RRR032 – Ghetto Priest x D.Foe – Snapshot of Reality EP

Ramrock Red Records are proud to present the brilliantly dystopian Ghetto Priest x D.Foe collaborative EP, ‘Snapshot of Reality’. The original incarnation of ‘Snapshot of Reality’ was released with David Harrow on his Workhouse label in 2021 and has been re-visioned by Ghetto Priest x D.Foe in 2022.The cover artwork, beautifully executed by fellow Ramrock artist Greg Blackman, visually describes what lies within for the unprepared listener - visions of darkness and foreboding delivered with gravitas by Ghetto Priest and sonically supported by the enigmatic duo, D.Foe. If musical comparisons were to be made, there are shadows of Tricky, Massive Attack and On-Sound. The resulting EP is a warning to us all.

Twelve Caesars - Scenes from Wild Eyed Dreams LP

Artist: Twelve CaesarsTitle: Scenes from Wild Eyed DreamsRelease date: April 14th, 2023Label: Ramrock Red RecordsCatalogue No: RRRLP009Following on from their outstanding 2022 EP release, ‘Swan Fendered Mercury’, Twelve Caesars aka Andrew Pipe and Stephen Ennever unveil their debut Ramrock Red LP release, ‘Scenes from Wild Eyed Dreams’. The inspiration for the LP’s title, 'Scenes From Wild Eyed Dreams', is a lyric taken from a song on the album called 'Eleven Ways From Hell' - legend has it that there are 11 hidden portals on Earth through which one can enter the Underworld. The topics covered by the LP’s tracks take you on a bit of trek, moving from the US Civil Rights Movement through to Tiananmen Square and the Fall of the Berlin Wall via the war in Vietnam.The forthcoming single release, ‘California Sleaze’ drops on March 31st with remixes from the infamous No’West production team. Did someone say ‘Laurel Canyon’?

Twelve Caesars – California Sleaze – Lyric video

Twelve Caesars - California Sleaze - Lyric VideoArtist: Twelve CaesarsTitle: California Sleaze EPRelease date: March 31st, 2023Label: Ramrock Red RecordsCatalogue No: RRR038Following on from their outstanding 2022 Ramrock Red EP release, ‘Swan Fendered Mercury’, Twelve Caesars aka Andrew Pipe and Stephen Ennever take you on a West Coast road trip with their wonderfully evocative ‘California Sleaze’. An homage to Robert F Kennedy, ‘California Sleaze’ takes its inspiration from Mahalia Jackson’s ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ & Blind Willie Johnson ‘Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed’ and delivered with a Crosby, Stills and Nash-esque fusion of folk, rock, psychedelic and country music. Did someone say ‘Laurel Canyon’?The North Street West crew will be remixing the track for a May/June release. Until then, play loud and love the one you’re with. Peace.

Twelve Caesars - California Sleaze

Artist: Twelve CaesarsTitle: California Sleaze EPRelease date: March 31st, 2023Label: Ramrock Red RecordsCatalogue No: RRR038Following on from their outstanding 2022 Ramrock Red EP release, ‘Swan Fendered Mercury’, Twelve Caesars aka Andrew Pipe and Stephen Ennever take you on a West Coast road trip with their wonderfully evocative ‘California Sleaze’. An homage to Robert F Kennedy, ‘California Sleaze’ takes its inspiration from Mahalia Jackson’s ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ & Blind Willie Johnson ‘Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed’ and delivered with a Crosby, Stills and Nash-esque fusion of folk, rock, psychedelic and country music. Did someone say ‘Laurel Canyon’?The North Street West crew will be remixing the track for a May/June release. Until then, play loud and love the one you’re with. Peace.

