MUSIC

Thrill Jockey celebrate their 20th Anniversary with this new edition of the seminal first album from Totroise, finally available again on vinyl.

Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the second full-length offering from Tortoise. The majority of the material was first conceived during an idyllic 10-day retreat in Northern Vermont, where the group were able to explore their ideas in a setting that fostered introspection and inspiration: the results are clearly evident in the washes of Klangfärben (tone color) and rhythm that permeate the album. The sounds and ideas contained therein can be viewed as a logical extension of those found their first (eponymous) LP on Thrill Jockey where the group outlined an agenda exploring texture, space, and mood. MNLWND, however, offers not only an expansion of those ideas but also the introduction of several new elements into the musical equation. New instrumental textures (marimbas and other mallet percussion on "Djed" (pronounced "jed"); conventional electric guitar on "Glass Museum"; analog synthesis/sequencing and found sound on "Dear Grandma and Grandpa") and structural ideas (the extended formal procedures of "Djed"; the non-narrative song "Along the Banks of Rivers") represent clear developments and redefinition's of the group's sound.Recording commenced immediately upon returning to Chicago, though due to a variety of reasons, the entire recording and mixing process became elongated. This less hurried approach to album making allowed the group to explore more of the possibilities inherent in the material; the 21-minute "Djed" is ample proof of this. The final version of the track went through approximately 15 different stages of mixing and editing. Like their debut, MNLWND was recorded and mixed by John McEntire (also at that time had produced material by Stereolab, Run On, The Sea and Cake, Trans Am, and Come). The majority of the album was recorded and mixed at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago, with the remainder being realized at the newly established SOMA Electronic Music Studios. MNLWND is the first studio recording to feature the talents of David Pajo, who joined to fill the position vacated by Bundy K. Brown in late 1994.

This is a 1975 dub classic by King "The Dub Master" Tubby, the founder of technique dub and a craftsman who repaired sound system equipment in Jamaica.

A heavyweight library record delivered straight from the Gods; truly, we are all blessed: Dubmaster Dennis Bovell presents cLOUD mUsIc. A miraculous set of loose limbed, slinky funk-forward dub on the A-Side with totally blunted, spaced out trippiness on the grooving versions gracing the flipside.

A pioneer of dub and progenitor of lovers rock, genius producer-arranger Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell's prolific and eclectic career encompasses a huge range of music: from dub poetry to lovers rock, afro-beat to post-punk, disco to pop and beyond.

His production work encompasses such diverse figures as Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Slits, Fela Kuti, Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Pop Group, Janet Kay, Saada Bonaire, Orange Juice, Golden Teacher, I Roy, Maximum Joy, Steel Pulse and more.

cLOUD mUsIc features 8 new, deep, never-heard heaters, initially created for upstart UK library label FOLD.

Skudgy downbeat morsels from Montel Palmer in TBZ mode for Amsterdam’s discogs search-dodging Not On Label Ready rolled to spark up and enjoy, ‘New (EP)’ turns out six endearingly cruddy exercises in lo-fi, economically dubbed beat craft in a style akin Tapes, Lolina, Jahtari, and Delroy Edwards. Never breaking a sweat, TBZ faithfully hews to the mode on all six counts from the Casio-keyed dancehall swivel of ‘M&M’ thru the plucky fizz of ’So It Goes’ via the dazed sleepy strut of ‘Hi Friend’, orientalist melodic phrasing on ‘Cut Off’, and the woozy melodica rumination ‘Bridge Burned’, with a sweet lick of dusky beachside 8-bit soul in ’N_T’.

Cruddiest nightglyde steez by the mysterious Sister Marion, voiced by Mass, for John T. Gast’s 5 Gate Temple A must check for anyone feeling Dean Blunt’s circle or Tribe of Colin, ‘B Safe’ scries early ‘10s road rap styles thru JTG’s murky crystal ball with Mass seemingly rapping from the other end of a long corridor over a blend of dungeon synth vamps, road rap/proto-UK drill and dread soundsystem rumbles, revealed in starkest terms on the version.

