MUSIC

Sweet And Nice is the vital debut album from Jamaica’s undisputed first lady of song Marcia Griffiths. It's reggae at its most soulful. Slinking through a tight ten tracks of R&B and pop-sourced material, it became an instant best seller. 45 years after its initial release the LP is available again on vinyl, now as a double LP, with an extra record collecting 14 rare tracks.

Everything’s been remastered of course, including the original LP, so Sweet And Nice now sounds even sweeter, and even nicer.

'Soundwriters: The Incomplete Guide to Indonesian Diaspora Music (1969–1989)' is a book and catalogue devoted to artists whose work shaped the cultural life of postcolonial Netherlands, yet rarely entered official archives; cataloguing 62 rare and overlooked releases by Indonesian diaspora artists recorded in the Netherlands and Suriname, from soul and funk to reggae and pop. "Written by Michiel Sekan with additional research by Harry “Munir” Septiandry, the book combines historical analysis with personal reflection. Essays move between migration histories, colonial legacies, family memory, and music culture. At its core sits a catalogue of sixty two releases that document the range of sounds created by Indo-European, Moluccan, Papuan, Javanese Surinamese, Peranakan, and broader Indonesian diaspora communities. Soul, funk, pop, reggae, rock, and protest songs appear side by side. Together they form an aural record of resistance, adaptation, and creativity across continents. Printed in Jakarta and published by Jiwa Jiwa in three languages, Dutch, English, and Indonesian, Soundwriters positions music as both archive and testimony. It asks how sound preserves stories when written records fall short, and how listening can reconnect personal memory with shared history. The project extends beyond the page through exhibitions, listening rooms, documentaries, and public programs in the Netherlands and Indonesia. Michiel Sekan is an Amsterdam based DJ, curator, and multidisciplinary artist. Through his platform Jiwa Jiwa he researches and presents music from the Indonesian archipelago and diaspora across radio, exhibitions, publishing, and club culture. His work links record collecting with archival study and personal history. Soundwriters is his first book."

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.

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.

I Against I is the third studio album from Bad Brains, originally released in 1986 on SST Records. It remains influential to this day, inspiring countless punk, ska, reggae, and hardcore bands with its innovative sound and uncompromising attitude.

This reissue marks the eighth release in the remaster campaign, re-launching the Bad Brains Records label imprint. In coordination with the band, Org Music has overseen the restoration and remastering of the iconic Bad Brains’ recordings. The audio was mastered by Dave Gardner and pressed at Furnace Record Pressing.

Vinyl LP pressing. Rock for Light is the second full-length album by Bad Brains, released in 1983. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. We're proud to present the original mix of the album, for the first time in decades, as the band originally intended. Most fans will be more familiar with the 1991 reissue, which was remixed by Ocasek and bass player Darryl Jenifer. In addition to new mixes, that version used an altered track order. This reissue marks the fourth release in the remaster campaign, re-launching the Bad Brains Records label imprint. In coordination with the band, Org Music has overseen the restoration and remastering of the iconic Bad Brains' recordings. The audio was mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Furnace Record Pressing.

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!

Re-issued for the very first time on vinyl – in more than 40 years ! – here’s the third album by the cultish Jamaican band. Backed by such reggae luminaries as Sly & Robbie, Errol “Flabba” Holt, Tommy McCook, Ansel Collins, Earl “Chinna” Smith and others, this is a true gem meant to last !

Mandatory re-issue for this 1979 roots reggae smash

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.

The cultured dub and tech label Sushitech marks its 20th anniversary by branching out with a new imprint, Wood White Sessions, which has been designed as an outlet for more intimate, home-focused listening sounds that don't stray too far from the parent label's original ethos. Dedicated to albums from long-time collaborators and core artists, the new venture expands the Sushitech sound with a softer, more reflective edge, and seasoned dub craftsman Another Channel is up first. Across eight cuts rich in texture and atmosphere, he hooks up with Prince Morella, Masis, and Yassin Omidi to immerse you in the most shady and pristine dub.

The Heptones are without doubt one of Jamaica’s finest vocal groups. Emerging in the 60s at Studio One, they became a landmark for reggae harmonies. This 1978 album, produced by Winston ‘Niney the Observer’ Holness, features top musicians including George Fullwood, Sly Dunbar, Ansel Collins, Tony Chin, and Eric ‘Bingy Bunny’ Lamont. Recorded at Channel One and mixed at Harry J Studios by Sylvan Morris, it remains a stone-cold classic, true to its roots.

Fully licensed, all tracks remastered ! Earth Running, originally released in 1979 on the Tappa's Stars label, can be considered the Jamaican's toaster's maturity album. Lyrics here are rooted in the "ghetto life" as always. A work with an international flavour: On Side B, two convincing dance tracks, the anthemic funkfest "Freak" and "One More Chance", often championed by DJs in the following years. A work that explored new territories, a mandatory re-issue for all authentic reggae lovers.

Adrian Sherwood delivers a brand new full-length work for 2025, The Collapse Of Everything. A meticulously constructed album from the master mixologist, pushing his ever adventurous sound into new frontiers.

