Juno Recommends Dancehall / Ragga Best of 2020

Review: Gold standard US label Daptone comes correct with another essential 7" here, this time focussing on new kid on the block Leon Dinero, who only debuted in June but makes a big impression again. "If You Ask Me" is a swaggering reggae roller with all the right guitar riffs and dusty drums finished off by his carefree and sunny vocal work. It is sweet as honey and delivered with pride. The flipside comes from NYC's main reggae man Screechy Dan, who keeps it real with his classically inclined "Bandits" that is a takedown of the gentrification of his hometown with real Jamaican passion.

Review: Anicia Banks, Joy Tulloch, Judy Mowatt and Sharon Tucker were Light of Love and their "Melting Pot" has been not only expensive but hard to find since it first landed in 1979. Even the 1984 reissue is difficult to come across so Miss You have done us all a favour with this one. The original is a hard riddim with popping synths and effects making it bubble along nicely while the fame vocals up top bring joy and rousing trumpets take you ever higher. The dub melts you away with staggering, shuffling drums and then "Physical Love" brings some 80s vibes with a mix of dub, disco and pop all shimmering their way into your affections.

Review: Poirier's new album, Soft Power, is a vibrant and eclectic affair, with the long-serving Canadian producer twisting a wide range of musical influences - think Afrobeat, deep house, hip-hop, Latin beats, dub and dancehall - into thrilling new shapes. This limited edition seven-inch single boasts one of the album's more forthright, club-ready cuts: mutant dancehall number 'Pull Up Dat'. It's undeniably potent, with semi-regular collaborator Red Fox spitting bars over a riddim rich in 90's US garage organ sounds and punchy machine drums. On previously unheard flipside 'Unity & Strength', Patexx offers a positive, auto-tune-enabled message of love and strength over the same weighty Poirier backing track.

Review: Standby for a much needed reissue of this absolutely gold standard dancehall cut. It's one that fetches over 300 quid on second hand markets and has always been in demand since first release back in 1987. Its easy to see why - the drilling, hard stepping drums and bass, the glistening future-retro synth work that gleans in the sun, and a killer delivery of the vocal line. It is the only tune ever put out by The Banker aka Cecil Campbell and Ini Kamoze, but was an absolute belter then, and still is today.

Review: Robert Ffrench originally laid this one down in Creative Sound Studio in Kingston in 1985, but it could well be hot off the press yesterday. Here it comes as a nice extended mix by DJ Shortie with some superb studio effects and spaced out trickery. Its sleek futuristic sound comes from the interstellar dancehall lead synth, a stunning thing that twists your mind inside out while the clean drums glide below. Add in the vocal toasts and it's a timeless classic. On the flip, Shortie Ranks offers "Dance In A Skate Land", a version that is subtle treated, with the echo upped and the lead drawn out to take you into another dimension.

Review: Stand by for a seriously deadly EP from Hakuna Kuala. It might only be a 7", but both tracks pack serious heat. Swordman Kitala is a Hakuna Kulala resident and one of the most creative dancehall Mcs in Uganda, and here he offers his vision of future hall madness in association with Japanese producer Scotch Egg under his new Scotch Rolex monicker. "Moto Nyama" is all terror fuelled bass, wherein claps and paranoid hits, and "Batufitina" is an exercise in banging drum programming and vocal acrobatics of the sort you don't hear all too often.

Review: Top Ranking Sound continue their fine run of form with another big hitter this July. Frankie Paul leads the charge with "Don't Pressure Me" and its rugged drums, tumbling bass and hooky riffs. all with some summery steel drums layered in to finish things off in Caribbean style. Pinchers take the second slot with the more natty and physical "Grammy", which has a real edge to it as the drums roll on. Things slip into more digital territory on Thriller U's "Give Me Collaterals", which has oodles of echo and reverb to flesh out the bottom end. A second version offers another fresh perspective on this crisp dub.

