Dubmission

2014

This abstract effect-filled tune came out in October on Dubmission Records (O.G. UK circa 1995). E.R.S. is Hainfield, Austrian dub electronica producer Manfred Bruche, whose been putting out bass-heavy dub for the past few years.

Columbia

2012

An album track from the 2013 debut from Wild Belle, an extra-handsome brother sister duo from Chicago Illinois. Her voice reminds me of Erykah Badu a little bit (I said a little). I threw in a couple dub FX and drop outs to make it more heartikal, seen?

Coxsone

1976

dope 1976 Studio One version of the foundation “hot milk” riddim, originally created by Jackie Mittoo in 1970. I copped this on the excellent Downbeat The Ruler “Killer Instrumentals” compilation that came out in 1988 on Heartbeat Records. DJs like me all picked it up back, then because it contained Sound Dimension’s “Real Rock” – a NY reggae club staple.

Studio One

1977

Early Johnny Osbourne on the same riddim. Barely even sounds like him IMO. Coxsone Dodd at the controls. 

Greensleeves

1984

St Mary’s parish bredren Carlton Livingston started out as a sound system DJ in the early 70s with Lone Ranger on mic. He recorded his first album in 1978, but this 1983 tune on a slower rendition of the hot milk riddim is probably his biggest hit. Production is so damn crispy too, thanks to Hyman Wright & Percy Chin.

Jah Life

1984

Never gets old. I saw Barrington live about two years ago and he’s still whoa-o-o-ing like a champ.

Tru Thoughts

2009

Lea Lea Jones is a sultry Hackney vocalist whose been bubbling up since about 2009, recording for BBE and Wah Wah 45s. Here she teams up with legendary Dancehall crooner Horace Andy, and I feel like her vocal phrasing borrows heavily from Aswad’s Brinsley Forde. She also got some attention for her weird, Bjorky cover of the Talking heads’ “psycho Killer”, which I still can’t decide if I like.

Stix Records

2014

A cover of Daft Punk released in June by French reggae producer Thomas Blanchet. The whole album is decent in that Easy All Stars kinda way. Nothing groundbreaking but I love the first Daft Punk album, so why not.

VP Records

2014

As many of my friends know, I’m still waiting for modern Dancehall to stop using the fucking auto tune. Seriously, it’s been like 15 years now. But I can make an exception for Busy Signal, whose dope Xmas song on the Shang I Shek riddim is just a natural head nodder. Props to him for putting Eek A Mouse in the video too, since he copped his whole “Wa Do Dem” vocal flow for the chorus.

Techniques

1985

Classic 80s vibes from Papa San, on the same Shang I Shek riddim. Papa San turned to Gospel in recent years, after a series of horrible deaths befell his family.

Studio 1

1983

The vanity riddim never disappoints. This one from Jim Brown, aka Paul Sinclair, who started making plates on Studio One around 1983. He still performs at festivals and dances to this day. This song is actually called Kipling, which you can hear in the lyrics, but the vinyl pressings were all mislabeled.

Studio One

1979

Big up to Jules Gayton, who pretty much never left home without this album in his crates, which inspired me to cop it. The whole record is dope. I think Sound Dimension was the backing band, and the drum rolls never sounded better.

Cosmic Bridge

2014

More Parisian dub, this one a bit harder and heavier on the double-timed 160bpm side. I’ve never quite figured out when people started hearing 80bpms as 160bpms, but I find it fascinating. This came out in July on Om Unit’s “Cosmology” compilation on Cosmic Bridge (UK)

Wah Wah 45s

2013

Leon Haywood inna dub style. What’s not to like? This was the B Side to the Brighton producer’s “Thriller” release on Wah Wah 45s, which you can hear on my recent "Afrogalatica" mix.

Roots Garden

2013

Speaking of Brighton, I am in love with this song, produced by UK O.G. Nick Manasseh, who has been making dubplates and DJing since the mid 80s, holding down pirate radio shows and several recording studios and record labels. I discovered this 2013 track on the simply amazing David Rodigan “Masterpiece” compilation, which showcases why he’s still the fucking DON.

Mad Decent

2013

Chronixx may not be the deepest of lyricists, but i love this minimalist riddim so much I can’t really care. The organ reminds me a bit of Mikey Dread’s “Junco Pardner” dub for The Clash.

Stix Records

2011

How I ended up with all these French reggae-heads in my crates i will never know. I blame the whole “if you bought this, you’ll like this” algorithm. Most of the Hip Hop acapellas over rockers beats are throw-aways, but this one is a party starter.

Truth & Soul

2011

Liam Bailey first hit my radar with his 2013 UK hit “Soon Come”, which you can hear on my "Spectral Energy" mix. I just like this dude’s voice, and his Roots sound old and new at the same time.

Federal Records

1964

Ernest Ranglin is a foundation reggae guitarist who blessed a million and one ska, rock steady, mento, and dancehall tunes at Studio One and elsewhere. This is a nice little number on Delroy Wilson’s “Movie Star” riddim, which touched down to earth in 1969.

Midnight Rock

1980

1980 niceness on Jah Thomas’ “Midnight Rock” riddim, which put him on the map.

Midnight Rock

1991

I’m still waiting for the big Supercat comeback. He showed up at the 2013 Hot 97 Summerjam looking like a crazy prophet. Still, he was one of the deejays that really got me in to Dancehall in the 80s.

Burning Sounds

1996

Nice, dubby version just to stretch it out a little bit.

Penthouse

1992

A somewhat-lesser-known buju track from the early 90s on the College Rock riddim via Dave Kelly’s Penthouse label. College Rock is a Big Willie Studio One original from 1972, but it actually lifted the horn line from an old Eddie Floyd track, "I´ve never found a girl" on Stax from 1968.

Epic

1992

30 years later, nobody sounds like Shabba. Respect.

6Dub

2014

6Blocc is the guy basically credited for bringing jungle music to LA under his original DJ battle name, R.A.W. He started focusing on dub step about 6 years ago. Lately he’s been releasing a lot of Dancehall-heavy dubstep. Finally an American producer that hasn’t forgotten the soul of the sound lies within reggae. Here he brings back Chaka Demus, who sounds raw as ever.

Deep Medi Musik

2012

A dope piece of deep dubstep that came out in 2012 on the Deep Medi Muzik label (UK). I love a lot of this new dub that, while techy, still feels rooted in King Tubby. That said, a lot of it is so fucking dark and gloomy that you start to feel like you’re living in a Cylon’s nightmare. So I play it sparingly. Maybe they mix Nyquil with their weed over there or something. Or Ketamine?

Deep Medi Musik

2012

This came out on wax in 2012 and good god is it wicked. The crazy push and pull of the bass on this track is the kinda shit that makes me squint up my whole face and just say ‘oooooh damn!!!” the first time I hear it.

Stix Records

2014

One more track from the Daft Punk dub record. It just works.

Bar Bell

1975

Cornell Campbell, the original Don Gorgon, voicing a tune for Bunny Lee from 1975. Cornell recorded his first track “My Treaure” at age 11 in 1956.

Studio One

1974

Winston Rodney in 74 at his most raw, before he got with Jack Ruby Hi Fi and soon signed with Island Records, morphing into the mystical rasta preacher we know today. On this track he’s channeling James Brown IMO, to great effect.

Grove Music

1976

Beautifully soothing roots track from their classic self titled debut on Mango/Island in 1976, also found on the Rodigan compilation I mentioned above.