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LP
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DKR 276LP
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$23.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/12/2024
"Finally, a new volume in the legendary Wackie's compilation series. This one focuses on Wackie's early digital productions with a selection of ten killer, rare, and previously unreleased tracks. In DKR fashion, this comes in a two-sided hand silkscreened sleeve in green or blue print."
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7"
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DKR 272EP
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"Great female roots cut on the deadly Park Heights' cut of Java. This was originally released on a 12" only back in the day, now on a 45 with a previously unreleased alternate vocal mix."
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7"
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DKR 271EP
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"Previously unreleased and hard as nails late '80s digital tune recorded at Aquarius studio in Jamaica. Wicked to hear Errol D. on this type of rhythm!"
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7"
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DKR 280EP
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"At last, the start of a long-planned reissued program of one of the finest labels of late '80s digital reggae. What better to start the series than with the label's most infamous, in demand tune. Everton Chambers' is perhaps the label's signature artist, and here's this killer digital stepper, brought to fame by play on the legendary Jah Shaka sound in the early '90s. The Parish series, the first legitimate reissues from the label, will contain many killer rare and previously unreleased tunes, all from master tapes. More coming this spring!"
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12"
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DKR 260EP
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"Digikiller returns to its long-running Tasha reissue program with a unique pair of 12" releases, each with something old meeting something new. The second of the pair features one of Digikiller's personal favorite artists, Icho Candy. The A-side 'Get Up Natty' was cut at Channel 1 in the mid '80s with the Gifted Roots Band, like much of Tasha's best material. It is released here for the first time. The B-side features a new tune, recently recorded, with Icho still in fine voice, over a tuff new rhythm licked by Danny Bassie of Firehouse Crew and long-time Channel 1/Tasha associate, the one and only Barnabas.'
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12"
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DKR 210EP
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"Moja Nya's Freedom For Trots EP. Killer Wackie's from 1978, originally released on the Jumbo Caribbean Disco label run by Brooklyn's African Record Center shop. Deep roots discomixes on both sides. Essential and finally back out."
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7"
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DKR 262EP
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"One of a pair of absolute killer late '80s singjay reality tunes, originally released back to back on one notoriously rare 12". Despite being from '87 these tunes have a wicked mid 80s style 'live digital' sound with a band on the rhythm. These tunes were produced in Jamaica by Delroy Francis for his Claypot imprint. Delroy is better known as the producer behind the Park Heights label and record shop, one of Brooklyn's foundational players in the record biz. This batch of releases kicks off a long-planned program of Park Heights productions, featuring as always rarities and previously unreleased tunes. These Nuthead tracks are recut from the mixdown master tape, the original '87 mixes for maximum pressure; a previous reissue of these tunes from a decade ago featured new mixes done at that time."
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12"
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DKR 259EP
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"Digikiller returns to its long running Tasha reissue program with a unique pair of 12" releases, each with something old meeting something new. The first one features the roots veteran Prince Alla, school mate of producer George Nicholson. 'Can't Fool I' has Alla voicing over a killer rhythm cut at Channel 1 with the Revolutionaries back in 1978, at Tasha's first ever recording session. Finally voiced and mixed again over 40 years later, to great effect. The flip side 'Easy Skanking' has Alla in fine style over a great new rhythm licked by Danny Bassie of Firehouse Crew and long-time Channel 1/Tasha associate, the one and only Barnabas"
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12"
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DKR 244EP
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"Message from the Congo finds Bob Soul & The United Stars chanting a message of rastafari over the propulsive uptempo rhythm driven by the late Carly Barrett's masterful drumming. The harmonizers in the 'United Stars' as they are dubbed on this record, were actually members of both the Righteous Flames and Rocking Horses vocal groups. In hindsight Digikiller finds in this track King Tubby prefiguring not only the remix and the 'edit,' but also the frantic yet orchestrated chaos of a lot of the complex electronic dance music that would begin to come into its own a full decade later. To try and describe the magic herein would be pointless, you must simply listen to Tubby deconstruct and reconstruct the rhythm using a melange of his now famous tools and techniques to devastating effect. Indeed, it is tracks like this one which made the man himself and those very techniques now so famous. These two tracks were originally released in Jamaica on both the Gemini and Danger Zone labels (in identical mixes). On the flip side of this first 12" is Billy Hutch's little known vocal on the rhythm, entitled 'Ten Long Years.' The soulful vocal finds Bill in top form, and this track was originally released on Bill's very first album Reggae Showcase, released only in NYC and extremely tough to track down. Rounding out the 12" is a real treat, a previously unreleased different take of 'Message from the Congo,' with different harmonies, and a background voice telling you 'this is a message...,' bringing the title of the song sharply into focus."
