmly grounded and rooted in rockstone reggae principles, while focusing intently on expansive spaces, subtle inflections, and exploratory minimalism and abstraction - deep dives into the heart of rootical riddim and space. Luminary vocalists Paul St. Hilaire, Rider Shafique, and Ras Dasher were invited on the journey, and the resulting set is absolutely timeless, a crowning achievement in the rich history of reggae, dub, and dub techno in Japan, and the world.

With “Defined Riddim” the two-man band has created something ruff & rugged while somehow delicate and utterly elegant throughout. Undefined honors the roots while taking them in an deeply personal, unconventional and unique direction unburdened by cliches, follow-fashion or any other concerns beyond creating an honest music - dub from the heart. Words fail when trying to describe the richly saturated color and tones of Sahara’s keys & bass; Ohkuma’s drumming is muscular, lithe, incredibly tight & subtle. The two together are nothing short of a force, a single spirit of riddim moving through two individuals with a fully-unified vision, the vision magnified by E-Mura’s (Bim One Production) masterfully restrained mix.

It’s an absolute honor to release this album in physical form, including a bonus 7” featuring the heartfelt vocals of Ras Dasher, who passed away suddenly before he could celebrate the release with us. Undefined and Khaliphonic/ZamZam Sounds dedicate this set to him, and to dearly-departed Naoki E-Jima, whose Disc Shop Zero was the heart of the scene in Japan until he left this plane in 2020. Naoki was also an early, enthusiastic, and steadfast supporter of ZamZam Sounds & Khaliphonic, and we are forever grateful to him and his family for the love they showed us and so many others.

Killer new offering from French roots reggae label Abendigo featuring Robert Dallas, King Alpha, & Wellette Seyon.

From 1977, originally on Well Charge 7", now with extra previously unreleased version

SABROSA pays tribute to the BEASTIE BOYS with two instro-mental cuts that borrow elements from "Sure Shot" out of their classic album, "Ill Communication".

Sure Pow is a great fuzzy, wah wah guitar Grant Green-on-steroids soundtrack approach to "Pow" from "Check Your Head", while Tangerine Shot is a cover of Suco De Tangerina, an instrumental track out of their "Mix-Up" Lp that takes a twist into Dub territoire…Pure fiyah!

* A welcome reissue of The Disciples set `Infinite Density of Dub’.
* A cosmic trip into raw spacey dub territory with heavy rumbling, pulsating bass-lines
* Originally surfacing on the Dubhead label in 1999.
* Mixed and produced by Russ D.
* Limited to 500 copies only.

“FLY LIKE AN EAGLE", “BOOGIE WONDERLAND", “DREAMS” & “HOTEL CALIFORNIA” receive a BEATCONDUCTOR beatdown on the new REWORKS 70s VOL 1. Sonically, a smooth Balearic limited & hand stamped 12 inch release.

Kollaborationen, Remixe und eigene Tracks sorgen für ein hervorragendes Line-Up auf Sampler Volume Two des Dreadzone-Verbundes: Emily Capell, der italienische Dub-Maestro Gaudi, Professor Skank, Bazil, Sub Mantra, Dubmatix und Dreadzone sind hier alle vertreten. Der Opener, Dreadzones Remix des Megative-Covers von Big Audio Dynamite's 'Sightsee MC' feat. Mick Jones (git), Don Letts (voc) und Leo Williams (bass), gibt den Ton an für diese eklektische neue Ausgabe.

Acid Skanking Volume 6 rolls back to strictly dub style and acid lines with the tune LOVE and on the flipside the extended version with some more breakbeats and gabba dub spices. featuring main theme played on the balafon, rolling bassline from the transistor bass teebee 303 and lots of swinging hihats and gentle moving drums. served well on 75 or 150 bpm.

the greenest pressing plant in the world. Debut single from new London reggae collective Time Of Confusion, featuring Tabby Diamond of the Mighty Diamonds. Version of the Charles Bradley modern soul classic, ‘This World (Is Going Up In Flames). Music recorded at The Total Refreshment Centre, London. Vocals at Anchor Studios, Kingston, Jamaica. Limited 500 edition. Pressed by Deep Grooves,

The long-awaited project of the Green King Cuts Journey so far is the King of the Seas Lp featuring 5 producers from all around the world and 2 singers from the UK, all coming with an iconic track each, that all glue together for a complete sound system essential for the collection. This Lp represents the sound we want to push to the world and we are very proud of this work, which took over a year and a half to puzzle this together and we are thankful for this moment to release to the world on 12" 180-gram Black Vinyl press with Artwork sleeve.

