MUSIC

One of Jamaica’s greatest voices lights the way from roots reggae to dancehall on rhythms laid by Roots Radics, produced by Hyman “Jah Life” Wright and tweaked out by Scientist at King Tubby’s studio

Maybe more strictly one of dancehall’s greatest voices, Barrington Levy served ‘Bounty Life’ in 1979 - one of four albums that year - initiating one of the greatest catalogues of the era in the process. It shares classics ‘Shine Eye Gyal’ and ‘Shaolin Temple’ with the LPs of the same names, along with aces such as the title tune catching his distinctive flow in action, whereas ‘Moonlight Lover’ is a mango-sweet romantic anthem, and his version to Horace Andy’s ‘Skylarking’ brings the OG closer to the dancehall, where ‘Don’t Fuss or Fight’ signs off with a classic flourish.

Sons Of Jah were a vocal trio formed in Trenchtown, Jamaica, in 1976, led by the enigmatic Trevor Bow. This album -- originally released in 1980 and recorded at Treasure Isle Recording Studio -- assembles a fantastic cast of musicians: Negus Dawtas contribute superb backing vocals, Aston 'Family Man' Barret is on bass, Earl 'Chinna' Smith on guitar and the great Rico Rodriguez has the horns. Enlisting also a couple of mandatory instrumental tracks, The Sons of Jah delivered a majestic third album.

Fully remastered and licensed, limited to 500 copies. Reissued here for the first time, in an extended version, the only album by the British reggae band, originally released on Ball Record in 1978. One of the best kept secrets of the British reggae scene of the late 70‘s and mid 80’s who, with Steel Pulse, competed for the title of best reggae band in Birmingham. The album includes these eight tracks plus both sides of the band's final single and a couple of unreleased tracks.

Matthew McAnuff, son of the solitary roots singer Winston McAnuff, tragically lost his life in 2012. After his passing, the song “Be Careful” was released and sent shockwaves through reggae communities not only in Jamaica but around the world. Now, more than a decade later, this iconic track returns, revived with two previously unheard versions. Carrying the strength and sorrow inherited from his father, Matthew’s voice brims with conscious message and undeniable presence, affirming his brilliance as a torchbearer for a new generation. Alongside the original, newly unearthed alternate and dub mixes expand the depth of his expression, offering a fresh glimpse into his artistry. Though his life was heartbreakingly short, the few recordings he left behind still resonate with urgency—an essential reissue that preserves his legacy.

unification of techno and dub reggae. The long-awaited 2023 repress of the Rhythm & Sound catalog number 7, which was originally announced in 2002! A one-of-a-kind solitary acoustic space by Mark Ernestus & Moritz von Oswald's Basic Channel.

unification of techno and dub reggae. The long-awaited 2025 repress of the Rhythm & Sound catalog number 4, which was originally announced in 1999! A one-of-a-kind solitary acoustic space by Mark Ernestus & Moritz von Oswald's Basic Channel.

'Negrea Love Dub' is a substabtial dub project featuring Linval Thompson produced riddims, which were laid at Channel One studio by The Revolutionaries – at the time a celebrated studio band led by drum and bass partners Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespear – and mixed at King Tubby’s renown studio at 18 Dromilly Avenue in Kingston by Prince Jammy. 'Negrea Love Dub', is a bit of a curious affair. The 10-track dub set starts off with riddims long-time reggae fans will instantly associate with tunes from Gregory Isaacs’ self-produced LP “Cool Ruler” that came out on the African Museum imprint in 1978. Especially striking is the fact the these riddims aren’t re-cuts. They are exactly the same as the original versions – assuming that Gregory Isaacs was the one who used them first, although it easily could be the other way around.

"As a man who can see far, I know one day Triston Palma style is gonna reach far, so I -- Man Jah Thomas, the music maker from Jamaica, take pleasure in presenting this show case to nice-up the place." Originally released in Jamaica, 1982. Rhythm tracks laid at Channel One Studio. Voiced and mixed at: Channel One and King Tubby's Studio, Kingston Jamaica. W.I. Bass: Errol (Flabba Holt); Drums: Style Scott; Engineer: Barnabas, King Tubby, Professor (10), Scientist; Guitar (Lead): Dwite, Sowell; Guitar (Rhythm): Bingy Bunny; Horns: D. Headly, D. Frazer, Nambo; Organ: Stelle, Winston Wright; Percussion: Sky Juice; Piano: G. Anderson; Producer: Nkrumah Jah Thomas; Toasting (Featuring): Jah Thomas.

