Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Biggest Tunes of 2014 w/ Undercover


Here we are - the biggest tunes of 2014 according to I. Bold are my top picks, the cream. Who Knows is pretty much THE anthem for 2014 - leading rasta revivalists unite inna feel good vibe - trade winds, sunshine, rivers and trees, you get the idea. Diamond Sox featuring Notis and Iba Mahr (with Tarrus on the remix) comes like a breath of fresh air in 2014. Nothing new with a killer 80s inspired digital riddim but the excitement I get when listening to this tune is electric. So those take the podium for me. What are yours? Top 5 artists of the Year for me would have to be Chronixx, Protoje, Jesse Royal, Iba Mahr and Tarrus Riley. Nearly 75 tracks, enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4 (I knew I'd forget something)

Tarrus Riley - Love Situation (Intro)
Tarrus Riley - Burning Desire
Sara Lugo f/ Protoje - Really Like You
Flourgan f/ Lukie D - Lovers Race Refix
Sparkie and Layla Rose - You Can Get
Christopher Martin - Playing Games With My Heart
Jesse Royal - Butterfly
Daddy Cookiz - Good Vibes (54-46)
DJ Vadim f/ Governor Tiggy - Sweet Like a Lolly
Mr. Vegas - Love Yourself
Maxi Priest f/ Assassin - Bubble My Way
Mungo's Hifi f/ YT - Serious Time
Major Lazer & Mungo's Hi Fi f/ Mr Williamz - Smooth Sailing
Chronixx - Rastaman Wheel Out
Christopher Martin - Steppin Razor
Jesse Royal - Gimme Likkle
Damian Marley - Is It Worth It (Gunman World)
Protoje and Chronixx - Who Knows
Protoje and Chronixx - Who Knows Dubwise
Chronixx - Capture Land
Keznamdi - Grade
Jesse Royal - Modern Day Judas
Chronixx - Here Comes Trouble (Dub)
Chronixx - Iyah Walk
Dre Island - Live Forever
Jesse Royal - Feel Your Pain
Damian Marley, Black-Am-I, Biggz General, Jo Mersa, Illestr8 - The Living Breed
Morgan Heritage - Perform And Done
Busy Signal and RC - Dreams Of Brighter Days
Shaggy and Maxi Priest f/ Super Cat - Night Flight
Prince Alla - Addis A Baba
Brother Culture - Babylon Attack
Jahdan Blakkamore and Kabaka Pyramid - For The Children
Cali P - Wha Gwaan
Exco Levi - Irie J.A.
Iba Mahr -  Glory of the King
Iba Mahr - Step Away
Jesse Royal - Raising Your Voices for Freedom
Gappy Ranks f/ Morgan Heritage - False Promises
Stephen Marley f/ Capleton and Sizzla - Rock Stone
Jah 9 - Steamers A Bubble
Gappy Ranks - Carpenter
Keida - Stand For Something
Kabaka Pyramid - Herb Defenda
Wayne Marshall - The Boom Draw
Big Youth f/ Beenie Man, Tafari and Tarrus Riley - Money Caan Buy Love
Katy Tiz f/ Jo Mersa & Inner Circle - The Big Bang [Reggae Remix]
Jesse Royal - Feeling So Blessed
Busy Signal - Real Talk (Remix)
Busy Signal - Gyal Ya Good
Dre Island -  Way Up
Busy Signal f/ Lorde - Royally Prepared
Tarrus Riley - Herbs (Sensimena)
Busy Signal - Roots, Rock, Reggae
Notis and Iba Mahr - Diamond Sox
Notis and Iba Mahr f/ Tarrus Riley - Diamond Sox Remix
Ninjaman - Ninja Mi Ninja
Mr Vegas - Ready Fi Long Time
Cutty Ranks - I Don't Believe It
Aidonia - 80s Dancehall Style
Wayne Marshall f/ Assassin, Aidonia, I-Octane, Bounty Killer, Damian Marley and Vybz -  Go Hard
Jo Mersa - Rock and Swing
Kabaka Pyramid x Equikoxx x Channel One - Champion Sound
Jesse Royal - Entertainment 
Randy Valentine - Splice Dub Plate
Randy Valentine f/ LionHeart - Sound the Alarm
Snow f/ Mykal Rose - Shame
Dionne Reid - She Can't
Cut La Vis - Little Way Different (Wrongtom Remix)
Mungo's Hi-Fi - Herbalist Prince Fatty Mix
Silva MC - We See Them (Max RubaDub Remix)
P-Money and Gappy Ranks - Baddest
Tour De Force f/ Jay Spaker - Old Time Love (Dub Terminator Remix)
Dub Terminator f/ Israel Starr - Large up like Sumo
Tour De Force - Battle Cry
Radikal Guru f/ YT - Stay Calm
Radikal Guru f/ Echo Ranks - Warning!
Kalbata and Mixmonster f/ Puddy Roots - Inna Skateland
Gappy Ranks - Spread My Wings (Green Lion Crew remix)
Mungo's Hifi - Rules of the Dance
Naram f/ Sammy Gold - Government Are Suck The Sufferers

Friday, December 19, 2014

Beets - Best of 2014 w/ Undercover


Busy year for the I and unfortunately couldn't delve into the world of soul, funk, hip hop, beets as much as I'd liked. What I did find sounded pretty good but it was few and far between then along came D'Angelo. Without further ado, my fav tunes of 2014 (plus some old favourites). Boom! and Bap!