Isle of Jura is proud to present the first reissue of 1992 Digi Dub heater ‘Slow Down’ by Villette Holmes. Produced by the late Cedrica Anthony Hamilton, better known as Soljie, this release captures a master at work. A veteran engineer at the iconic Channel One Recording Studio, Soljie’s innovative approach at the mixing desk made him a giant of the reggae and dancehall scenes. He was the sonic architect behind many hits of the era, notably serving as the mixing engineer for Shabba Ranks’ seminal Grammy winning albums As Raw As Ever and Xtra Naked. In 1990, he launched his eponymous label, Soljie Records, which became a vehicle for his own distinct productions. ‘Slow Down’ is a quintessential Digi Dub production, balancing a heavy, driving rhythm with strong melodic hooks and a dreamy crossover feel that transcends the genre. Licensed from Soljie’s son, Chioke Hamilton, this reissue comprises the original version and Dub, alongside a previously unreleased Extended version. Pressed on 140g vinyl and housed in a striking 3mm spine, full colour disco sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald's dream project Rhythm & Sound summoned legendary reggae singers into the modern era. This 1998 masterpiece covers their early catalog with Tikiman. A Berlin dub masterpiece of profound meditation, where Tikiman's vocals echo through bottomless, inorganic tracks.

Japanese musician MERMAID focuses on new roots dub with all bases in sine wave. The songs have plenty of echoes of chamber music, Japanese folk songs and chopped his own voices, giving the listener layered sounds with a rather odd sense of humour :) MERMAID is one of the members of DDM (Dangerous Dance Music), which is the movement originated from the Tokyo record store 'Los Apson?'. After contributing to various dub and electronic compilations and continuing his own research into reggae, he now unveils 10 tracks in DUBMAID. Limited to 300 copies.

Hopeton Brown, better known as Scientist, has been a pioneering figure in the world of dub for 40 years. His early love of electronics proved fruitful when (still a teenager) he was hired at King Tubby's studio in Kingston. Brown quickly ascended the ranks and became heir to Tubby's throne, producing imaginative and technically impressive mixes that solidified his forward-looking nickname.

Originally released in 1981, In The Kingdom Of Dub remains one of the best early LPs in Scientist's long career. Produced by Roy Cousins at Channel One and featuring Sly & Robbie along with members of The Revolutionaries, The Aggrovators and The Soul Syndicate, the album offers a wide range of arresting rhythms, bold effect drops and exquisitely melodic bass. From "18 Drumalie Avenue Dub" (a reference to King Tubby's address) to "Burning Sun Dub," Scientist lays down a veritable roadmap of dub – filled with disintegrating echoes of satiny organ and textural guitar – firmly cementing his place as one of the true innovators in Jamaican popular music.

Hopeton Brown, better known as Scientist, has been a pioneering figure in the world of dub for nearly 40 years. His early love of electronics proved fruitful when (still a teenager) he was hired at King Tubby's studio in Kingston. Brown quickly ascended the ranks and became heir to Tubby's throne, producing imaginative and technically impressive mixes that solidified his forward-looking nickname.

Introducing Scientist - The Best Dub Album In The World, his 1980 debut LP, lives up to its boastful title. Recorded with Sly & Robbie at Channel One Studio and mixed at King Tubby's, the album features hypnotic basslines, reverb-drenched keyboards, and fluid, start-stop rhythms. Opening track "Steppers," with its well-balanced phrasing and organic contours, shows Scientist's mastery of the studio-as-instrument concept. On "Scientific," the effects-laden guitars are stretched to their outer limit to create magnificent, spaced-out textures and muted tension. Introducing Scientist displays the talents of a man obsessed with every element of production, drawing out the very best of the dub form.

Dark, hypnotic, tripping nyabinghi from 1974. Led by Ras Michael over four extended excursions, the music is organic, sublime and expansive, grounation-drums and bass heavy (with no rhythm guitar, rather Willie Lindo brilliantly improvising a kind of dazed, harmolodic blues). Lloyd Charmers and Federal engineer George Raymond stayed up all night after the session, to mix the recording, opening out the enraptured mood into echoing space, adding sparse, startling effects to the keyboards. At no cost to its deep spirituality, this is the closest reggae comes to psychedelia. Lovingly returned to its original, singular glory, restored at Abbey Road, with superfly vinyl in old-school, hand-assembled sleeves.

