Killer UK lovers. Jeniffer Redman at the mic; Jah Bunny at the controls. Bubbler worries.

A worthy catalogue raisonne of the JA recordings of this almighty genius at his peak.
A year-by year discography, with more than eight hundred label images, a heap of wonderful photos (including Adrian Boot’s classic images of the Black Ark), and spotlights on key players like Bob Marley, Junior Byles, Augustus Pablo, Junior Murvin, and Yabby You.
Sumptuously presented in full colour throughout 280 pages of coated paper, 297x210mm, with a classy soft-touch cover.
It’s a must.

‘The sacred music of peasants in Chile’s remote Central Valley: a communal form of worship and reflection, played in packed rooms throughout the night when work is done. The Canto has persisted for centuries in the voices of hundreds of men and women who conjure vivid visions of apocalypse, the divine, and angelitos (very young children who have died). But the verses are also rooted in the daily life in the valley — labour and drought, family, animals, and the life cycles of plants. To hypnotic accompaniment by guitar and the celestial, 25-string guitarron, countless entonaciones or melodies range across the 10-line rhyming decimas, in an ancient song form originating in Spain and found from South America to the Mississippi Delta. The combination is entrancing and transporting, cosmic and earthly at once.

‘The handsome gatefold jacket presents the visionary, apocalyptic art of Frederico Lohse, a baker from the village of Los Vilos, who painted on old flour sacks; with an eight-page booklet containing lyrics, photos, and extensive notes about the Canto tradition.’

Icho Candy & his brother Prince Junior go combination-style on this previously unreleased anti-apartheid missile, using the same sick rhythm as King Kong’s unmissable Agony And Pain.

Four albums: Barrington Levy, Bounty Hunter; Cocoa Tea, Weh Dem A Go Do; Sound System and Dancehall Rockers, both by Charlie Chaplin. Plus extras.

‘From mutant drum machine beats to irresistible synthesizer hooks, fans of the fringes of the 80s will find songs to stir their cold, dark hearts. But Back Up Dos does more than mine retro kitsch: it documents the development of a rich DIY music scene that is still under-explored. As affordable samplers and digital synths spread throughout the decade, post-punk and new wave gave way to more aggressive EBM and cyberpunk sounds. The scene also developed in opposition to the political climate of the times: the rise of the drug cartels and a reactionary turn in national politics. Using home recording techniques, these bands took cues from the electronic wizardry of the Human League and Wax Trax Records while reflecting the vibrant and chaotic Mexican cultural landscape of the era. On Back Up Dos, impeccable pop anthems from Casino Shanghai and Los Agentes Secretos sit alongside gnarled obscurities from Ford Proco and María Bonita, showcasing a decade of sly deviance and enthusiastic experimentation. This album comes housed in an 80s-inflected neon sleeve designed by Gwenael Rattke and includes a 12-page booklet with photographs, lyrics, and notes. Back Up Dos compiles synthetic music produced in Mexico at the crossroads from Tecno Pop to Post-Industrial, nourished by culture shock and stories of dystopian worlds.’

Terrific, heavyweight, nyabinghi roots from 1975, with Spear’s Swell Headed somewhere at the back of its mind.
Produced by Junior Smith, founding member of The Itals; also Elias Stewart; both from Savanna-la-Mar.
An outstanding revive. It’s a must.

Hotly recommended by our friends Rush Hour in Amsterdam: ‘Starting off with the positively upbeat Umgababa by Kippie Moketsi and the infectious soul jazz of Pat Matshikiza’ s Dreams Are Wonderful (also featuring Kippie Moketsi) proceedings mellow out on side B, only to get extra heavy on the C-side with the sample-ready fusion groover Night Express off their crazy rare 1976 album of the same name and the irresistibly funky Blues for Yusef by Lionel Pillay, two of the many highlights on this action-packed thriller.’

A stirring, percussive four-tracker. Wintry and submersible; smudged with mist, then silvered and clear as a bell, by turns. Bitten Dream is dark, atmospheric, hypnotic; Via Tekh summons vintage Objekt; Shrine despatches twisted 8-bit granularity into early Livity Sound and Carrier territory; lulling, ambient Catharsis lets go.

‘Over 200 full-colour pages documenting Dodd’s vinyl output during the first six years of Jamaica’s new urban music — from Boogie Shuffle to Ska. Presented imprint by imprint and illustrated with over 900 label scans. With sections on Dodd’s Sound Systems and businesses as well as the musicians he used and the live scene in Jamaica.’