05.23.13 - Strictly Studio One Selections

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Sir Clement "Coxsone" Dodd

There's never a wrong time to play some Studio One.

05.16.13 - Ras Tayo of Majestic Twinsound guest selects

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Ras Tayo aka Dirty 45

Queen Majesty and Winston Riley

I was very happy to finally have Ras Tayo on the show! Based in Brooklyn, Ras Tayo has been spinning music with his twin brother Ras Kehinde (aka General ki) all around the world for more than 15 years as the Majestic Twinsound. Twinsound is one of the most respected roots sound system in NYC, having opened for nearly every reggae artist under the reggae banner, as well as throwing monthly parties and continuing to release their own productions through their label, Ghetto Roots Records.

I start out the show with some favorite and classic tracks by The Techniques, as well as killer tunes on Winston Riley's Techniques label. One of my favorite groups and one of my favorite producers, I wanted to give a little tribute to him as his birthday was May 14th. The photo above is from when I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Riley at his studio in Jamaica. Maximum respect and may he rest in peace.

05.09.13 - Sly and Robbie Showdown

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Much respect out to Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare the insanely talented drum and bass duo. It is estimated that they have played on or produced over 200, 000 recordings, many of them on their own TAXI label. I dedicate this show to them, playing strictly their recordings and productions, starting out with Sly Dunbar's 1971 premiere on the classic "Double Barrel" by Dave and Ansel Collins.

05.02.13 - Ken Boothe, Justin Hinds, Jacob Miller Special

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For this show I used these three amazing artists as my inspiration. I have had Ken Boothe tunes in my record box at every single gig I have played in the last 10+ years (thousands). I owe him so much for inspiring me with his music. He played the next night, May 3rd in Brooklyn and I don't think I have been that excited to see a show in years and he totally murdered it. Nuff respect to Crazy Baldhead for backing him. I lost my voice from singing so much! I play his songs all the time so I stuck to ones I haven't played in a while for this show. I also found out that Justin Hinds', one of the most popular artists on Treasure Isle, birthday is May 7th (born May 7th, 1942 - March 16th 2005) so I wanted to honor him by playing some of his favorites as well as the late great Jacob Miller. Jacob Miller of course passed far to early at the young age of 27 in 1980. Much respect out to them. Some other tunes as well. Check the archive.

04.25.13 - Barrington Levy Earthstrong Special

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Barrington Levy was born on April 30th, 1964 in Clarendon, Jamaica. In 1976, he formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977. Levy established his solo career the next year with "A Long Time Since We Don't Have No Love"; though the single was a failure, the fourteen-year-old was a popular performer at Jamaican dancehalls. In 1979, Levy met Henry "Junjo" Lawes and Hyman Wright, both record producers, and recorded several singles with the Roots Radics, including "A Yah We Deh", "Looking My Love", "Englishman", "Skylarking", "Wedding Ring Aside" and "Collie Weed", all of which became hits and established Levy's career. Levy's next few singles were similarly successful, including "Shine Eye Girl", "Wicked Intention", "Jumpy Girl", "Disco Music", "Reggae Music", "Never Tear My Love Apart", "Jah", "You Made Me So Happy" and "When You're Young and in Love". Levy then recorded several duets with Toyan, Jah Thomas and Trinity, and appeared at Reggae Sunsplash in 1980 and 1981. Although albums were not terribly important in Jamaica at the time, Levy released four albums before 1980: Shaolin Temple, Bounty Hunter, Shine Eye Gal (United Kingdom) and Englishman, a critically acclaimed record. His success led to many earlier studio and sound system performances being reissued without his consent, releases he described as "joke business".

By the time his 1980 album Robin Hood was released, Levy was one of the biggest Jamaican stars, and saw his international fame growing as well, especially in the UK. Taking a break from albums, Levy then released a series of hit singles, including "Mary Long Tongue", "In the Dark", "Too Poor", "I Have a Problem", "Even Tide Fire a Disaster", "I'm Not in Love", "You Have It", "Love of Jah", "Under Mi Sensi", "Tomorrow Is Another Day", "Robberman", "Black Roses", "My Woman" and "Money Move". He began working with Paul "Jah Screw" Love and toured the UK in 1984, where he enjoyed a big hit on the reggae charts with "Under Mi Sensi", which was followed by the crossover hit "Here I Come", which reached number 41 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. He returned to LPs with Lifestyle and Money Move, followed by a British hit album called Here I Come; Levy received the Best Vocalist prize at the British Reggae Awards in 1984. The late 1980s saw Levy, now in his twenties, slow down his recorded output, though he continued to perform and record regularly, and played at Sunsplash every year from 1987 to 1995. His fortunes were revived by two cover versions of Bob Andy songs - "My Time" and "Too Experienced", both produced by Jah Screw, and he was signed by Island Records in 1991 for the Divine album. In 1991 he returned to the UK chart with "Tribal Base", a single by Rebel MC featuring Levy and Tenor Fly, which reached number 20. In 1993, Levy tried to break in the United States with the Barrington album, produced by Lee Jaffe, Andre Betts and Sly & Robbie, but it failed to give him the breakthrough he wanted and his relationship with MCA Records was short-lived. (via Wikipedia)

Check out his latest news and upcoming shows at www.BarringtonLevy.com 

04.18.13 - Herbs Come Around

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Yes, the show before 420. This year Collie Buddz with two D's and a Z was in town promoting his 2013 Light It Up Tour with a performance at SOBs. Unfortunately he got caught in traffic on the road from his gig the night before and was not able to join us on air (apologies) but the show is filled with some of his best songs and hits as well as some nice ganja tunes, y'know. Check the playlist.