Roots & Culture 226 Items

Check out this classic Roots material by Lee Perry!

Liam Bailey Follows Up His 'Ekundayo' Album With This Heavy Hitting Remix 7" Featuring Two Absolute Legends.The A Side Is A Remix Of Champion Featuring Black Thought Of The Roots. Black Thought Kills The First Verse Finding The Pocket Over The Leon Michels Produced Reggae Banger Designed To Bust Up Woofers And Blow Out Dance Floors. Liam And Thought Combine To Sing Praises To A Woman Worthy Of All The Admiration They Can Muster, And In Doing So, They Take What Was Already A Classic To Another Level.The B Side Is Straight From The Far Flung Corners Of Outer Space. Producer Leon Michels Strips Down And Revamps The Album Cut Ugly Truth, Making Room For The Most Special Of Guests, The One And Only, Mr. Lee "Scratch" Perry. The Upsetter Switches Between Singing And Talking, One Minute Proclaiming His Powers And The Next Playing With The Title Of The Original Tune. Some Proper Lee Perry Business Alongside The Already Unstoppable Chemistry Of Liam Bailey And Leon Michels...An Absolute Big Crown Surehot.

Liam Bailey comes out swinging with "White Light," an instant-classic, dancefloor filler. The rough and tough drum break intro catches you from the first beat before the track gives way to an infectious and uplifting reggae-dis- co number. Liam's instantly recognizable voice showers his muse with praise over deep round bass lines and a four on the floor beat. The combination of Leon Michels' crushing production and Bailey's lyrics like "You love yourself, you're so exciting, like no one else"... is sure to make this a staple in dj sets around the globe.The B side "Cold & Clear" is a proper lighters in the air, slap the wall, top ranking tune. The track struts in the door with a natural and undeniable confidence. Liam weaves a heavy metacognitive story over the one drop drums, perfect basslines, and organ stabs that will have people stepping in rhythm. The lo-fi production weaves elements from the finest early rocksteady era with touches from the late 70s / early 80s digital era and takes the entire vibe into the present with unorthodox arrangements and vocal treatments. Bailey has a tune here that will hold up next to the classics in the dancehalls from the yards of Jamaica to the discotheques in his homeland of England.

Soundway Records completes the Lord Echo album collection, finally reissuing the second album in the trilogy from the in-demand New Zealand multi-instrumentalist and producer. Originally released in 2013, ‘Curiosities’ is now available as a DJ friendly double LP for the first time.
The entirely self-produced album blends jazz with disco-tinged neo-soul, reggae and classic afro-beat in effortless manner - and joins the dots between the more downtempo first album ‘Melodies’ and the disco, electronic, club-ready of his third album ‘Harmonies’.
The album also features a dub-funk cover of Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan”, with vocals from Lisa Tomlins.

All Nations Records come again with a proper 7inch full of roots flavour. The man at the control of the label, Simon Nyabinghi, here calls out the talent of Belgium producer Unlisted Fanatic who deliver once again a heavy riddim track, topped up by some deep horns arrangement from the Moonshine Horns. The riddim is sufficient by itself so when you hear the deep melodical voice of MariJah on it with her uplifting lyrics hailing for more consciousness in this world, it ends up with a wonderful tune that surely will convince every great selector to put it on their deck now and for years to come. Once again, just flip the records over to get the full dub treatment. This is roots dub music at its best.

An extended 12” ‘Club Mix’ of the 1980’s classic covered in true lovers rock style by the late Melody Beecher. Produced by husband Paul and remastered from the original two track session tape. Jura Soundsystem delivers a ‘Lovers Version’ combining snippets of vocal from the original with the Dub mix, going heavy on the reverb to create a more dubbed out excursion.

The 12” is housed in a black and yellow IOJ Island Disco sleeve with sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

Released in the UK as part of Brooks’ ‘One Love’ album in the early 1980s, ‘No War Over Woman’ was originally recorded at Channel One around 1975, with musicians apparently including Sly & Robbie rhythm section, Ansel Collins on keys and Deadly Headley on saxophone, and mixed at King Tubby’s. It is arguably the first time it gets issued as a 7’’ single including a version on the flip side. Extra tip: roots fans will recognise the riddim from Knowledge’s monumental ‘Stumbing Block’, which appeared on the Tamoki Wambesi label.

Singer and producer Mike Brooks along with Jah Lloyd created their Teams label kin 1969. This Vinyl re-issue is of 1976 Burning Sounds release What A Gathering – a compilation of tracks recorded at Channel One, produced by Jah Lloyd and named after Mike's biggest hit.

