Dubmatix Sticky Icky Reggae Mix

• Jimmy Cliff – The Joyful & Uplifting Voice Of A Gentleman

  Certain artists bring a feeling of soulful upliftment and leave a mark on your musical heart - Jimmy Cliff is one; you sense a man smiling and embracing life. He’s navigated Jamaica’s musical evolution from the start, with 1962’s Hurricane Hattie, to the soundtrack that put him front and centre on a global stage in 1972. He’s continued to release beautiful music that speaks to our spiritual sides, and his legacy will live on for generations to come. R.I.P. Jimmy. (1944-2025) Jimmy Cliff was born James Chambers in 1944, growing up in rural Somerton before moving to Kingston as a teenager to chase the fast-rising ska scene. He was writing songs before most kids his age finished schoolwork, and at just fourteen, he walked into Beverley’s Records and caught the attention of producer Leslie Kong. That meeting changed everything. Kong recorded Cliff’s first breakout song, “Hurricane Hattie,” which turned the young singer into a local star and opened the door to the bustling world of Kingston studios, sound systems, and emerging talent. By the mid-1960s, Cliff had outgrown the island and pushed his music into London, where his sound found a new audience. The turning point came in 1969 with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” a UK Top 10 hit that introduced his voice and message to listeners far outside Jamaica. Songs like “Many Rivers to Cross” showed a different side of him - raw, vulnerable, and deeply soulful. Then came The Harder They Come in 1972. Cliff didn’t just star in the film; he carried its soundtrack with songs like “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and the title track, helping reggae explode onto the global stage. Jimmy Cliff passed away on November 24, 2025, at age 81, leaving behind one of reggae’s most influential legacies. His catalogue stretches from ska and rocksteady roots to crossover hits decades later, including “Reggae Night” and his 1993 revival of “I Can See Clearly Now.” For a one-hour tribute mix, you’ve got a whole arc to work with, early Kingston youth, global breakthrough, soundtrack legend, and the unmistakable voice that helped carry reggae to the world. PLAYLIST Jimmy Cliff – Hurricane Hattie Jimmy Cliff – King of Kings Jimmy Cliff – I’ve Been Dead 400 Years Jimmy Cliff – Struggling Man Jimmy Cliff – You Can Get It If You Really Want Jimmy Cliff – Fundamental Reggay Jimmy Cliff – Wonderful World, Beautiful People – Single Version Jimmy Cliff – Let Your Yeah Be Yeah Jimmy Cliff – My Ancestors Jimmy Cliff – I’m No Immigrant Jimmy Cliff – Oh Jamaica Jimmy Cliff – Sufferin’ in the Land Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come Jimmy Cliff – Stand Up and Fight Back Jimmy Cliff – Treat the Youths Right Jimmy Cliff – Sooner or Later Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come Jimmy Cliff – Bongo Man

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• Classic Jazz Excursion: The Roots of Ska

  The link between jazz and what we now call reggae goes back 70+ years to the time of Count Basie and Duke Ellington’s big bands in the 1940s and ’50s, which were very popular in Jamaica. These records arrived through sailors, migrants, and sound-system operators like Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid, who travelled to the U.S. specifically to buy jazz and R&B 78s. The island absorbed these sounds and fused them with mento (Jamaica’s folk music), African rhythmic traditions, New Orleans R&B (Fats Domino, Rosco Gordon), and bits of Country and Gospel. Out of this blend came the foundation of what would eventually become ska. Early ska bands felt like compact jazz big bands- horn sections front and centre, trading solos, swinging lines, and arrangements shaped by jazz harmony. The Skatalites were made up of jazz-trained musicians from the Alpha School of Music, including Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, and Jackie Mittoo. Players like Ernest Ranglin and Monty Alexander brought traditional jazz phrasing into their playing. If you listen to early ska, you hear bebop-style solos, ii–V–I chord movements, blue notes, horn riffs modelled after Ellington and Basie, and rhythm sections that mix jazz walking lines with a distinct upbeat “skank.” The shift from jazz to ska was a natural evolution. Sound systems were growing in popularity, and access to new releases from the USA was limited to those who could travel there and purchase them, as mentioned with Dodd & Reid. Jazz and Jump Blues were beginning to disappear, and Sound System operators needed fresh music to keep people coming back, so they started looking to existing talent on the island. The early days of Ska were recorded by musicians who took those elements and reshaped them into something uniquely Jamaican, emphasising the offbeat, simplifying the walking bass into a pulsing groove, and blending African-derived rhythms with American jazz techniques. This mixture created the dance-driven sound of ska, which later slowed into rocksteady and evolved into what we now call reggae. For today’s mix, I explore a collection of jazz tracks I’ve always gravitated toward—those with a groove, that swing, and that carry some of the same energy that fed early Jamaican music. I focused on artists like Miles, Blakey, and Dizzy for this 90-minute session, and I hope you enjoy it. PLAYLIST Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder (Remastered 1999 / Rudy Van Gelder Edition) Herbie Hancock – Cantaloupe Island (Remastered 1999 / Rudy Van Gelder Edition) The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Take Five John Coltrane – A Love Supreme, Pt. I – Acknowledgement Miles Davis– So What (feat. John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley & Bill Evans) Miles Davis – Milestones (feat. John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Red Garland, Paul Chambers & Philly Joe Jones) Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Moanin’ Dizzy Gillespie – Salt Peanuts Charlie Parker – Ko Ko Stan Getz – Wee (Allen’s Alley) Art Blakey; Thelonious Monk – Rhythm-A-Ning Max Roach – Tune-Up Clifford Brown; Max Roach Quintet – Cherokee

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• Gussie Clarke: The Producer Behind Roots and Digital Classics

