Brand New Podcast : Mass Out!!

Welcome to the Podcast Called MASS OUT with Danny Coxson as "The Artist" and Scratch Famous as "Sir Grimey: The BAD MON Selector"as they present a tribute to Deadly Dragon and Danny Coxson's newest 7" release -- tune called MASS OUT -- a serious unreleased gem from the late 80s that now sees the light of day.


PlayList: Danny Coxson - Mass Out (Gem Star / Deadly Dragon Sound) * King Everald - Special (Taurus ) * Carl Meeks - Wah Dem Fah (Redman) * Tippa Lee & Rappa Robert - Nah Trouble Me (Redman) * Malibu - Girl Mi Love (Dennis Star) * Culture Irie - Ghetto Rock (Ital International) * Daddy Meeky & Little Meeky - Breakers Theme (Kennedy Intl) * Ironman - 00113 (Victory Records) * General Jah Mikey - Catch the 86 Style (Mozziyah) * Denton Heslop - No Problem (Track Star) * Zen Bow - Impressions (Gramps 12") * Hya Nya - Some Girls Wicked & Wild (Hya Nya) * Yoruba - Jollification (Stage 7) * Smokey Joe - Cowboy Show (Bun Gem) * Gilly Prease - Want Money (Kaya) * Tonto Irie - Cooker (Witty) * Tax Man - Termintator (Sir George) * Radicals - Rum Tree (Roots Radics Gang) * Jaaguu Peke Yanguu - Apartheid Lives (Jaaguuazjons) * Culture Willy - Pray Africans Pray * Linval thompson - Lump Sum (Thompson) *Steve Tulloch - Ghetto Life (Black Season) * Little John - Youth of Today (Jimpys) * Horace Martin - Me Rule (Modernize/DeadlyDragon) * Culture Roy - Nah Shock Nah Sting (Rocking Mood) * Cocoa Tea - Girls Go Home (Jammys) * Fancy Black - Gi Mi Some Music (Dennis Star / Deadly Dragon Sound) * Willie Paul - Coming From Ochie (Vibes) * Cata Rankin - Down Ina The Bible (30 Headly Ave) * Steve Knight - Woman a Problem (Thunder Bolt) * Junie Ranks - Nah Friend Me Mate (Ossie) * Bionic Steve - No Woman fi no Special Man (ET) * Barry Back - Gi Girls Money (Black Scorpio) * Cocoa Tea - Got to be Good (Harry J) * Al Campbell - Wish It Was Me (Barry U) * Devon Clarke - Nuclear Bangarang (Barry U) * High Plains Drifter - The Ruler (Barry U) * Fire Facts - Bridgie Bridgie (Fire Facts) * Devon Clarke - Revelation Time (Don One)

YOUTH MAN PROMOTIONS YARD & BLACK ROOTS STUDIO - AUGUST 2011!

When last in Jamaica we were lucky enough to spend a day at the late, great Sugar Minott's YOUTH MAN PROMOTIONS yard and his BLACK ROOTS STUDIO. Even though the "God Father" of dancehall has passed the Youth Man yard retains a serious vibe and vitality under the watchful eye of both Sugar's extended family and the great Errol Dunkley who is now managing the spot.

Wall Opposite Youthman Yard




Danny Coxson outside Youthman Promotions Gate

We were fortunate to come to the Youthman Yard as guests of the singer Danny Coxson who, as "The Artist," painted all the walls at Youth Man.

Clockwise from top L to R: Yami Bolo, I forget!, Tenor Saw, Garnett Silk





Triston Palmer





Josey Wales painted next to the bar -- his favorite spot!





Danny Coxson & Tiger Worries in front of Dennis Brown

Sugar Minott's favorite corner where he liked to smoke his chalice so Danny painted it with Selassie and Marcus Garvey

As mentioned the great Foundation artist Errol Dunkley is now managing the Yard and Black Roots studio and he likes to drink his rum with straight water -- no extra sugar! There are always artists about the place, either just feeling the vibes or working in the studio.

The great singer Patrick Andy who also is a major bike mechanic -- trust me I saw him rebuild a bike in like 10 minutes -- incredible to watch!

The dub innovator / engineer / mixer Barnabas!

