I've been digging through many of the recent Studio One and Trojan reissues, listening to all kinds of reggae from the sixties through the seventies. I really dig the sounds, but as reggae eased into the eighties and beyond I don't like the sounds as much. Too clean, too antiseptic - no murk, no crashing spring reverbs! Culture, led by Joseph Hill for over 25 years now, worked in the past with legends like producer Sonia Pottinger and Joe Gibbs, and produced roots classics like Two Sevens Clash. This CD is good, solid reggae with a positive message, but I miss the feel of those older records! Recorded at The Mixing Lab, Kingston, by esteemed engineer/producer Lynford "Fatta" Marshall with assistance from Kenyatta Hill and Mickey Riley. Lynford and Kenyatta shared mixing duties, each doing half the record. (www.rounder.com/heartbeat)
Music Reviews | No. 36
Built on Squares
by Larry Crane
In 1997 we ran a great interview with Trent Bell of Bell Labs in Norman, Oklahoma. He's been running that studio for years now, and mostly is working on "regional" acts when we catch up on one of our...