Originally released in 1978 on High Note, Dub Expression is a classic dub album recorded at Duke Reid’s famed Treasure Isle studio by his nephew, engineer Errol Brown. Working with the mighty studio band The Revolutionaries, Brown delivered dubbed-out takes on rhythms originally crafted for Marcia Griffiths, John Holt, Dennis Brown and more. Anchored by Lowell “Sly” Dunbar’s propulsive drums, The Revolutionaries channel the turbulent spirit of late-’70s Jamaica with militant precision. Though their line-up was ever-shifting, overlapping with other legendary session crews like The Professionals and The Aggrovators, The Revolutionaries were best known as the house band for Channel One during dub’s golden age. The decision to release the album under the band’s name—rather than crediting individual vocalists—was made by pioneering producer Sonia Pottinger, recognising the commercial power and creative force of the group itself. The result is a deep, heavy and unfiltered dub set that stands as one of the genre’s finest. Liner notes by JR Gonne.

London’s DJ Ojo expands his deep end club purview to a full album of purring downbeats, lilting rhythmelodies and technoid bassbin pressure with signature restraint and well-balanced weight for Blank Mind. It's really strong, tightly produced gear the far fringes of dub techno, somewhere between Monolake, Convextion, and the sort of thing Beneath and Kowton were up toback in the post-dubstep and post-UKF days of the late ‘00s...

One up to his label debut 12” of ’23, and a preceding EP for Significant Other’s Pain Management, the eight tracks of ‘Total Internal Reflection’ dwell in a vein of syncopated, offbeat UK bass music where deep house, dub techno, and electronic sound designer suss are reduced to barest essentials, as first shaped by the likes of Beneath and Kowton back in the post-dubstep and post-UKF days of the late ‘00s. It’s a sound that can sometimes take itself so seriously to the point of numbness, but is here inflected with just enough personality and sensuality in the tactile dub tech details and whirring, minimalist efficiency of the groove that buoys it to interest for connoisseurs of this sound.

A carefully plotted course emerges in the finely tempered escalation of tempo and opening of envelopes from a squashed, reticulated opener and nervier, skeletal 2-step parry of a title tune spangled with insectoid intricacy and adore dubbing, finding filigree variegation within a theme as the sloshing bleep swag of ‘Entropic’ nudges into mid-tempo swang shades from Paperclip Minimiser aces on ‘World of lens’, and echoes of Pole bounce around the sound sphere of ‘Axiomatic’, with a strong cap-tip to T++, but at depressed pace, on ‘Cruising’, and the sort of subs made for swimming in the club propel its most robust stepper ‘Isomorphic’.

DIN SYNC DUB is an exploration of communication through sound. Six tightly packed experimental dub tracks use bass-heavy vibrations to rattle both body and mind, pushing the limits of self-expression in the hope of fostering deeper human connection.

The drive for more efficient and precise communication tools—whether between man and machine or machine and machine—has been a foundational force in the evolution of technology. This duality, the way we interface with computers and the way we speak to one another, is at the heart of DIN SYNC DUB. For this album, N1_SOUND looks back to 1980, drawing inspiration from Roland’s Din Sync—a 40-year-old synchronization technology once used to link musical machines in perfect harmony.

While connecting machines to produce precisely sequenced music is nothing new, it’s the tension between perfection and imperfection—the mistakes of both man and machine—that gives DIN SYNC DUB its voice, its emotional rawness.

The journey begins with “Horizontal Hang”, which crashes through the door with a relentless bassline and crystalline synths. “Such Love” introduces a throbbing, guitar-driven groove, while “Intuition Dub” channels the spirit of Jah Shaka, offering a rhythmic pulse that echoes dub’s deep roots. “Us All” provides a moment of introspection with its sparse, three-dimensional melodies, before “Joy” reintroduces chaos, creating a post-dubstep soundscape that dismantles everything in its path. The album closes with “Mauzy”, a hopeful yet fragmented conclusion, reflecting the ever-evolving nature of technology and connection.

By the mid-to-late 1980s, Din Sync was superseded by the more widely adopted MIDI, yet obsolescence is built into the nature of all technology. Just as our relationship with machines shifts and fades, so too does our understanding of how those changes shape us. Before we can grasp the impact, the world has already moved on.

DIN SYNC DUB, the first full-length LP from Spiritual World, pulses with energy, on the edge of malfunction—a manifestation of the tension between the digital and the organic, the past and the present. 

Like an ambient house comet, Local Artist Ian Wyatt’s Slow Riffs return to Mood Hut 13 years since their debut LP with a bevy of weightless, subtly pendulous levitations.

