Finally, we will see (or: hear) the 4th part of "Crooklyn Dub's Certified Dope" on Wordsound. Double CD and double vinyl will be available soon. Featured artists: Brain Damage, Bill Laswell, Zion Train, Twilight Circus, Roots Control, Spectre and many more.

Melchizedek Music from Los Angeles announces the European release of Zema's "Black Sheep". Available on CD and a 10" vinyl version with extra dub and a stepper tune on the B-side. Distribution through Blakamix, Jet Star, SRD and more.

Twilight Circus renovated their studio and now present some new works: album "Foundation Rockers" featuring Big Youth, Luciano, Mykal Rose, Rankin Joe, Brother Culture and Aswad horns. Two 10"es with Big Youth and Luciano. "Riddim Clash" album with DJ Spooky on Japan's PLAY label. Several remixes and more vinyls coming soon.

Poland's Maka-Ron released a new album. Infos: reggaenet.pl/index.php?makaron_en

A fine CD called "Unity" is available from Jah Free, the dub activist. 17 heavyweight vocal sound system steppers. Dub album will follow. Review will be available here soon.

The new "Armageddon Times" is out for a few weeks now. Check www.armageddontimes.ch for infos.

A new roots reggae radio show is available from Upfront since October. Have a listen.

Lee Perry's son Omar is featured on a new Soundboy 10" release called "Rasta Meditation". Don't have a copy for reviewing so far. No money left for buying one... :-(

On-U Sound news: "Bed Of Roses", the new album from Dub Syndicate will be out 31st December. Could listen to one of the tunes already, sounded very rootical with Gregory Isaacs on the mic. "Never Trust A Hippy", Sherwood's solo album is supposed to get a vinyl release now because of the good CD sellings. Looking forward to that one! Also, a second solo album is making it's way at the moment. After the promising African Head Charge 7" (see review), there will be a full album coming next year. Also, Mutant Hifi, Junior Delagdo and Eskimo (!) are working on new albums.

Irie Ites, one of the leading German reggae websites opened a dub discussion board. Go and check it.

2003-10-26: I proudly announce the first release on my label "Dub Flash Records". The split 7" "Dub Splitz Part 1" featuring Dubcreator and Sayan is now available directly from me (distribution and promotion will follow).

Send me a mail and get your numbered vinyl copy as soon as possible. :-) (Prices depend on the postage costs. But I'll make them as low as possible - promise!)

An apologize: I know that there are several people waiting that I add their site to my links pages or add them to the databases. I haven't forgotten you and I can only apologize. I have so few time available at the moment and today on my only free day in the week I already needed 9 hours just to write all the record reviews. I'm exhausted. Sorry.

2003-09-14: I'm back from my holidays. At the moment I only have very few time for my website, sorry. 9 new reviews are online now and there are 8 more records waiting to be reviewed soon.

Other sections are rebuild, too. It all just takes some more time, sorry.

The first release on my label will arrive during the next two weeks - I hope. Pre-order it here as long as there are copies left. ;-)

2003-07-28: A new website layout is online.

Other news and updates are not possible at the moment due to illness and holidays.

2003-06-20: Concerning to EFA, the new album from Teledubgnosis will only be available on CD, although vinyl was planned first. Don't know if this is true though.

The new Dub Syndicate album (on Lion & Roots) is half finished. Release is planned for September 2003.

Bim Sherman's "Lover's Leap (Jamaican Classics Vol. 2)" will be released on Century Records in October.

Several new releases on the ON-U Sound sublabel "Sound Boy" are coming within the next weeks. Don't know which ones though.

The UPfront reggae Report from Switzerland is now available as an E-Zine. Check it here. (Flash has to be installed.)<

Zion Train will release a remix album of some of their hits later this year. They also built a second studio in Cologne, Germany lately.

Anyone remembers the Dub-Ology label (East Meets West releases)? Rumours say that they start business again - in Japan.

ON-U Sound's next release (CD, 2xLP) is "Shrunken Head" from African Head Charge. While it is already available in Japan, the European release date is the 30th of June. It's supposed to be a "best of" album plus three exclusive tracks. Later this year, AHC is said to go on tour again! For 2004, a completely new album is planned.

The next 7" release on Unity Sound is Sister Nadia's "Life Is Today", backed by a serious Dubcreator riddim. Coming in the nearer future is a 10" featuring Unitone Soundimentional (Roar) and I'Natural. You can get these records in the new online store @ www.unitysound.com

2003-05-28: "Freeman" is the new studio album from Burning Spear. It will be released at the end of June on Nocturne.

Trojan is working on some more rereleases on 7", 10" and 12". The Ganja Box Set and best of's from Jimmy Cliff and Desmond Dekker are also in the work.

"Smith & Co" from the Netherlands make their first steps into reggae: five 12"es should be out at the end of  June. Horace Andy, Eric Donaldson and Johnny Clarke plus two compis with cover versions of Bob Marley and UB40 should be the featured artists.

