makasound inna yard
At some point yesterday the Makasound label arrived on site. I know that today is going to be a download-taxer, what with the National and Parts & Labor and Wheat, but I’d urge you to set a few aside downloads to sample Makasound. Here’s why:
Like the equally excellent Blood & Fire and Pressure Sounds, Makasound is dedicated to excavating classics from the Golden Age of reggae. It’s a fairly young label — it was founded in 2001 — but their reach and instincts are incredible. We’ve only got a few titles on the site, but the label’s homepage (entirely in French), promises more goodness to come. They’ve got a fairly tricked out MySpace page, where you can watch an insane number of live videos. There’s also a sublabel called Inna Yard, which features live sets from classic reggae artists like Linval Thompson and Earl “Chinna” Smith performing in an outdoor space (their backyards, if the label’s mythology is to be believed).
If you’re strapped for downloads, the best place to start would be Ecstasy of Mankind by Carl Harvey, a deliciously trippy instrumental album from 1978 produced by Bunny Lee and Prince Jammy. Harvey works his nervous guitar over a deliciously dank roots backdrop, making for a strange and delectable mix-up of reggae and psychedelia. Also marvelous is The Mighty Three’s Africa Shall Stretch Forth Her Hands. The group harmonies rival the lightness and sweetness of the Meditations and the Abyssinians. Sample a bit of “Sinking in the Mist” and see if you’re not convinced. And one more for good measure: On the Frontline by the overlooked ’80s UK-based group Black Roots.
“Like the [i]equally[/i] excellent Blood & Fire and Pressure Sounds. . . .” (emphasis added). Hmmmm. To me, Blood & Fire stands head-and-shoulders above other reggae reissue labels (and I like Pressure Sounds quite a bit).
Still, thanks for the recommendation. I love the reggae posts. I downloaded the Carl Harvey disc.
hey -
my comments keep getting eaten.
i dont know why Pressure Sounds (barley) edges out B&F for me — maybe because i think of B&F as more dubby while Pressure Sounds hits my roots/”sleng teng” sweet spot. Both are great labels, tho, no contest. I also really like Wackies – you?
Actually, I hadn’t heard of the Wackies. The AMG description on eMusic says that the Basic Channel label released a bunch of Wackies material earlier this decade. I’ve already downloaded from eMusic the Rythym & Sound disc. Would the Wackies Compilations be duplicative?
Oddly enough, I think of Pressure Sounds as a dubby label, but maybe because I’ve mostly been exposed to its Keith Hudson discs (Brand and Nuh Skin Up), which are both dubs. I’d love to see a 17 Dots post recommending Pressure Sounds’ more rootsy offerings.
The Wackies doesnt overlap with that stuff too much — the comps are kind of spotty. I’d go with Horace Andy Dance Hall Style or the Lovejoys’ Lovers Rock/Showcase.
And i’ll totally get on a Pressure Sounds post soon…
Wow; I’ve totally overlooked Wackies. I just downloaded the Horace Andy disc and Wayne Jarrett’s Showcase, Vol. I. I love the slightly sinister sound on Dance Hall Style.
Wackies seems like a great label (and easy on my downloads, with each disc having only six songs). Thanks!
Quick follow up: I don’t usually like reggae from the late 70s or early 80s. It typically sounds — to me, at least — like a thinner, weaker, safer version of early 70s roots music. But I really like the Wayne Jarrett disc. The light “space-age” touches enliven the songs nicely, and I like some of the odd instrumentation, like the flute that bobs just at the surface level of “Darling Your Eyes.”
Anyway, it’s a good disc.
sweet — i’ve had that one on my iPod forever but never really gave it a good listen. i’ll def. do that today!
Second quick-follow up, as I (finally) head home: Horace Andy’s Spying Glass. WOW. Best thing I’ve heard in some time.