  There are so many artists and songs that pass through our ears, but rarely do we know who’s behind the music. The sounds we gravitate to, that we identify with, and that is part of what I try to do here on Bass Culture - pull back the curtain and find out who helped shape an album or entire generation - Gussie Clarke is one of those “wizards of oz” - a man who helped shape hit after hit, that still spin on turntables and sound systems today. His career has spanned decades, but for this mix, I’ve focused on his earlier productions from the 70s and early 80s, before the digital age of reggae took over. Brief Overview of Gussie and his life Augustus “Gussie” Clarke is one of reggae’s true architects, someone who moved effortlessly from roots and early deejay culture into the digital era without ever losing clarity, musicality, or purpose. His story begins in a tiny dub-cutting room at 81½ Church Street, where he cut exclusive specials using a Treasure Isle lathe and quickly realized he could shape entire records if he controlled the rhythm, the vocal, and the final mix. Early productions like U-Roy & Errol Dunkley – The Higher The Mountain and album-defining moments such as Big Youth – Screaming Target and Gussie Presenting I-Roy showed how he could turn raw sound system energy into cohesive, groundbreaking albums. Through the 1970s, he built a warm, balanced catalogue with artists like Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Leroy Smart, Hortense Ellis and Roman Stewart, deep lovers cuts, roots anthems and rhythm tracks that felt soulful and timeless. Clarke wasn’t just making music; he was building infrastructure through publishing, label management and distribution, which gave him complete creative control and the freedom to reinvest in better equipment and bigger ideas. By the early 80s, he was pushing roots harmony groups like The Mighty Diamonds into modern territory, updating arrangements with drum machines and synth bass while keeping the music's heart intact. PLAYLIST U-Roy; Big Youth – The Higher The Mountain Leroy Smart; Gussie Clarke – Mixed Up Gussie Clarke – Funny Feeling Augustus Pablo – Classical Illusion (12” Version) Jacob Miller – Girl Don’t Come I-Roy; Gussie Clarke – Coxone Affair (2025 Remaster) Gussie Clarke – One Way Tommy McCook – The Right Track Delroy Wilson – How Can I Love Someone Big Youth – Screaming Target Dennis Brown – Funny Feeling Trinity – Love The Daughter Roman Stewart – Try Me Mikey Dread – Proud to Be Black Mighty Diamonds – Pass the Kouchie Gregory Isaacs – My Time

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• Dirty Funky Nasty Bad

  Let’s start with the title of this mix, “Dirty Funky Nasty Bad” - a long-time friend of mine with a great sense of humour would keep all of us howling with laughing, doing bits and saying random shit dropped this line in one of those moments and it’s stuck with me for decades (thanks Kento). I love raw-sounding music; not overproduced or mixed, just pure edgy sonic bliss, which is what I based this playlist around- in yer face funk. dirty (raw) funky (poppin' groove that doesn’t let up) nasty (pushing the levels a little hard to induce sweet saturation) bad (this jam is one bad mofo). PLAYLIST Soul Toronados – Hot Pants Breakdown Eddie Bo; The Soul Finders – The Hook & Sling - Vocal Mix Soul Vibrations – The Dump Larry Ellis; Blackhammer – Funky Thing - Pt. 1 Billy Garner – Brand New Girl Marva Whitney – In The Middle Leroy & The Drivers – The Sad Chicken Charles Bradley; Menahan Street Band – Stay Away Duracha – Ghet-to Funk Wess & The Airedales – Blackout Lefties Soul Connection – Doin’ the Thing Little Royal – Razor Blade Whitefield Brothers – Rampage Lefties Soul Connection – Organ Donor The Fun Company – Zambezi, Pt. I & II Roy Porter Sound Machine – Party Time The Stovall Sisters – Hang on in There Bernard “Pretty” Purdie – Soul Drums Reuben Wilson – Inner City Blues

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• The Boogaloo Sounds of NYC’s 60s & 70s Latin Clubs

  Being a drummer and bass player, I gravitate towards the foundation of a song - the groove, percussion, and how instruments weave in and out of “the pocket”, be it the short offbeat guitar skanks heard in reggae or the syncopated piano stabs heard in Latin music. That’s what drew me to reggae - the lock-step agreement of groove between the bassist and drummer that allows the rest of the band, organ, vocals, guitars, etc, to either support the core riddim or thread around it, adding depth and melody. The same goes for funk, afrofunk, and other similar genres. They all have related musical elements - tight syncopated grooves, a throng of glorious percussion, and horn combos that add electric energy that elevates and excites you. There was a period in the 60s & 70s that set New York on fire, emanating from Spanish Harlem, The Bronx, and Lower East Side, and labels like Fania Records - boogaloo (bugalú). We’ve all heard the style and artists at some point, but what is boogaloo? I had to look it up myself, and here’s the definition. “Boogaloo was created by young Puerto Rican and African American musicians in New York City who mixed the music they heard on the radio, like soul and R&B, with Latin styles like mambo and son”. This is part one, so I invite you to use the comment section to share some of your favourites for part two in the future. PLAYLIST Eddie Palmieri – Vámonos Pa’l Monte Noro Morales – Vitamina Cal Tjader; Eddie Palmieri – Bamboléate New Swing Sextet – Mira Mama Mongo Santamaria; La Lupe – Montuneando – Remastered Johnny Colon – Mayenlle Boogaloo Assassins – Mi Jeva Ray Barretto – Mi Ritmo Te Llama Pete Rodriguez – I Like It Like That Joe Cuba Sextet – Que Son Uno Louie Ramirez – Cooking With Ali Joey Pastrana and His Orchestra – Orquesta Pastrana Orquesta La Moderna of New York – Picadillo Tito Puente – Salsa y Sabor

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