UK's "Glimmer" label throws out some more legendary songs on limited 10"es.

On "Pressure Sounds" we will find a best of album from Winston Riley ("Dancehall Techniques") and Dennis Bovell ("Decibel").

"Smugg Records" (who?) released a "roots & dub" compilation featuring Bim Sherman, Sly & Robbie, Horace Andy and more.

Big changes are said to be realized @ the Ariwa stable. Don't know more so far.

"Dub Splitz Part 1", the first 7" release on "Dub Flash Records" is delayed due to the slow pressing plant.

Finland-label Fried Music releases a full album from the great reggae band Dashing Waves on 9 June. Only on CD at first, in autumn hopefully on vinyl, too.

Teledubgnosis debut album should be out now on Wordsound. I couldn't hear it so far though.

2003-04-24: The German label Select Cuts will re-release Keith LeBlanc's classic album "Major Malfunction". Release is scheduled for May. 4 new bonus tracks are included, the old tracks and the cover artwork are remastered. www.keithleblanc.org 

Hamburg's Roots Commandment Sound System did a selection for the show "International Dancehall Movement" on BBC1xtra, UK. Their two hour selection has been censored for about 40 %. Tracks like "Terror In America" or "War" and some parts of the moderation were cut out. www.rootscommandment.de/

To help building the Peter Tosh museum, you can buy bricks for 25 $. You get a certificate as a reward. www.ptosh.com

Several UK producers released 10" records lately which you may not find too easily. The Rootsman, Hydroponics and Vibronics (Scoops), just to name a few. See the reviews page for some examples. reviews.html

If you haven't downloaded them already, you find three exclusive free MP3s from Shashamani All Stars on the Dubwise-website. www.dubwise.com

2003-03-05: The great Jamaican reggae producer Randy Chin died February 2 2003 in the early morning. R.I.P.

New releases on Meteosound: Fenin "Driven" 12" (out now), Monkeytribe "Delaware" 12" (April), The Rootsman feat. Horace Andy & Bobby Blue "Showcase" 12" (May).

Linton Kwesi Johnson's book "New Word Hawdah" is available now. The book features poems and lyrics of this dub poet genious. A German translation is printed, too.

2003-02-25: This website is about to open it's own record label named "Dub Flash" (surprise, surprise)! To party this happening, there will be a big winning contest on this site, starting in the middle of March. Subscribe for my newsletter to get a note when the contest starts.

2003-01-30: South Germany's I-Shen Rockers new album planned to be read in March / April.

Unity Sound (New York) will release a couple of records within the next weeks / months:
10" I Natural / Dub Creator "Red Lights" & Ras Iyan "Liberation Time"
7" (limited edition) Glen Brown "Your Game" (as requested by the massive)
10" together with Black Redemption Studios (Ras Kush), Peter Kruud and Ranking Joe

On-U Sound Productions for 2003:
Ghetto Priest (feat. Ri Ra) - Vulture Culture (ON-U1003; 2xLP/CD)
2 Badcard - Salvation Sounds (ON-U 1004; 2xLP/CD)
Skip McDonald - Champagne And Grits (ON-U 1006)
Asian Dub Foundation - Enemy Of The Enemy (Virgin France)
Adrian Sherwood - Never Trust A Hippie (Real World)
Junior Delgado – Original Guerilla Music
Little Roy - untitled yet (and also unconfirmed)
African Head Charge - untitled yet (and also unconfirmed, maybe a best-of like Murder Tone)
Also a 7"-label is planned.

Jah Warrior has been busy too: collaborations with U-Brown, Jah Mason, Prince Alla (dubwise),  Peter Broggs, Alton Ellis and more will end in some releases this year.

From the Culture Promotions newsletter about Jah Shaka:
It gives me joy to tell you that the Mighty Zulu Warrior is recovering at great speed. His wounds are healing fast and he has regained use of his hands by constant therapy and determination! With thanks once again on behalf of SHAKA for the many positive prayers and messages. He does receive them all.

Tanty Records comes with the third part of "Roots Of Dub Funk" in spring. Featured artists this time: Brain Damage, Alpha & Omega, Dub 2 Dub, Jah Warrior, Version City Rockers, Dub Funk Association, Teacha, Burning Babylon, DJ Perch, Ras Shaggai, Vibronics. Again, a mid price release.

On 18 February Easy Star releases "Dub Side of the Moon", a song-by-song reggae/dub re-interpretation of Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon" from 1973.

Soul Jazz UK recently released a DVD + CD called "Studio One Story" with rare footage of the Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin, plus several interviews. The CD features 16 tracks from Alton Ellis, Skatalites, Dub Specialist, Sugar Minott, Denis Alcapone, Jackie Mittoo and more.

2003-01-06: There's an artist special at the EFA website about Kind Tubby. They use a photo from him from my site. :-) Good article. Click here to visit the page (new window).