Danny Coxson pointed out the above painting of FIRE FOX a.k.a. FIRE FACTS and I got crazy excited. "You mean Fire Fox who sang Hypocrite?" Danny said Yah Mon! He's right here. Soooo...what do you do when you get Fire Fox, Danny Coxson and Danny's spar Tiger Worries in one place...Well, if you're us, you get a few jingles!

Black Roots Studio where so much great music was recorded is still going strong under the guidance of Daniel Minott -- one of Sugar's sons. He gave us a quick tour of the well appointed studio (where we did some quality tape transfer work!) and then let us in the vaults...

Daniel Minott in the TAPE DEN!

And finally, after a long day with the sun setting, we took off. Nuff respect to Danny Coxson and Tiger Worries for bringing us through and big ups to all of the Youthman Promotions massive who made us feel right at home! We shall be back!

Fresh Repress : Deadly Dragon Sound / Gem Star Repress!

Danny Coxson - Mass Out (Gem Star/Deadly Dragon Sound) 7"
http://www.deadlydragonsound.com/v3_records_info.php?id=24754

From the Vaults Of Danny Coxson comes this giant piece of digital roots. Recorded in the late 80s, this one was never released so far as we know.

Brand New Podcast : Dem Nah Ruff Like We - Tribute To Danny Coxson!

This one going out to the true singer...The man called Danny Coxson a.k.a. Ever Red. Last November we linked with this legend and set out on a campaign to reissue some of his best chunes and issue some ones that never made it out of the Tape box! On March 21st we issued the first 3 of these limited edition 7"s (Hustling, Dem Nuh Ruff Like We and President Botha). This ya mix celebrates this release with a mix of ruff 80s tunes, a few new things and some Danny Coxson specials!

PLAYLIST: Danny Coxson - Dem Nuh Ruff Like We (Gem Star / Deadly Dragon Sound) / Mr. Magnificent - Jailhouse Running (Army Production) / Wayne Smith - Teach Me To Dance / Wayne Smith - E-20 / Danny Coxson - (Gem Star / Deadly Dragon Sound) / Horace Martin - Geow Now (Redman) / Red Dragon - Ease Off (Redman) / Come Follow Me / Sammy Gold - Greatest Sound (Crucial Ruler 10") / Mikey General - Bag of Respect (Jagan Int. 12") / Little Harada - Worries & Problems (Tachyon LP) / Jah Star - How You Get the Key For My House (Guiding Star 12") / Don Carlos - Everywhere I Go - (Youth Promotions 7") / Frankie Paul - Africa We Are Coming (Gold Disc 12") / Tonto Irie - Ram Up Every Corner (Jammys 12") / Jr. Reid - Chanting (Junior Reid & Don Carlos - Firehouse Clash LP on Live & Learn) / Donovan Fitzgerald - Rise Again (Living Room 7") / Donovan Fitzgerald - Teach The Youths (Globe 7") / Donovan Fitzgerald - Creation Love (Living Room 7") / Andrew Bees - Millitant remix ( Music Lion 7") / Danny Coxson - President Botha (Gem Star / Deadly Dragon Sound 7") / Danny Coxson - Chase Them Deadly Dragon Dub Plate / Junior Delgado - What a Heat (Leggo 12") / Tony Roach - Big Bout Ya (Rhythm Track / Digikiller 7") / Horace Martin - Dem Just a Push Me (Crucial Ruler 10") / Simple Simon - Jailhouse No Sweet (Sunset 7") / Echo Minott - Uncle Sam Country (10 Roosevelt ave 7") / Nitty Gritty - Butter Bread (Jammys 7') / Jr. Reid - Jah Love (JR 7") / Hitchcock - Link Up (Power Force 7") / Sluggy Ranks - The Coming of the Lord (Barry U 7") / Admiral Tibet - Deh Pon We Guard (Courage Intl 7") / Bezzy Hilton & Fire Red - I Love Denise (Black Gold 7")

Fresh Repress! : Deadly Dragon Sound // Gem Star Danny Coxson Reissue Volume 1!