Jose James f/ Takuya Kuroda - Simply Beautiful
D/Will f/ Miles Bonny - Untitled
D/Will - Play Some Marvin
Freddie Joachim - Kool In The Summer
Miles Bonny - Nothin But You (Spinnerty Remix)
Tinashe - Aint Ready... 
The Elder Statesman - Montreux Sunrise
@Peace - Gravity
Electric Wire Hustle - Loveless
Flying Lotus f/ Kendrick Lamar - Never Catch Me
Prince - U KnowD'Angelo and The Vanguard - Sugah Daddy
D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Betray My Heart
D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Prayer
D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Till It's Done (Tutu)
Guts f/ Patrice and The School Voices NYC - Want It Back
Guts - Hip Hop First of All
Guts f/ Dillon Cooper - It's Like That
Black Milk f/ Gene Obey - Hell Below
John Robinson and PVD - Respect King
J Rawls f/ Masta Ace - Bills 
The Roots f/ Raheem DeVaughn - Tomorrow
De La Soul - Get Away (The Spirit of Wu-Tang)
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib f/ BJ the Chicago Kid - Shame
Raw Poetic and Kev Brown - The Put On
Killer Mike and El-P f/ Diane Coffee - Crown
Dilated Peoples f/ Aloe Blacc - Show Me The Way
Common f/ Snoh Aalegra and Dreezy - Hustle Harder
Ghostface Killah f/ AZ - Blood in the Streets 
Carpet Patrol - Indian Slap
Latinaotearoa - La Candela
Mental Abstrato f/ Shing02 and Tassia Reis - Tiro Livre
Quantic f/ Nidia Gongora - Muevelo Negro
Buddy Sativa - Una Peripecia
Ray Charles - I Got A Woman (Beatsy Collins Edit)
Aretha Franklin - One Step (Featurecast Edit)
Lack of Afro f/ Jack Tyson-Charles - Recipe for Love
Lee Fields and The Expressions - Just Can't Win (Marco Polo Remix)
Tyra Hammond - Didn't I
Slimkid3 and DJ Nu-Mark f/ Darondo - I Know, Didn't I
Slimkid3 and DJ Nu-Mark - Bom Bom Fiya
Stephen Marley, Nina Simone and Wyclef Jean - Keeper Of The Flame
Quantic f/ Shinehead - Spark It
Cornel Campbell f/ Soothsayers Horns - There's a Fire (Rootikal Mix)
Shy FX f/ Liam Baily - Soon Come

Mean Girl Riddim w/ Twice Nice


Mean girl Twice Nice hooked us up some killer Mean Girl/I Need a Roof licks spanning an amazing 40 years. From Larry Marshall's classic lick and hook on Studio One in 1968 to Pavlove, Prince Far-I and Little Joe, to a stepping Channel One version with Mighty Diamond next milestone I Need a Roof. Bunny Lee alway got in on the action this time with a killer soul vocal from Jackie Edwards, some big Joe Gibbs productions went down with Trinity and Junior Byles, Augustus and Hugh Mundell murdered the riddim on Rockers, then of course it came back to Studio One come Sugar Minott. The eighties treated it kindly with some killer early rubadub dancehall at Midnight Rock. The Revolutionaries had not given way to the Casio just yet, but when it did it kept its integrity and bubbled along nice time thanks to Jammys and Black Solidarity. The nineties riddim stayed fat and militant with Xterminator voicing  crucial cuts with Sizzla and Capleton and Cocoa Tea. Come '07 we had Ray Darwin scoring a huge hit for Tads and in '08 Prince Fatty and longtime legend Little Roy rub up the dance nice time - 40 years on. Give Thanks Twice!

Larry and Alvin - Mean Girl - Studio One - 1968
Prince Far I - Natty Farmyard - Studio One - 1973
Ben Bow - Mama Lulu - Studio One (197X)
Little Joe - Gun Court - Studio One - 1974
Dillinger - Regular Girl - Bunny Lee - 1974
Larry Marshall - Oh Jah - Java - 1975
Mighty Diamonds - I Need a Roof - Channel One - 1975
Pablove Black - Consumer Sounds - Studio One - 1975
Pablove and Sound Dimension Consumer Version - Studio One - 1975
Dillinger - Plantation Heights - Channel One - 1976
The Revolutionaries - Plantation Heights Version - Channel One - 1976
Jackie Edwards - Mean Girl - Bunny Lee - 197X
The Aggrovators - Mean Girls Dub (197X
Prince Jazzbo - Kick Boy Face - Bunny Lee - 1976
Big Youth - Four Sevens - Observer - 1976
Junior Byles - Heart and Soul - Joe Gibbs - 1977
Trinity - Render Your Heart - Joe Gibbs - 1977
Winston Wright - Charming Shuffle - Bunny Lee - 1977
Prince Far I  & Joseph Culture Hill - Boz Rock - Joe Gibbs - 1977
Hugh Mundell and Augustus Pablo -  Bob Shuffle Lion Dub - Rockers - 1978
Jah Levi (Hugh Mundell) - Zion A Fe Lion - Rockers - 1978
Sugar Minott  - Roof Over My Head - Studio One - 1978
I Need A Roof Version - Studio One - 1978
Barry Brown - Jealous Lover - Midnight Rock - 1980
Barry Brown - Love Dub - Midnight Rock - 1980
Larry Marshall - Mean Girl - 1983
Junior Reid - Old Time Something - Jammy$ - 1984
Early B -  Poor Class Want Mass - Midnight Rock - 1985
Josey Wales - Rentman - Black Solidarity - 1986
Sizzla - Babylon Ah Listen - Xterminator - 1997
Capleton - Stand Tall - Xterminator - 1997
Cocoa Tea - Mr. Neck Tie Man - Xterminator - 1998
Luciano - Sweep Over My Soul - VP Records - 1999
Ray Darwin - People's Choice - Tads - 2007
Prince Fatty -  Roof Over My Head - Mr Bongo - 2008