Review: Spanish musician Bass Lee delivers a strong debut instrumental album with Roots across 10 tracks of deep roots rockers led by his signature melodica. The collection was produced alongside Roberto Sanchez at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio and features standout tracks like the uplifting 'Enlightenment' and the meditative nyahbinghi-inspired 'East African Rift.' The album was developed during a studio session that also birthed albums by Clive Matthews and Lone Ark Riddim Force and completes a trilogy focused on timeless reggae foundations that are rich in analogue warmth and melodic finesse. All of this affirms Bass Lee's place in the new wave of roots reggae musicians pushing the genre forward.
Lewis Bennett & Donovan Kingjay - "Jail House" (3:43)
Lewis Bennett - "Jail House Dub" (3:25)
Review: Doncaster-based reggae producer (you don't read that often, do you?) Lewis Bennett teams up with veteran vocalist Donovan Kingjay for this new single, which is a heavyweight slice of spiritual roots and steppers. 'Jail House' delivers deep basslines, militant rhythms and conscious lyrics in classic sound system style. Kingjay's commanding vocal presence brings a timeless message of justice and resistance, while Bennett's production strikes a perfect balance between movement and meditative depth. This is a powerful, no-frills release for true roots heads, designed for the dubwise dance and built to shake speaker boxes.
We Are People Band - "Right Fight" (version) (3:03)
Review: Jamaican singer Dennis Brown's 1984 cut 'Right Fight' finally lands on 7", joined here by a dubwise version from the in-house We The People Band. Originally buried on the Love's Gotta Hold On Me LP and a now-scarce 12", it's one of those righteous, rootsy calls to arms that Brown delivered so effortlessly at his peak. His vocal glides over a tense but propulsive groove, bolstered by horns and a chugging rhythm section, while the lyrics advocate moral clarity in the face of pressure. Flip it and the band's instrumental version runs wild: militant and heavyweight, full of reverb-splashed snares, spectral brass and stripped-back pressure. Produced by The Mighty Two (Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson), this pairing reflects a moment in mid-80s Jamaican production where the energy of roots still collided with dancefloor sensibility. Essential for selectors with a deeper box.
Review: Argentine electro-cumbia innovator Chancha Via Circuito (Pedro Canale) has a truly strong sense of give and take. His debut movements saw to Bienaventuranza (2018), a critically acclaimed album deep-setting his role in a gauzy downtempo reshape of the global music idiom. A full remix EP of the record followed, spewing forth fresh interpretations by echelonic music masters, including Euro-techno titan Nicola Cruz on 'Alegria', and Spanish producer Baiuca. Now, finally, comes the third in a three-step movement of remixes, this time hearing Chancha Via Circuito himself offer his own remixing hand to several of said very same artists, the works of El Buho, Nickodemus, and Lagartijeando also in tow. Deep, earthy tunes, full of natural oud harmonics blended with chanting, understated downbeats.
Review: A true gem from the golden era, reggae royalty Johnny Clarke's 'Love Feeling All Over' is a standout rework of Diana Ross's seminal 'Love Hangover' and it gets a fresh spin with this alternate mix. Stripped down and rebuilt for sound system culture, it brings deeper bass, rawer textures and a heavier, more hypnotic vibe than ever before. Pressed on a weighty 7" on Clarke's own Naphthali label, this version is tailor-made for selectors and dancefloor devotees and has long been a certified 80s classic. This dubby take brings new life to a beloved anthem that backs up claims that Johnny Clarke remains a foundational voice in reggae.
Review: A powerful roots anthem from the unmistakable voice of Daweh Congo here. 'Prophecy Reveal' is an invitation to get lost in his haunting tone and spiritual intensity, both of which were hallmarks of his role in the roots revival movement. Originally released in 2000, the 25-year-old classic blends conscious lyrics with a weighty digital rhythm to create a hypnotic, militant vibe. Daweh's mystical delivery brings urgency and depth to the message, while the B-side dives into rich 90s electronic dub territory by layering effects and echo for a deep sound rooted in spiritual and musical resistance.