RRRLP004 - Till Sunday - Steven Christie ft. Joseph Malik

The incredible 'Till Sunday' recordings are a result of Steven Christie and Joseph Malik writing music together with no pre-planned agenda. The first day of recording lead to the demo track 'Till Sunday', and with Joseph's stunning lyrics and melody, the pair quickly arranged another session which produced the final set of songs - ‘Tired On My Own', 'Justify Me', ' Everybody Seems To Want Something From You' and 'Girl Everything'. The songs also showcase the outstanding vocal skills of Nicole Cassandra Smit and the multi-talented Christina Robertson who also designed the beautiful album sleeve. Instrumentally, the guitar playing of Chris Hall and Jay Robertson (a.k.a 'Aqua Bassino') along with trombonist/arranger, Chris Greive, Alistair Mckenzie on Cello and drummer, Daniel Walls (a.k.a ‘Digital Liquid’) led to the completion of the ‘Till Sunday’ LP recordings. Both Christie and Malik felt the songs had captured a pure, emotional honesty and they presented the whole project to Jo Wallace at Ramrock Records who was deeply moved by the remarkable combination of music and vocals and signed it without any hesitation.Friends for nearly 30 years, Steven and Joseph first worked together in the 90's Hip-Hop outfit ‘Blacka'nized’, also collaborating at that time on the 'East Coast Project' compilation and later on Malik's broad ranging 'Diverse' trilogy of albums. Over the years, they’ve been busy on different projects – Steven has been touring and recording extensively with Scottish super group, The Proclaimers whilst Joseph expanded his song writing/production skills, resulting in a huge catalogue of tracks plus collaborations with international artists including Marc Mac (4Hero), Niki King and Black Science Orchestra. As well as this, Joseph signed his ‘Diverse Pt.2’ and ‘Diverse Pt.3’ LPs with Ramrock Records as well as a plethora of EPs including the ‘Stranger Things Have Happened’ soundtrack with Scottish hivemind, ‘Out of the Ordinary’.

RR008 Ghetto Priest - Sway EP

Following on from his huge radio world domination with all versions of ‘Hercules’, Ghetto Priest lends his considerable talents to Rat Pack Don, Dean Martin’s 'Sway', creating a selection of mixes and remixes to suit every discerning palate. There's the LP cut, taken from his 'Big People Music' album, already championed by David Rodigan on his BBC 1Xtra show.Then the North Street West crew take a slightly dark turn and inject an element of Reggae Exotica reminiscent of those fabulous Tiki lounges of the early 60's. The gently coaxing marimbas and castanets will transport you to warmer climes somewhere in a vintage travel brochure whilst Dr Rey goes West of the Sussex Coastline with his melodica dub.Throw the talc on the dance floor and get ready to sway.

RRR009 – Liotia – Blackout EP

Ramrock Red Records are delighted to announce a new signing & release to the label - the brilliant electroacoustic duo of singer/songwriter Abigail Hubbard and producer/engineer Matt Smyth, collectively known as Liotia (pronounced Ly – Oh – Sha). Between them, they create a truly enchanting ensemble of original sounds, samples, licks and melodies which fuse electronica, trip hop and jazz influences. Liotia combine Abigail’s haunting vocals and with Matt’s digital soundscapes and drum machine to deliver their original version on the stunning “Blackout” EP. There are also remixes from Ashley Beedle & Darren Morris - the “Africanz On Marz” Vocal Remix and Melodica Dub (melodica courtesy of Dr Rey). Darren was the studio keyboard player for Massive Attack and the elegance of production shines through.Abigail and Matt began working together while she was at a local music charity where he managed the studio facility. Matt, who also works alongside producer Adrian Sherwood at On U Sound and is Living Colour’s UK/Europe tour engineer, produced Abigail’s debut EP ‘People Watching’ which gained support from Tom Robinson at Radio 6 and was licensed to producer Robert Miles’ Open Lab compilation. This working partnership progressed into the Liotia project with a tighter, polished more cinematic style including a range of acoustic and electronic instruments. The band have been likened to Portishead meets Little Dragon. Other releases from the duo include their debut EP So Close / Yours Tonight in July 2019.

