Radiation Roots Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Laurel Aitken's High Priest of Reggae album is an early classic of the genre from 1969, and it captures the ska pioneer at a pivotal moment when he was blending his Jamaican roots with the evolving UK reggae scene. It came on Pama Records and shows Aitken's versatility with cuts like 'Jesse James' and 'Landlords and Tenants,' both a testament to his storytelling lyrical prowess over inventive rhythms down low. Songs such as 'Haile Selassie' reflect his engagement with the burgeoning roots reggae movement, while the classic crossover jam 'Skinhead Train' nods to his influence on the skinhead subculture. This album earned Aitken the status of the "Godfather of Ska" and it's easy to hear why listening back to this reissue.

Review: Legendary reggae vocalist John Holt was such a powerful and potent role on the mic that his 1000 Volts Of Holt album title is a perfect summation of what he brought. It is no wonder then that the Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter can be heard on tons of classic tunes and records across the seventies. For the fascinating Peacemaker, he worked with plenty of talented musicians (Sly and Robbie and Lindel Lewis were amongst them) and recorded across Jamaica and the UK. The results take in love-struck ballads, plenty of direct social commentaries and timeless reggae rollers.

Review: Anthony Johnson spent lots of time in London despite being from Jamaica and it was during his time in the English capital that he recorded this album, Togetherness, which to this day endures as one of the dynamic dancehall man's best works. It came in 1993 and took in and spat out many of that era's big sounds - pop, ballads and of course dancehall. His singing is superb throughout as you would expect of someone who worked with all the greats, from Lineal Thompson to Lee "Scratch" Perry. Something of a lost gem, this album is now available again courtesy of Radiation Roots.

Review: Steely and Clevie were amongst some of the most supreme rhythm makers in all of Jamaica in the 1980s and on into the 1990s. They worked together at King Jammy's in the aftermath of Sleng Teng with Steely doing the synth work and Clevie making the magic on his drum machines. They wrote a wide array of essential rhythms for the day's best emerging dancehall tautens and At The Top is a collection of crucial digital dub workouts "that strips bare the computerised wizardry at the duo's core." These are essential dubs for fans old and new of dancehall.