The Roots Radics

Channel One's initial session band was the Revolutionaries, structured around drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare. The band was renown throughout the Rockers period thanks to records such as the Mighty Diamond's Right Time (1976).

Created by Sly himself, the rockers style can be recognised through fast strikes on the snare drums rims, a sound that Sly described as "sounding like an M16", a machine gun that bring terror amongst Kingston's ghettos.

Sly and Robbie, the Riddim Twins

However, in 1978 the two players left Channel One to form their own label, Taxi. Through their productions as "Sly & Robbie", the two have become some of the best regarded players, and nicknamed the "Riddim Twins".

That same year, main producer at Channel One Henry "Junjo" Lawes replaced Sly & Robbie by Lincoln "Style" Scott and Errol "Flabba"Holt, on drums and bass respectively. Along with guitarists Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont and Dwight Pinkney, Wycliffe "Steelie" Johnson on keyboards and Henley Bennet on Saxophone the players became the studio's new session band and formed the Roots Radics.

Side by side, Linval Thompson and Junjo were looking to develop reggae and push forward a new style. With the Roots Radics, they developped a very spacey sound, revolving around slow and rounded basslines. The tight drum patters are given great clarity with a firm snare drum strike on the 3rd beat, just as with the one drop.

This new style was known as Rub-a-Dub and would dominate the reggae scene for the next years until Prince Jammy overthrew it with digital in 1985.

The music suited many singer's styles with popular artists ranging from young Barrington Levy to more experienced Freddie McGregor.

Henry "Junjo" Lawes

As Junjo wished, the Roots Radics greatly helped develop deejaying when the version was played in sound systems and artists would chat over the record - just like King Stitt back in the days of rocksteady.

Also known as sing-jaying, vocalists would perform half singing and half talking and this would prove to be later-on be a great stepping stone for hip-hop music. The genre would also become referrenced as dancehall, and today sometimes as early dancehall.

 Junjo's productions were essentially mixed by King Tubby-apprentice Scientist who mixed them with many effects such as echo and reverb, adding further emphasis on the drums.

After recording a singer, Scientist would often extend the song by mixing the instrumental alone, creating a dub track. The two were then released as one piece of music on a 12" format, known as a discomix.

These records were distributed in the UK by Greensleeves and can be easily recognised due to the effort that was put into the covers, designed by Tommy McDermott.

When playing a Roots Radics discomix, one almost instantly defies the speakers' capacity and we're reminded again that reggae has always been made to be played loudly on soundsystems.