It has been nigh on two years since I've recorded a 'feature length' mix that I'm unreservedly pleased with. It seems the more comprehensive my record collection becomes the more holes appear in it and the more I learn the harder it becomes to put together something coherent. So I'm very pleased to finally publish 'keep not thy silence...' a deep roots and culture mix that I hope will satisfy purists, anoraks and novices alike. This mix will fit on a standard CDR, you can download the mp3 at the bottom of the page. Bless.

Bob Andy - I've Got To Go Back Home
Phillip Fraser - Ain't No Sunshine
Phillip Fraser - Ain't No Sunshine Version
Tetrack - Let's Get Started
Junior Dread - Sufferer's Heights
The Light Of Saba - Thy Kingdom Come
Martin Campbell & Hi Tech Roots Dynamics - Wicked Rule
Martin Campbell & Hi Tech Roots Dynamics - Wicked Rule Dub
Earl Anthony - Sensi Man Rock
The Gladiators - Jah O Jah O
Trinity - Economic Crisis
The Twinkle Brothers - Never Get Burn
Willi Williams - Throw Down Your Arms
Riddim Conference - Struggle
Mystic Inna Warrior - Encourage Riddim
Henry & Louis - Love Like
Horace Andy - Rastafari Live
White Mice - Food, Cloth & Shelter
Kush, Massa, Itack - Warrior's Delight
Dub Judah - Babylon Is A Trap
Keith Poppin - Hold not Thy Peace
The Mellodies - What It Profit I

Lately, the only nightclub events I get genuinely excited about are soundsystem affairs. There's no explaining it unless you've been to one; in which case you already know. If you don't, go find out.

Every time I've seen Channel One in session they've played Wayne Mcarthur's Victory Dance, and every time I've thought I need to find out what that is and buy it... Finally I did. Next up is a Bristol offering from Henry & Louis, 'Jah Jah Never Fail I': voiced in Jamaica, produced in Bristol, killer. Number 3 was so limited and expensive that I decided not to buy it, until later that same night I heard Aba Shanti play it along with a couple of dub cuts, which changed my mind... White Mice - Food, Cloth & Shelther. Back to Bristol then, for Dub From Atlantis' latest 10" release, Heavy Weather (2nd cut), heavy indeed. And finally my very favourite tune on the Jamrock riddim, Never Stop Praise Jah Jah by Singer Blue & The Dubateers.

So most of these 5 tunes have a bit more vocal and a bit less dub than you'd expect from an average sound session but were I ever at the controls of one of theose awesome towers, with only my own paltry receord box to draw from, I might start with these...

Wayne McArthur - Victory Dance
Henry & Louis - Jah Jah Never Fail I
White Mice - Food, Cloth & Shelter (& Kush, Massa, Itack - Warrior's Delight dubwise)
Dub From Atlantis Feat. Wilks - Heavy Weather Pt. II
Singer Blue & The Dubateers - Never Stop Praise Jah Jah

Bootlegs are a kind of guilty pleasure of mine so I'm kind of glad to get this out of the way. Contentious artistic merit aside, I like the way that these records are almost always anonymously produced. Almost as if they were a guilty pleasure even to the bootlegger...

Take a vocal accapella, poach a rhythm, bump it up with snares and bass where necessary, splice it up, and, if you've an ear for it, voila, lazy DJ heaven... Anytime I'm DJing out, at least a fifth of my 7" bag is devoted to bootleg records. I tried my damndest to pick my 5 favourites, couldn't, tried 10, couldn't, so here's 11.

(Apologies to the purists; I'll have to get on some serious high-brow vintage tip next time to redeem myself.)

