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MIX NOTES

Madres – Starting out a reggae mix with some Cuban Santeria is a little odd, but the vibe of this track is definitely in the neighborhood of reggae to me, so I just went with it. Leave it to Gilles Peterson to discover a gem like Dayme Arocena, the 22 year old Cuban Jazz singer who walked into an open mic audition barefoot and stole the show. She seems as comfortable laying down R&B and Jazz ballads as she does more traditional reverence vibes for Yemaya y Ochun. She released her first LP in June for Gilles’ ever-eclectic, ever-dope Brownswood Label.

Le Wasuk – A long spacey dub workout from The Idjut Boys, from their 2015 “Versions” LP – a collection of remixes from their 10-year+ catalogue released this past August on the Oslo label Smalltown Supersound. Le Wasuk is originally from their 2012 “Cellar Door” LP on the same label. These guys have always laced elements of dub into just about everything they do, which is why I consistently buy their records.

Mister Know It All – The Cool Ruler (RIP) dropping bombs on the Mr Bassie riddim from 1977, with the Heptones on backup vocals. Longtime Gregory Isaacs collaborator and keyboardist extraordinaire Ossie Hibert on the arrangement. This came out on Lloyd Campbell’s The Thing label.

Murderous Dub – This wicked dub of Bob Marley’s “Sun Is Shining” (1971) has also been released as King Tubby’s “Dubbing My Way” and/or “Murderous Dub”, but from what I can dig up, it was first released in 1979 on Crucial Bunny VS Prince Jammy’s “Fatman Dub Contest” LP. Jammy studied under Tubby, so I guess these things happen when all these compilations get thrown together decades after the fact. Either way, it’s a scorcher.

Pka Rum Jayk – Dub reggae from Cambodia. Yes, that Cambodia. Dub Addiction is a collective of Phnom Penh locals and German, French, & Nigerian expats who come together in the name of dub. They mix reggae with traditional khmer singers and instruments, creating a sound that is definitely their own. This hypnotic Nyabinghi tune is from their second LP, “Khmer Dub Empire”, released on their own label and available HERE

Meaning of Life – Lovely doo-woppy vocal track from Leroy Sibbles and the boys, who formed in 1965 as The Hep Ones. This harmonic gem was released in 1973 on the Trojan label. Produced by Alvin Ranglin and with riddim provided by The Morwells (who later went on to form the Roots Radics).

Them Hafi Get A Beating – When I was 18 I thought Peter Tosh was the coolest man in history. He seemed like Malcolm to Bob’s Martin. He was the don’t-give-a-fuck, angriest Rasta of them all, which aligned with my punk rock sensibilities. I must have listened to his “Equal Rights” LP 200 times. This is a Joe Gibbs production from 1972, released on his own Pressure Beat label, that Tosh recorded after a particularly bad fight with Bob and Lee Scratch Perry (several years before Tosh and Bunny officially quit the Wailers for good). Did I mention he was angry?

Babylon Blood Sucka – If you’ve heard any of my reggae mixes from the last decade or so, you know I like to mix in newer bass/dubstep-type dub with the old roots rockers and early dancehall (I will get back on board with the newer dancehall once they abandon autotune. Been waiting 15 years for this LOL). It’s all one space/time/weed continuum to me. Blending the new and old keeps one foot in the present and the other in the past, which has always been my musical inclination. LA’s 6blocc consistently delivers bass tracks that give proper reverence to the reggae whence they came, so he can DJ my house party any time he wants.

Feel – The UK has always produced singers that mix R&B and reggae inna modern style, which is why I often reach across the pond for this type of sound. Sleepy Time Ghost is Harry Metcalfe, one half of the London-based soundsystem, Ghostwriterz. In 2014 he teamed up with Swedish-born singer Bahia to deliver a really nice dubwise tune. This came out on the UK label Tru Thoughts, home to great artists like Alice Russel and the Hot 8 brass Band.

Walking In The Sand – A really nice dubby cover of the 1964 classic by the bad girls of Brooklyn, The Shangri-Las (“Leader of The Pack”). Hollie Cook is the daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook. She calls her music “tropical pop”. This is from her debut album on the Mr Bongo label from 2011, which was produced by Prince Fatty, aka Mike Pelanconi, who got his start working with Acid Jazz cats in the 90s, as well as others like Gregory Isaacs and Dub Syndicate. I am slightly ashamed to admit I first grew to love this song via the 1979 Aerosmith cover.

Clarks Booty Style / Clarks Booty Skank – Two reggae songs devoted to sensible footwear. I had no idea Clarks Wallabees, long held in high esteem in American hoods, were even more sought after in Jamdown. Even a 1973 ban on imported shoes didn’t stop people from doing whatever it took to get their hands on some Clarks, as these songs surely attest to. Go figure.