Review: Here comes a heavyweight, summer ready dub designed for naughtiness. It lands just in time for pubs and bars reopening so expect to hear it bleeding out into he streets form cars, sound systems and balconies as people soak up some rays. The explosive a-side features legendary MC and Brixton local Brother Culture with his "Balance", featuring vocal odes to the herb and wobbling riddims. On the b-side is the superbly heavy "Use it With Caution Dub" where the brass of the Ital Horns takes centre stage alongside dub master Jamtone.

Review: Culture began his career in the dancehall while still at school and his rare ability even at that age led teachers to advise him to pursue a career in the Jamaican recording industry. He soon went on to pick up plenty of tips and tricks from working with King Tubby before establishing his own name. He even moved to London for a while and continued to hone his craft and "How Long" proved to be one his biggest success along side "After So Many Years" and "Original Days." It's a still futuristic sounding cut with sci-fi effects and crisp hits as well as that trademark vocal work.

Review: The late, great Sugar Minott apparently recorded 'Heartical Respect' back in the mid-1980s with dancehall producers George Bell and Priest, though this is the first time it has officially been released. Minott's slick, soulful and rootsy voice is the perfect accompaniment to the track's punchy dancehall drums, sub-heavy bassline, clipped guitars, dark synth-strings and piano stabs. It's a fine track, all told, and it seems remarkable that it has remained unissued - or at least in the UK - for so long. The flipside dub-style 'Version' is naturally rather good too, with Bell and Priest eschewing Minott's vocal in favour of even weightier sub-bass and tougher dancehall drums.

Review: Kingston artist Johnny Clarke was at one time of the country's most exciting new singers. He dealt in heavy dread tunes and more romantic love songs as well s plenty of big covers, and was admired by the discerning dancehall patrons of Jamaica and elsewhere. To celebrate one of his labels - Black Scorpio - hitting 50 years in the business they are reissuing some of their biggest tunes, and "Sit Down & Wonder" is one of them that is now on a 7" for the first time. A new 2020 mix is on the flipside to make this a perfect mix of old and new.

Review: Scotch Bonnet's periodic Puffers Choice compilations are always worth picking up, featuring as they do a mixture of label highlights from Mungo's HiFi and their closest collaborators, and tracks from like-minded producers and vocalists scattered around the UK and far beyond. Predictably, this third volume - the first in two years - is every bit as essential as its predecessors. It boasts a mixture of digi-dub, revivalist roots, dancehall and lover's rock, with highlights including Viktoriuous's hook-up with Earl Cunningham, 'Hotstepper', the raw weight of Parly B's killer crew cut 'Lyrics Spree' (featuring Daddy Freddy and Tippa Irie, amongst others), the future dancehall of Shokryme and RTKaL's 'BBS', and the soulful, warped bass-sporting heavy dub pressure of Skari's 'Black' (featuring INT Dub).

Review: Originally released in 1969, but record three years earlier, this album from the hugely successful and influential Clancy Eccles played a key role in the evolution of the rock steady sound. He was at the spearhead of a new generation of young, talented and dynamic musicians who were keen to push things forwards and make their own distinctive mark on the legendary dub world. His biggest hit was 'Fattie Fattie' in 1969 and it sold at home and over here in the UK. It's a fun, playful dub with a cheeky swagger and mischievous horns. It's just one of the many gems on this classic reissue.

Review: The fascinatingly future-facing reggaeton pairing of Clara! and Maoupa Mazzocchetti unleash their stunning debut album here on Low Jack's Editions Gravats. The Brussels based pair offer eight new cuts that include lead single "Badman". Future trap beats, whirring machines and neon, dayglo synths all light up these bottom-heavy tracks while the frosty, zero fucks given vocals of Clara Amfo finish each track with real power. Instrumentals are also included, but the originals sure do take some beating.

Review: Manudigital's long awaited latest EP was written while the beat maker was on tour around the world. Those days of hitting 20 countries for 130 gigs seem a long time ago now, but the music does a fine job of aural globetrotting. Lead single 'Canada Airport' was writing in the waiting hall of said airport and is a real fusion of techno, dub and dubstep. It has a heavy bottom end and dynamic drum work with some futurist synth lines, and the rest of the cuts take similar forms, with menacing moods or more upbeat grooves shrining through.