The projected dream sequence of ’Simulacra’ connotes an out of body experience with a poetic grasp of ambient, deep house and their roots in jazz, fourth world and new age urges. With subtle holographic dub diffusions the record achieves a pleasant sense of treading air/water and being gently buffeted by cosmic breezes. Take the title tune for example, whose rippling congas and bleary sax motifs feels like passages of earliest Terre Thaemlitz meets Jon Hassell, while elsewhere they touch a subtly ruggeder vein like Rezzett’s ambient jungle thizzers in its depth charged subs and aerial interplay of drums and pads, giving way to Romance-like sensations with the tousled choral pads of ‘Cosmic Joke’, while ‘Mutual Dreaming’ harks back to early vaporwave templates of 0PN via James Ferraro.

Double heavy 1980 dub showdown by two London sound system titans, engineered by Prince Jammy and featuring Mikey Dread, Scully, Barry Brown and Johnny Osbourne on board.

Hard, or at least spenny, to find OGs 2nd hand, ‘Dub Confrontation Shaka (Warrior) Vs Fatman (Killer)’ is understandably sought-after as a shining example of pure dub tekkerz from its golden era. Ken ‘Fatman’ Gordon’s A-side renders the rhythms and vocals with coolly measured, judicious boing and 3D plangency, hitting hardest on the effortless traction of ‘Jahovian Dub’, whilst Jah Shaka weighs in a killer B-side of rhythms re-arranged with additional, signature drum lines and swirling sirens, as on the deadly ‘Dreader Dub’, a skeletally stark ‘College Dub’ and the simmering zinger ‘Afrika Dub’.

“Anonymously operating under the name 8004, this 12-inch release is built from material recorded in Chicago, weaving abstract dub rhythms with stripped-down minimal sound design to create a stark yet immersive sonic landscape.

Reissued for the very first time on vinyl here's Prince Alla's (aka Keith Blake) debut album, under the Ras Allah pseudonym, originally released on Tappa Zukie's Stars Records in 1978. Featuring a who's who of the roots reggae community with top notch contributions from the likes of Sly & Robbie, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, Don Drummond Jr., Bingy Bunny (Roots Radics) and more. Recorded at the almighty Black Ark and mixed at Tubby's. Produced and Arranged by Tappa Zukie.

Rare and obscure dub roots reggae compilation, produced by Clement Bushay in 1975 and released on Chalwa Records in 1978. Arranged by Alton Ellis and mixed by King Tubby. Recorded at King Tubby Studio, Kingston, JA and Chalk Farm, TMC, SWM Studios, UK...Featuring King Tubby, The Cimarons, Dennis Alcapone, Dave Barker, I. Pablo. A must for every reggae fan!

One of the Hidden Gems out of the Rockers Int Label released in 1995 this LP features so many classic Far East melodies from Pablo mixing the digital and analog formats to perfection with vocals by Pablo on the title track as well as Majestic Niyabinghi Drums and the finest musicians

Ken Boothe and Lloyd Charmers come together on a landmark release that bridges soulful vocals with the stripped-down power of drum and bass. Each song is followed by a raw version, offering a bold, unfiltered statement that points directly to the future of reggae. No filler here—just foundation music at its purest.

1981 album, produced by Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, recorded at Channel One, backed by the Roots Radics.

Released by French reissue specialists Only Roots and Deep Roots, the Augustus Pablo vinyl LP, titled King Tubbys Meets Rockers At 5 Cardiff Crescent Washington Garden Kingston, compiles a treasure trove of mostly previously unreleased material licensed from the vaults of Augustus Pablo’s Rockers International. Recorded at Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark studio, mixed at King Tubby’s, and anchored by the Rockers All Stars’ timeless riddims, the album delivers dub versions of gems like The Immortals’ Why Keep A Good Man Down and A House Is Not A Home, Pablo’s own New Lots Express, Roman Stewart & Barrington Spence’s No Peace In The City, Ricky Grant’s Far Far Away, and Hugh Mundell’s defiant Run Revolution A Come. Of particular interest are two alternate cuts of Pablo’s Unfinished Melody, along with a rare partial vocal of Jacob Miller’s Stop Them Jah, voiced on the same classic riddim that underpins the iconic Who Say Jah No Dread. These tracks first appeared decades ago on a scarce 10-inch release and now makes a welcome return.