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7"
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DKR 124RE-EP
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"New pressings of Digikiller's very first two Wackie's releases from over a decade ago, first released in February, 2013. Back then, these Joe Axumite and Wayne Jarrett 45's were remastered from original vinyl copies, as the tapes were MIA. In the years since Digikiller has been hard at work sourcing master tapes all over the place, including ones long thought lost or left behind. Fortunately, the tape was found for these singles a couple years ago, and since they've been out of press for a while, it seemed only right to remaster them now straight off the original tapes for optimum quality. The Joe Axumite 45 is probably my all-time favorite Wackie's single, a defiant polemic against mere reform in a corrupt system, with a brilliant echo overdosed mix that perfectly encapsulates Wackie's late '70s sound. Likewise, the Wayne Jarrett is equally canonical Wackie's, a killer vocal on one of the best original rhythms from the studio, back with a killer Jerry Johnson horns dub."
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12"
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DKR 220EP
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"Double sided killer Wackie's from 1978. Originally released on the Jumbo Caribbean Disco label from Brooklyn. "Big Leg Mary" is on the same rhythm as Wayne Jarrett's killer "Come Let's Go." "Wasn't It You" is a different cut from the earlier one on the Senrab label, but equally as killer. Both sides fully smoked out dubwise trademark Wackie's style. Essential."
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12"
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DKR 249EP
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"Finally realized, here's one that was long on the DKR wish list. Among the very finest moments from both artists, these brilliant interpolations of Curtis' classics have been unavailable too long. A mesmerizing rhythm adorned with the lovely sounds of hand drums, melodica and flute, mixed and dubbed to perfection by King Tubby himself. This 12" is a six-track EP, with all four cuts as originally released on two separate 45s, plus two unreleased mixes straight off the original tapes. Digikiller likes to think Tubbs favored these cuts, as so many mixes were done! The dub titled "Super Cool" is one of Tubby's top ten extant mixes. All tracks except "Super Cool Pt. 2" come from the original Jamaican mastertapes."
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12"
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DKR 225EP
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"A couple of excellent Wackie's 12" sides from the '80s now paired together for maximum pressure. Each originally appeared on separate 12"s in approximately '85 and '80 respectively. The A-side is another killer Sugar Minott shot, one of his many for Wackie's. That is paired with a more obscure one in the Wackie's catalog, "Zion Land," a great shimmering and chanting roots tune which is tough to find on original pressing."
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12"
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DKR 228EP
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"Monster mid '80s 12 inch here, 'Break Down the Walls' has Sugar Minott on vocals with the Abbashantie band, bad roots tune, while the B-side 'Abbashantie Rock' has Jerry Johnson blowing on another killer driving uptempo rhythm, both sides with versions. Comes in Wackie's/Bond Export company sleeve."
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7"
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DKR 147EP
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"Killer instrumental 45 on Rawse, spread over two sides. Clive Hunt and the Wackie's house band under the 'Azul' moniker, with a fantastic piano sound -- or is it steel drum? One of the rarest Wackie's produced singles."
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2LP
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DKR 216LP
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Restocked. "24 track double LP in gatefold jacket. LP1 is vocals, LP2 is dubs/versions. LP1 features one previously unreleased track. Jacket features extensive liner notes and many never-before-seen photos and flyers of both groups. Some tracks are reissued from the master tapes for the first time." "... we put together this 2LP collecting the vocals & dubs of nearly all of Creole's output and likewise nearly all of the music of the first iteration of Chinafrica (see our 12" single releases from both groups for the rest). For the record, Chinafrica went on to make some more great music in the 1990's, which is not included here. Also, we went deep into the band members' archives to dig out as many photos and flyers as we could for the jacket, accompanied by a detailed rundown of their histories and musical output. Creole and Chinafrica each created a small but fantastic body of music that does a rare thing. Much of the music on this album successfully blends elements of different genres of music in an interesting way. It's firmly planted in reggae, but straddles the borders of soul, funk and rock in brilliant, complimentary moves. I dare say in Jamaican music, you will be hard pressed to find an easy comparison to the music of these two groups. Please enjoy this collection of Wayne Chin and the guys' unique and uncompromising vision of reggae music, much as we have enjoyed realizing it and shining a long overdue spotlight on their history and creativity. A sincere thanks to Wayne Chin and all the members of Creole and Chinafrica who indulged me and enthusiastically took part in one of my dream projects, it's a honor to finally present this release." --RB/DKR
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7"
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DKR 264EP
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"Fitting right in with the pair of Nuthead tunes released alongside it, here's another lesser known gem. Junior Vibes' 'Sweet Jamaica' was also originally released on the Claypot imprint, another tuff and now very hard to find piece of late '80s singjay with a rugged live rhythm. But the vibe on this one is more uptempo and bubbling, less dread than the Nuthead tunes, but still rocking. Crisp and bright, remastered from the original tape."
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7"
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DKR 263EP
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"One of a pair of absolute killer late '80s singjay reality tunes, originally released back-to-back on one notoriously rare 12 inch. Despite being from '87 these tunes have a wicked mid 80s style 'live digital' sound with a band on the rhythm. These tunes were produced in Jamaica by Delroy Francis for his Claypot imprint. Delroy is better known as the producer behind the Park Heights label and record shop, one of Brooklyn's foundational players in the record biz. This batch of releases kicks off a long-planned program of Park Heights productions, featuring as always rarities and previously unreleased tunes. These Nuthead tracks are recut from the mixdown master tape, the original '87 mixes for maximum pressure; a previous reissue of these tunes from a decade ago featured new mixes done at that time."
