Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Omar feat. Caron Wheeler - Treat You plus Opolopo Remix!


Omar continues his magnificent re-emergence back to the forefront of contemporary soul on this new single 'Treat You' as he generously features another legend of similar pedigree: Soul II Souls' Caron Wheeler.

This story of a somewhat troubled love affair, the infectious groove rolls on whilst Omar and Caron take turns to air their issues, the bitter sweet subject matter is reflected in minor key and mellow synthesiser sounds. How these two legendary voices blend into something quite amazing isn't something that can easily be described in words - but it can be said that this duet between such fine and unique talents is a rare and beautiful thing.

'Ordinary Day' is where the sound heads south of the equator as Omar stamps his trademark voice and production all over this happening salsa rhythm. The up-tempo, sun drenched feel is augmented by huge sounding horns, a storm of blistering, Latin percussion and one of Omar's best vocal performances ever.

Opolopo, renowned remixer and producer is the man who put his stamp on the recent big club version of Gregory Porter's 1960 'What?', and his exclusive remix of 'Treat You' for this single is utter class, putting the emphasis on the contemporary dance floor tip without losing any of the originals soul or integrity. One of Omar's favourite remixes of his new material, Opolopo shows us why he is the man of the moment when it comes to bringing a fresh perspective to the great voices of modern soul and jazz.

Finally - long time Omar collaborator/co-producer Scratch Professer puts his totally individual and quirky touch on 'Treat You', rounding off this essential 12-inch single and digital download package.

"Absolutely loving this package! Treat You is a future classic. The Opolopo remix will also be doing damage on my radio show & dancefloor!" DJ AIS-T, Basso Radio, www.basso.fi


"I love my Omar! All the mixes work for me and I shall play with love." Ashley Beedle

"My goodness, Caron can sing anything and I'll melt!" Djtabone, WRFG 89.3 FM








Wednesday, October 9, 2013

ADAM PRESCOTT with CHARLIE P - LAZY MAN / STAND FIRM



Now on their seventeenth release the forward thinking UK Reggae & Dub music label, Reggae Roast are going from strength to strength with many underground hits under their belt already in 2013. This release definitely follows suit, having already done the rounds on dubplate for many months and set alight dances all over the world. They’ve signed up one of the top up and coming UK producers, Adam Prescott, and one of the top mic men on the scene, Charlie P. On remix duty they’ve drawn on the vanguard of dub, Iration Steppas, and digikal stalwart, Tradesman.

With this double A-side release Reggae Roast have lined up two heavy hitting bubblers built to test any soundsystem. ‘Lazy Man’ is a contemporary steppas reimagining of the stone cold classic ‘My Conversation’ by the late, great Slim Smith which is accentuated by Charlie P’s take on the advantages of being Lazy in modern day Britain. ‘Stand Firm’ on the flipside is a slice of ruff & tuff Rootstep with conscious lyrics from Charlie P alongside weighty bass assault and a hard rhythm section from Adam Prescott it’s a stark contrast to ‘Lazy Man’.

Straight outta Nottingham, Adam Prescott has been mashing up dances for many years now combining a crucial selection of dubplates and his own varied productions, which are always steeped in Roots music and Soundsystem culture. Having remixed some of the biggest names in Reggae & Dub such as Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Iration Steppas, Part2Style, Alpha Steppa, Radikal Guru, Vibration Lab and many, many more over the course of his career he has been finally let loose on a Reggae Roast extended player.

Charlie P hardly needs any introduction, however if you have been living under a rock for the past few years he has worked with pretty much everyone worth their salt within the modern day Dub circuit, such as Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Dubateers, Solo Banton, Part2Style to name but a few. Constantly touring the world and smashing Dancehalls on a regular basis Charlie shows no sign of slowing down, add to that he has just finished his second LP produced by none other than Scotland’s finest, Mungo’s Hi-Fi

In the Soundsystem game for over 20 years Mark Millington, one half of Iration Steppas (with Dennis Rootical), has been instrumental in the massive resurgence of Dub music over the past few years. Having set up the legendary Subdub sessions (alongside Outlook Festival’s Simon Scott) to showcase the mighty Iration Steppas Soundsystem, Mark is one of the most in-demand selectors on the scene. As a supporter of Adam’s work Mark has been playing his ‘Year 3000 Dub’ of ‘Lazy Man’ at nuff sessions across the world to sell out audiences. With another busy year planned hot off the back of their new LP ‘Iration Steppas Meets Tena Stelin in the Dub Arena’ Mark and the rest of the crew deserve their place at the top of the Soundsystem league.

Hailing from Leeds, Tradesman has been exposed to a hot bed of musical activity, more importantly Soundsystem culture, for a number of years. He is a resident at one of Subdub’s more underground offshoots, Dancehall Science, and regularly supports some of the most exciting artists in Dub music today playing sets where the majority of the tunes are his own productions. This has, in turn, led to Scotch Bonnet (Mungo’s Hi-Fi imprint) snapping up his debut release with Parly B, ‘Inna Competition’ which gained support from some of the scene’s top players and took Tradesman’s ruffneck digital sound international.


