I’ve got some old and new reggae flavours for you here, from bashment to jazz-infused liunge reggae.
In 1988 Lady G shot to fame following the release of Nuff Respect. It set the dancehall scene alight. It was powerful stuff: a call to arms; an anthem of female empowerment… and weilded a that riddim:
Lady G – Nuff Respect [pelski highly recommends]
Next up is a sweet, melodic track so beautiful that it really deserves a post of its own. Tony Allen is one of the world’s most acclaimed kit drummers, credited for co-creating afrobeat with Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti during the 1970s. Now he’s collaborated with Jimi Tenor for the latest instalment of the Inspiration Information album series. Allen’s drum work shines through this trumpeting, floaty jam, perfectly complemented by Tenor’s singing in a strained falsetto – and they’ve kindly offered it up as a free download:Jimi Tenor/ Tony Allen – Selfish Gene [pelski highly recommends]
This dancehall classic ambles and bounds along with a gleeful, romantic Jamaican charm. I can’t recommend this early ’90s classic highly enough:
Super Beagle – Dust a Sound Boy [pelski highly recommends]
Funnily enough, I found this earl 70s classic on a Solo summer mixtape. The sweet vocals are offset by, well, the dirty subject matter. But don’t forget, as Romeo reminds us throughout, he’s just talking about ‘your pussy cat’…:
Max Romeo – Play With Your Pussy [pelski highly recommends]
As you’ve probably guessed, ‘High Grade’ isn’t about sterling report cards, but an ode to the good ol‘ pungent stuff. This is the first single on Original Chappa’s forthcoming album Block Corner, and the label’s kindly offered it up as a freerelease. This is a fun piece of bashment enforced by a chunky bassline:
Original Chappa – High Grade [pelski highly recommends]