Review: More than than a decade of growth and exploration fed UK reggae and soul singer Hollie Cook's newest Mr Bongo release; an unmissable reggae-pop fusion taking form as 'Night Night', which also marks a homecoming and a fresh chapter for the singer and aritst. With General Roots as her backing band and Ben McKone handling production and dub duties at Crosstown Studios, the single pairs strident guitar licks and glowing keys with a system-scalding bassline. Hollie's sericin-soft delivery is matched by the fire of Horseman - this his first studio link-up with her since that debut - resulting in a track that pulses with affective lift. A dubbed-out B-side rounds out the 7", spacious, packed with entelechy and flair.
Review: Danubian Dub hails from Vienna and step up to their own self-titled label with a deep, steppers-style cut that delivers conscious energy and militant grooves on one impactful 7". 'Move Dem' is driven by a thunderous bassline and echo-laden snares and has a nice ass-wobbling weight to it as it rolls up and down while I Nando's commanding voice delivers his own message. Though rooted in classic dub traditions, it has a fresh edge and sleek production aesthetic that very much places it nicely the here and now. The Smalltowndubz brings some more winky dubstep style bass weight to the flipside and both versions are sound system-ready anthems built for serious rotation.
Review: Originally released as part of Dub Narcotic Sound System's Dub Narcotic Disco Plate series, 'Fuck Shit Up' has stood the test of time as a raucous blend of garage soul punk. The track made waves upon its 1994 release, with its genre-defying energy gaining instant admiration from artists like Beck, Chemical Brothers, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (who later covered it), and Make-Up. "We loved this piece of ramshackle punk funk when we first heard it on 7" in 1994 and we still love it now!" said The Chemical Brothers in 2025. Still a staple at underground dance parties, the track has amassed over 100,000 YouTube streams, so for the first time, it's now available digitally, paired with a fresh remix by Hifi Sean, best as former singer with C86/baggy heroes Soup Dragons.
Review: London's Mysticisms label spill valorous guts in issuing this new dub and breakbeat crossover record from Dub Specialists. Having emerged from te potent 1980s-90s fallouts that enshrouded the pioneering digital roots label Conscious Sounds, Dub Specialists tracked the storied meeting-of-minds that was and still is Douglas Waldrop, Piers Harrison, and Stuart "Chuggy" Leath. This time, the trio are heard teaming up with DJ Millie McKee and studio brain Matt Bruce to formate yet another splinter cell, as missionaries of Conscious Sounds' digital mission: to explore samplers and videogame sounds in dub and funk. Using an Atari 1040 running Cubase and armed with a Soundcraft mixer, this latest iteration hears drum loops and reggae basslines played over funk samples and layered with Petter's chords, crafting a series of short, DJ-worthy heaters. The result is unhindered by expectation and breaks many calcified digidub moulds, as on 'Funkin Dub', where speak n' spell garblings meet downtown funk licks and sonorant snare whacks.
Return To The River Ganges (The Galicians Of Asia Minor) (7:19)
Mediolana (Ambrosirus dub) (4:59)
The Galicians Of Asia Minor (6:03)
Indika Keltika (Delfic Tongue) (3:59)
Dhaka Corinthia (5:22)
Delfic Tongue (Hercynian Forest dub) (7:24)
Voyage Of The Pytheas (6:30)
Benares Eternal City (Pagan dub) (7:18)
Sumerian Odyssey (Eryri dub) (6:34)
King Of The Faeries (Demnoriax 'King Of The Lower World' dub) (5:59)
Deer Hunter (Aeduan Druid Odyssey mix) (7:19)
Atmabodha (Ritual Focus dub) (7:25)
Review: Originally released in 2016, Celtic Vedic now lands on vinyl for the first time, fully remastered and expanded with a previously unreleased track. At the heart of this sprawling ambient dub record is Youth - aka Martin Glover - whose decades-deep credentials (Killing Joke, The Orb, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, etc) need little introduction. One of his most revered and emulated projects, Dub Trees pitted Jah Wobble, Matt Black (Coldcut), Andrew Weatherall, Mixmaster Morris against a host of instrumentalists from the Celtic and Indian classical traditions. Flutes, harps, tubaphone, pipes and chants are warped and refracted through Youth's psydub prism, tracing speculative links between Druidic and Vedic cultures. This LP closes a trilogy that began with Hicksville and East Of The River Ganges, and still sounds great: holographic, saturated, and utterly unplaceable.
