Juno Recommends Reggae Classics June 2020

Review: By now, you should know Devon Russell's sought-after 1984 cover of Curtis Mayfield classic "Move On Up", a incredible, post-disco era reggae-soul revision that just oozes sun-splashed positivity. It's virtually impossible to pick up the original 45 so this dinked reissue from Mukatsuku Records is most welcome and has been lovingly remastered. The seven-inch is also notable for including another overlooked gem from Russell's even lesser-known 1993 album of Mayfield covers, "Darker Than Blue". His rendition of "Give Me Your Love" here presented for the very first time in a 45 format is blissfully glassy-eyed, colourful and hazy, giving the Mayfield classic a decidedly Balearic reggae feel via head-nodding grooves, fluid synthesizer lines and jazzy guitar solos. In a word: brilliant.Supported so far by DJ Koco & DJ Muro from Japan and Craig Charles BBC 6 Music, The Allergies,Mr Thing, Andy Smith & Boca 45 from the uk....

Review: Melodica maestro Augustus Pablo released a number of influential albums during a golden period in the 1970s, though little quite as ground-breaking and far-sighted as 1976's "King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown". Mixed by King Tubby, it was one of the first great dub albums and is still one of the finest examples of the stripped-back, rhythm-heavy style around. If you don't already own a copy, we'd heartily recommend picking up this reissue. Musically, the tracks sound as warm, weighty and spacious as ever - all heavy Robbie Shakespear/Family Man Barrett bass, idiosyncratic drumming and killer melodica/Clavinet/organ action from Pablo - while the screen-printed artwork is a delight.

Review: For their latest release, Jah Fingers has dipped into the digital catalogue of long-running Abi Shanti and Iration Steppas favourite TNT Roots. Both tracks showcased here were first featured on the British producer's "Raw Dubplate Warrior Style" CD-R way back in 2010. A-side "Elohim" is a particularly cosmic and spiritual take on digi-dub, with spacey electronic motifs and exotic synth sounds echoing away atop a slow and low bassline and head-nodding drums. Over on the flip, "Verse II" is a heavier and more dubbed-out affair where delay-laden keyboard riffs and similarly sci-fi sounds echo across another killer bassline and hypnotic beat.

Review: Since moving to Sao Paolo from New York nearly two decades ago, in-demand producer and dub mixer Victor Price hasn't released much solo material. In fact, "Drink" is his first solo album since 2002 and has been trailed as a natural successor to that album, "Smoke". This is because it expands on the "samba Ska" blueprint he established on that much-loved set. In practice that means tracks that craftily combine elements of both Brazilian music and Jamaican ska, dub and reggae, with a few jazz and blues influences thrown in. As a result, "Drink" makes for hugely enjoyable, sun-soaked listening, with the Afro-Cuban/Ska fusion of "Bebida", relaxed "Simao", skanking "Because I Can" and pleasingly dubbed-out "Time To Go" standing out.

Review: In 1979, dub legend Lee 'Scratch' Perry "adopted" a pair of Congolese musicians who had been left stranded on Jamaica, put them together with his regular session players in the Black Ark studio he later burned down in a fit of psychosis, and recorded an album. As this fine reissue proves (the second in as many months; it was also reissued under the alternative title "Roots From The Congo"), the resultant music - a vibrant mix of Perry's particular brand of dub reggae and soukous music - was not only magical, but also unlike almost anything that had come before. For some reason it was only ever released on small labels in France and Belgium at the time, meaning that original copies are extremely hard to find. This reissue, then, is long overdue. Do yourself a favour and snap them up before they all disappear.

Review: While Nat Birchall is naturally best known for his jazz work, he's no stranger to the world of dub and reggae. In fact, "Tradition Disc In Dub" is his second full-length collaboration with roots reggae musician, producer and mixer Al Breadwinner (the first, "Sounds Almighty", dropped in 2018). It's a little more spaced-out than its predecessor, with both Birchall and Breadwinner emphasizing weighty riddims, echoing instrumentation (sax, flute, organ etc.) and the kind of analogue effects that marked out the golden age of dub. In fact, the "golden age" reference is particularly relevant, because while there's plenty of subtle variety on show throughout, it's closer in tone to King Tubby and Lee 'Scratch' Perry's 1970s work than, say, Mad Professor or Iration Steppas. More importantly, it's also superb.

Review: It would be fair to say that Lee 'Scratch' Perry's work with The Full Experience, a female vocal trio comprised of Aura Lewis, Pamela Reed and Candy MacKenzie, is not among his best known material - in part because only limited amounts of it was ever released in the late 1970s. This brilliant anthology from Doctor Bird does its best to fill in the gaps by gathering together Full Experience tracks from various largely little-known releases, including a clutch of cuts that have never before appeared on wax. Highlights include the dancefloor-focused disco-reggae sweetness of "Disco Fits", the super-soulful "Ice Cream", the Congoes-esque "Young Gifted & Broke" and the brilliant 12" mix of "Disco Devil", which is based on Perry's fine riddim for Max Romeo's "Chase The Devil".

Review: African Brothers were formed in 1969 by three Kingston teenagers and they went on to become key players in the global dub and reggae scene. After a busy decade working with the likes of Sly and Robbie, they all went on to work on separate solo careers but not before laying down some heavy jams. "Righteous Kingdom" is one and is an earthy bit of slow motion lovers rock with super soulful and sweet vocals musing on the battle for survival laid over swaggering drums, with rousing flutes drifting off into a cloudless sky above.

Review: During the mid-to-late 1990s, UK reggae artist Mackating released a string of roots and dub-focused albums and EPs, many of which were mixed by Nick Manasseh. "Words Of The Prophet", which here gets the reissue treatment, was one of those singles. In its original form, the 1997 cut is a fine chunk of sunny, summery UK roots reggae rich in soulful vocals, hazy guitars and spring-fresh flute solos. Manasseh's "Prophets Dub" version is heavy and spaced out, too, making it a superb alternate version. Over on the flip you'll find the female fronted "The Earth Is The Lords", a more dub-fired vocal number rich in echoing chords and gentle melodies, plus the weighty, riddim-centric "Lords Dub".

Review: This expansive EP gathers together some archival tracks - some previously unreleased - from a trio of UK dub and reggae stalwarts. The A-side is all about Tena Stelin's 1992 collaboration with dub mixer Centry, "Clean Up The World" - a soulful digital reggae workout that was first featured on the pair's 1992 album "Sun & Moon". Here the original comes accompanied by two previously unheard Centry reworks, including the wonderfully heavy and delay laden "Dubplate Mix". Over on side B we're treated to three versions of Chazbo's attractive dub number "Lightning & Thunder". While the solo-laden original is cool, it's the two supremely deep and weighty dub mixes that really float our boat.