Hip-Hop News

As one of Jamaica’s leading record producers Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid embraced the new reggae sound. London based reggae giant Trojan Records brought together a dozen of his finest works under the title “Greater Jamaica Moonwalk Reggae”. If features many of the biggest Jamaican hits from 1969 to 1970. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics is one of the main artists to be found on this record. The 12 tracks bringing the best Jamaica had to offer during the heydays of their musical days.

Greater Jamaica Moonwalk Reggae is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on orange coloured vinyl.

Heavy Linval Thompson cuts! Incl spaced out dub versions of the title tracks..

Repress!

10" vinyl, handstamped, no digital, no repress, single-sided

Following multiple classic re-issues and freshly produced dubplates from UK Dub innovators, we bring you 2 brand new productions on 10' vinyl: Inna Mount Zion / Prophecy Step.

*Starting the year we present our eighth release on 7' format, another great collaboration between Ojah and Nikolaj Torp Larsen 'Nik Torp', keyboard player from The Specials.

The A side contains the track 'What Goes Around Comes Around', a Hammond and melodica version (both played by Nik Torp) of Ojah's 'Packy' riddim, that was recorded at Nik's studio back in 2015 and is finally seeing the light. It also features new guitars by Puppa Shan and Javier Martin Boix. Next up on Alchemy Dubs will be a 12' featuring a legendary trombone player on this riddim and another one, so these are the complementary versions of side B.
On the B side we find of course a dub version, mixed live in analog by Ojah in classic style. It was difficult to pick just one but we think this one is very special...

Limited edition of 500 copies, hand-stamped and hand-numbered, served in a thick custom reversed kraftliner sleeve.
Produced by Ojah, recorded at Alchemy Dubs Studio, London.
Hammond & melodica by Nikolaj Torp Larsen 'Nik Torp', recorded by Nik Torp at Squat Sound Studio, London, UK, 2015.
Guitars by Javier Martin Boix (lead) and Santi Mijarra 'Puppa Shan' (rhythm) recorded by Puppa Shan at Discoinferno, Madrid, Spain, 2018.
Mixed & mastered by Oscar Pablos 'Ojah" at Alchemy Dubs Studio, London, 2018.
Graphic design by Victor Castro.

Featuring Sly & Robbie, Alpha Blondy, Marcia Griffiths, Horace Andy, Morgan Heritage, Gregory Isaacs, Inna De Yard, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Jimmy Riley, and many more.

The first vinyl appearance of 'I Came I Saw' from 90s steppas legends the Bush Chemists (which appears as a bonus track on some CD editions of the now-classic Light Up Your Spliff LP).

Comes with a typically screwed jungle refix from Bokeh staples Seekersinternational + a ragga noise deconstruction from Bristol's industrial terracorps Bad Tracking (FuckPunck / Mechanical Reproductions).

Here is the 2nd TIGHTEN UP release, showcasing sounds from one of the most exciting new Ska/Reggae bands in Denmark, LEO & THE LINEUP!

This 9-piece outfit toes the line between ska and reggae, with a heavy dose of soul. Frontman Kevin Leo delivers his charismatic attitude directly to your face, backed up by 3 gorgeous ladies in red. The supertight rhythm section is lifted up by inventive organ stylings, and it all hits the ceiling when the horn section starts to blow!

Leo & the Lineup released their self-titled debut album in 2012 to critical acclaim and we are proud to announce our current release featuring two new songs by the band, recorded exclusively for the TIGHTEN UP imprint.

“Run-Around” is a certified live classic and a proper footstomper. It gets the joints warmed up and the timeless theme is simply irresistible. “Gotta Go” is an up-tempo gem that tells a little story about the ups and downs of romance in the rock ‘n’ roll world. These songs are bona fide party starters. It’s spot on....It’s LEO & THE LINEUP!

After 5 days of speeding up and down a snow-covered autobahn in a van that had chosen freezing Germany as the ideal place to give the heater a couple of days off, the cozy and warm Lovelite studio in Berlin was a sight for sore eyes. Never having met Jochen, who were to record us, we were very eager to get to know him and the place. There were stacks of tapes, vinyls, recording equipment and a coffee machine that was even more unpredictable than our car. Everything in there had a vibe to it and in no time we were convinced that we'd come to the perfect place for what we had in mind. To record what unmistakably was the same song, in versions that would hopefully take you to two different places.

You see, this is a song that wanted to be more than a song. It wanted to be two songs and who are we to stand in the way of ambition and bravado.

