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| The Mash Down Riddim [Lustre Kings Productions] |
For so many familiar names and faces and others which will become familiar. As we attempt to return these pages to some type of normalcy and semi-frequency, as the person in charge of the writing... stuff, it is important and definitely easier for me to look in the direction of familiar sources of material. That isn't to say that we won't 'branch out' to any degree because that was also a normal occurrence for us as I sought out individuals who made music but weren't getting the recognition for it even in Reggae (or Soca or whatever was their specific case) and that is well exciting for me. However, while I'm still re-figuring out how to do these things again, I have my eyes open especially for those virtual warehouse of vibes who have provided us with some of the most unforgettable moments in the history of this blog. So because of that, what you'll notice in our return are bites (CHUNKS!) (I DON'T DEAL IN 'BITES'!) from the likes of Akae Beka, Sara Lugo, Turbulence and Ras Attitude because had we not taken hiatus, we would have been writing about.... Akae Beka, Sara Lugo, Turbulence and Ras Attitude anyway. And today we walk most comfortable path in looking at a stop which was, easily, one of our favourites when it came to the label and production side of things.
This post, if done correctly (and I'm not in charge of that stuff, so it will be), will mark the thirty-fifth which carries the tag 'Zion I Kings'. Filling out these entries are a variety of different things which include full-blown classics in regards to these pages. Looking back, you cannot help but to be almost over-impressed with some of the material created by the ZIK collective including, arguably, the best current album we have ever covered on this blog in my opinion, Midnite's "Beauty For Ashes". Furthermore, outside of delivering quite a few sizable projects from individual artists, the ZIK have also sparked several (apparently now numbering nine, to be specific), solid riddim compilations. These date back to the fully glowing Songbird Riddim from wayyyyyyyyyy back in May of 2013, which was the very first volume of their Riddim Series. We'd actually look at the initial seven releases of the series before going on our break and, today, we're going back into the most fruitful set.
If you do not know, the Zion I Kings are an assemblage of three separate labels and each of them alternate (in order, actually) (a very cool occurrence) in the series, so with the ninth riddim coming forth, they have all made three appearances in the series. Directly, releasing the Mash Down Riddim is Lutre Kings Productions, which is their first here since 2016's Lifetime Riddim ["Put a fyah in dehhhh!"]. I don't really want to crack open that vault too deeply (because I went in much further than I anticipated on our history with the ZIK.... forgive me, it's been a minute) (although you KNOW I am dying to sit here and start writing about old albums from Turbulence ["WE NEED LIBERATION!!!"] and Lutan Fyah ["Waters of many colours, so wi haffi swim deep"], but I have been listening to and have been a fan of the LK's for just about two decades now, going back to their outstanding Culture Dem compilations (the first of which is simply one of the mightiest collections of modern Roots Reggae music ever made) (and it also had one of the nicest covers as well). And, though we were away, the series continued, making a pair of drops in 2018, in the form of the H.I.M. Teachings Riddim (which was SPECTACULAR), for Zion High Productions and the Perfect Storm Riddim, from I Grade Records ["Perfect storm. Selassie bring a perfect storm"], respectively. So, given all of those esteemed seat (and that is not a typo) of circumstances, the Mash Down Riddim, like every one before it here, has a very high level to live up to and, unsurprisingly, it does not disappoint, and even manages to raise the bar for entry #10 (which will be released by IGR if the series' historical sequence is maintained). As for the composition itself, the Mash Down Riddim is wholly what you would expect and doesn't at all drift away from the scope of the ZIK's typical productions. In particular, it does have a very.... 'light' or 'flexible' sound to it and when I heard it I began to think that it could do a variety of different things given a nice blend of vocal artists. Was I correct (FOR ONCE, yes I was)? Let's find out.
1. 'Forward' by Lloyd Brown
Taking opening honours on the Mash Down Riddim from Lustre Kings Productions and the Zion I Kings is a most familiar face and one of those, wonderfully, 'usual suspects' around these parts, the vocalist, Lloyd Brown. The veteran singer from out of the UK was one of our favourites around here for a very long time and I'm tempted to go back and cover at least one or two of his bases that we missed over the years (particularly his new album, "Untitled", which reached just earlier this year actually). Back in 2013, Brown would bring forth his own ZHP helmed album for ZIK, "Rootical" (which I probably most remember, eight years later, for carrying 'Together', a big combination with Queen Omega), so he's not only a veteran, in general, but a seasoned pro amongst the ZIK. His progression-themed effort on the Mash Down, 'Forward', is very interesting because, in all likelihood, out of every song here, it's the one that's going to stick in your brain. That chorus is damn difficult to shake out of your head and you, like me, will find yourself singing it over and over again. The son gis about moving ahead and going forward in whatever it is that you're doing, but I also took from it the idea of at least making the attempt to not focus on things which can weigh you down but are ultimately useless and meaningless. A big beginning.