Reggae Roast is building a formidable catalogue featuring some of the most exciting artists in the UK and beyond. Key players in the resurgence of the UK Roots scene over the past 5 years, they are a leading light in the new generation of dub music. Setting them apart from the crowd is their ruff n tuff remixes giving the label a unique cross over appeal. Look out for plenty more releases in the coming months from the likes of Dubmatix, Vibration Lab, Ed West, Parly B and many more.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Roots Queen - Powerful Energy




German Reggae/Dancehall artist Roots Queen is making an impact with her first studio album, Powerful Energy”  and its  début single “Feeling Free” which has spent nine weeks at number one on the Reggae chart in the UK, seven weeks at number one on another Reggae chart in the United States and was number four on New York’s top 30 Reggae Chart. While the latest single, “Fly With Me”, is currently number two in the UK and getting rotation on Reggae shows all over.

Manager Steve Stephens said about the new album. "I will never forget the night I sat in Roots Queen studio in Germany and heard the album for the first time. I just could not believe my ears and by the time we got to the last track I knew not only that Roots Queen was a special talent but that we had an album full of potential hit singles!!”

Recently Roots Queen spoke with Sir Daddy D on Reggae4Us about the album, her career and a slew of other things which you can hear HERE

To read an extensive review of this album visit....






Kalbata & Mixmonster - Congo Beat The Drum


Freestyle Records are celebrating their 10th anniversary year and have just announced the signing of Kalbata & Mixmonster to the label with their stunning new album: “Congo Beat The Drum”.

Kalbata & Mixmonster are two renowned producers, Ariel Tagar (Kalbata), a techno & 2-step producer who previously has released on labels such as Soul Jazz, Brownswood and Greenmoney as well doing a string of high profile remixes for artists such as Fat Freddy's Drop, Spank Rock, The Count & Sinden and Roll Deep as well as being the man behind reissue labels Fortuna and Spring Hill Records.

Mixmonster (Uri Wertheim) is the man behind the world-renowned funk, brass & breaks band The Apples, as well as a member of cut-n-paste duo Radiotrip. He is also a producer and sound engineer specialising in analogue tape recordings.

Two years ago, Ariel and Uri went into their Tel Aviv studio with the purpose of recording a 100% analogue reggae/dub album, combining the spirit of the late King Tubby and the early dancehall era of the late 70's and early 80's. They insisted on not using any computers in the process, whilst blending in elements of techno, psychedelic funk, and African tribal music.
They then travelled to Kingston, Jamaica and began tracking down their favourite singers and deejays, such legends as Jah Thomas, Little John, Trinity, Echo Minott, Mutabaruka, Major Mackerel, Puddy Roots and the sadly, recently departed Prince Jazzbo.
The resulting long player, “Congo Beat The Drum” is on the one hand truly loyal to the origins of Jamaican music and on the other, a well produced forward thinking album, sounding totally fresh in today's music aesthetics. It will also rattle your speakers in ways not heard since the heyday of Jamaican reggae & dub!
About signing with Freestyle, Ariel said “We're super excited to be releasing Congo Beat The Drum' with the Freestyle crew. After two years in the making the time has come to let it out!”

Freestyle A&R man Greg Boraman added "Securing this amazing reggae album ends a 2-year search for just the right project: “Much of the contemporary roots reggae based material I had been checking out lacked that certain authentic feel, but this project has all the right analogue vibes and the line up of classic Jamaican legends featured made it a must have for Freestyle”.

Debut single ‘Prisoner In Love’ featuring Little John will soon be released on a suitably Kingston style 45 vinyl single, with an instrumental version excursion on the flip.







Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Richie Campbell - Focused


Portugal's #1 reggae artist Richie Campbell makes his US début with the album "Focused" which will be released through Tommy Boy Entertainment on October 29th, 2013. The album was released earlier this year in his native Portugal and quickly climbed to the #1 position on iTunes on week of release. The success was repeated last week upon its release in Germany where the album is sitting at #6 on the Top Reggae albums chart.

Richie Campbell has been tearing up the reggae music scene all over the world since the ripe age of 16. Having already collaborated and toured with some of the best names in the business, including SOJA, Kymani Marley, Anthony B, and Gentleman. Richie’s reputation far outweighs his years. “Focused” contains features and contributions from many of these artists, as well as current noteworthy Jamaican artists and producers Ikaya, Turbulence, Don Corleon, Big Finga, and Specialist and includes his most recent singles, "Blame It On Me" and "That's How We Roll" which have both contributed to his success, not only in his native Portugal, but in Europe and the Americas as well. 

Campbell continues to spread his message of love and responsibility throughout all of his songs with a smooth voice that speaks of ills whilst lifting up the soul.