Return To The River Ganges (The Galicians Of Asia Minor) (7:19)
Mediolana (Ambrosirus dub) (4:59)
The Galicians Of Asia Minor (6:03)
Indika Keltika (Delfic Tongue) (3:59)
Dhaka Corinthia (5:22)
Delfic Tongue (Hercynian Forest dub) (7:24)
Voyage Of The Pytheas (6:30)
Benares Eternal City (Pagan dub) (7:18)
Sumerian Odyssey (Eryri dub) (6:34)
King Of The Faeries (Demnoriax 'King Of The Lower World' dub) (5:59)
Deer Hunter (Aeduan Druid Odyssey mix) (7:19)
Atmabodha (Ritual Focus dub) (7:25)
Review: UK dub punk innovator, ambient dub pioneer and sometime super producer Youth revisits one of his most expansive projects with a remastered vinyl edition of this offering, originally released under the Dub Trees banner in 2016. It's a vast, cinematic journey-eleven dubbed-out voyages plus a bonus track-where psydub, spiritual jazz, and ancient modal drones converge in exploratory motion. The 'Distant Green Shore Dub' of 'Return To The River Ganges' sets the tone: booming sub-bass, glistening tabla, and warped pads swirling like incense smoke. 'Mediolana (Ambrosirus Dub)' and 'Dhaka Corinthia (Gergeovic Dub)' fold Mediterranean and Bengali textures into tripped-out spatial frameworks, while 'Voyage of the Pytheas (Pagan Dub)' and 'Delfic Tongue (Hercynian Forest Dub)' veer into Weatherall-esque terrain-part kosmische, part misty-eyed ritual. Galician pipes, bansuri, tubaphone and Celtic harp all shimmer through the mix, filtered through Youth's dense, tactile production. This is folk memory via aux cable-pagan futurism that's both grounded and astral.
Review: Jamaican vocalist Earl Sixteen's 1980 recording finally lands on 7" vinyl, produced by Earl Morgan of The Heptones and recorded at Harry J Studios. The vocal cut rides a familiar steppers rhythm also heard on tracks by Lacksley Castell and Black Uhuru - crisp, driving, and minimal in arrangement. Sixteen's delivery is measured that sits just above the groove without crowding the mix. The B-side features a dub version mixed by Sylvan Morris. It's restrained, focusing on dropouts and echo placement rather than full reconstruction. Both sides maintain clarity and space, typical of the era's late roots sound. A concise, well-pressed archival issue that foregrounds the essentials: voice, rhythm, and atmosphere.
Review: Froid Dub return to the dubbing fold full of cold sang-froid with new one 'Tears Maker Chant'. The landmark 50th release for the label and editorial Ransom Note, this new progeny of Paris duo Stephane and Francois, known both for their own distinctive productions and self-released Delodio label curations, offer a stripped-back, slow-smouldering blunderbuss of bass-heavy minimalia with the sliest of sly nods to Italo disco on the B, creating what they call "low-slung mood music. Measured, murky, magnetic. It's a debut outing on Ransom Note for the duo, and a sharp alignment with the label's taste for genre-blurring system oddities.
Review: Hidden Sequence returns, this time to kick off a new label Magistrate, and hot on the heels of their quick-to-sell out 'Silent Roots' last year. This fresh EP seamlessly bridges classic 70s Jamaican dub with modern, bass-heavy and dubwise delights, starting with 'Isms & Schisms'. The horns are brilliantly inviting as are the low ends which have been well worked on a vast desk and come packed with echo and effects. 'Magistrates Dub' is an immediately infectious skank that shifts into a deep, dub-heavy exploration and unites past and present dub influences.
Review: On Higher Dreams is the debut LP from Italian producer and guitarist Isaac de Martin, aka IKE. It is couched in jazz and electronic fusion and draws inspiration from the time the artists spent in Egypt during the COVID pandemic back in 2020. It was there that themes of nature, contrast and cultural reverence for music informed the record's conceptual foundation. Tracks like 'Nilo' and 'Sidda' channel the life-giving force of the Nile and its surrounding traditions, and the whole thing was recorded live to analogue in Berlin so effortlessly merges vintage warmth with modern textures while offering a contemplative, cinematic experience shaped by cultural immersion and personal reflection. A strong debut, then.