We're very happy to present you a new 12" record which is comin' from non other than the mad talented producer duo Smalltowndubz from Austria. For the My Garden EP them got some cool international dub artists, who joined forces to bring you this heavyweight soundsystem smasher. The main tune My Garden comes in a hot dubwise style and features Tenor Youthman on the microphone, who brings down some hot lyrics. Another sure shot for any selection. On top we have a deep Remix from the man called Jah Schulz and Tribuman plays the horns - you just have to feel this wonderful combination.

We continue the vibes on the B-Side with two original productions by Smalltowndubz, which shows the variety of their musical style. Mad Thing is an UK inspired steppers killer, that you have to listen on a big soundsystem. The other track is called Rooted and features our family member Hazel Dub on melodica. This one is a deep and heavy bass bomb, which enters your mind and instantly wants you to play that record on repeat.

For next level pressure, we hooked up again with LXC to do that heavy mastering on all tunes.

Prolific digi-dub recording artist Jackson Bailey heads up the new year for Research, debuting with a two track 7" of slow and melodic synth cuts. At once playful and naïve yet masterfully constructed, the pieces unravel in unison to create the drowsy headspace associated with pitched down G-funk beats or vintage Italian library. Sharing a similarly visual immediacy to Amedeo Tomassi's compositions for Biologia Marina, both 'Sauna Research' and 'Aquarium Trousers' conjure up subaquatic atmospheres of macrophytes and crill, wetsuits and snorkels. Tropical flora and fauna float by in the distance. Fittingly soundtracking the Australian summer, the new release follows on from recent daydream-like stoned outings for EM and Good Morning Tapes.

After the success of “Heavyweight Sound” and “Do Me Right” here comes “Trouble”, O.B.F’s fresh new roots reggae offering! This time the French stalwarts join forces with Madrid based singer Lasai who compliments the single with his powerful lyrics “Put down the gun, put down the knife, put down the glock”. Words that resonate today more than ever.

With “Trouble” O.B.F continue their sonic ascension, pushing to take their music to the next level.

Vocals recorded in Madrid, produced & mixed in Geneva, O.B.F’s mainly European and South- American fanbase will be delighted by this Franco-Spanish connection!

On the B-side, French melodica artist Far East brings his own special touch to add a different flavour to the dub version.

Al Brown was inspired to write the single 'Proverb' after spending hours hunched over his bible in Spanish Town as a youth. He had become known for his more commercial covers of singer Al Green material, but 'Proverb' was one of the few tunes that he recorded that were roots inspired and has become highly sought after. Recorded at Channel One with Ernest Hookim engineering, who did an excellent job of squeezing out a thumping horns led tune. The inspired version on the flip has Lloyd Parks on bass and the singer Derek Lara on drums. The Seventh Extension Band was the house band of the Zodiac label. Not a tight knit band as such, but built built around singers Bunny Lara and Derek Lara. 'Words spoke in haste will all go to waste so be cool'. True thing Al. Comes in hand stamped bag.

12” album of previously released Dub album by Nkrumah “Jah” Thomas from Kingston, Jamaica. Re-issued on WHITE vinyl.

Nkrumah “Jah” Thomas is an esteemed reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own labels ‘Midnight Rock’ and ‘Nura’.

"There's no stems, leaves or branches without the roots..."

'Roots, Radics, Rockers and Reggae'

Dub, beyond question one of the most innovative musical genres of the latter half of the twentieth century, was never overly concerned with vocalists but, before a dub version could be created singers, songwriters and musicians had to first lay the musical foundations. Studio engineers would then demolish their work and, in the process, build something new on entirely different premises. Previously dub, in recording terms, had meant to copy, and overdub to add something by recording on top of an existing track, but dub now came to mean the opposite: taking away to make a music that had most of the vocals and instruments removed leaving only the bass and drum core.The vocalists' and musicians' attitude towards the development of dub was often ambivalent, sometimes openly hostile, as a large proportion of their contributions were erased in the creative process. A notable exception to the rule, Pat Kelly, possessed that rare combination of not only being a superb singer but who was also an exemplary engineer.

