Back catalogue: Reggae

Review: Before I Die have been putting out some high-grade leftfield delights from respected operators like Bernardino Femminelli, Tungusku and most recently Sewell & The Gong. Now it's the turn of Klangkollektor, indulging a collection of hazy dub excursions which sit somewhere near Balearic splendour, piano-charged melancholy and isolation tank meditation. In the dub tradition the approach is consistent and evenly paced, but it's certainly not aiming for any kind of typical Jamaican sound. Instead, there's a gentle introspection to the melodic content which gels perfectly with the spacious approach to mixing, unfurling across four sides of wax for an album you can just melt into.

Review: For the fifth volume of The Encyclopedia of Civilizations, Abstrakce's collection of split LPs - in which selected artists offer insight into fascinating ancient cultures - hears them focus this time on the enigmatic Babylon, visited by two of the label's favourite electronic bands currently active. Berlin-based duo Driftmachine take us on a journey between the ancient cities of Akkad, Uruk and Ashur. Bringing together astonishing electronics with a superb and precise sound - floating somewhere between modular ambient, leftfield, abstract dub - every detail has been carefully crafted to produce a complex architecture. Unconventional tribal rhythms recall obscure rituals, while warm, dynamic pulses contract and expand, interacting on their journey along the sandy roads of the Mesopotamian basin. Afterwards, Glasgow-based project Komodo Kolektif delves into the Babylonian vision of magic through the figures of the Kassaptu (witches and wizards), and the use of Mandragora. A blend of both tribal primitivism and a futuristic vision is provided by their vast arsenal of vintage synths and effects units, Eastern metallophones and traditional hand percussion. This is deep, psychedelic electronics that capture the spirit of ancient Babylonian sacred ceremonies and their vision of the cosmos.

Review: Jungle master Krak In Dub pays homage to Colombia and the rich array of music in the country with his new album, Catleya, which was recorded fully in Bogota. It features a red hot list of all the best current musical talents to be playing in the city and is a wild fusion of beats and Latin-American traditional rhythms and instruments, with elements of reggae, hip-hop, breaks and house sitting pretty next to cumbia and afrobeat, ska and bullerengue. It's a funky, playful and upbeat ride through the world's rhythms and is soaked with plenty of soul and sun.

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.