Our mixtape-style selection of clips from tapes recorded live at soundsystems playing during London's Notting Hill Carnival between 1984 and 1988, originally broadcast on NTS Radio in 2018, is the latest to be committed to cassette as part of our 10th anniversary series. Featuring sounds from the likes of Jamdown Rockers, Saxon, Java Nuclear Power, Killerwatt Turbotronic, Stereograph, Sir Coxsone, Volcano Express, King Tubbys and more.

Deeeeeep from the Ariwa archives... all unreleased music on here. Sounding absolutely essential to us. Dates of production uknown at time of writing... The A Side is a Mad Professor produced version of Aisha's 'Give a Little Love', given the UK treatment. The Dub is a proper roller. Side B is the unheard African Message Dub (Parts 1& 2). Recordings ft Jah Shaka on bass, Norman Grant (Twinkle Brothers) on Drums, Sgt Pepper and Mad Professor on the desk. Masterful UK Dub from these key figures.... pulled out of nowhere.

French synth-dub duo Froid Dub continue their blast of organic and digital material on this brand new 6-track album. Pushing the clash between synth wave and dub even further, the electronic beats of the TR-808 are more than ever engulfed in the slow motion vibes of the digi-bass echoes.French synth-dub duo Froid Dub continue their blast of organic and digital material on this brand new 6-track album. Pushing the clash between synth wave and dub even further, the electronic beats of the TR-808 are more than ever engulfed in the slow motion vibes of the digi-bass echoes.

Based in Koza, Okinawa, producer/dub engineer HARIKUYAMAKU combines old Okinawan folk songs and dope, psychedelic DUB to create innovative music.

Hard to find early 80s roots vocal album from Delton Screechie, voiced over tuff militant roots rhythms at Harry J's then voiced and mixed at King Tubby's studio.

Early recordings and dubplates. Gritty, diggers’ selection of sides originally out on Wackies, Aires, Earth and co; plus some tough dubplates featuring Leroy Sibbles and Stranger Cole. Sibbles chips in his own Guiding Star rhythm from Studio One days, re-worked at Bullwackies; and reputedly that’s him undercover on the opener with Little Roy, ripping off Glen Brown’s Wedden Skank.

Great late 70s roots DJ album from Beris Simpson aka Prince Hammer riding some of the tuffest rhythms of the day from Channel One. Featuring The Revolutionaries with Prince Jammy, Errol Thompson and Crucial Bunny at the controls.

Founded in 1977 by Berris (operator), Wolfman (selector) and Jagger (mike man), Man Fi Bill and Killer, Moa Anbessa International has established quickly as one of the UK top sound systems of the late 70s early 80s. Based in Battersea (SW London), after having made its first steps with Lord David Hi Fi, Moa Anbessa International played successfully until 1981 the main sounds of the time like Jah Shaka, Coxsone, Fatman, Front Line, Stereograph, Jah Tubbys, Quaker City, Mafia Tone, Quantro or Jungle Man. In 1980, the Moa Anbessa International label released his first production recorded in Jamaica.

After running a sound system and studying electronics overseas, Spanish Town-based Harry Mudie began releasing rhythm and blues recordings by local performers, enjoying more concerted success during the reggae era of the late 1960s and mid-1970s, crafting lasting hits with artists like Dennis Walks and the Spanish Town-based toaster I Roy. The first volume of the Dub Conference series, made with King Tubby, has stripped-down cuts of some of Mudie’s greatest productions, including ‘Lorna’s Dance,’ a percussion and horns take of ‘Caught You In A Lie’, and a strings cut of the Heptones’ ‘Love Without Feeling.’ Excellent!After running a sound system and studying electronics overseas, Spanish Town-based Harry Mudie began releasing rhythm and blues recordings by local performers, enjoying more concerted success during the reggae era of the late 1960s and mid-1970s, crafting lasting hits with artists like Dennis Walks and the Spanish Town-based toaster I Roy. The first volume of the Dub Conference series, made with King Tubby, has stripped-down cuts of some of Mudie’s greatest productions, including ‘Lorna’s Dance,’ a percussion and horns take of ‘Caught You In A Lie’, and a strings cut of the Heptones’ ‘Love Without Feeling.’ Excellent!

