CHANNEL 1 10" 45 RPM
DKR-037-JJ
MCWONER - NUH FIRE IT/HIGHER REGION
DKR-038-JJ
BARRY BROWN/ANGELA PRINCE - OVER ME/JOKER LOVER
DKR-039-JJ
HORACE ANDY - WHY OH WHY/SATISFY ME
*BOTH PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED*
DKR-040-JJ
UNKNOWN ARTIST - ROCKS & MOUNTAINS/DUB
*PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED*
All tunes feature dubs.
All records are manufactured in the USA using high quality virgin vinyl.
Round two of Channel One releases! Continuing in our campaign to re-release the jewels of the Channel 1 catalog which have not been back out since their original release, we bring you our first batch of 10-inches, the dubplate-style vinyl format introduced to reggae by Channel 1 in the early 1980's. After introducing the 12-inch discomix to JA in the late 1970's, Channel was innovating again in the early 1980's, bringing out a barrage of 10-inches from their new NY base, featuring many awesome tracks. Among those was this double-sider from the man called McWoner (or Mac Warner). He didn't seem to do too much recording, but what made it on to vinyl is mostly fantastic, and at the top are these tunes, "Nuh Fire It" and "Higher Region" (both followed by dubs). Next is a pairing of two of our favorites - Barry Brown's "Over Me" and Angela Prince's "Joker Lover." The Barry Brown cut is again, like our last batch of releases on the Flabba label, one of his finest tunes of the era. The Angela Prince is an often-overlooked tune, with mournful lovers lyrics on top of one of Channel's all-time heaviest riddims. Again, both tunes are followed by dubs. Now, regarding our second pair of 10-inches, DKR has left no stone unturned in the search for the forgotten by many, revered by some, and seldom or never heard tunes of the past, which for one reason or another, were never released, sold only on dubplate, or never played again after being committed to tape. And in turning over so many stones, we've managed to find some gold, and have dug up some things previously thought lost. So begins the Channel 1 "Lost & Found" series, unreleased material from 29 Maxfield Avenue, straight from master tapes. We're kicking off this series with two monster releases. First, from the man called Horace Andy. After producing some tunes with Horace in the 1970's, Channel One went back to work with Horace in the early 1980's, releasing a fantastic showdown LP featuring Horace and Patrick Andy, via Sonic Sounds' Thunderbolt label. But in addition to those tunes, another grip of equally great tunes were also made which didn't end up on the album, and here's two of the best. "Why Oh Why" made the rounds on dubplate at the time, the riddim is heavy like lead, and you might recognize it from other released cuts. "Satisfy Me" has Horace riding the same riddim as Barry Brown's "Over Me", to equally great effect. Both tracks are followed by dubs. Lastly, a tune that needs little introduction, the mighty "Rocks and Mountains", produced by Sly & Robbie at 29 Maxfield Avenue. While never officially released, this tune was made famous thru play on UK sound systems. And while the vocalists of this tune have long been rumored to be the Mighty Travellers, who self-produced some tunes and cut an LP for Jammy's, no one has been able to definitively confirm this. This recording has been sourced straight from a mastertape containing dubplate mixes of other released and more well known Sly & Robbie productions from the early 1980's, but which bore no notation of "Rocks and Mountains" presence at all. So decades later, the mystery endures, but the music finally comes into the light and speaks for itself. One thing is certain though, the mighty sound of Channel 1 still rules in 2011!
FOR WHOLESALE ORDERING INFORMATION, please email digikillerrecords at gmail dot com. The minimum for a wholesale order is 15 total pieces, any combination of titles. Nearly our full back catalog is also available, please see the release listing on the right side of this page. For retail/individual sales, please visit any of the online shops linked on this page, who should be stocking these titles shortly.
Sound clips are below:
McWoner - Higher Region
McWoner - Higher Region DUB
McWoner - Nuh Fire It
McWoner - Nuh Fire It DUB
Barry Brown - Over Me
Barry Brown - Over Me DUB
Angela Prince - Joker Lover
Angela Prince - Joker Lover DUB
Horace Andy - Why Oh Why
Horace Andy - Why Oh Why DUB
Horace Andy - Satisfy Me
Horace Andy - Satisfy Me DUB
Unknown Artist - Rocks & Mountains
Unknown Artist - Rocks & Mountains DUB
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9 comments:
these look amazing! Guess we will have to wait for these march releases to drop in April? Haven't seen them anywhere yet.....keep up the good work!
Amazing, indeed. Would the backing band on the Mac Warner 10" be the Gifted Roots Band again? Any clues on who mixed the dubs for this particular double-sided corker?
not sure on either count, though to me the rhythms of the McWoner tunes sound similar to ones made by the Gladiators at Channel 1 around the same time. check their showdown LP w/ Don Carlos and you might agree. Thanks for the kind words.
Totally amazing and the best digikiller's so far, love the whole batch with maybe Hills and Mountains track being my favorite. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the tip! Checking out the personnel on the Don Carlos vs The Gladiators album and there are certainly familiar names included.
That would be The Roots Radics, then?
As I've since found out, "Higher Region" was actually first issued in 1978 on Tribesman Records, albeit in a radically different mix. The vocal take is the exact same used on this remixed version.
i was referring to the Gladiators Band, who played the Gladiators side of the record, not the Radics. can't say for sure though. as for the Tribesman 12", that record being from the 1970's is a bit of incorrect information that's going around online. both sides were produced in 1982. that's confirmed info from the man who ran the sessions, as well as from the notes on the master tapes of the Barry Brown sessions. yes, the "Drummie Benji" tune is McWoner, just a different mix.
Tribesman was a label run by the Coxsone sound in London, they would get a lot of dubplates from Channel 1 around that time, so thru that relationship they were licsened those two tunes for release in UK. both are Channel 1 productions which CH1 released in JA/USA. also i think it's very clear just by listening that the record is from the early 80s and not the 70s. prime example of the early 80s sound!
Thank you again for your input. This has been educational.
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