2. 'Heights of Greatness' by Pressure Busspipe
Like Mr. Brown, someone else who is well at home on ZIK projects is the always burning VI star, Pressure Busspipe (who actually has a brand new album forthcoming in just a week or two), who makes a MIGHTY appearance on the Mash Down Riddim, providing it with one of his biggest standouts. Pressure delivered his own full release for IGR and the ZIK, "The Sound", in 2014 which is one of the finest pieces they've ever made and is on the level of the aforementioned "Beauty For Ashes", in my opinion. MOST interestingly, "The Sound" may have a forth coming followup, at least partially as Pressure's tune on this riddim, 'Heights of Greatness', is also the title track for his next album, which means that it features at least a bit of ZIK's handiwork. Because of that, you would expect him to absolutely shine (and you would just expect it, in general, because.... that's what he always does) and he glistens here.
"They always speak what the eye has never seen
And when they see, they don't know what it really means
Neglecting the powers of the Ilah Trinity
Dispensing corruption get I identity
I ah burn all spies and conspiracies
I ah burn all scribes and evil Pharisees
I ah hail Rastafari over land and over seas
BABYLON GET WEAK IN THEIR KNEES"
"One day - they're gonna learn!
One day - the tables gonna turn!
Putting all ya filthiness to burn
Ya judgment - already confirmed
Mi seh, full time my people rise yeah
VICTORY'S FOR YOU AND I , YEAH
Rastafari did the world with niceness
WE WERE MADE IN HIS LIKENESS"
Well looking forward to that album named after this tune and you can expect a full review on what is sure to be one of the year's finest if this tune (and an entire career full of them) is any indication (and I have to mention that there is a downright DIVINE piece of piano work which is highlighted moreso here (at least to my ears) it is BEAUTIFUL!).
3. 'Hands Off' by MediSun
I was actually surprised to see this next tune only because the vocalist in this case, MediSun, was a name entirely new to me. However, that would be due to the fact that he recently changed his name from the more recognizable King Mas from out of Boston and while I did know of Mas' work previously, I'm starting to think that maybe I should go back and have a heavier listen. That's because 'Hands Off' is ABSOLUTELY MAMMOTH! The vocalist issues an unfortunately necessary warning to all to "low di schoolers and gwan go look ya size" on the very specific track that impresses from beginning to end. There is something here which really caught my attention and you hear it occassionally on songs, but it is glaring in this case: EMOTION. The version of MediSun who begins 'Hands Off' is not the same person who ends it. At the beginning, he is direct and focused and is someone who has clearly come to make his point, but by song's end, the man is PISSED OFF! It almost seems as if the more and more he thinks about the topic, the angrier (fittingly and justifiably) he becomes at it. The result of that are more structured early and middle portions with a SCALDING end.
"From dem go violate di child, that a di wickedest crime
Mama load up di nine, ready fi rise di carbine
Gash dem and light dem, mek di fyah ignite
String dem up and hang dem with di telephone line
Wi no matta if a night or inna broad daylight
Wi no matta if dem black and wi no business if dem white
FROM DEM VIOLATE DI DAUGHTA, MEK WI SLAUGTA DEM
EVERY PART A DEM!"
4. 'Dawg Eat Dawg' by Lutan Fyah
I came into the opinion, years ago, that Lutan Fyah was some type of genius. The way that he arranges his songs has always been something which has impressed me greatly and we're nearing a point where I've also been listening to him for twenty years (I'm just old!). When at the height of his lyrical powers, the chanter has some very digestible and informative type of rugged and hard-working cleverness which may make some of his work subtle, but brilliant at the same time, at least for me. And, accordingly, I believe the Fyah may've actually had the very first artist's album on LKP with "Time And Place" (a classic to my ears) in 2005 and, just in 2017, he also came to the Zion I Kings with "Music Never Dies" (which almost got me to break hiatus back then, if I remember properly (it would not have been pretty), and I'll likely review it from the vault some point this year, anyway) for I Grade. He's also been present on many of their pieces (including both "Beauty For Ashes" and "The Sound") and, actually, their appearances on the Mash Down Riddim means that both Lutan Fyah and Pressure have been featured on every iteration of the Riddim Series. It would be nice if he, too, would have an album in the immediate future, but until then sink your teeth into the excellent social commentary that is 'Dawg Eat Dawg'. This is typical simple, sagacious building from the Fyah as he outlines many of the problems faced in the system where, at times, only the strongest (and the best prepared) survive. Taking it a step beyond, you also get ideas of perseverance, of consistency (and EDUCATION) and of a general sense of self-awareness. This is the type of track that I can play with for hours and is so emblematic of what Lutan Fyah can do as a writer. He crafts ideas like this which can seem very broad, but have small channels which are CLEARLY constructed to provoke thought, so definitely take a deeper dive on 'Dawg Eat Dawg' to REALLY get at its core (and I do love how the music gets quite a bit of the stage to itself in the latter portions of this piece).