In 1969 the final release on The Wailers own Wail N Soul M label, a Bunny Wailer composition entitled 'Tread Along'/'Tread-O', was one of the first to feature an instrumental b-side: the backing track with only a few selected lines of the a-side vocal track known as a 'version'. The group had always appreciated the importance of the rhythm and the critical role played by Kingston's session musicians and, during the seventies the majority of releases on their own Tuff Gong, HIM Intel-Diplo and Solomonic labels featured b-sides that charted the transition of versions into thepreviously uncharted realms of dub.The history of dub has been well, and in many cases not so well, documented over the past forty years. Theacknowledged 'dub inventor',Osbourne 'King Tubby' Ruddock, conducted his sonic experiments at his Dromilly Avenue studio in the Waterhouse ghetto district butvisionary engineers Lynford 'Andy Capp' Anderson at Dynamic Sounds and Errol 'Errol T'/'ET' Thompson at Randy's Studio17 and record producers including Winston 'Niney The Observer' Holness, Bunny 'Striker' Lee and Lee 'Scratch' Perry also played a critical role in the development of dub.

In addition to working with Bob Marley as The Wailers Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh also released their own productions using the Tuff Gong shop and distribution for their Solomonic and Intel Diplo H.I.M. labelswhich were always backed by rhythms of stunning intensity and power. Despite the b-sides of many of these Jamaican seven inch releases featuring increasingly exciting and innovative dub work outs, notably Bunny's 'Dubd Version' to 'Arabs Oil Weapon' on Solomonic from 1972, Bob's 'Concrete' to 'Jah Live' on Tuff Gong and Peter's 'Version' to 'Legalize It' on Intel Diplo H.I.M. in 1975, the primary focus of The Wailers' was on the message in their songs.The Wailers officially 'broke up' in January 1975 when Bunny and Peter both left the group and, after a decade as a member of The Wailers, Bunny made the decision to release records as Bunny Wailer. Using the money he had received from Island Records for 'the 'Catch A Fire' and 'Burnin'' long players Bunny began work on 'Blackheart Man' his flawless first solo album.

"I got £6,000 out of that... and that £6000 was what I used to make the 'Blackheart Man'. That's where my Bunny Wailer came in..." Bunny Wailer

Featuring re-cuts of 'Dreamland', 'This Train' and 'Bide Up' alongside new tracks such as 'Rasta Man', 'Amagideon (Armagedon)' and 'Fig Tree' the set was initially released on Solomonic in Jamaica then internationally through Island Records in 1976 and would establish Bunny Wailer as an internationally respected and renowned artist in his own right.

"I've said this a hundred times, but his masterpiece, 'Blackheart Man' is one of the greatest reggae albums ever made. It's such an important document in the development of Jamaican music: the musicology, the structure of the rhythms, the haunting quality of the arrangements, the orchestration of the horns and flutes, even the artwork." David Rodigan

"Beware the power and glory of the 'Blackheart Man'. But behold Bunny Wailer shares with you the sweetness and purity of his phrasing but he takes your soul with the dread powers of wisdom and faith." Jean Fairweather

Although now globally recognised Bunny still remained totally immersed in the ever changing directions of Kingston's musical scene and, as well as a selection of seven inch singles, he also released a number of twelve inch 'Disco 45' singles on Solomonic including 'Love Fire' and 'Roots, Radics, Rockers & Reggae' and, in 1978, he became the only member of the original Wailers to release a dub album.

"But The Wailers were serious and were focused on music and getting this message delivered to the people in order to make sure that the people globally could be involved. So anywhere you go in the world reggae music is like the focus of that kind of a people that are searching to be better people in this world." Bunny Wailer

Released on Solomonic in Kingston 'Dub D'sco Volume 1' comprised dubwise interpretations of five tracks from 'Blackheart Man' (Battering Down Sentence'/'Fighting Against Conviction', 'Amagideon (Armagedon)', 'Fig Tree', 'Rasta Man' & 'Dreamland') and the aforementioned'Love Fire' and 'Roots, Radics, Rockers & Reggae' discos. Without compromising the integrity of this rock solid foundation, and by combining the best of traditional values with cutting edge technology,'Dub D'sco Volume 1'proved to beone of the greatest dub albums of the decade masterminded by two of Kingston's leading studio engineers, Sylvan Morris and Carl Pitterson, accompanied by Bunny Wailer at the controls.

"New rules, radicals rock to the reggae

New rules, radicals roll to the reggae

New rules, radicals skanking to the reggae..."