Sam Cooke & The Sound Dimension - Little Things You Do
Alton Ellis & Tupac - Nothin' Like Rocksteady
The Beastie Boys Vs Laurel & Hardy - Intergalactic Rockers
J Star Feat. The Pharcyde - Still Passin' Me By
The Fugees & The Sound Dimension - Fugee La Rock
Gnarls Barkley, Rubi Dan, TOK & Beenie Man - Creezy Hype
Kelis, Beenie Man & TOK - Trick Me Twice
Mr. Blennd Feat. The Specials & Old Dirty Bastard - A Message To O.D.B
The Jungle Brothers & Ernest Ranglin - Funky Bond Street
Friendly Rasta Feat. Erykah Badu - On & On
Elvis & The Sound Dimension - Crying In The Chapel

Having invented dub and pioneered the standardisation of 7" singles featuring a dub on their flipside, Jamaican producers were clearly on a role of innovation. Next stop, the 12" discomix; records designed so that selectors didn't even need to bother turning the record over to give the jumping crowd that much anticipated 'part two'... This selection is a tribute to the extended 'discomix'. Beloved by full bladdered DJs the world over, just as those who don't know are expecting the record to finish, a lashing of horns or a blast of siren signals the start of the dubwise, usually at least as long as the original single itself. Wonderful.

All of these records are personal favourites but the first is extra special to me, partly because its an original Studio One 12", partly because its the Heptones and partly because there's a couple of lines halfway through from master of ceremonies Jah Buzz. But mainly because you can hear the analogue-ness of the mixing equipment; you can almost hear the dub being made... The Heptones, Freddy McGregor and Jah Buzz - 'Equal Rights'. Next up a special treat from Fredericka & Joy (are these two not really Althea & Donna of Top Rankin' fame? Does anybody know?) on the Wicked Ah Fe Dress Back riddim with 'Downtown Thing'. Jimmy Riley giving his own special take on the jazz standard 'Summertime', horns horns horns, phaser, more horns... And then Earl Moody covers my old John Holt favourite, 'Strange Things'. This is, to my mind, exactly what a discomix should do; take the track and strip it, lay the rhythm bare, drum, and bass. And what a militant drum.

Finally, Anita Ward's disco hit, Ring My Bell, as covered by the Blood Sisters and featured on Grand Theft Auto's reggae station, K-Jah West... Killer.

Enjoy. (And, please, leave a comment. I can see that people are listening, but nobody is commenting...)

The Heptones, Freddy McGregor & Jah Buzz - Equal Rights
Fredericka & Joy - Downtown Thing
Jimmy Riley - Summertime
Earl Moody - Strange Things
The Blood Sisters - Ring My Bell

Today's theme is simple. I got 5 shiny new records in the mail today, which by chance represent some kind of (vastly inadequate) cross-section of reggae's musical history.... So here they are.

So first up, is it R&B? Is it Ska? No, it's that thing that happened in between, appropriately known as 'shuffle'; More Whisky' from Laurel Aitken, the godfather of ska. Next up super dubby revival classic from Alton Ellis and, I think, the Heptones on backing, 'Mr. Skabeana'... (*if you want me, call me senorita...*) love the beeps and the version is wicked too, but no space for that today. So then we jump right up to modern day UK digital roots from none other than legend in the field, Mikey Murka. I've been blasting this one out the windows all morning (yep I'm currently unemployed). Through to some dancehall clash ting; Scotland (yard)style from the highlander mashup crew Big Toe's HiFi, 'pon the joyride riddim (*number one soun' inna h'Edinbraa-braa-braa!*). Finally finally, anyone come across Warieka Hill Sounds? Pure magical brand new roots music, complete with righteous verse, wicked horns and African drumming the likes of which you'll hear the influence of in any other genre worth its salt. Peace out.

Laurel Aitken - Give Me More Whisky
Alton Ellis - Mr. Skabeana
Disrupt Feat. Mikey Murka - Brand New Second Hand
Big Toe's HiFi - Listening To The Champion Sound
Wareika Hill Sounds - Proverbs Of Proverbs

So I thought I'd post this podcast's namesake - a vinyl mix I put together almost exactly two years ago. Entitled 'Natural Selection' because it was the first mix I recorded which was completely unplanned; just spread my records about on the floor, played a few and let them suggest one another. So here it is, in its entireity. *The process by which favourable traits become more common*... A Natural Selection:

