Reckless Breed - Basement Scrub

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Prince Fatty is a group put together by producer and engineer Mike Pelanconi, whose credits include Lilly Allen's smash hit Alright Still for Regal/EMI and Little Barrie’s Stand your Ground for Genuine/PIAS. The group was originally formed for the purpose of recording a limited-edition single for Stussy to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The track, titled Nina’s Dance, became an underground smash, enjoying multiple plays on Radio 1, and by popular demand the Mr Bongo label secured Fatty's recording services for a follow up album titled Survival of the Fattest.

Prince Fatty’s sound – delivered in an upbeat, positive and organic funk fashion – is designed to dub your feet with rock steady beats while stimulating brain waves in a jazz-like way. Mixed in an analogue haze of vintage spring reverbs, tape echoes and a custom high grade mixing console, Prince Fatty’s music won’t disappoint lovers of the early 70s dub sound. 

Survival of the Fattest boasts a guest line-up that includes legendary drummer Style Scott from the Roots Radics, Hammond organ by Bubblers from the infamous Ruff Cut Band, Afrobeat star Bukky Leo on sax alongside the Nostalgia 77 horn section and special guest vocals from Little Roy, Winston Francis and Hollie Cook, The Slits’ latest vocalist. 

Little Roy has worked with such reggae greats as Jackie Mittoo, Prince Buster, Lloyd ‘Matador’ Daley, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Studio One and has enjoyed hits with tracks such as Bongo Nyah, Black Bird and Tribal War. Winston Francis for his part is the prodigy of Chuck Bird, the great impresario, writer and performer. Winston has worked with Carlos Malcolm, Derrick, Harriott and Boris Gardiner and recorded at Coxson's infamous Studio One in Jamaica, where he collaborated with foremost reggae artists such as Dennis Brown, Bob Marley and Bob Andy amongst others. He enjoyed success with Mr Fix It and his cover of the Mamas and the Papas' classic California Dreamin', which was Tony Blackburn's ‘Hit Pick of the Week’ on Radio One for two weeks straight.
All of which makes Prince Fatty champion in the Dub Arena.


Prince Fatty ft. Winston Francis - Big Man Cry

Most exclusive dubplate riddim mashup for Jah Army Sound. Voiced by Kabaka on the original "Swing Easy" riddim, this one  has been reworked on the @Bizzarri-sound records riddim "Swing Heavy".
Mashup by  Dubwars producer @modul8dnb  from @jahdubtahz.
Fulljoy!

Kabaka Pyramid - Ready Fi Di Road [Jah Army Dubplate Mashup]

Papa Tullo - Zim Leggo The Rhythm

A timeless and essential JA-Man release from 1975, we present the magnificent "Remember Me" produced by 'Manzie' & 'Bunny'. Words simply cannot describe the magic captured on this recording with the haunting vocals from Junior Byles and Rupert Reid. Real music by real people, superb musicians and singers at the peak of their powers. Coming soon to TRS Records.

JUNIOR BYLES & RUPERT REID - Remember Me

Here is another heavyweight remix EP from the mighty roots reggae band Black Roots hailing from St Paul’s Bristol.

The song ‘I Believe’, originally released on ‘On the Ground’ (Sugar Shack Records - September 2012) is lifted from this album and given a new edge and sharpness on these 4 mixes.  It is a seminal song, one of the most popular off the album so this was a strong motivation to go back into the studio to create and put some different versions out on release.  Its lyrics are strong and powerful. They draw on personal experience.

Black Roots sing that ‘life in the system is not easy because it doesn’t cater for I and I but if you believe in the higher power you can still hold your head up high’.  Isn’t that the truth! In spite of the fact that the ‘system’ has discriminated against you, that life for you is hard and difficult, that you are powerless and disenfranchised you can still find that inner strength and belief in the higher power to show you the way to transcend this pressure and believe in yourself.

