The Reggae Disco Connection (2012)

01 - dennis brown - get high on your love (panama cardoon edit)

02 - derrick harriott - soul sister

03 - derrick harriott - dancing the reggae music (12inch)

04 - monyaka - go deh yaka (instrumental dub)

05 - peter tosh - dubbing buk-in-hamm

06 - richard ace - supernatural thing

07 - byron lee - the hustle

08 - beres hammond - music is a positive vibration

09 - the in crowd - back a yard (extented version)

10 - risco connection - ain't no stopping us now (version)

11 - la famille - all night long

12 - time unlimited - back fire (natural vibes intl.)

13 - jennifer lara - i am in love

14 - yellowman - world war (kill emil re-edit)

15 - willie lindo - drum song

Apart from the great SoulJazz compilation Hustle from a few years ago, Disco Reggae still seems to be a part of Reggae that is either frowned upon by Reggae purists - or has fallen under the radar of the many styles of DJ culture. I was planning to make this a compilation strictly showcasing some of the lost treasures of this "genre" - selecting some of my favourite Reggae songs in a Disco style. But actually I got carried away to include some soulful reggae grooves - as well as some Lovers Rock songs - smoothing out this compilation - and actually making it quite a nice player for your summer sunshine garden party, BBQ or beach day...

After finishing this compilation and having listened to a whole bunch of Reggae songs in a Disco fashion - I must say that the crown of Reggae Disco Grooves either goes to Joe Gibbs & his Disco Echo chamber - or the "more than soulful" Reggae producer and crooner Derrick Harriott, who was not only responsible for a series of classic Rocksteady productions in the late 60ies, but also for some grooving soulful and discofied Reggae songs in the 70ies, as you can hear on this compilation. I am opening this compilation with a Panama Cardoon edit of Get High On Your Love by Dennis Brown. Pure Disco Reggae with some good Greek bass & bounce! Find the Dennis Brown original here. Track #2 and #3: these two songs showcase some of Derrick Harriott's finest 70ies Reggae Soul and Pop sounds. Pure Reggae pop, love & groove. Derrick Harriott might also have been one of the first Reggae artists going Disco with his 1975 longplayer Reggae Disco Rockers, which includes the classic "Fly, Robin Fly", a cover of the Silver Convention original. Track #4 - Monyaka - Go Deh Yaka (Instrumental Dub) is a classic Easy Street Records disco reggae stomper from 1983. I prefer the Instrumental over the vocal version. The instrumental is heavily dubbed by legendary mixers Sergio Munzibal & John Morales. Monyaka was a funk group based out of Los Angeles, California, which among other great musicians had Reggae veteran Larry McDonald playing percussion and Val Douglas from the Skatalites playing bass. Track #5 "Dubbing Buk-In-Hamm" is the phenomenal dub remix of Peter Tosh's epic "Buk-in-Ham Palace" song over a bubbling disco rhythm, which was included on the 12inch of the same title. On the b-side of the same 12inch you will also find the prophetic The Day the Dollar Die, in which Tosh pleads his case for capitalism's demise over a shimmering reggae-pop groove. Track #7 takes things a little easier. Giving us an easy grooving cover version of Van McCoy's hit (Do) The Hustle. Pure 70s smooth-groove soul. Originally released on the Again! LP in 1975 on Dynamics Records. Track #8 is Music Is A Positive Vibration by Beres Hammond from his 1979 album Just A Man. Upbeat & Soulful. Can Disco Reggae get any better?! Track #9, the extended version of "Back A Yard" from The In Crowd Reggae band keeps things soulful and heartikal. A rejoiced Lovers Rock song about returning home to Jamaica to smoke some collie and celebrate love and life. Pure Chill-Out, love & sunshine sharing some "good time feelings". Track #10 is Ain't No Stopping Us Now by the Risco Connection. Already shared this song on the Palmwine Grooves & Disco compilation from 2011. But had to share it again. It just fits right into this selection. Risco Connection were a Jamaican band put together by Joe Isaacs (an original member of Jamaica's Studio One group "The Soul Vendors") in the late 1970s - which specialized in remakes of the hits of the day, with nice and dubby rhythms at the bottom, and some sweet moogy touches on the top! Another Risco Connection favourite of mine is their remake of Billy Stewart's "Sitting in the Park." Track #11, "All Night Long" by La Famille, gives us a lovers rock cover of All Night Long by the Mary Jane Girls. Track #13, I Am In Love by Jennifer Lara is a rare Studio One Disco joint produced by Coxsone Dodd in the early '80s. Check out the original by Evelyn "Champagne" King here. Track #15 - I am ending this compilation with Willie Lindo's cover of the classic Studio One Drum Song. Enjoy! DubMe

PS: This compilation fits perfectly on one CD - just click "NO PAUSE BETWEEN TRACKS" when you are going to burn it - and the CD will be exactly 79:57 long...