Juno Recommends Dancehall / Ragga: July 2024

Review: For the label's latest essential two-disc trawl through the archives of Jamaican music culture, Doctor Bird has decided to take us back to the late 1970s and the dawn of dancehall - then a kind of harder, more upbeat take on reggae rather than the drum machine-powered rhythmic powerhouse it became. The Volcano Dancehall Albums Collection features a quartet of full-length excursions produced by early dancehall hero Henry 'Junjo' Lawes: Barrington Levy's influential 'Bounty Hunter', 'Weh Dem a Go Do' by young deejay/toaster Cocoa Tea, and a pair of sets by fellow patois proto-rapper Charlie Chaplin ('Sound System' and the superb 'Dancehall Rockers'). Throw in a handful of essential bonus cuts (including the full 12" version of Barrington Levy's take on Horace Andy favourite 'Skylarking') and you have an indispensable collection of formative dancehall classics.

Review: Hot stepper alert! This crucial 45 rpm is a hard-hitting piece of digital dancehall danger from 1989. It features some of the era's key rhythm masters, namely the devastating Steely & Clevie. Conroy, an iconic artist of the late 80s digital era, also added his signature touch and helped to contribute to the track's classic status. Although he had numerous hits to his name, Conroy's collaboration with Steely & Clevie exemplifies the innovative sound that defined the period and might be one of his best.

Review: Parish Jamaica throw it back to 1987 here when Hopeton Lindo dropped his top-level digital reggae gem 'South African Border.' It features a superbly militant vocal and a swaggering rhythm that cannot fail to make a mark when cranked up nice and loud on a serious sound system. The lyrics are politically conscious as all reggae should be and this special re-release has been taken straight from the original master tape. It lasts over 60 seconds more than the original for even better effect on the floor and on the flip is a nice dubbed-out version.

Review: The Park Heights series is back with another one of its tasteful collections and this one, JA to BK: Dancehall from Park Heights 1987-1988, is another all-killer no filler long player. Featuring ten tunes from Park Height's productive late '80s period. Many of these jams are by Francis who had a great influence on the early digital reggae sound both in Jamaica and New York. Eight of these have never before been reissued and two have never been realised at all. Some are sweet rolling cuts with rat-a-tat-tat snare work like 'Want The Dollar,' some ride on vamping chords with low-end wobble like 'Settle Them A Settle' and some are hot steppers.