'Roots, Radics, Rockers and Reggae'

Sylvan Morris began his career at W.I.R.L. (West Indies Records Ltd.) in 1965 where he learnt the art of engineering from Graeme Goodall before moving on to Duke Reid at Treasure Isle. He stayed at the Duke's Bond Street studio for six months before becoming the chief engineer for Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd in 1968 at the age of nineteen where he rapidly became a key player in the Studio One organisation.

"He's the greatest. Any artist will tell you that. He's so good that if it wasn't for him Studio One wouldn't exist... And in Jamaica they will tell you the man who we call engineer is the man like Morris who can repair the board but the rest of the men, who can't repair the board, we call them operator. Don't forget that!"

Roy Cousins

"...These chaps used to have a name that they gave me. They call me 'My Engineer'. Now the reason for that was at the time I was very strong in getting the tune to sound a particular way in which I liked. So when they would formulate a rhythm we tried to get it to sound a particular way." Sylvan Morris

And, in 1974, Sylvan Morris moved on to Harry Johnson's Harry JRecording Studio on Roosevelt Avenue where he took over from Sid Bucknor and continued his career with the studio's superb sixteen track facilities.

After passing his electronic engineering exams at Kingston Technical with distinction Carl (or Karl) Pitterson spent a year in Canada studying sound at school and in the studio and, apart from "four hours office work", went into recording straight from school "I just applied at Dynamic and me get through". He first worked with Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1971 on 'Trench Town Rock', "that was Number One in Jamaica for a long, long time", while he was a young engineer at Dynamic Sounds. Karl went on to engineer and help remix Bob Marley & The Wailers' 'Exodus' album, engineered their 'Kaya' album too and engineered and mixed Bunny's 'Blackheart Man' album at Herman Chin Loy's Aquarius Recording Studio in Half Way Tree "the first twenty four track studio in the Caribbean". He then went on to engineer at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Recording Studio on Hope Road.

"When them (The Wailers) find that the demand was toward quality (of sound), and them start check round, them check me." Karl Pitterson

Theirsubtle, sympathetic mixingwork highlighted and heightened many beautiful nuances inherent in the original songs and, through the process of deconstruction, took them to another level.

"Because it's most often applied to an already familiar song or rhythm track dub has a uniquely poignant quality: memories are revived, but rather than being simply duplicated (as when we hear a 'golden oldie' from our youth on the radio) they are given subtle twists. Memory is teased rather than dragged up, and is thereby heightened." Richard Williams

Very few artists and musicians openly embraced this exciting development as it inevitably left many of them "on the cutting room floor". Bunny Wailer, always aware of the importance of adopting and adapting new idioms to emphasise his musical message, was one of the few with the vision to appreciate the open ended possibilities of this extraordinary new musical form.

"...but his music alone will make them wonder for it will reveal something of his persistence, his discipline, his intelligence and his outspoken Rasta stance." Carl Gayle

Harry Hawks

Dub like it used to be from the High Note and Gay Feet labels.

A selection of rocking rhythms from The Revolutionaries masterminded by Jamaica's finest female record producer, Mrs Sonia Pottinger, and mixed by Duke Reid's nephew, Errol Brown, chief engineer at the legendary Treasure Isle studio.

1976 rare dub album consists of robust Techniques rhythms dismantled and reconstructed by King Tubby to its perfection. Long-expected reissue of one of the most sought after dub albums.

After high rotation online, Ghent's finest dub crew finally bring 'Furious' to wax, with an exclusive dub version by Kosmo Sound's drummer Marius Couvreur on the flipside. One for the bassheads!

The instrumental sextet mix heavy bass lines and tight drums with spacy melodies into an organic trip that sets every venue on fire. They have already performed twice as the support act for dub legend Adrian Sherwood and became winners of Sound Track in 2019.

“It's a slow motion dub explosion.” - Woodburner

“As a mixture of Slimmah Sound, El Michels Afffair and Khruangbin in which deep dub basses flirt with thin desert blues guitars, jazzy drum patterns and tufts of saxophone.” - Indiestyle

“The canvas that these six musicians span as Kosmo Sound has a musical breadth that effortlessly ranges from dub over jazz to psych.” - daMusic

16 track Album from Aston 'Family Man' Barrett & The Wailers Band released by Dub Store Records

14 track Album from Various Artists released by Dub Store Records

Legendary A&O 90's album reissued in 2 volumes incl previously unreleased tracks! The vintage UK Dub sound: roots, spirituality and heavy basslines. Bass-music, play LOUD! Incl "Jerusalem", "Stepping Up", "Promised Land", "Great Tribulations", ….