RRLP001 - Ghetto Priest - Every Man For Every Man - LP

Ramrock Records are proud to present ‘Every Man for Every Man’ LP from musical visionary, Ghetto Priest.Already known to many as the frontman of Asian Dub Foundation and vocalist on their globally acclaimed single ‘Fortress Europe’, Ghetto Priest has been captivating audiences with his powerful vocals and magnetic stage presence over the past three decades.With a raw energy and spirit un-matched by many artists of his generation, he constantly pushes at the boundaries of roots music; his style strongly maintaining the essence of his Jamaican heritage. Produced by On-U Sound supremo Adrian Sherwood, ‘Every Man For Every Man’, is released 14th August.His latest sermon is a blend of righteous incitements and damning indictments that reflect the paranoia of daily life. Title track ‘Every Man For Every Man’ asks us to reach out to our fellow neighbour while he delivers a sobering message towards the environment and defending if from the evils of a money-motivated government on ‘Sacred Ground’.On the mystical ‘Good Lord’, Ghetto Priest seeks spiritual guidance and his raw primal energies and forces come to light in a passionate re-working of the Robert Burns poem, ‘I Murder Hate’, before the trials and triumphs of black women are voiced in the Judy Mowatt song, ‘Black Woman’. On the little-known Peter Tosh song, ‘Babylon Queendom’, he passionately announces Babylon’s fall, demanding back the riches she’s plundered.A long-time member of the On-U Sound family, Ghetto Priest was a former rudeboy and Arsenal football hooligan who was incarcerated briefly after stepping on to the wrong side of the tracks. Turning to Rastafarianism, he began writing lyrics, and he honed his vocal skills and artistic persona around the sound system culture of the early 80s, before becoming part of Sherwood's African Head Charge collective and started MC-ing on the producer's live/DJ sets.As one of the more flamboyant and creative performers to emerge from the scene, he was invited by Asian Dub Foundation to take on the vocals for the opening track of their ‘Enemy of the Enemy’ album released in 2003 along with lead vocals on the follow-up album, ‘Tank’. His On-U Sound debut came a year later, the critically acclaimed album ‘Vulture Culture’, produced by Adrian Sherwood.He went on to record under his own name for a number of other labels including Reggae On Top and Conscious Sounds. More or lesser known artists to have flavoured his guest vocals include The Underwolves, Sinead O'Connor, Groove Armada, James Hardway (aka David Harrow) and Little Axe.In 2011, Ghetto Priest joined forces with Lucid Mover in a project called Screaming Soul. This resulted in the album 'Ghost Inna Shell' and in 2012, an Adrian Sherwood and Nick Coplowe (aka Mutant Hi-Fi)-remixed companion, 'Ghost Inna Dub'.In 2016, he released the single ‘Life Ain’t Easy’ based on Dennis Brown's 'Easy, Take It Easy', via Ramrock Records, and has two more projects in the Ramrock pipeline set for future release.

RR006 - Ghetto Priest - Hercules EP

The A side of this wonderful slab of hot vinyl was recorded at ‘The House of IMIZWA’ studios, by reggae artist and Asian Dub Foundation frontman Ghetto Priest with Carlton Ogilvie on keyboards, Ital Horns on brass duties, Greg Blackman on backing vocals and Crucial Tony on guitar . Ghetto unleashes his fresh reggae take of the mighty Aaron Neville’s iconic 1973 rare groove classic ‘Hercules’. Beautifully executed with deft vocals over a rock solid riddim, the original version taken from Ghetto’s forthcoming ‘Big People Music’ LP, will be heard blasting out of low rider windows rolled down in the summer heat and radios across the globe in 2021 and beyond.Meanwhile on the B side, Ashley Beedle and Darren Morris take the North Street West ‘HOLYVOODOU’ remix on a musical detour through hidden Louisiana backwaters to visit a ‘vaudou’ priestess to collect some gris gris and onward to New Orleans to meet Doctor John at the Mardi Gras. Leaning heavily towards the Meters school of phrasing, the North Street West version is infused with layers of eloquent keyboards, righteous handclapping, chicken bones and a generous helping of Bayou Funk, making a connection to the Aaron Neville original.

