Back catalogue: Reggae

Review: This always standout lovers' rock and disco track by Sonia was originally released in 1980 on North London's Cha Cha label. The immediately much-loved tune became a firm favourite in clubs and on big sound systems and features a smooth, soulful vibe that's perfect for fans old and new of lovers' rock. On the B-side is 'Nigril Swamp Rock,' a harmonica-led instrumental by The Overnight Players that adds a unique touch to the release. The pressing is crisp and clean, so it is a real gem that is well worth copping on a tidy 7".

Review: Flower Japan is back with another delightful 7" of Far Eastern takes on reggae, lovers rock and dub. Tokyo's finest Onegram - formed by reggae singer Sakko in collaboration with a panoply of fellow musicians, all hailing from Miyazaki Prefecture - are no strangers to this sound having served up plenty of it on the likes of this label and Jazz Room over the last few years. This latest is another flower-powered delight with natty horns, summery keys and a mix of English and Japanese vocals that add an exotic edge.

Review: Top tune alert: this official 45rpm version of Sonia's classic 'Easier To Love' is an instant heart warmer and bringer of good vibes. The vocal is pure and delightfully soulful with the warm summer sun packed in next to harmonicas and roots reggae rhythms. The sublime dub version on the flip is by The Overnight Players, and has only before been available on their elusive Babylon Destruction album. Both of these gems are from the vaults of Cha Cha and this is the first time they have ever been reissued on this exclusive 45.

Review: Cha Cha's latest drop revisits some essential roots reggae with the original 12" mix of the late 70s classic 'Very Well,' which is a standout track dripping in Channel One's signature so-called 'ruff & tuff' style and rich Jamaican soul. Complementing it are two heavyweight cuts of 'Kunta Kinte,' the iconic original dubplate version and a previously unreleased mix from the same era. These selections are packed with deep rhythms and militant vibes with signature production that is alive and raw. This reissue harks back to a golden moment in roots history and also offers fresh depth for collectors and selectors alike.

Review: Four sides of cavernous, postmodern dub inna year 3000 style from the UK soundsystem circuit's hottest boyband: Mark Iration, Dennis Rootical & Rico O.B.F. The trio combine their years of experience crafting box rattling anthems, bringing a new irreverence, sparkle, and poppy playfulness to the classic UK roots template. This really shines through on cuts such as 'Calling Jahova' where washes of buzzsaw synth and Sheffield-type bleeps call to mind Gregory Isaacs' early 90s proto-grime oeuvre, and more austere bangers like the aptly named 'Serious Time', where trappy hi hat flurries and savage anvil snares offer up a taste of unashamed 00s steppa nostalgia, while also deftly channelling O.B.F.'s hip hop influence. Great cover too!

Review: The O.B.F crew comes together in majestic fashion here for this brilliant album on Dubquake. It is a dub-loving collective made up of MCs and renowned solo- producer Rico who together cook up some real heat. The likes of Belen Natali from Argentina, the UK's Charlie P, Sr. Wilson from Spain, Frenchman Junior Roy and the late dub poet Nazamba of Jamaica all step up to bring multilingual bars and plenty of patois to hard-hitting dubs. These are all forward-thinking sounds with warrior leads and contemporary bass all detailing the mutant rhythms.

Review: Emeka Ogboh launches his own Danfotronics label in mesmeric fashion with an amazing offering of Afrorealism. The Berlin-based, Nigerian-born artist's new album, 6-30'33.372"N 3-22'0.66"E., focuses on Ojuelegba, which is a bus station in the Nigerian capital Lagos. His debut album Beyond The Yellow Haze had a similar concept and mixed up bustling found sounds with downtempo drums. The field recordings of this one bring unbelievable life to the music, lend it a cinematic quality and are all recorded directly at the source. This is immersive and heady music that is vibrant and evocative at every turn.

Review: Om Unit's Acid Dub Studies album, an inspired fusion of outer-space ambient sounds, deeply psychedelic TB-303 tweakery and outer-space digi-dub riddims, was for our money one of the standout electronic albums of 2021. This surprise sequel more than lives up to the high bar set by its predecessor, with the Bristol-based producer subtly expanding the project's boundaries (see the borderline Balearic brilliance of 'Camo') while delivering more fusions of ambient techno, acid and digi-dub. Highlights are plentiful, with our picks including the slow-motion strut of 'Strange Brew', the intergalactic squelch of 'Pursuit', the warming loveliness of 'To The River' and the borderline tropical melodiousness of 'Liberation'.

Review: After deciding to sidestep off-kilter bass music bangers in favour of exploring the more experimental side of his musical personality, Jim Coles AKA Om Unit has seen his career get a deserved bump. At the heart of this transformation has been the superb Acid Dub Studies series of albums, which here reaches its third and final instalment. Like its predecessors, Acid Dub Studies III offers an enticing mix of weighty digi-dub 'riddims', deeply psychedelic TB-303 trickery, boisterous dub-leaning bass music grooves, trippy effects aplenty and some of the most immersive sound design around. Yet while there are some genuinely weighty and forthright dancefloor moments - see the rugged 'The Chase', bouncy 'Hungry World' and steppas-powered 'Usurper' - Coles also finds space for warmer and more loved-up excursions, with the gorgeous 'Lost & Found' standing out.

