Sunday, April 29, 2012

NARROWS RECORDS 7" & 10" 45 RPM

DEEPER KNOWLEDGE RECORDS NEW RELEASES - APRIL 2012

NARROWS RECORDS 7" & 10" 45 RPM

DKR-094 - ENFORCER - PENSION/AFRICA WAY 10"
*BOTH SIDES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED & WITH DUBS*

DKR-095 - ENFORCER/LITTLE ROY - BAD BOY/LEAVING ROME 10" *EACH SIDE WITH A DIFFERENT DUB, LITTLE ROY VOCAL PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED*

DKR-096 - UPLIFTERS - GALLAS TRAP 7"



The man called Enforcer is to us, one of the greatest under-recorded voices in reggae. His two his smoky-voiced militant roots anthems cut for Channel One, "Pay Them" and "Ride on Marcus", are indelible classics and two of our all-time favorite tunes. Next to these, we love the wicked "Bad Boy", produced & released by Narrows Records owner Barry Bailey in the early '80s. Well lucky for us, Barry had similar feelings about Enforcer's talents, and "Bad Boy" was actually just one of an LP's worth of tunes he produced by the man! But unfortunately, only one other tune from these sessions (the love song "Her Eyes") had ever been released. So we went straight to the master tapes and found two more fantastic roots tunes from the man, and so here is the new 10-inch release featuring "Africa Way" and "Pension", both out now for the very first time, and with dubs. But we couldn't leave "Bad Boy" out, no way. And so our other Narrows 10-inch release features "Bad Boy", along with the two different dubs of the rhythm (one with horns!) as released on the original Narrows US and Regal UK singles respectively. And add to those, an awesome unreleased vocal cut on the 'Bad Boy' rhythm by Little Roy! Two serious 10-inches, 8 tracks in all, 5 previously unreleased, finally on the road. But while we're at it, we have to round it out with another gem from the Narrows catalog, the haunting "Gallas Trap" by Uplifters. A rare one released only on 12" in Brooklyn from Narrows' former Linden Blvd HQ, it's more killer early 80s sound laid down at Channel 1, back out now on a 7-inch.

Sound Clips:

Enforcer - Africa Way

Enforcer - Africa Way DUB

Enforcer - Pension

Enforcer - Pension DUB

Enforcer - Bad Boy

Enforcer - Bad Boy DUB

Little Roy - Leaving Rome

Little Roy - Leaving Rome DUB (with horns!)

Uplifters - Gallas Trap

Uplifters - Gallas Trap DUB

Please check out the DKR Facebook page here!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

CHANNEL 1 7" & 10" 45 RPM

DEEPER KNOWLEDGE RECORDS NEW RELEASES - MARCH 2012

CHANNEL 1 7" & 10" 45 RPM

DKR-087-JJ - PATRICK ANDY - JOIN ME/SELF CONTROL 10"
DKR-090-JJ - I-ROY - SKY JUICE & FESTIVAL DUMPLING/VERSION 7"
DKR-091-JJ - I-ROY/REVOLUTIONARIES - SEMI-CLASSICAL NATTY DREAD/DRASTIC 7"
DKR-092-JJ - CLARENCE PARKS - MT. ZION/BEEN SO LONG 10"
DKR-093-JJ - TONY TUFF/REVOLUTIONARIES - SEPARATION/COME ALONG/PROVERBS 10"
*all 10"s have vocal & dub on both sides!*




















The Channel 1 Lost & Found series returns for it's fourth installment and it's the biggest and baddest one yet.
By now you know we love Patrick Andy, and here's two more heaters culled from his body of recording with Channel 1. "Join Me" was actually released, but only a very rare 10-inch in New York, and remains unknown to most, heavy tune, with dub. The flip side "Self Control" is previously unreleased, Patrick riding CH1's cut of 'revolution' aka 'black roses' to great effect, again with dub of course.
Second, Clarence Parks comes in heavy with two awesome tunes, both previously unreleased, again, both sides with dubs. You may recognize the rhythm for "Been So Long" from Half Pint's "Freedom Fighter" and a handful of other tunes, yet another killer Radics riddim employed by several producers working at CH1 at the time. The flip side "Mt. Zion" is a one-away riddim as far as we know, but we wish it wasn't! Heavy stuff, but that's not all...more unreleased Clarence Parks still to come!
Next, a huge double-sider from Tony Tuff. Both of these tunes were cut for Channel's still-unreleased Tony Tuff album, but were making the rounds on dubplate and became favored by sounds. The massive "Separation" was played by Jah Shaka, and this original cut is, in our opinion, far superior to the second version Tony cut shortly after for his self-produced album on the CSA label. "How Long" is an awesome tune on Channel's cut of 'truth & rights' which became an anthem for Jah Love soundsystem. Again, both sides with dubs!
Rewinding back to the '70s now, with two total killer tunes from our man the late I-Roy, the original Channel 1 deejay and our favorite of the decade. His "Musical Shark Attack" LP for Channel 1 is our favorite deejay album ever, brilliant toasting over some of the all-time hardest Maxfield Avenue rhythms. A few months ago we brought out one of the cuts on this album on single for the first time, the militant "Tribute to Marcus Garvey", and it's vocal counterpart by Leroy Smart, "Oh Marcus." Both are backed with the rhythm's previously unreleased dub version, and both still available! So in continuing that, he's two more I-Roy cuts, again, both from the 'Musical Shark Attack' LP and both on single for the first time. All Channel diehards should know these tunes, as they are the deejay cuts to our man Enforcer's all time classic roots tunes, "Pay Them" and "Ride on Marcus." I-Roy's "Semi Classical Natty Dread" is a cut to "Ride on Marcus", and is backed by the Revolutionaries' dub "Drastic", previously only released on the hard to find UK-only "Revolutionaries' Sounds Vol. 2" dub LP on the Ballistic label. While this dub features snatches of the Enforcer's vocal, take note that it is unique, a different mix to the one featured on the b-side of the Enforcer 45! Last but definitely not least, "Sky Juice & Festival Dumpling" is the deejay cut to "Pay Them", and is of course, well heavy. This one is backed with a previously unreleased dub of the rhythm, different again from the "Pay Them" single dub side. Some straight talk from I-Roy on these tunes, we find him giving sound advice when he says, "now be careful what you're saying, because your mouth is gonna get you into something, your ass ain't gonna able to take you out of!" Gwaan Mr. Reid! RIP I-Roy.

Sound Clips:

Patrick Andy - Join Me


Patrick Andy - Join Me DUB


Patrick Andy - Self Control


Patrick Andy - Self Control DUB


I-Roy - Sky Juice & Festival Dumpling


I-Roy - Sky Juice DUB


I-Roy - Semi Classical Natty Dread


Revolutionaries - Drastic (Semi Classical Natty Dread DUB)


Clarence Parks - Mount Zion


Clarence Parks - Mount Zion DUB


Clarence Parks - Been So Long


Clarence Parks - Been So Long DUB


Tony Tuff - Separation


Tony Tuff - Separation DUB


Tony Tuff - Come Along


Revolutionaries - Proverbs (Come Along DUB)


Please check out the DKR Facebook page here!