5. 'Never Walk Alone' by The Movement
The Movement was a wholly new name to my eyes and, as it turns out, they are a quite popular Reggae band from out of South Carolina whose history goes back nearly twenty years (found a really nice song of theirs called 'Mountain', which features Clinton Fearon) and their effort here, 'Never Walk Alone', serves as an introduction for me. I don't know how much contribution is made by the full band (I wouldn't think a great deal, but I would think they'd look forward to playing this tune live), but the lead singer makes a very nice first impression on me here and I'll make no promises, but maybe we'll do a bit of mining on The Movement's catalog at some point. And that is a nice reason to include a variety of different names on projects like these because you take people and potentially make fans out of them to someone who they've never even heard of or even if they have, they don't have anything in mind in terms of sound. And I think, after the Mash Down, like MediSun before them, The Movement comes away with quite a few new Me's as new fans.
6. 'Great Nation' by Akae Beka
You'll have no similar case to The Movement's on the next one up on the Mash Down Riddim as series/label/genre STAPLE, Vaughn Benjamin is up with the MASSIVE 'Great Nation'. This song is golden. It is a big gold bar of a selection, typical full genius and it would have stood very highly on either of Akae Beka's most recent albums "Righteous Synergy" and "Polarities". To my opinion, the idea here is, ultimately, about foundation. In order to get there, however, the vehicle Benjamin drives us in is one which draws comparisons between the age-old 'science v. faith' concept. I don't think Benjamin would have ever flopped science. He doesn't strike me as someone who would have cast it away as entirely useless, but what he does, instead, is to show that there exists moments in science which are quite similar to faith - where you may suspect, but do not actually KNOW what happens next ["faithfully watching day and night set in"]. To my ears, he then applies this as to what is the firmest of foundations and bases for a 'great nation', with "nation" being anything at all - from an actual nation to an individual to anything which is to be ran at its strongest. I also have to mention that 'Great Nation' may just be one of the nicest listens on this riddim. You will virtually never hear me say that about a Benjamin song (although if you do want to hear such a song, check 'Like Rhyme' from the "Portals" album, which I am having a very difficult time turning off these days), but there is something about 'Great Nation' which gives it maybe a bit more spice and makes for a very nice listen from a strictly sonic point of view.
"I & I would reason to science-
When you had your 'EUREKA' moment
Yes moment, when the formulation commence
When the hypothesis make sense
Ideas like a light bulb ah light up inna yuh meds
Next thing is the experiment
When they control what they contrast relevant-
How much faith to the next moment
When the works are still undevelop-ed-
And require that belief concept
When your knowledge is still blindfolded
And your theories are still unproven"
7. 'Look To Jah' by Clatta Bumboo
Add Clatta Bumboo to the list of names on the Mash Down Riddim who will likely come away with whole heap of more fans and put my name at the top of that list (because it most likely would be anyway, alphabetically speaking) (unless there's an Aaron or an Abigail out there somewhere) (I digress) because his offering on the riddim, 'Look To Jah', just may be my favourite of them all. The New England based Bumboo's vocal style actually reminds me a bit of Gramps Morgan (biggup Gramps Morgan, literally just released a new album, "Positive Vibration", like last week) and he uses it on 'Look To Jah' to a nearly perfect result. The artist tells us all to make an attempt to do better in life -- to be better people -- and to "live up in the likeness of HIM", because we have all been given the greatest of possible Examples and Idols to look up to and model ourselves after to the best of our abilities. Such a standard is ultimately attainable and unmanageable for us, but there is nothing that says that we cannot at least try and I think Clatta Bumboo is making that suggestion. He hasn't had a full album that I can find, but the last two years have produced two EP's (which have eleven tunes in total by my count, so that's basically an album), so you can join me in checking them both out, "Future Water" from last year and "Miles Deep in the Attic" which reached just in March (and has two different versions). Listening to a few more songs, I also hear a bit of Everton Blender in his voice as well and I'm damn interested in hearing even more following 'Look To Jah'.