Life – A simply beautiful tune from living legend and Paragons veteran Bob Andy. This came out in 1972 on 45, but never made it onto any of his studio albums. BTW if you’ve never heard his original version of Barrington Levy’s mega hit “Too Experienced”, PEEP IT

Love Uprising – Revolutionary talk from Mr Delroy Wilson, one of JA’s greatest singers. He got his start as a Ska star in 1964 at the tender age of 13, with “Emy Lou” – which he recorded for Coxsone Dodd. Coxsone soon had him recording several Prince Buster diss records like THIS that became big dance hall hits.

Knock Out Punch – This is a dub of Johnny Clarke’s “Don’t Talk Too Much”, from his 1975 LP “Enter Into His Gates With Praise”. King Tubby, as you are probably aware, is the one of the single most influential figures in modern music. The world is a better place because he was here before us. Respect the original Don Gorgon.

Java – Speaking of giants of dub music: ladies and gentlemen… Mr Augustus Pablo. I mean, shit. The whole reason we call this music “Rockers” is because he and his brother had the Rockers Soundsystem in 1968. Let that sink in for a second. He also took a plastic toy instrument, the melodica, and made it a dub reggae staple. Though he had made some noise with early tracks like “East of the River Nile”, this 1972 Clive Chin-produced tune really put him on the map as a solo artist. It was also one of those tracks I wore the fuck out when I first started buying reggae compilations in college. Love that slidey, surfy guitar work – which (I think) was played by Radcliff Bryan.

When the Sun Goes Down – Speaking of guitar, the way this next track opens up just seemed like a natural fit with “Java”. Brent Dowe was a member of The Melodians. More notably is that this 1973 track was produced by Sonia Pottinger, the most influential woman producer in Reggae history. Also, you gotta love this album cover. Definitely stealing that shit. I have David Rodigan to thank for this (and many other songs on this particular mix), which I snagged from his epic compilation “Masterpiece”. If you’re a fan of JA singers from all eras, it’s an invaluable archival piece.

Roots and Herb Style – Creeping up towards the 80s with this Studio One take on the Ansel Collins famous Stalag riddim, with house favorites Sound Dimension laying down the foundation. They played it a much slower here, and the notes seem slightly different, or maybe the bassist was just slightly out of tune that day LOL.

Arleen – Whenever I hear the Stalag riddim, I automatically start singing “Arleen” in my head. This was a number one hit for several months in JA, as well as a reggae club staple when I was playing around a lot in NYC in the 90s. It doesn’t hurt that the production quality is fucking stellar, which was not always the case for 70s dancehall records. For some real raw sound system business, check out this live recording of General Echo freestyling slackness on the mic at a Stereophonic Soundsystem dance at Club Bionic circa1980.

Dust A Sound Boy – Another go-to Stalag track for me. Never gets old, really. And you have to love the name Super Beagle. Check out this article about the day it was recorded, and how Fuzzy Jones’ intro became the bedrock of Kanye’s “Mercy” decades later.

Chucky No Lucky / Waterhouse rock – Joe Gibbs and Big Youth. 1973. Pon the Rockfort Rock riddim, which began as this dope ass tune from 1973, Prince Francis’ “Rock Fort Shock”.

Every Little Thing – France’s Max Guiget, aka Blundetto, released his “World of” and dubbed out “World of Dub” albums this year. The man definitely has a feel for reggae and for dub in particular. Some of the lyrics were corny as fuck, so I edited most of them out : )

Dub Searcher – Bass-heavy jungly dub from Florence Italy, where the Numa Crew holds court. This came out on August on the Polish dub label Moonshine Recordings. So far we have Jamaica, Cuba, The UK, Cambodia, France, Italy, and Poland in the mix. Not bad.

Ghetto Girl – I copped this off the excellent Studio One Dancehall compilation on Soul Jazz. I had never heard of either of these two before. The singer’s falsetto is borderline terrible, but that sorta just gives it more charm, no?

See and Blind – The man the myth himself Johnny Osbourne inna rocksteady style from 1970 on the Trojan label. I still can’t quite figure out what this riddim is called. The B-side to the 45 was a weird bongo dub by The Techniques called “Rema Skank”.  There’s also a Dennis Alcapone song called “Look Into Yourself” and it seems Winston Riley produced them both . It kinda sounds like the Kingstonians “Sufferer” riddim to me, but not quite. Holla if you know the real deal.

The Scorcher – more Joe Gibbs niceness from 1968. Like Delroy Wilson, Errol Dunkley started singing Ska in 1962 (age 11) for Tubby’s rival, Prince Buster. His first tune was “My Queen”. His voice is so high it almost sounds like a slower record that’s been sped up LOL. He went on to record for Joe Gibbs and later found the African Museum label with Gregory Isaacs.

Modern Day Slavery – Busy Signal laying down consciousness in 2012. This one has a nice extended dub that you don’t often get with Busy’s material. Easy on the ears for sure.

Sad To Know That You’re Leaving – An extended dub of this classic tune that I used to often end parties with back in the day. Good way to send couples home with some lover’s rock, seen? Thanks for listening.