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Various Artists - Now Thing 2

Chrome

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........ Now Thing 2 is here!

Now Thing 2 is the follow up to the first comp of same name, which came out on legendary label Mo'Wax around 2001 - two decades ago! -
Now Thing's first edition has become a kind of holy grail testament to the inventiveness of Jamaican dancehall, presenting some of the maddest instrumentals from the riddims that were doing it around that time.

Fast forward 20 years, and dancehall head Felix Hall, who recently kicked off his Chrome imprint, has been chasing up this honourable idea of a fresh compilation of dancehall instrumentals from JA for over two years now, and now with original graphic designer dons (also responsible for the mad art on Now thing vol 1) Will Bankhead & Oliver Payne on board, as well as Lil Toby and Richard Browne on extra-expertise with the compiling of cuts, and featuring truly level-setting instros from between 1997 - 2020. Equally timeless & also 'of a time' vibes throughout, with references to the 2000's Rnb era, 90's rave music and other genres of the soundsystem continuum, this thing is now ready to spin and can be enjoyed at adequate volume, ideally within earshot of all your neighbours and passers by.

Featuring a mix of veteran producers (some of which also appeared on Round one) and fresh JA exports that continue to set the world alight with soundsystem music from this special Island, this compilation shows once more what kind of levels we're working with here - continuing in the trend that has been set by the foundation artists around half a century now, from rocksteady & roots in the 60s and 70's, through to the dancehall explosion in the 80's, and all it's mutations and variations over the following decades that have kept the dancehall sound fresh and exciting. This compilation showcases the morphing lineage of that JA dancehall sound in fine style - wether it's by way of re-fixed cuts from the original comp by Richard Browne, appearances from Massive B bossman Bobby Konders, alongside dons Sly & Lenky, Ward21 in combo and Kunley going solo, Steely & Clevie, Donovan Germain, Dave Kelly, Teetimus & Sheldon Stewart, Arif Cooper, Lion Face, Madd Spider (Hot Water!).... Oooph, the list is 16 tracks long, and each one is - without doubt - pure blue-flamed, ultra-hot, fire.

I remember finding the original Now Thing comp in a 2nd hand record shop in Hamburg around 2004 or so... At the time I didn't think that much of it, I really liked some of the tracks on there and haggled a good price on it, so I bought it.
As the years went on, this disc truly became one of my absolute favourites in the collection. I kept coming back to this record, digging the weirder ones as well as the bangers more and more. In the end that record never left my record bag* for many many many years - and now it can be joined by Now Thing 2.

*Ok, I lie, it did leave my record bag once a couple years ago as it accidentally ended up in a mates bag at a friends house in Manchester at 8am, please excuse my sins.

Anyway - point here is: we're dealing with the purest of contemporary JA vibes here. Another artefact to prove how the dancehall virus is the strongest of them all, and how the cross-contamination with other genres and music-worlds is encouraged same way.

....This is a proper artefact. Cherish it!
aka: Instant cop business, if you know what's good 4 ya.

Mastered by Rashad Becker.
Comes housed in metallic printed board.
Compiled by Felix Hall, Lil Toby and Richard Browne.
Art and design by Will Bankhead & Oliver Payne,
liner notes by Lloyd Bradley.

TRACKLIST:
1. Gadaffi - Saddam Rhythm 03:39
2. Arif Cooper - Good Vybe 03:44
3. Richard Browne - Grass Cyaat Refix 03:01
4. Lion Face - Unleaded 03:06
5. WARD 21 - Volume 03:24
6. Lenky & Andrew Thomas - Bad Mongrell 03:06
7. Steely & Clevie - Bitter Blood 03:12
8. Andre Gray - Muddy 03:16
9. BOBBY KONDERS - Lickshot Rewind 03:11
10. Dave Kelly - Heart Attack 03:42
11. Madd Spider - Hot Water 02:44
12. Kunley McCarthy - Cosa Nostra 03:37
13. Byron Murray - Free Up 03:08
14. Crown Star Productions - Fire Cracker 03:40
15. Teetimus & Sheldon Stewart - Sugar And Water 03:28
16. Donovan Germain - Are You That Somebody 03:27



Gadaffi - Saddam Rhythm



Arif Cooper - Good Vybe



Madd Spider - Hot Water



Donovan Germain - Are You That Somebody