Pressure Sounds and stuff

Last week I received a package of goodies from my favorite reggae label, the Kent, England-based Pressure Sounds. They make T-shirts, too, and the one I got features the likeness of Joe Higgs. I have a rule about not wearing a band's shirt unless I've seen them in concert. Luckily, I got to see the man walk onstage years ago during a Lee “Scratch” Perry show…. Higgs gave Bob Marley his first guitar and served as Jimmy Cliff's bandleader, in addition to making some blue-collar and well-crafted early reggae and roots music on his own. Listen to “Life of Contradiction” here.

Below, postcards promoting Santic. Nice. Leonard “Santic” Chin was one of the guys I interviewed way back in Giant Robot 37 for the section on Chinese-Jamaican record producers. He really explored and expanded on the funk and soul aspects of rocksteady, and was no slouch when it came to dub, either. Of course, Pressure Sounds' new release of A Harder Shade of Black is incredible. Who do I know that is cool enough to get one of these in the mail?

Listen for yourself. If you really dig it, maybe I'll send one to you.