As it is the first song to my first-born I've been very keen on recording it ever since it started falling into place. I remember saying to the guys after every rehearsal that they'd have to release the rehearsal tapes, should I have the bad luck of walking under a bus. At the time of writing, I have not.

The song sprung from the realization that I would literally do anything for this little girl. Go anywhere, sacrifice anything, kill anyone…and it scared the hell out of me. It probably always will.

First 7" single from Denmark's TIGHTEN UP label, two great cuts from 2 TONE legend and (ENGLISH) BEAT vocalist RANKING ROGER. Side a is a rare 2001 cut written w/NEVILLE STAPLES, produced by BENTLEY RHYTHM ACE's FUZZ TOWSHEND. Flip is an unreleased SLY & ROBBIE production from 1989. Pic sleeve.

The link between Jamaican music and US Soul and Blues is of course very strong. I am a huge fan of Stax/Volt, Motown, Chess Records and contemporaries which I consider to be the bedrock of pop music and whereas everybody hears about the more obvious big band influences on SKA such as Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, Boots Randolph, Louis Armstrong.....less people are aware of the link to soul and R+B artists like Chuck Berry, Etta James, King Curtis, Rosco Gordon and so on. The great Lester Sterling once told me that he based the whole idea of the horn chop (or "upchuck" as some people like to call it) on what the guitar player was doing on the Yakkety Sax track. If you listen to that you will definitely hear the ska beat,

All these songs were mixed by myself over the course of different project sessions. The Ska Jerk recording is actually post the DLTBGYD album sessions and was originally intended for a compilation project that eventually never came out, so that track has just been languishing in the Toaster vaults. At that time we had been hired to do quite a bit of film and TV scores as well as commercial jingles for the likes of Cisco, Coca Cola, AOL, Miller Beer, etc. and so the band was tight, often incorporating guest members from the greater NYC SKA massive and we were able to turn around a complete mix like that in just one day. The engineer on SKA JERK was George Evagelou who also worked with me on the Edna's Goldfish record.

- Robert "Bucket" Hingley of THE TOASTERS

* The third release from Irish vocalist Eva Keyes, following on from the 7” singles `Tired Of The City’ (PRTL7057) and `Light Shining’ (PRTL7063).
* As with the first single `Tired Of The City’ both tracks on this double A side were produced by Dublin-based Dan Taliras out of his Echobus studios.
*Both tunes are as much as sound system friendly as they are radio friendly, with Eva’s accessible and bright vocals
*`Meditation’ and `Let It Fall’ are both followed by dub versions mixed by Taliras.

Reissue of this 1979 roots reggae album,. Recorded at channel one, mixed by Scientist at King Tubby's studio in kingston, backing band is the Soul Syndicate

Introducing Andy Ordoñez, a young drummer and singer native to the cultural nexus of New York City that is The Bronx. The crucible of the NYC melting pot is a fitting base for this rising musician, who was born to Honduran parents of Garifuna decent and raised in the musically rich and diversified Central American neighborhoods of the northernmost borough. At the early age of 13, Ordoñez joined his father Bodoma and his touring Garifuna Cultural Band, themselves well-recognized artists in the Garifuna communities of the Caribbean and the US, communities that all trace their lineage toAfrican survivors of human cargo ships wrecked off the island of St. Vincent around 1675.Ordoñez forged his part in this evolving history while also cutting his musical teeth performing and practicing a legacy comprised of a historic blend of African and Caribbean culture arising through centuries-deep Garifuna heritage. It's another example of an incredibly varied and mixed upbringing that happens all around us in New York City, an essential but often unobserved contribution to the larger communities we inhabit.

On his debut vinyl release for Names You Can Trust, Ordoñez has transformed this base of folkloric drumming, a bedrock of parranda and punta rhythms, along with the distinctive sound of the primero drum (its snare-like punch coming from metal wires wrapped around the drumhead), and fused it with a contemporary blend of Caribbean-style synths and guitars to create a new and totally unheard-of evolution that lies somewhere in the echoes of Cabo Verde, Haiti and Ordoñez's Central American roots.