“Born to Skank” is the title of the second album by Mister Leu & the Nyabinghers which follows“Born to Reggae”.10 original titles of which Mister Leu & the Nyabinghers are the authors, composers and performers.An album dedicated to ska that could be listened to at Jamaican dances in the 60s.It was recorded in several transfers in the Pyrénées Orientales during the year 2023 inRecord It studios, Les Fauteuils Rouge and La Casa Musicale by Chromatic Records.Twelve artists were brought together on this album influenced by The Skatalites, New York Ska Jazz, JazzJamaica, Toots & the Maytals, Laurel Aitken.The 1st Title “We are the Nyabinghers” played to the Nyabinghi/Burru rhythm. A tribute toLloyd Knibb, legendary drummer for the Skatalites.Secondly, “Good Thing” was commissioned by the American label Stubborn Records, requestingto the Nyabinghers to reinterpret one of their productions for the compilation Still Stubborn Volume5.Coming third is “Rooster Company”, a ska jazz instrumental, with organ colors.Hammond.Follows in fourth “Give Me Fire” already present on the 1st album. A rocksteady that the band hadwant to re-record electric version.Coming in fifth, “C’est comme ça”, a committed Blue Beat in French.Here we are in the middle of the album with “If I were a rich man”, a calypso inspired by Mento“Rich man” by Stanley Beckford, to make you jump.We continue in seventh, with S.K.A. A song in French, with melodica to makeskanking rude boys and rude girls on the beach while enjoying a cocktail.Very heavy for this 8th title, entitled “Hornet ska”. Recorded in a big band in the colors of JazzJamaica. Tribute to trombonist Rico Rodriguez.We embark for South America with, in 9th grade, “Dieguito”. A Latin Ska that speaks of afootball legend. Duber by Eole Dub as guest.And finally, in 10th, “Skolumbo”. A ska with a brass section and big band choirs andan ultra grooving rhythm, homage to Prince Buster. Ska has always been influenced bytelevision series, gangster films or westerns. There, it's Columbo.

Mungo's Hi Fi return with their exciting new vocal project Past And Present. Released on their Dumbarton Rock label, it's the eagerly awaited vocal companion piece to 2021 dub album Antidote. Past And Present is unique for Mungo's in being devoted to the Rub A Dub reggae style that arose in late 70s and early 80s Jamaica. The record has its roots in both past and present. Back in 2021, Mungo's responded to the pandemic with the dub project Antidote, an album of reflection among wide spaces and nature. As the world has reopened, Past And Present celebrates the return of verbal communication and dancing to hypnotic basslines, with the original vocal cuts by veteran and rising microphone talent. The haunting voice of French pure singjay Pupajim encourages us to face living in the now, on title track Past and Present. Pioneering Jamaican female deejay Lady Ann toasts the importance of Good Lovin' over a sensual, waist-winding rhythm. Ethereal UK neo lovers rock singer Hollie Cook revisits her classic Sugar Water, floating above a sparse and eerie future Rub A Dub soundscape. Honey-toned Londoner Kiko Bun exudes confidence and humility as a Riddim General while veteran talker Solo Banton shakes up the dance on his seismic, much requested, We Pulsating. The biblical voice of Jamaican legend Prince Alla sounds fresh on a revisit to his immortal Only Love Can Conquer. Fellow elder statesman of reggae Johnny Clarke contributes the sole non Rub A Dub offering with the "Flying Cymbals" driven, deep roots track Rain Keeps On Falling. French singjay Shanti D and Israeli chanter Ranking Levy pair up on the mighty Jaqueline rhythm for a warning against Total Disaster. The prodigious Charlie P joins Godfather of UK emcee-ing, Daddy Freddy, to request freer movement on Control The Border. The final statement is without words or vocals: as Mungo's production team take centre stage for the soaring Birds Of Vice - the A side to Antidote's closing dub, Birds Of Pleasure. In reggae, the vocal traditionally precedes the dub...

Originally released in 1978 "Leggo Dub" produced by Ossie Hibbert is one of the iconic dub albums of the seventies. Seen as the dub companion to Gregory's classic "Mr. Isaacs" album it boasts six mind-expanding Cool Ruler dub treatments plus four further speaker-shakers to showcase the Revolutionaries in full effect. Now re-released in finest remastered sound quality on VP Records’ sub-label 17 North Parade!

UK reggae star Pablo "Hard Times" Gad returns by hooking up with Reggae On Top's Barry Issac at Conscious Sounds Studio for a heavy roots session.

Watch out, this clear 45 rpm single is limited to 250 copies worldwide!

Record Kicks presents a new limited edition transparent 45 rpm single vinyl by UK rock steady/soul/dub combo Pama International feat another two winners.
On the A side the new single "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" flipped by the reggae 69 stormer "Gasoline" on the B side.
In their first 10 years Pama Int'l recorded 9 albums, 3 BBCRadio 1 Maida Vale sessions, won the Rebel playlist on BBC6, and became the first new act to sign to Trojan Records in 30 years. Their collective nature saw them work with members of The Specials, Madness, Steel Pulse, Style Council, Galliano, Kasabian, Mad Professor, Toots & The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff to name a few.

300 copies