Back catalogue: Reggae

Review: The Flesh & Blood label kicks on here with a nice blood-red vinyl 7" featuring a hard-hitting new tune from Dixie Peach. 'Rebel Muzik' hits plenty of key dancehall hallmarks - the shiny, metallic digital chords, the stepping rhythms, the swaggering bass down low and some fine bars up top. On the flip, you can find a more heady and stripped-back version with some melon-twisting effects and dangling piano chords courtesy of the in-house Flesh & Blood Posse's own version. Plenty of damage will done with either of these providing they are played loud and at the right time.

Review: The newly formed Dreadlionsmusic label out of Austria debuts here with a fresh EP featuring the eponymous producer Dreadlionsmusic. They take charge of two tunes - the first features the mic work of Fitta Warri on 'Full Control' which has fleshy drums wobbling backwards and forwards and natty dub vocals with some fresh and futuristic synth work next to classic chords. Dreadlionsmusic then offers up a dub take, as they also do of the second tune 'Heart & Soul'. The original is another bit of well-made dub steeped in tradition but with fresh production bringing it right up to date.

Review: The proverbial 'Soundboy Killa' is an enduring trope in soundsystem culture at large, referring to the apparently inherent enmity and villainy of the turntablist. Said to have originated in the days of system clashes, the assassin in question presumably refers to the opposing MC, whose barraging verbiage may pack enough semiotic punch to K.O. the opposition through mere utterances alone. Here Natty Campbell and the Freestylers pay tribute to the theme as progeny of the 90s big beat scene; having come up in the age of Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, the supergroup first faced off in a whirl of tricky dub and armour-plated cold cuttage, dispatching two honorary tracks in the style of each artists' respective greatest scene-hitters: Dub Pistols' 'Cyclone' and Freestylers' 'Roughneck'. Now 'Soundboy Killa' and 'Jump On It' in turn hear a remix from Allergies and Guadi & Don Letts, the latter of which is especially experimental in its use of a peaky, 2-step shuffle.

Review: Jamaican musical heritage in all its glory gets distilled into this super new collaboration between Newham General (son of the late, great soundman Farda Waz) and Bristol's Dubkasm. Dub, reggae and grime all get drawn upon and twisted up with kette drums and rapid-fire vocals to make for something urgent and direct but timeless. The hard-hitting bars from Foots bring a sense of menace to the equally dark low ends, with digital synths and stepping rhythms all present and correct. The legendary Iration Steppas also feature with one of their signature mixes.

Review: The connection between ZamZam and Feel Free Hi Fi was sparked by Bristolian Neek out in Portland and lead to an immediate bond forged over a shared sound and DIY ethos. Inspired by early digi-era dancehall and UK dub, the duo crafts a sound here that honours tradition while venturing into bold, idiosyncratic territory. It comes on their own Digital Sting label and opens with 'Voyageur' which is a mix of cinematic atmospherics with haunting synths that evoke wild and mythic landscapes. 'Underground' pays tribute to the spirit of DIY underground music and captures the struggle to preserve both nature and the essence of basement gigs in today's shifting cultural landscape.

Review: Jamwax presents the resurrection of a hard-hitting space synth masterpiece, Winston Fergus' 'In Ting Sound'. Lyrically an impassioned plea to free Nelson Mandela around the time of his incarceration, the titular A-sider is notable for its undeniable fusion of the dub reggae sound with space disco and synth element, owing to its later recognition as a track that refuses to be constrained by the passage of time. Now reissued in full force, it comes replete with the original set of tunes it was recorded alongside, including the teeth-gritting jovial dancehall of 'Mandela', the digital underwater weirdness of 'Life All Over', and the versiony goodness of said track with 'Finnegan', an alternate vocal take of the B1. A curio that all heads must surely know.

Review: Fly T is back on the Japanese label Ninjapan Music with a beguiling two-tracker on 7". 'JapaNepal' brings a world mix of sounds including dub and sun continental rhythms, exotic flutes and some unique take on ragga vocals. It's a colourful and playful cut with a hefty low end that will be a standout cut in any set. '567' (Tengaku dub mix) is a psyched-out and deep dub with an Indian twist and bottomless bass. Two brilliantly original cuts for sure.

Review: The limited edition deluxe double vinyl release of 'SLO MO' is here, featuring a stunning holographic overlay that matches the album's deep, immersive sound. Freddy's latest studio album is a nine-track journey packed with bass-heavy beats, offering both redemption and resolution. Described by Fitchie, the group's beatmaker, as "Afro rhythmic soul music," 'SLO MO' explores the rich intersection of Black music through a Polynesian lens. This strictly limited pressing is a celebration of rhythm, soul and culture, making it an essential pick-up for vinyl collectors and fans of bold, genre-defying sounds.

Review: Live At Roundhouse calls back to when New Zealand nu-dubbers Fat Freddy's Drop reserved their best tricks for London in the late 00s. Descending on time-honoured Camden venue the Roundhouse, the album captures the essence of one of their most renowned live sets, with energetic jamming seguing through seven original tune, showcasing their improv skills both as a band and as a dub production collective. The 15th anniversary edition here comes courtesy of Record Store Day and comes in an exclusive neon green sleeve.

Review: The Fishmans are a Japanese band who were very ahead of their time. Formed in 1987, they mixed reggae, dub and psychedelia into their live ensemble. If that wasn't groundbreaking enough, through the 90s they also added elements of ambient, synth pop and shoegaze. This double album, originally released in 2005, is now available on vinyl for the first time. Standouts include the live version of the shimmering 'A Piece of Future', the spacey lullaby 'Weather Report' and the rocksteady 'Magic Love'. The charm of the band is immediately understood after one listen to this album - one of our favourite Japanese vinyl transfers of the year so far.

Review: A fascinating new long-player from Justin Robertson under his new Five Green Moons alias, marking another new stylistic turn for the Mancunian DJ and producer, whose main remit is house music to most. Moon 1, by contrast, is not "Justin at the house controls", but rather him delving into "his roots, digging around through the likes of P.I.L, Gang Of Four, On-U-Sound, Current 93, Coil, Sabres Of Paradise and all manner of post punk echoes", a "haunted ballroom of memories", in the artist's own words. Our glossing of Moon 1 is that this is probably the best post-punk come dubstep crossover record you'll hear in 2024, though it does also cross over into wonky beats and monologuing ambi-trance on occasion too. The record moves increasingly mauve-psychedelic as it progresses, with 'Everything's A Song In A Sound World' paring back its off-the-top vocal slogans for a purer exercise in rattling psyche-dub and 'I See All And I See Nothing' admitting to the contradiction of humility and quixotism in the same fret-slid breath.

Review: Froid Dub's new album Deep Blue Bass on French label Delodio is as deep as the Mariana Trench. The bubbling bass and gurgling synth lines bring a new aesthetic to digi-dub that places you at the centre of the cavernous and aqueous sound worlds. Mystic synth leads take the mind away up top as those bottom ends rumble on in an atmospheric fashion. Tunes are subtle marbled with acid lines and echoes, digi-dub bleeps and icy hi-hats that all help oil the rhythms and accent the basslines. A superb work.