Nag Champa

 

Nottingham's DJ's/producers Timm Sure and Richard Hampson aka Coyote returns with a couple of new songs to disappear only to disappear back into the realm of dub. Nag Champa is a classic Indian incense scent prized for its calming, balancing, and purifying effects on the body and mind. I don’t know how many incense sticks they burned before these songs were finished, but the result is impressive. On Nag Champa they celebrate a sound that evokes the best days of Lee Perry yet remains distinct in its own right. A song destined for the year-end charts.

Monday's Long Song

 

In the mid-seventies, when music threatened to become boring, the German music magazine Sounds discovered reggae for itself and featured it extensively. This is how I became aware of Jamaican music and started to immerse myself more deeply in this sound.

To start with, it was the soundtrack to The Harder They Come, which then led me to classic roots reggae. One of the first ragga records I bought was Heart of the Congos by The Congos in 1977. From the very beginning I was impressed by the clarity and beauty of the songs, also because there were great singers at work who were able to use their tenor, falsetto and baritone exquisitely.

What I didn't know at the time and only noticed as a side note was that Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry produced this album in his Black Ark Studio. I now realize why this album became an early masterpiece of roots reggae.

The Congos - Congoman

Signing Off

 

44 years ago on this day Birmingham's UB 40 released their debut album Signing Off. They selected their name in reference to an attendance card issued to people claiming unemployment benefits from the UK government. UB 40 were in their early days a political band like many others in the early 80's who raised their voices against the Thatcher government. Their first album was musically significant in that they integrated reggae and especially elements of dub and brass into their sound. It was probably not only me that this mixture made me dive deeper into Jamaican music and discover greats like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Even after decades, Signing Off is an album that I can listen to in one go and still discover little things.

UB 40 - Tyler

UB 40 - Madame Medusa

UB 40 - Signing Off

UB 40 - King

The Politics Of Envy

 

During the last days I listened a lot to post-punk sounds of the early 80's like the first albums by PIL and records by On-U-Sound from this era. Listening to them I came back to The Pop Group and Mark Stewart after a long time. The Politics Of Envy was his seventh album and still a milestone in this kind of genre. Together with Primal Scream, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Raincoat's Gina Birch and Clash/PIL guitarist Keith Levene he created a disturbing album with different styles and influences. You can find the anarchic industrial and angry sound of The Pop Group as well as a forgotten post-punk song with Keith Levene on guitar on Stereotype and agitation funk which was recorded with Bobby Gillespie by Primal Scream and focuses on the death of the Anti-G8-Demonstranten Carlo Guilliani in Genoa. It is still not easy to listen to this album but if you sink to it you can enjoy this unique sound experiences.

Mark Stewart - Stereotype

Mark Stewart - Autonomia

Mark Stewart and Lee Perry - Gang War

Love Died In Our Arms

 

Some artists can release whatever they want and I can't resist to think it is great again. One of those is Dot Allison, the Scottish singer with a voice I really enjoy. A few years ago she released Heart-Shaped Scars another album I enjoyed and she is going to release an EP with a few remixes from this album. And for me it nothing more or less a superb rework. 

Lee 'Scratch' Perry

 

Thank you for many hours of your excellent music and productions.

Rest easy.

Every Knee Shall Bow

 

The recent days a song appeared on my mobile phone on my way to work. It was a song by U-Roy a Jamaican DJ and reggae musician who was one of the earliest artists in this working with sound systems. His early records were produced by Lee Scratch Parry and he sadly never got the credits he should have. This version of Every Knee Shall Bow was toasted with over with Johnny Clarke (hi Jim) in the late 70's wand a contribution by Clash's Mick Jones. Another timeless song and sad that U-Roy passed away a few month ago.

U-Roy - Every Knee Shall Bow

Zion's Blood

 

It seems like the spring arrived finally at my place. The trees bloom, the flowers grow on the meadows and the temperature is rising even the nights are pretty cold. But this doesn't matter much because we're not allowed to leave our home after 10 pm. So the re-work of The Upsetter's first album Super Ape will be re-released as Super Ape Returns To Conquer is a perfect soundtrack for a walk in the country. Lee Perry's work at the control with dub and horns were a giant step for reggae at all.

2019 Songs

Yesterday was the last day working in my office. When you will read this words I am on the way to Sri Lanka again like every year to recreate from all the horrible stress I had during the last months. Before I left I took a look back what happened in music during the last year and I have to say that very good music came to my ears this year. It is difficult to order the songs I listened often in a row so here are this songs that enjoyed me several times I listened to them. And if I will find the time and the mood in the next weeks probably I will write about the albums that inspired me this year. I wish  all of you joyful days, a great Christmas time and a wonderful start into the new year. Take care all. See you next year.

Magik

The godfather of dub Lee Scratch Perry released a new EP in collaboration with Peaking Lights and Argentina musician Ivan Lee and like the most of his output is well worth to listen. I have a only a few records by him but everyone is timeless and always worth to listen. And so it is Life of the Plants another dub album that makes me feel happy listening to it and I suppose I will come back to him for the rest of my life.

Big Ben Rock

What do you expect when Woodie Taylor, former drummer of The Meteors, makes a remix by a song from Lee Scratch Perry? It is impossible was the first that I thought but it works very well and this song accompanied me during the last week. Perry was transfered into rockabilly with a touch of the sound by Ennio Morricone and glam. A great one to start into the weekend.

Jah Wednesday

It is 40 years ago the Congos released their groundbreaking album Heart Of The Congos. produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry. A few weeks ago it was released as an special edition with different mixes of this fantastic record. If I would name this record in this genre it will be in my top three of all time.

The Congos - Noah Suga Pan
The Congos - Congoman Chant
The Congos - Congoman