Vera Dvale, aka DJ Sotofett, the popular DJ/producer who runs the ever-popular Norwegian lo-fi house label Sex Tags Mania with her brother DJ Fett Burger, is back with Good Morning Tapes! This DJ set features a carefully selected selection of tracks from the golden age of Roots Reggae from his vast collection. This 100-minute long session of roots, rocksteady, lovers rock, and dub-out skankers is a sequel to the “Music Is Kinship” tape released here in 2020, this time recorded at an outdoor party at GMT in 2022. This time, it was recorded at an outdoor party at GMT in 2022.

Get Wise gathers ten standout tracks from Horace Andy, recorded between 1972 and 1974 with producer Phil Pratt. Originally released in 1975 on Pratt’s Sunshot label, this collection features a string of expressive early singles, including alternate takes on classics like ‘Root Of All Evil’ (‘Money, Money’) and ‘I Don’t Want To Be Outside’ (‘Zion Gate’). With his unmistakable falsetto—shaped as much by Otis Redding and Smokey Robinson as Alton Ellis—Andy had already marked himself as one of reggae’s most distinctive voices. Backed by the ever-reliable Soul Syndicate Band (featuring the likes of Sly & Robbie, Aston “Family Man” Barrett and Earl “Chinna” Smith), the tracks were recorded at legendary Kingston studios Channel One, Black Ark, Dynamic Sound and Randy’s Studio 17, with engineers including Lee Perry, Errol Thompson and Ernest Hoo Kim. Get Wise is a vital document of early Horace Andy—soulful, rootsy and essential listening for fans of classic ’70s Jamaican music. Liner notes by JR Gonne.

Skeleton EP is the first solo work by Siva, who is also known as the leader and bassist of the instrumental reggae band Version Brothers while also running the reggae apparel brand RASTAFA Riddim in Hachioji, Tokyo.

The EP was recorded using analog equipment at Vibes House Studio, which Siva has been building over the past ten years. He played all the instruments himself, recorded onto a reel-to-reel multitrack recorder, and handled the mixing on his own. The project began with a simple question posed by the label owner—a friend of Siva's for over 15 years: What would happen if Siva, whose musical career had always centered around live performances and collaborations, created everything entirely by himself?

Rooted in the groove and spirit of roots reggae, the EP also incorporates unexpected sonic effects that emerged organically during the recording process. Moreover, with mastering by Pole, an artist and engineer known primarily for his work in the realm of electronic dub, the record gained a unique texture that sets it apart from conventional reggae.

In an age where AI automation is taking over music, this work stands out for its raw groove and primal creative spark—offering something that speaks to the listener.

Released on Aug 8, 2025

Mastering & Lacquer cutting by Pole (Scape Mastering, Berlin)

Recording assistance by TYPE-K

Artwork by Taizo Watanabe

This exclusive compilation showcases the very best of Tappa Zukie's productions from 1988 to 1994, featuring an all-star lineup of legendary Jamaican vocalists and backed by top musicians such as Sly & Robbie and Clive Hunt. Each track has been remastered and is available together on vinyl for the first time ever. "When your mother and your father forsake you, the Lord God Jah will pick you up."

These were the words spoken by the people of Trench Town (Kingston, Jamaica) to a young Tappa Zukie, who began running away from home at the age of twelve. Drawn to the allure of the Rude Boy gangs, Tappa was captivated by Kingston’s thriving Sound System culture, where every neighborhood pulsed with music. It was in this vibrant environment that the young Tappa Zukie first began deejaying, quickly gaining recognition as a rising star in the dancehall scene.

This early success solidified his deep connection to music, as he developed a sharp intuition for what the dancehall crowds craved. Over the next two decades, Tappa would find both fame and fortune as a deejay, but his influence reached far beyond the mic. He became known as a visionary producer, founding the Stars label, which became a platform for legendary artists like Prince Alla, Junior Ross, Horace Andy, Knowledge to name a few during reggae's golden age of the 1970s Roots era.

