quête:dambala

The DISCO REGGAE LOVERS series reaches a zenith with the first ever reissue of Dambala and their beautiful reggae roots song Lorraine. Long a diggers secret, it seemed only apt to ask the DJ who brought it to the attention of many, with a wonderful dub by label stalwart, Lexx.

Born in Lagos, Nigera but growing up in the Harrow Road area of West London, Augustus "Gus" Anyia immersed himself in the music of area during the vibrant 60s awakening of African and Caribbean cultures. Learning drums as a boy, he quickly progressed to classical guitar and would perform at school and beyond.

Jamming with guitarist Alvin Christie led to them forming Dambala in 1975. Their first releases set them on their way, produced by Jimmy Lindsey, mixed by Dennis Bovell and cut by Porky. From there more singles followed, repeatedly touring Europe and recording for a TV documentary, before pressures took hold and following a change in line up, the band recorded their sole album, Azania.

Lorraine was the stand out, a wonderful love song of youth's forlorn love, it's warm drum and bass encompassing the yearning lyric. A small masterpiece of UK roots in it's own right, this special 7" comes with a simple, but perfect dub mix from Lexx and will be followed by a comprehensive reissue of Dambala by the label.

Emotional Rescue and HMV Record Shop (Japan) team up to present six limited edition 7"s of DISCO REGGAE LOVERS music. Featuring Sugar Minnott, Dambala, One Blood, 101 Band, Red Cloud and here to start, for the first time ever as a single, Ernest Ranglin's, cover of The Dramatics R&B classic, In The Rain.

A defining guitarist and composer in the development of Jamaican music, Ranglin's career spanned mento to reggae, playing on the groundbreaking recording of My Boy Lollipop itself, before going on to work with the likes of the Skatalies, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley.

Moving to Florida in 1982, he teamed up with Noel Williams to mix the bass heavy sound the producer was famous for with Ranglin's unique playing. Featuring a who's who of the Miami scene including Bobby Caldwell, Timmy Thomas, Betty Wright and Williams himself, In The Rain continued the link between R&B and reggae to sweet perfection.

To accompany, for half this series, a modern producer offers their own remix. Here Nik Weston, DJ, promoter and owner of the respected Mukatsuku label, releasing afro, jazz dance and more and with a long standing association with Japan, presents here an instrumental dub - letting the groove roll and Ranglin's ubiquitous playing to shine."