8. 'Tolerance' by Ras Teo
In June veteran artist, Ras Teo, released what turned out to be a well-received project via ZHP, "Celestial Rockers". It was presented with this delightfully 'throwback' concept and I trust and hope that it has done quite well because although I do not think I've ever written about him, I do know who he is and have encountered his work a bit over the years. His cut of the Mash Down, 'Tolerance', is about as delightfully straight-forward as it gets. I THOROUGHLY enjoy this one as Teo wants everyone to recognize that no one is perfect, we are all works in progress and prone to mistakes, so don't be so damn hard on each other (and ourselves). I think the concept of PATIENCE also comes out here, particularly at the very end ["We need tolerance fi di pickney dem, tolerance fi elder dem"]. And, again, this is another song on the riddim which I think listeners will find to be immediately absorbable. It is a very easy listen and... 'Tolerance' will just make you feel good listening to it, which I'm sure was part of the idea behind such a composition.
9. 'Right on Time' by Messenjah Selah
It's definitely been a minute from the last time I heard a new track from someone who was definitely a foundation artist for this blog, Messenjah Selah. Several hundred years ago, we wrote a great deal about his first (and ridiculously, only) album, 2008's "Breaking Babylon Curse" for Zion High Productions (just like my history with LKP goes way back, I'm now sitting here thinking abot ZHP's vault, with albums like "Break Babylon Curse", the compilation "Jah Golden Throne", albums from Ziggi Recado, Glen Washington and others and they also did "Rebelution" from Yami Bolo, which is probably one of my top.... thirty, or so, favourite albums of all time (probably time to listen to that album again) (yeah, yeah I think so) (biggup Yami Bolo, new album, "Jah Love Will Rule The World", out now), but as I would expect, he makes the most of his return to the label with the sublime 'Right On Time'. While Ras Teo may have urged tolerance and a form of patience, Selah is completely telling us to pump our proverbial brakes and HOLD ON (!) just a bit.
"It don't always come when you want it to come
Believe in yourself, Jah will must be done
Keep your head high, let none get you down
For everything there is a reason
It no always gwan how it want it fi gwan
There is a bigger picture, bigger game that ah gwan
IF YOU PLANT PEAS THEN YOU CAN'T REAP CORN
For this moment you were born, ring di alarm"
While I probably won't spend much time in 2021 waiting for a new full project from the supremely gifted Messenjah Selah, it is always SO NICE to hear from him and, particularly this setting, back home where we first 'met', making big tunes with ZHP.
10. 'Mash Down Georgetown' By Blakkamoore
And the final full vocal effort on the Mash Down Riddim comes courtest of LKP favourite and standout [Jahdan] Blakkamoore, 'Mash Down Georgetown'. It's kind of the title track for the riddim and, I think, it would have been the very first time fans got a taste of it as well as the tune featured on Blakkamoore's 2020 studio album for the Lustre Kings, "Upward Spiral" (....take a few years off and miss soooooooo much, I would have LOVED to do a write up on that album and now I have so many things on my mind to go back to, who knows when or IF I'd get around to it (DAMN!)) and was released as a single a few years prior to that. The Guyana native delivers a social commentary aimed at the things going on back home during what is a SPECIAL moment on the riddim. I would imagine that choosing a riddim for one of these projects would have more to do with the track, itself and what you think it is capable of, than any one particular song, but I can definitely see LKP and the ZIK hearing Blakkamoore shine all over this thing and imagining the possibilities when spread around to various voices. They then named it after it and, wonderfully, here we are.
11. 'Dub Down GT'
Tippy and co. at I Grade Records send us home with a dubbed out version of Blakkamoore's eponymous work. For me, these are always essential on projects like this. The riddim is as much of a 'star' as any vocalist on this type of set and you should give it an opportunity to shine. Be it a straight display, a Dub or some type of remix - show it off (biggup Beres Hammond) and allow your foundation to show just how strong it is on its own merits.
Overall, my one critique on something like this is always the same when I don't see it: I would have LOVED to hear the Mash Down Riddim in the hands of some talented female vocalist (I have one in mind, specifically, but if everything worked according to how I wanted, Queen Omega wouldn't have much free time, because she'd be on damn near every even remotely decent riddim) (and she was on the Jah Warriah Riddim, #2 in this series), but just judging it on what is present, this has to be considered as one of the strongest of the lot. As I said, the riddim has a very light vibes to it and it's malleable in the genre and I would have expected a wide range of different styles being able to make an impact on it - and that is precisely how it played out. Installment number nine of the Zion I Kings' Riddim Series, the Mash Down Riddim, is highly recommended to all fans of current modern Roots Reggae, without qualification and without exception. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go listen to The Movement, Clatta Bumboo, some MediSun, some classic Lustre Kings and some Yami Bolo and......
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