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LP
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DKR 268LP
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2023 repress. "You know we had to do it, so here's the near companion dub album to our recent Roots from the Record Smith compilation. This LP features the B-side dub versions from the original 45's of almost all the tracks from the vocal comp, nearly all taken from master tapes. For the curious and studious, here's a breakdown of the deviations from the vocal LP. Track A3, the dub version to 'Heading For the Mountain', is a previously unreleased mix, in that it does not contain the explosion sound fx heard on the original 45 -- these fx were added during the master cutting for the original 45 and are not on the master tape! Likewise, the original dub to Black Oney's 'Jah Jah Send the Parson', titled 'Version Stormy Weather' with storm sound FX was done the same way, and that version has been added here in place of a version to I Roy's 'Look a Boom.' Our previous reissue of the Black Oney single contained a raw rhythm cut and not this dub version with FX. Lastly, in place of a version for the Heptones 'Tripe Girl' (sadly no version of the Heptones or I Roy was ever released!), we've added the version to Black Oney's 'Festival '75', as found only on the impossibly rare original blank 45 release. Our previous issue of that one was backed with the Prince Far I cut on the same rhythm. A final note, the last track on this album is the dub to Ronnie Davis' 'Power of Love', titled 'King Tubby's In Fine Stile', and widely recognized as one of the King's all-time best mixes. If you don't know, get to know. This one alone is worth the price of admission." Comes in green or orange print.
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7"
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DKR 270EP
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"There's a first time for everything, and here is DKR's first ever 1960's reissue. As usual we strive to bring out the baddest and the best tunes, and here's one such single. Two rocksteady monsters back-to-back, just as wickedly rare as they are tough. Straight from master tape, the A-side an all-time dark instrumental piece, the B-side a fantastic lovelorn vocal. Issued in direct partnership with one of Jamaica's living legends, Mr. Bobby Aitken. Bobby has been playing since the dawn of the JA music industry, and his band licked many of the baddest rhythms of rocksteady, both credited and uncredited. More to come from Mr. Aitken, so hold tight."
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7"
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DKR 266EP
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"Killer early '80s lick of the Java rhythm with the soulful voice of Roman Stewart on top and the inimitable Heptones on harmonies. First time reissue, direct from master tape."
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7"
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DKR 267EP
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"Killer rootical Tyrone Evans vocal on the same lick of the Java rhythm as 'Rain A Fall', released for the very first time, direct from master tape."
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7"
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DKR 269EP
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"Here's one of our favorite Wackie's tunes that we always thought ought to be on a single, ready to be played alongside the other cuts of the rhythm already issued. This 45 features Wayne Jarrett's 'Moses' as it appeared on the first volume of the Jah Children Invasion compilation series. This tune appears in a different mix on Wayne's Wackie's album as Brimstone & Fire, but here is the elusive compilation cut. The single is backed with the raw cut of its rhythm as played by the Soul Syndicate in Jamaica, before any of the overdubs later done at Wackie's studio in NYC."
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LP
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DKR 213LP
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2023 repress. "Ivan 'Lloydie Slim' Smith is one of the unsung movers and shakers of 1970s reggae. Slim worked for a time as both in-studio producer & record promoter for Bunny Lee and Channel 1, the two biggest and most significant producers of the 1970s. At the same time, he quietly built his own catalog and released a relatively small but very high quality-barrage of his own productions. These were released across many different labels, both his own and some belonging to his friends and collaborators. Slim moved to New York at the end of the '70s, and continued producing into the 1990s. We have issued some of his work before, but now we present the first ever compilation of Slim's work, featuring his most classic tunes, all taken from master tapes for proper sound, and in a lovely two-sided hand silkscreened jacket. Watch this site, because there's much more to come, released & unreleased, from the Record Smith himself!"
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12"
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DKR 258EP
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"Back in 2014, we had the privilege of helping pioneering US reggae label Shanachie Records compile the rarities portion of their terrific Dread Prophecy three-CD collection of Yabby You music. From the start, we knew one track that had to be included was the killer 'Oh City of Zion', an alternate vocal on the 'King Pharoah Plague' rhythm which we had heard on a dubplate years before. Luckily we were able to get this included but even better was that Shanachie was able to locate another unreleased mix of this tune on tape, called 'King of Kings.' Both tunes ended up on the CD set, and we had always intended to issue them on vinyl after the release of the CD. Time flies and eight years went by, but here they are! Not much needs to be said about the music of Yabby You and the myriad of brilliant mixes it received at King Tubby's studio... if you're on this page you should know. But here's two more killer pieces to enjoy. Special thanks to Shanachie, long time soldiers in the business, for helping bring these tunes to light."
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