Jah Garvey and Buggsy, 2 emcees based in St Paul’s Bristol, join Black Roots in the lyrical mix, to add another layer of reasoning to the underlying message of this song.  Jah Garvey too is a roots artist inspired by his exposure to the plight of people that he encounters on his daily journeys and feels that he must support their lives through his music encouraging happiness, enlightenment, personal growth and development.  He features on 3 of the mixes and Buggsy who describes himself as the fast spitting Rasta emcee from St Paul’s Bristol, boasting a flow like an automatic weapon features on 1 mix.  He describes himself as a soldier in Jah Army joining up with the ‘old skool’ to help to deliver a message full of ‘truth and right’ and shows his respect for Black Roots in the lyrics that he chats.

I Believe EP

I Believe featuring Jah Garvey and Bugsy

Buy @ Bandcamp

I Believe featuring Jah Garvey and Buggsy

Continuing with our Collar Records connection, we present the much anticipated reissue of "Wake Up" by Conroy Smith produced by  heavyweight Leroy Pennicott. Smith aka Mr Dangerous is no stranger to the music business, and from the age of 8 was already deejaying for the local sounds. Like many other great reggae musicians, Smith learned his craft from a combination of sound system culture and school. While at age of 15 he sang in school with Nadine Sutherland, who urged him to move to Kingston to pursue a singing career, and by the age of 20 he was thrown into the digital revolution of reggae music and quickly started to voice for various producers. During the next five years (from 1985-90) Smith belted out a long line of tunes including this hard-hitting tune on the newly established Collar Records, produced and arranged by Leroy Pennicott. "Wake Up" is a serious reminder that still stands the tests, sounding fresh as ever and remastered from the sources. Coming soon to TRS Records.

CONROY SMITH - Wake Up

HI KEE ft LUCIANO and BRIGADEIR JERRY-BABYLON YOUR SYSTEM COLLAPS

12. BABYLON YOUR SYSTEM COLLAPSE (feat. Luciano & Brigadier Jerry)

This album was first released in 1993 on Vinyl, Cassette and CD and it is now to be reissued as part of the programme by Nubian Records to make available all of Black Roots’ back catalogue on digital platforms.  ‘With Friends’ will be out on 26th April 2019.  It is the last full album recorded by the band before activity ceased in the mid-90s for several years in their 40 years long career.  The next full album to be recorded by the band was On the Ground that released in 2012 in collaboration with Sugar Shack Records.

Black Roots had talked on occasion of inviting other artists to perform some of their classic songs and the circumstances of the band at this time lent themselves to work up such a project.  And so, Dub Judah, BB Seaton, Trevor Dixon and Mikey Forbes, all London based artists, were approached to perform on this album.  

Dub Judah a very respected vocalist, musician, live performer and producer working through his own Dub Jockey record label was asked to and agreed to produce the album.  He was given the key task of breathing new life into these songs and used his versatile musical skills to good effect changing the feel of the rhythm section.  The recordings play and feel different even though they are all classic Black Roots songs.  He added his vocals to two massive songs ‘What Them a Do’ and ‘Tribal War’.  The lyrical content of these blend with his personal beliefs reflecting where he was at spiritually and he sang them with heart.  You can hear it when you listen back to these two songs.

Harris Lloyd "B.B." Seaton, also known as "Bibby", a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, and record producer who was a member of The Gaylads, The Astronauts, Conscious Minds, and The Messengers, took on the task of laying vocals on ‘Release the Food’ and ‘Opportunity’ giving these new depth and insightfulness.

Trevor Dixon, a lovers rock singer best known for singing on ‘Woman of Moods’ that was first released in 1988 on Groove & a Quarter Records, sang ‘Move On’ and ‘Let It Be Me’, two ballads that suited his smooth land silky vocal style.

And Charles Bryan aka Delroy Ogilvie, one of the original front men with Black Roots, came back to do a cameo performance on ‘Chanting for Freedom’ punching out the lyrics in his own inimitable style with Mikey Forbes, another guest reggae singer doing a great version on ‘Confusion’.
The other songs featured on this album and given the treatment by Kondwani Ngozi and Errol Brown, the remaining vocalists with Black Roots at this time, are ‘Juvenile Delinquent’. ‘Survival’, ‘Africa’ and ‘The Father’.

And so was born ‘With Friends’.  The final curtain on the first part of Black Roots’ long and continuing musical career.

Prince Fatty ft. Winston Francis - Big Man Cry

Mr Bongo

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