NEW ITEMS TO HUNT DOWN

Except for the up and comin' Joe Gibbs releases (see below) there is more to enjoy these coming weeks! An imprint called Hot Pot, which is a new sub of the Cooking Vinyl label, are quickly making a name for themselves unleashing some long awaited re-issues of long unavailable but never forgotten dub classics. After "Glen Brown and friends volumes 1 & 2" and "Earthquake Dub" they give us the mighty "Leggo Dub" album. And what a treat it is! For those that are into Gregory Isaacs, this is a must have product since three quarters of the album consists of dubs from the "mr isaacs" album that producer Ossie Hibbert recorded with the singer in the late seventies. But that's not all: Also included are a dub version of the "I'm Alright" rhythm (originally recorded by Horace Andy for producer Keith Hudson) and none less than six bonustracks that weren't to be found on the original copy of "Leggo Dub" (featuring amongst others versions of: Ranking Trevor's "Lion Fence", Frankie Jones' "Zion I" and Earth & Stone's "Wicked A Fi Dress Back.")
For those not familiar with these songs: no worries, just pick up a copy and convince yourself. It's good!

Lucky me, it seems I've got a copy of the new SoulJazz Studio One release before anyone else did..Not even the mighty DanceCrasher site has got a feature on this new gem. Don't worry, I'm not boasting. The mere reason I'm writing this is because I got me a copy without a tracklisting...I was getting my hopes up that I would be able to snatch it of the aforementioned website because they are usually quicker with supplying info then SoulJazz themselves, but this time I found myself without luck..So, it's all down to the music, which is, how could it not be, amazing. Sure, it takes a couple of spins before it really kicks in and you'll probably have to take in a slight feeling of disappointment at first because it doesn't turnout to be a killer record like their last release Studio One Roots 2, but be honest: how could it be? Just let this one work for itself and you'll discover some beauties that'll nest your brain and request a play over and over. Pick it up once it's released and you'll not be disappointed.

Yes, this is it! Born and raised Nigerian, currently hailing from Germany, Ade Bantu finally shows what he's really capable of. This Brothers Keepers member already recorded some great solo efforts (including a 12" with none other than Gentleman, which I unfortunately never heard) but this is the album where everything really comes together. Afrobeat, dancehall, juju, hiphop and reggae: it's all there, but brought to you in such a clever, danceable, unifying and uplifting way that it takes a hell of an effort to stay put. If you like Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, modern roots reggae and a twist of hiphop: try this. If not: try it anyway.