By the mid-1980s, as Jamaican reggae evolved both in style and production techniques, Tappa responded by launching Tappa Records. This album is a carefully curated selection of ten tracks from Tappa Records, spanning the years 1986 to 1994. These ten tracks—produced by Tappa Zukie—highlight some of Jamaica’s finest singers and deejays, and while the music reflects the shifting styles of Jamaican music at the time, the deep influence of Roots is unmistakable. The themes of Roots music are still front and center, not just in the lyrics but in the very fabric of the production itself, a sound that has since become known among reggae music addicts as "Digital Roots."

Tappa Zukie and his talented array of musicians developed a sound that remains fresh even today, a testament to their creative vision. It has since become a reference for modern reggae producers, especially within the sound system scene, where Tappa's innovative work continues to inspire and set the standard for the next generation of reggae music.

An epic B2B2B mixtape from NYC, brought to life by longtime Bredrens and frequent collaborators Zebrablood, Rainstick, and Marcus Burrowes.

The 90-minute mix is heavily spiced with tuff digi dubs, conscious deep cuts and Blazer edits, all dubbed and bass-maxxed by BLZR to nourish you with raggamuffin upfulness.

Rough Trade release limited edition 7-inch singles boxsets to celebrate label's formative years (1978-1993) Having consistently released music by innovative, visionary, and transformative artists, Rough Trade have been defining record collections since their first release in 1977 (RT001 saw the shop help French punks Metal Urbain put out single Paris Maquis), continuing to release cutting edge albums and tracks right up to, and including the present day, with their current roster boasting the likes of Amyl and The Sniffers, Pulp, Jockstrap, Anohni, Dean Blunt, Sleaford Mods and many more. Now, to mark 45-plus years of the label, its co-MDs Jeannette Lee and Geoff Travis have indulged in a rare retrospective look, personally putting together two boxsets featuring some of their favourite singles released by Rough Trade during its formative years. Accompanied by new sleeve notes featuring the pair's recollections, impressions and opinions, these limited-edition collections are no bog-standard trawl through the back catalogue but a personal look at the hits, gems, bangers, growers, underrated classics and more. Chronicling Rough Trade's emergence from behind the counter of the West London shop of the same name in the late 1970s, the first boxset in the series fizzes with the daring, Do It Yourself attitude that underpinned punk and subsequent musical expressions that surrounded the label's birth. "Typically for Rough Trade there wasn't a strategy,” says Jeannette of her and Geoff's enduring partnership at the heart of Rough Trade Records. "We just jumped in and hit it off. So, we've stuck together!"

Bringing together over 50 of Jamaica's greatest session musicians, whose work spans from the birth of reggae in the late 1960s until today, Roots Architects is the largest gathering of Jamaican musical talent on one all-instrumental album. Never before have so many veterans, who helped create the immortal rhythms that made reggae internationally successful, been assembled to play on new material without vocals. This project aims to celebrate and pay tribute to the unsung heroes of reggae music: the rhythm builders or Roots Architects. Following the outstanding success of the first chapter of the project, From Then 'Til Now (2024), Fruits Records is pleased to reveal the dub album From Dub 'Til Now. A veritable immersion in the mythical sound of Kingston studios in the late 1970s. Dub master Roberto Sánchez sublimates the work of the Roots Architects with wildly inventive sound experiments. Reminiscent of the finest years of King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Scientist.

The project is the brainchild of Swiss keyboardist and producer Mathias Liengme. In 2013, he travelled to Kingston, Jamaica, to produce The Inspirators project, an all-star album gathering Leroy ”Horsemouth” Wallace, Lloyd Parks, Earl ”Chinna” Smith and Sangie Davis, the four of them acting both as musicians and vocalists. This first experience in Kingston studio life paved the way to what would become the Roots Architects project. In February and March 2017 Mathias Liengme travelled for the fifth time to Kingston to record as many of reggae’s greatest living veteran musicians as he could. With the help of a few of these Architects like Robbie Lyn, Fil Callender or Dalton Browne, he managed to gather over 50 session musicians aged 60 to 85 on nine instrumental songs.

Roots Architects are legends back together in Kingston studios doing what they do best: creating instrumental music all together!