01 Willis Jackson - Call Of The Gators [AKA 'The Coxsone Hop'] [Apollo]
02 Dill & The Pickles - Winey Version [Echo Sonic]
03 Dill & The Pickles - Winey Winey [Echo Sonic]
04 Earl Moodie - Strange Things [Clocktower Records]
05 Lopez Walker & The Phase One All Stars - Send Another Moses Version [Phase One]
06 Culture & Prince Mohammed - Zion Gate / 40 Leg Dread [Errol T]
07 Peter Tosh - Stepping Razor [Intel H.I.M]
08 Niney & The Observer - Blood and Fire [Observers]
09 Peter Hunningale - In The Ghetto [Peckings]
10 Jackie Mittoo - Sharper Than Barbwire [Peckings]
11 Shinehead - Mama Used To Say Radikal Roots Re-Edit [Roots Radics]
12 Michael Prophet - Been Talking [Sip A Cup]
13 Fredericka & Joy - Uptown Top Ranking [Clocktower]
14 Richard Ace - Supernatural Thing [Clocktower]
15 Naggo Morris - Flour Power [Clocktower blank]
16 Zion Train - Hailing Up The Selector [Universal Egg]
17 SL2 - On A Ragga Tip [XL]
18 Jah Screechy - Walk & Skank Extended Mix [Blacker Dread]
19 SL2 - On A Ragga Tip [XL]
20 Nuff Wish - The Sensi Spice [Blank]
21 Ms Dynamite & Ken Boothe - Fall In Love Again [Boom]
22 J Star - Fall In Dub [Blank]
23 Friendly Rasta Feat. Erykah Badu - On & On [Blank]
24 Dubkasm Feat. Ras B - Moses [Dubkasm, Bristol]

Perhaps a natural response to my recent Springtime Lovers episode; here's five tunes about lost love and loneliness...

I love how gleeful Lord Creator sounds about never taking his unfaithful baby back. John Holt's 'Strange Things' ranks amongst my favourite records ever and somehow, despite the seriously old-time vinyl and the record's sorrowful content, this always moves the dance. 'Tonight' by Ronnie Davis... love it - does anyone know, if this is a cover, who voiced the original? Another killer 12" discomix with Freddy Mckay (it was a toss up between this and the original(?) John Holt cut), and finally Junior Murvin's 'Memories' - sounds like Lee Perry used the same samples of a girl laughing as he did in Keith Rowe's 'Groovy Situation' in the dubwise, but to opposite effect...

Lord Creator - Unfaithful Baby
John Holt - Strange Things
Ronnie Davis - Tonight
Freddy Mckay - Sometimes
Junior Murvin - Memories

Surely the sweetest of reggae's myriad subgenres, Rocksteady makes me smile. Starts with the original R&B version of Millie's famous 'My Boy Lollipop, followed by a handful of favourite Rocksteady 45s...

Barbie Gaye - My Boy Lollipop
Nora Dean - Barbwire
Slim Smith & The Uniques - My Conversation
Lloyd Clarke - Summertime
Peter Tosh - Stepping Razor (1972 rocksteady cut)

Heavy and dread roots, opens with flipside dubwise of the Heptones' 'Street of Gold' (answer to the Gladiators 'Dreadlocks the Time is Now'), through to Glen Miller's warm and easy 'Dungeon' and melodica version, an obscure DJ cut to Lloyd Parks' 'Mafia' anthem and the Gladiators riding righteously on the classic Studio One 'Baby Why' rhythm to conclude.

The Heptones - Street of Gold Version
Glen Miller - Dungeon & Version
Lloyd Parks - Mafia Version
Snuffy & Wally - Dreader Mafia
The Gladiators - Rearrange

Starts with two distinctively Lee Perry productions from Keith Rowe and George Faith followed by an incredible 12" disco by Johnny Clarke (there is a special joy to any sweet lovers' tune with nonetheless uncompromisingly tuff dubwise...), John Holt on carpentry and silky smooth Shinehead for the finale.

Keith Rowe - Groovy Situation
George Faith - All The Love I've Got
Johnny Clarke - Walk The Streets
John Holt - If I Was A Carpenter
Shinehead - Golden Touch