Christmas Ska: DETROIT RIDDIM CREW and FRIENDS LP vinyl (red / white) and TAPE

We’re proud to team up with Abbey Productions for the debut full length from DETROIT RIDDIM CREW – featuring tracks from THE TELLWAYS and a holiday classic from J. NAVARRO &THE TRAITORS featuring Rachael Stokes. Detroit Riddim Crew is a collective of musicians spearheaded by Eric Abbey (J. Navarro & The Traitors / Tellways / Superdot / 1592) who record at Castle Hooligan in the heart of Detroit. Previous vinyl 45s featured Dave Hillyard on sax over the “Castle Riddim” dubbed by Agent J on the flip – the second 45 release was “Oh Shepard” featuring Jah Ques on vocals with the riddim on flip. This debut album contains music recorded in Detroit & Kingston, JA – side A features Christmas & holiday tunes in a rocksteady & ska style, side B features a collection of riddims showcasing up-and-coming deejays Jah Ques, Esne da Goddess, and Eddie Riott, concluding with a dub version mixed by Fatta. The Kingston session was engineered by Delory ‘Fatta’ Pottinger, who worked with Sly and Robbie and many others, and was performed by Steve Golding on guitar, Keith Bennet on drums and Glen Browne on bass. Limited edition of 400 copies with 150 each on white and red vinyl for the holidays!

THE LOVING PAUPERS / VICTOR RICE “Lines In Dub” LP vinyl / CD

Washington DC’s Loving Paupers have been taking the world by storm with a broken hearted reggae vibe that appeals to lovers rock and roots fans alike.  The Loving Paupers recorded their debut EP in 2016, working alongside Grammy Award winning Brazilian producer Victor Rice, and since have received rave reviews for performances at various festivals and their 2019 debut album “LINES” – ten melancholic songs that touch upon heartbreak and emotional dissidence, moody melodies enhanced once again by Victor Rice’s loving touch. It’s an album heavily influenced by the likes of The Beatles, Kinks, Zombies, The Supremes, to the late Gregory Issacs, Sugar Minott, and Dennis Brown. Featuring powerhouse lead vocalist Kelly Di Filippo, whose emotive style brings immediate comparisons to Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Jane Birkin, Kate Bush and even Joni Mitchell, in modern reggae circles the band is likened to recent output by Hollie Cook, The Frightnrs, and The Skints. Victor Rice dubbed the entire 10 songs from “LINES” which we first unleashed on our official Cassette Store Day release back in October. Of course vinyl fans wanted to hold a slab of wax in their hands and play these amazing dub versions on their platters! Limited edition of 250 copies on heavyweight black vinyl.  We also did a limited run of 100 CDs that feature the vocal ans dubs!

 

REPRESS: VOID UNION “Return of The Super Vape” LP vinyl / CD / Tape

Void Union has a simple mission statement: preserve the Jamaican music of the 1960’s, collaborate with Ska’s originators, and actively recruit guest players from the ensembles that have proven equal to the task of reinventing the genre. On this brand new album David Hillyard (The Slackers), Steve Jackson (The Pietasters), Alex Desert {Hepcat), Jr Thomas, The Expanders all guest on what surely will become a modern ay classic! Top-shelf collaborations are nothing new, in the past Derrick Morgan, The Skatalites, Lynval Golding (The Specials), King Django, Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Chris Rhodes (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Spring Heeled Jack),and David Hillyard (The Slackers, Hepcat) all have been featured on Void Union recordings. In November of 2010, Vin Gordon (The Skatalites, Bob Marley and the Wailers) joined the group for a watershed European tour. Thaddeus Merritt (Bass), Rick Smith (Drums), Rich Graiko (Trumpet), Alex Stern (Guitar, Keys), and Anant Pradhan(Tenor Sax), comprise Void Union’s core, but, the band’s philosophy lends itself to a collective atmosphere in which like-minded musicians sit in and assure that no show is the same as the one that preceded it. The audience at a gig is not a mere handful of die-hard Ska enthusiasts; a survey of the crowd yields suits, working stiffs, parents, children, dreadlocks, moptops, and…hipsters? All turn out to bear witness to a versatile ensemble that is as at ease providing the jazz-tinged instrumental foil to a Jamaican legend as it is leading a sing-along at a neighborhood bar. “Return Of The Super Vape available now on CD, limited edition tape, and vinyl limited to 300 copies. Orange vinyl limited to 200.