Review: The superb Om Unit label has assembled a mighty fine crew of subheads to serve up their own interpretations of a load of Om Unit originals for this great new double album Acid Dub Versions II. Stylistically this is as diverse a collection as you can imagine given all the tracks operate within a similar dub grounding: some artists like Yushh keep it deep, cavernous and empty, while Hodge lays down his pumping rhythms and runs them through with echo hits and driving acid. VIVEK's take on 'Bristol Theme' is another dubstep doozy that rumbles along with the smell of THC thick in the air and the Nadia Struiwigh remix of 'Electroacidspringwater' is an eerie way to close a fine collection.

Review: Surreal, scratchy, corkboard dub dance beats for the in-betweeners and misfits of the world, laid down by Merseyside producer Ali Omar for Efficient Space AUS. Suitably named after that potently compressed and chunked form of cannabis known as hashish, the music here sounds about as sedatively stoned as is often the affective result of the drug. Omar brings a psychedelic, sample-based approach to the fold, with strobe-lit, basement smoke-clouds of kalimba, gong, vocal and async-bass all colliding on 'The Last Straw' and 'On Release', veering into floaty dub and red-eyed downbeat by the time of 'Poor Man Beggar Thief'.

Review: Ondubground is a three way collaboration between French artists Art-X, Natty Bass and Olo, and they run their own net label Odgprod. Back in 2016 it was where they released their third full length album Addvice. It is a highly texturised record that draws on buzzing electro dubs, digital dance hall and plenty of famous Casio keyboard presses for a nice crystalline sound. Plenty of pasta vocals bring the spirit of jah to each tune with rolling drums, cuddly sub-bass and endless studio effects all making this one a mini classic. For those who like their steps to come from outer space, this is gold.

Review: With the release of The Dream in 2007, The Orb were widely considered to be returning to something of their earlier, formative ambient house sound. Having dabbled with minimal on Kompakt, Thomas Fehlmann took a step back and Alex Paterson linked up with Youth and Dreadzone's Tim Bran to make an expansive work now considered amongst their finest. Dr Paterson even posited its role as a natural successor to all-time classic UFOrb. Now it's been remastered and pressed up on vinyl for the very first time, which means the legions of die-hard Orb fans will be all over this one.

Review: Electronic mainstays and long-time innovators The Orb never stop working; this is their rather epic 18th album. It is the third one from the core pairing of Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall. It finds them exploring a wider sphere of sound than ever with ambient, house and dub as well as some occasional poetry, reggae, heavy drum & bass and even some pop. Plenty of guests are on the record such as David Harrow, Gaudi, violinist Violeta Vicci, Kompakt Records alumnus Leonardo Fresco and many more. It's another bold and ambitious piece of work.

Review: The Orb's 13th album is a carefully crafted collection of tracks that are couched in minimal techno and ambient house. The first half embraces so-called 'Schaffel' rhythms, while the second half explores classic Orb sonic landscapes and features guest appearances from Schneider TM and Ulf Lohmann. The likes of 'Captain Korma' are warmly infused melodic jaunts with shimmering vocals, 'Cool Harbour' is a lumpy, dubby and off-balance workout and 'Kompagna (Zandic mix)' is a raw, experimental blend of harmonic tones, smeared samples and ambient bliss. This one, then, continues The Orb's legacy of genre-defying music which started in the late 80s when they pioneered chill-out and ambient house.

Review: Prism brings the number of Orb albums to 18 and now in their fourth signnificant phase as a line up - Alex Paterson joined by Michael Rendell, replacing long term Thomas Fehlmann - released by electronic music duo The Orb into at least the high twenties. In this time, the pair have achieved cosmos-wandering musical mastery, expanding their usual dance music horizons into even further-flung territories like synthpop and non-dub reggae, tempering it all into a unified, fantastical sound. Only nine tracks convey The Orb's latest sonic imaginings, with the phase-swirly, wah-infected 'Why Can't You Be In Two Places At Once' and the future-reggae cut 'Dragon of the Ocean' standing out as highlights. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without The Orb's usual indulgence in collaboration, this one sporting appearances from Gaudi, Youth, David Harrow and violinist Violeta Vicci. .

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Prism brings the number of Orb albums to 18 and now in their fourth signnificant phase as a line up - Alex Paterson joined by Michael Rendell, replacing long term Thomas Fehlmann - released by electronic music duo The Orb into at least the high twenties. In this time, the pair have achieved cosmos-wandering musical mastery, expanding their usual dance music horizons into even further-flung territories like synthpop and non-dub reggae, tempering it all into a unified, fantastical sound. Only nine tracks convey The Orb's latest sonic imaginings, with the phase-swirly, wah-infected 'Why Can't You Be In Two Places At Once' and the future-reggae cut 'Dragon of the Ocean' standing out as highlights. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without The Orb's usual indulgence in collaboration, this one sporting appearances from Gaudi, Youth, David Harrow and violinist Violeta Vicci. .

Review: Johnny Osbourne delivers a timeless roots reggae masterpiece - originally released in 1979, the title track serves as a powerful personal manifesto, while 'Children Are Crying' issues a militant call to consciousness. Osbourne's convictions shine through on tracks like the soulful 'Can't Buy Love' and the spiritually uplifting 'Jah Promise'. Backed by expertly updated island rhythms, his emotive vocals and masterful songwriting create a captivating journey through roots reggae's diverse landscape. This deluxe expanded edition offers a deeper dive into Osbourne's artistry, with extended mixes of 'Sing Jay Stylee' and 'Can't Buy Love' adding new dimensions to the listening experience. This is a must-have for any fan of roots reggae and dub.