Michael Prophet - "Righteous Are The Conqueror" (4:21)
Al Campbell - "Respect" (2:56)
Rebel Regulars - "Jah Love" (2:41)
Wailing Souls - "Busnah" (4:06)
Ranking Dread - "Shut Me Mouth" (3:46)
Johnny Osbourne - "Mr Marshall" (3:44)
Mystic Eyes - "Perilous Time" (3:17)
Hugh Mundell - "Run Revolution A Come" (2:31)
Barry Brown - "Give Another Isreal A Try" (2:48)
Toyan - "How The West Was Won" (3:07)
Roots Radics - "Conquering Dub" (4:19)
The Revolutionaires - "Respect The Version" (3:04)
Rebel Regulars - "Iregular Dub" (2:58)
Roots Radics - "Busnah" (Dubwise) (4:05)
Ranking Dread - "Shut Up Shut Up" (3:52)
Roots Radics - "The Dub Marshall" (3:05)
The Revolutionaires - "Roots Man Version" (3:11)
Augustus Pablo - "Revolution Dub" (2:51)
Roots Radics - "Give Another Dub" (3:16)
Roots Radics - "How The Dub Was Won" (3:43)
Review: Leeds' Iration Steppas have spent over three decades reshaping dub into a raw, high-voltage force, blending classic roots selections with futuristic, bass-heavy energy. Here, Mark Iration delves into the Greensleeves archives, curating a deep selection of foundation cuts that have fuelled their sets since the early 90s. The first disc centres on heavyweight vocal performances - Michael Prophet's 'Righteous Are The Conqueror' and Johnny Osbourne's 'Mr Marshall' embody roots reggae at its most defiant, while Ranking Dread's 'Shut Me Mouth' and Wailing Souls' 'Busnah' channel the militant energy of early dancehall. The second disc turns up the pressure, diving into dub with Roots Radics' 'Conquering Dub', Augustus Pablo's 'Revolution Dub' and The Revolutionaires' 'Respect The Version'. Following the success of Down In Dub From The Vault, this latest Soundsystem series instalment reframes vintage selections through the seismic weight of Iration Steppas' vision.
Review: This heavyweight 12" delivers fresh French-produced roots reggae straight out of the unlikely region of Brittany in the North West. It unites the talents of producers William Spring and Arthur Dub Dealer with sought-after Jamaican vocalist Aza Lineage and results in 'Give Thanks For Life,' a spiritually charged anthem carried by Aza's commanding, conscious delivery over a deep, meditative rhythm. William Spring serves up his own riddim, and the B-side offers a delicious dub version from Dub Dealing that strips the rhythm back and recooks it with echo-drenched finesse. Benyah's 'Badman Horns' is tipped with some ska-adjacent brass to make for a meeting of modern roots energy with enduring messages of uplift.
Review: Dubstoned Records is back with more fresh wax and heavyweight Rub-a-Dub rhythms, this time straight from Seville. Produced, mixed and dubbed by Variedub, 'Give Dem' features the powerful vocals of Tenor Mario, who is also part of Cool Up Records, and whose energetic delivery always cuts through. Rafael Arcos brings his signature guitar flair while The Sherlock Horns light up the groove with tight brass from Toni Martin on trombone, Pedro Caballero on sax and Mr Monkeyface on trumpet. Anchoring it all is Agustin Paris on bass. It's a deep, dynamic cut that blends roots tradition with local talent and comes with a flip dub for extra low-end heft.
Review: You might think that Yassin Omidi is a newcomer, but in fact it is the new-coming of an already accomplished and respected head who now delves deep into the world of dub techno on Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic. The beatless 'Sluder Dub' is coated in heavy fog and static with conscious vocal musings and the roomiest of chords landing with great drama and tons of echo. On the flip is another analogue sound that features buffed metal dub chords, classic effects and a shapeshifting ambient hiss. It's dramatic despite being such a minimal piece.
Review: The title of this new rarities retrospect-trove of King Tubby and Augustus Pablo's magnetic meeting of minds references the address of the former dubber's legendary studio, where each of these 13 never-heard-before collaborative renditions were mixed. The King Tubbys studio was instrumental in shaping the dub genre, and this release captures the essence of that era, with the closing notable 'Stop Them Jah' hearing vocals by roots icon Jacob Miller, closing out an otherwise near whole-numbered blitz of versions.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.