We were very proud to release Titus 12's debut physical release early last year, and we are just as proud to present his second ZamZam. Longtime host of Ujima 98 FM's Subsession radio show out of Bristol, and the hand behind new cassette label Limbo Tapes, Pete Hazell is well-known in his city as a purveyor of deep, eclectic, bass-centric music of many hues and shades... his myriad influences alchemically combine into a signature sound that is as unmistakeable as it is difficult to pin down. In a world of cookie-cutter soundworlds Titus 12 conjures something truly personal and magical and makes it sound effortless. Summon Luxo' opens with raw vinyl archaeology, managing to wed a humid, plaintive, layered vocal chop to a sultry boom bap riddim, with so much swing and space you'll swoon under its strange power. Titus 12 says, "Summon Luxo came about after falling in love with a recording of an Ethiopian funeral song, and the suggestion that the singer might be summoned to a funeral from many miles away, because of the calibre of his lament." Intertwining melodies, sophisticated vocal manipulations, deeply elastic bass and ethereal ragga flavor complete an absolutely unique and captivating tune you'll want to rewind again and again.Silly Youth' fuses distorted french cafe melodica vibes to rugged sound tape boasts and smoked-out 140 swagger with Titus' signature reverb-filled spaces, 808 bass and aquatic claps for another singular journey through the mind of a true original. No dibby-dibby sound !! Mastered by Sam at Precise

LP comes with cotton tote bag and sticker.

Brooklyn-based label and sound system collective Dub-Stuy prepares for the summer with a brand new EP alongside Jahdan Blakkamoore, who first appeared on the label’s “Pool Party” single back in 2014 and again in 2017 on Von D’s Wicked Scam EP. This time around Jahdan is front and center, flexing the creativity and versatility that has kept him at the cutting edge of Jamaican music for more than two decades: whether collaborating with hip-hop icons like Smiff-N-Wessun and Snoop Dogg or with global bass providers such as Major Lazer, Liondub and Dutty Artz (who first introduced Jahdan and Dub-Stuy!).

The Linkage EP is a family affair, born after Jahdan and Dub-Stuy connected for a gig in Montreal in December 2018. The energy and vibrations from their performance that night inspired both parties to discuss a new label project. Soon enough, Dub-Stuy had sent Jahdan a pack of dancefloor-minded riddims and beats crafted by in-house producer DJ Madd. Within a few days, Jahdan locked himself up in a studio, writing and recording the five songs that make up the EP in a burst of creativity. Dub-Stuy then enlisted Bay Area based producer Kush Arora to mix the tracks, putting the finishing touches to a showcase of deft songwriting and melody-driven singing that has made Jahdan a favorite of many.

On “Absolutely” and “Properly” Jahdan celebrates the fun and vibes of a good session, switching effortlessly between singing with an irresistible lilt to rapid-fire lyrics against revamps of two timeless dancehall riddims - “Hot Milk” and “African Beat.” The results are surefire party starters! “Sort Out” taps out a syncopated skanking riddim to keep the dance going while the rest of the EP addresses more serious themes with Jahdan reaching for the deeper parts of his range. The hip-hop infused “Round of Applause” reflects on everyday struggles, and the EP’s namesake track “The Linkage” draws for deeper bass as Jahdan calls for unity.

This release by The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love presents a new instrumental version of the heavily sought after debut release "Zota Yinne" by Alogte Oho, the meanwhile classic second release on Philophon from 2014 (PH45002). So far, The Band of Enlightenment, Reason & Love, as Philophon's house band, never had any release under its own name, but here we go! It's sure: more will follow.

"Zota Yinne" is a dubbed out variation of the original Frafra gospel classic with the one and only Jimi Tenor as a guest on flute and synth. "Starlet Road Filling Station Romance" is an other-worldly search for love, perfectly characterized by Jimi Tenor's love cries on the saxophone.

The Brussels-based trio of Virginia Genta, David Vanzan and Ernesto González (Bear Bones, Lay Low) have been playing as Yader for some years already. Bagigi Dub and WW Dub sees them run two tracks from their 8 track tape through effects for more spaced-out versions of their sound, under the name Jahder. This 7", also with cover design by Virginia, features two cuts of prime dubbed-out drum machines, loping bass lines and widescreen delays for expansive listening.

This single features two tracks that date from the mid-1980s: ‘Give Me Back (What You Take From The Poor),’ first issued on a C&E 12-inch circa 1987, has Thompson tackling the unequal distribution of wealth that has marred so many parts of the world, while ‘Lump Sum’ is a minimal digital-dub re-cut of a tun. By virtue of its transitory format, this single sees Linval stepping into somewhat unknown territories…

Clear vinyl version of J.Robinson's 'More than Music' LP.

The Jamaican lovers masterpiece by Sharon Forrester and UK lovers classic

Bunny Lee's tiptop productions reissued in finest quality by Dub Store Records.

Originally released in 2009. Ltd repress.