Although underpinned by a natural dub sensibility, the music presented on The Collapse of Everything fluidly crosses genre borders and seamlessly fuses a wide range of influences from a lifetime of listening and producing.

Featuring Brian Eno, Doug Wimbish, Keith Le Blanc, Cyrus Richards, and more. Mastered and cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Artwork by Peter Harris.

unification of techno and dub reggae. At their chilliest, most magnificent and dreadful. Brilliantly remastered, one-sided.

unification of techno and dub reggae. The long-awaited 2023 repress of the Rhythm & Sound catalog number 3, which was originally announced in 1998! A one-of-a-kind solitary acoustic space by Mark Ernestus & Moritz von Oswald's Basic Channel.

The groundbreaking debut album from 1981 that plays on both the title and concept of David Byrne and Brian Eno's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Built upon sparse backing tracks constructed by Adrian Sherwood, the producer invited Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah (who had studied under Count Ossie in the rasta drumming camp at Wareika Hill in Jamaica) to lay down hand percussion patterns and breaks on top, augmented by stereo-strafed effects and the occasional burst of Sun Ra-style horns. The result is a unique mixture of traditional African rhythms, dub and free jazz. Features DJ favourite “Stebeni’s Theme” and “Far Away Chant”, used to famously gruesome effect by David Lynch in the film Wild At Heart.。

This is a critically important work in dub history by Prince Far I & The Arabs, originally released in 1978. The recording features performances centered on the Roots Radics rhythm section, recorded in Jamaica and subsequently overdubbed in the UK. The mixing was handled by key figures in UK dub, including Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, and Mark Lusardi. The result is a clean yet profound dub album that successfully merges Prince Far I's signature sound with the innovative UK aesthetic.

Limited Japanese edition. Years before Scientist and Jammy battled the space invaders, Tradition dreamt up a sci-fi jazz/dub odyssey in north London.

Captain Ganja and the Space Patrol is one of the most singular dub albums that barely saw the light of day. A conscious effort to create a new breed of dub centred around the cosmic synths and keys of Paul Thompson. Making use of an early Roland sampler, Tradition broke away from the standard drum / bass workouts that ruled the day. With the Captain, dub becomes an atmosphere, a feeling, not a formula - littered with baby’s cries, tribal chants, radiophonic noodlings and library soundtracks for space-age bachelor pads.

80年代レゲエ界に革命を起こした最強のリディム"Sleng Teng”に乗せた沖縄民謡、ウチナースレンテンプロジェクトがついに始動。待望の7インチリリースが決定！

 

Churashima NavigatorのNu-dohとISLAND HERLEMのSHINGO (MC)のDJユニット島's (シマーズ) による、80年代レゲエ界に革命を起こしたリディム "Sleng Teng"に乗せた沖縄民謡のわらべうた「赤田首里殿内」を7インチでリリース。カップリングには「てぃんさぐぬ花」を比嘉いつみ(唄、三線)そして、宮古島出身のBlack Wax、浜田真理子のサポート等で活躍するMARINO（Sax）をフィーチャー。録音、編集は沖縄を代表するアーティストHARIKUYAMAKUが担当。

 

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1980年代、ジャマイカのダンスホール・シーンにコンピューターライズド革命を起こしたモンスター・リディム"Sleng Teng（スレンテン）”。沖縄で、詠み人知らずの唄として古くから歌い継がれてきた民謡「赤田首里殿内（あかたすんどぅんち）」、「てぃんさぐぬ花」。島’sのDJ Nu-dohが25年もの間、構想をあたため続けてきた「Sleng Teng×沖縄民謡」のチャンプルー・プロジェクトがついに実現した。そもそもは「"Sleng Teng”を聞いて、これは音階的に沖縄民謡が絶対合うとピンときた」のが始まりだと言う。かつて名曲「バイバイ沖縄」が生まれたように、レゲエと沖縄民謡は惹かれ合う。それを直感できるのは、まさにうちなーんちゅの血というべきか。「赤田首里殿内」は、もとは琉球王朝時代に首里殿内にて弥勒（みるく）様を迎える祭礼で歌われていた唄。今では“シーヤープー シーヤープー”などの囃子に合わせて、子どもたちが体を使って遊ぶ童歌としても親しまれている。「てぃんさぐぬ花」は、親の教えを心に染めなさいと歌う教訓歌。両曲とも沖縄では幼い頃から耳にすることの多い代表的な民謡だが、たとえうちなーぐちがわからない人でも、ふとメロディーを口ずさんでしまえるキャッチーさがある。その選曲の意図には「気軽に親しめる曲で世界中に沖縄の唄が広がってほしい」というDJ Nu-dohの切な願いがある。「必ず会って話をして音楽を作る」をモットーに、参加アーティストと友小（どぅしぐゎー）の絆を育み、音遊び、唄遊びを共にして完成した入魂作。25年越しに実った“ウチナースレンテン”が、2024年、世界に羽ばたく。

 

文／岡部徳枝