(Rock, Reggae) CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

With Sen-Sei & David Coleman, Dub Theory & Lyon St. Dub, and Zeb & Sasha C. 12-inch, Vinyl record

We love Sly & Robbie – really we do. And while they were responsible for many of the toughest rhythms ever laid to wax, they did cut their share of material that hits nice and hard, but may not be as sublime as their finest and fattest. While on paper this Bill Laswell produced session that finds the Rhythm Twins meeting up with an all star cast including Rammellzee, Bernie Worrell, Henry Threadgill and D. St. among others, it somehow manages to result in a sum that's that's less than the combination of all the dope parts. But you could do a lot worse, and we're guessing if you heard any of these 6 tracks in a different context, you might well consider it the heat: "Fire", "Boops (Here to Go)", "Let's Rock", "Yes We Can Can", "Rhythm Killer" and "Bank Job". CD

We love Sly & Robbie – really we do. And while they were responsible for many of the toughest rhythms ever laid to wax, they did cut their share of material that hits nice and hard, but may not be as sublime as their finest and fattest. While on paper this Bill Laswell produced session that finds the Rhythm Twins meeting up with an all star cast including Rammellzee, Bernie Worrell, Henry Threadgill and D. St. among others, it somehow manages to result in a sum that's that's less than the combination of all the dope parts. But you could do a lot worse, and we're guessing if you heard any of these 6 tracks in a different context, you might well consider it the heat: "Fire", "Boops (Here to Go)", "Let's Rock", "Yes We Can Can", "Rhythm Killer" and "Bank Job". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible compilation of classic era dub work from King Tubby's – played by producer Bunny Lee's legendary Aggrovators band and showcasing the mixing skills of Tubby, Prince Jammy, Scientist and others! This is prime era hypnotic dub of the finest caliber – originally issued on Jamaican 45s, and hard-to-find for decades! The great Blood & Fire label did the dub digging community a major solid by issuing the material on some wonderful compilations, but even those had been out of print for a couple decades before this much needed, sprawling VP/17th North Parade assemblage. Includes "A Bag Of Wire Dub", "Dub Of Rights", "A Heavy Dub", "A Living Version", "How Long Dub", "Breaking Up Dub", "Poor Barber", "Sub To The Rescue", "King Tubby's In Fine Style", "Horn For I", "Jah Love Rocker's Dub", "Stealing Version", "Fatter Dub", "Satta Dread Dub", "Tubby Get Smart", "Beat Them In Dub", "Version Of Class", "Peace And Love In The Dub", "Thunder Rock", "Channel Is A Joker", "Peace And Love In The Dub", "Step It Up In Dub", "Chapter Of Money" and more. 44 tracks on 2CDs! CD

A really cool hybrid of styles – reggae, but recorded in Libya – which makes for all sorts of twists and turns in the music that are nicely different from mainstream modes! The rhythms still have echoes of Kingston, but the vocals have a special sort of phrasing, and the keyboards often use these cool tones and chords that you'd never hear in Jamaica – and at times, there's more elements in the tunes that shift towards other Mid East styles as well. The whole thing's a really unusual batch of tracks – exactly the kind of music we love from the Habibi Funk label, served up on titles that include "Subhana", "Ya Ghalian", "Damek Majeb", "Ya Ghayeb", "Aziz W Adda", "Ana Middaee", and "La Ta'tather". (Global Grooves, Reggae) CD

A strong debut effort from one of the finer British roots acts – the mighty Aswad, a group who were big on the UK shores, but never got the same sort of international circulation as their peers Steel Pulse! Like many UK groups of the time, Aswad are nicely self-contained, different than the producer-driven aesthetic of Jamaican music – playing and writing their own material, and really coming across with a unified vibe as a result! Vocals and instrumentation are excellent throughout – and titles include "Can't Stand The Pressure", "Ethiopian Rhapsody", "I A Rebel Soul", "Natural Progression", "Red Up" "Ire Woman", and "Back To Africa". Features two bonus tracks – "Three Babylon", and "Three Babylon (dub mix)". LP, Vinyl record album