RRLP002 - Ghetto Priest - Big People Music

Ramrock Records are hugely excited to announce the forthcoming release of Ghetto Priest’s ‘Big People Music’ LP, the long awaited follow up to his 2017 album, ‘Every Man For Every Man’. The idea for this LP was originally floated in 2018 and was intended to be a 6 track EP called ‘Songs for my father’. However, once Ghetto Priest got in the studio, the idea expanded as he went the extra mile adding his personal favourites, conjured up from childhood memories of his father’s tunes being played on the family radiogram with additions from his youthful excursions. A magical mixture of tracks associated with the greats – Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Slim Smith, Ken Boothe, Aaron Neville – ‘Big People Music’ can lay claim to being the 21st century’s equivalent of John Holt’s ‘1,000 Volts of Holt’ – an absolute essential on every Blaupunkt radiogram on a Sunday and a blues party staple.The combination of standards and righteous releases were mixed down by the Bishop of Dub, Adrian Sherwood who blessed the project with the title ‘Big People Music’, a powerful acknowledgement to those tunes which filled many a Caribbean household with immeasurable sentiments that echoed down through subsequent generations.Please be upstanding for Ghetto Priest and ‘Big People Music’.'In memory of the Right Honourable Arthur Beresford Townsend - My Father'

RR009 - Ghetto Priest - I don't want to see you cry

Ghetto Priest returns to Ramrock Records for his final single release from his massively acclaimed ‘Big People Music’ with his cover of Ken Boothe’s ‘I don’t want to see you cry’, originally released in 1966 on Coxsone Dodd’s iconic Jamaican imprint, Studio One.The LP cut boasts a who’s who line up of reggae royalty - Ghetto Priest sounding copasetic, keyboards by Carlton ‘Bubblers’ Ogilvie, Crucial Tony on guitar, David Fulwood & Richard Doswell (Ital Horns) nail the horns and Ivan ‘Celloman’ Mussey supplies the strings + cello action and the Bishop of Dub, Adrian Sherwood is on mixing duties. Fellow Ramrock Records artist, Greg Blackman, completes the line up on backing vocals and Matt Smyth from Liotia on the engineering tip.On the North Street West remix, Ashley Beedle, Darren Morris and Jo Wallace retain the Ital Horns but take the vibe back to the golden Rocksteady years of mid-60’s with a sprinkling of 70’s Tuff Gong’ism, sweet harmonies and Darren channelling his inner Jackie Mittoo on Hammond. And lastly, as a very special bonus, the enigmatic Dr R.E.Y stepped into the studio with his melodica and laid down a beautifully haunting version for all you lovers of the Dub.

Joseph Malik - Performance at Boisdale Music Awards 2022

Scottish artist, Joseph Malik performs 'Take A Left' with the Jools Holland Band at the 2022 Boisdale Music Awards before receiving his 'One to Watch' award from Jools Holland. An unbelievable evening.

Suddenly WOW - Little Things

Ramrock Red Records are ecstatic to be able to deliver Suddenly WOW’s extraordinary pile of tiny musical pixels, ‘Little Things’. The duo has existed at the sonic crossroads where they have tailored prime coloured pop and free noise improvisation. The enchanting energy and unswerving devotion of Suddenly WOW members, Darren Morris & Otti Albietz is reflected in their knack for abstracting a groove, conjuring spine tingling eternal resonances and transformative musical energies. Clear hints of cosmic jazz and soft psych electronica, with distinctive musical phrasing, transport you, the listener, to a crystalline space age palace. Darren Morris will be familiar to many music lovers via his extensive two-decade musical output as a highly sought-after keyboard player, studio engineer and instrumentalist. His musical wizardry is always in big demand with artists like Horse Meat Disco, Ashley Beedle, Massive Attack and Joseph Malik, as well as being an integral member of the legendary Black Science Orchestra and the prodigious North Street West production crew. Otti Albietz has had a long and glittering career, having released 12 albums and multiple independent releases as well as working with labels such as Plural Baby and BBE Records. Otti of Suddenly WOW says: “The act of listening to new music is hard, but it’s necessary if we wish to discover songs that embody the uncrushable spirit, the sound of individuals who’ve been told all their life that they’re nothing, erupting with the news that they are everything. Songs that are full of the positive message of self-belief and resilience, pursuing childhood dreams and destiny. We must all listen to the new, the unfamiliar Suddenly WOW”. Darren of Suddenly WOW says: “Yeah, whatever”.