After introducing the world to the elusive named Gitkin last year with the release of his debut album "5 Star Motel", Wonderwheel Recordings is back with another special 7" of two deeply funky, lo-fi globally influenced cuts from the travellin' man himself. "Saint Claude Dash" with it's 70's disco influenced drum machine undertone brings in Middle Eastern & North African vibes on the melody, while shifting into an even funkier B section reminiscent of the Meters. On the flip side, "Chicha Nola" finds Gitkin vibing on the mysteriousness of late night New Orleans (where his studio is now located) playing the South American instrument Charango & juxtaposing the NOLA bump with a just enough twang. Just a taste of the brand new album to come this year…or when the spirits will it.

Early 1980, UB40 scored their first success with “Food For Thought”, reaching high positions in the charts. By the time they released their first album they were already so successful that they had signed off on unemployment benefit, leading to the stamped Signing Off featured on form 40, for the sleeve of their debut album. UB40 Collected has captured all the different phases of the band in one complete album, from classic hits combined with the new!

The members of UB40 chose their name after a piece of paper most of them were all too familiar with: Unemployment Benef it form 40, in short: UB40. The name was put on posters and the band was promoted even before each member fully understood his instrument. The first dub album ever to reach the album charts in the U.K. included “One In Ten” and “Don’t Slow Down”. In 1983 the band put on a new project, boasting ten cover versions of Jamaican hits and, contrary to low expectations, it became a huge hit and the band’s first number one album. Tracks included are “Cherry Oh Baby” and “Please Don’t Make Me Cry”and “Red Red Wine”. The latter was a rather poppy song and became the band’s biggest selling single ever, entailing their definitive worldwide break through.

There have been lots of collaborations through the years and most of these became huge hit songs. Together with Chrissie Hynde UB40 recorded two singles: “I Got You Babe” (1985) and “Breakfast In Bed” (1988). They teamed up with Afrika Bambaataa for “Reckless” (1988) and with Robert Palmer the band released “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” (1990), just to name a few.

UB40 Collected is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on gold vinyl.

Historically renown Dave Brubeck's Take 5 covered in rocksteady style. It later became one of reggae's standard repertoire.

Names You Can Trust's long-running Swing-A-Ling party in Brooklyn has become an epic warm weather celebration of all classic styles of Jamaican sound system music on vinyl. The party itself, set in the deepest crevices of BK's Caribbean community, has been known to stretch for 12+ hours each session, serving non-stop musical entertainment and buckets of jerk chicken & curry goat to an adoring crowd of all ages, young and old. The event has also been the occasion of some extremely limited edition record presses that have come to embody both the ethos of the party and the NYCT label. The second in the series of the playfully titled Swing-A-Ling NOW SOUNDS is a new entry in modern reggae production from The Mad Geezers. Like the party's signature sound, the tunes on this double-sided single are timeless, intriguingly left-of-center, and most importantly in deep homage of the vast influences and inspirations that have been carved to vinyl throughout Jamaican recorded history. Elements of rock steady, dub, soul and middle eastern snake charmer sounds all find their way through the hands of the Geezers' skilled musicians and the resulting 45 record is sure to be another sneaky staple in sound systems all over.

For years, Diggory Kenrick has been re-energizing classic roots and rocksteady through his musical collaborations with original source material taken from master tape. For “Vengeance,” Kenrick crafts a welcome, new addition to the Yabby You catalog with a sax-led, scorching take of “Jah Vengeance.” On the B-Side Kenrick takes to the mixing board for a vital dub mix.

Tommy McCook’s mighty hornsman version of Yabby You’s “Jah Vengence” re-mastered and reissued in perfect style. This 7” finds the great multi-instrumentalist re-imagining the dark vocals of the original track as a slithering horns track that bursts to crescendo amid the heavyweight bass and drums. The B-side offers up echo-drenched dub.

Essential up-tempo roots classic from Yabby You aka Vivian Jackson and the Prophets. “Judgement Time” layers heavy bass and horn arrangements against driving, “militant” style drums to create the perfect backdrop for deep, conscious lyrics and The Prophets’ gorgeous harmonies. The B-side is a heavyweight dub that finds King Tubby expertly using his vaunted talents to create a “Judgement Time” version as powerful as the original vocal side.

Powerful, inspiring roots reissue of one of Yabby You’s finest songs. From the moment this tune was released in the 1970s, it became a sound system classic, sought after by both collectors and DJs. This plea for repatriation glows with a mystic vibe accentuated by stunning harmonies, driving flute and horn arrangements. Repatriation Rock flips the A-side on its head, with a mesmerising dub.

2019 repress!
Reissue of this essential Black Uhuru - Sly & Robbie produced, extended mixes!