25 years ago a young, Trench Town born Donovan McLeod a.k.a. Danny Coxson a.k.a Ever Red stepped into a London studio. In one tuff take he created some of the most revered, most whispered about tracks of the 1980s digital revolution. And then, like some mythic Keyser Soze, he was gone.

The records that were created that day were produced and written by Danny Coxson with a great assist by the phenomenal engineer Patrick Donegan. In London, two of these tracks were released in 1988 on the SUPER TONE label with Danny Coxson being credited as EVER RED. The other tracks were released on Danny Coxson’s own label GEM STAR when he had returned to New York in 1989. Only a few hundred copies of these tunes ever existed and soon Danny was back in Jamaica unable to help promote the records.

The tunes themselves were exquisite. Working together, Coxson and Donegan managed to unearth some of the darkest, digital riddims of the era – thunderous, rolling bass music inundated with analog synth stabs and drum patterns that seemed to pre-figure some early 90s drum & bass. The sound was the perfect amalgamation of the organic depth of classic, Jamaican dub and the futuristic edge of the U.K. digital programming revolution. On top of these amazing riddims came Danny Coxson’s vocals and his skills at crafting melody with a serious, rough and rugged sing-jay style that alternated between yearning and menace, between tone and staccato speed while remaining utterly catchy. And then…well then there were the lyrics themselves. Danny Coxson had serious lyrics. He weaved together dense metaphor, story-telling and vivid commentary to paint portraits of real ghetto sufferation and survival while taking on even larger, world-wide issues. Together, these three elements acted as a Holy Trinity lifting these tunes into the strata of the incredible.

No matter the greatness of the tunes, without anyone around to promote them they soon faded into total obscurity. As the decades passed and the internet revolution ushered into the information storm of Google searches, Ebay, reggae blogs & message boards, podcasts, You Tube and the like, those handful of tracks morphed into legend. While collectors and critics had long dismissed 80s reggae, a new generation had fallen in love with the sound and soon those original Danny Coxson and Ever Red twelve inch singles were fetching astronomical prices and being spoken about in hushed tones by the most serious record fiends out there.

All of which was news to Danny Coxson himself. After he returned to Jamaica in the early 90s, he cut a few more tunes (most notably for George Lemon’s Photographer label) but primarily felt disappointed in music and soon gave it up altogether. He gradually drifted into his other love, painting, with which he has supported himself and his family with over the last 25 years; all the while his boxes of wrapped and sealed master tapes were gathering dust under his bed.



Until…Danny Coxson Googled himself. Suddenly, and to his own amazement, he began reading about himself and how much his music had touched people around the world. He saw mixes from sound systems ranging from Iceland to Japan that included his tunes, he saw label scans, he read obsessive posts about his songs on various message boards and he saw expired auctions that were hitting $500 plus. After doing some research he called Deadly Dragon Sound, a vintage reggae specialist shop based in New York City. Deadly Dragon was so excited to hear from the man that they hopped on a plane to Kingston to meet him face to face. There they found Danny Coxson, full of energy, with his voice intact and his master tapes in perfect condition. They soon developed a partnership to reissue the original tracks that came out in the 80s and to press up, for the first time, a number of unreleased songs.



Danny Coxson and Tiger Cat Kingston, November 2010

The first tunes to be released from the Danny Coxson / Deadly Dragon Sound collaboration are:

Danny Cosxon - Dem Nuh Ruff Like We (Gem Star/Deadly Dragon Sound) 7"
http://deadlydragonsound.com/v3_records_info.php?id=23583

Danny Coxson - Hustling (Gem Star/Deadly Dragon Sound) 7"
http://deadlydragonsound.com/v3_records_info.php?id=23578

Danny Coxson - President Botha (Gem Star/Deadly Dragon Sound) 7"
http://deadlydragonsound.com/v3_records_info.php?id=23580





All tunes were mastered from the original tapes and pressed in New York City on high-quality virgin vinyl. The vinyl mastering was done by the legendary Paul Shields. The pressings were limited to 500 pieces.

Paul Shields mastering the tunes

With this series of reissues, the music of Danny Coxson is finally available to be heard by all lovers of reggae music. And hopefully, where once his tunes were whispered about by only the most hardcore of reggae collectors, his talents will now be recognized as an essential part of Jamaica’s storied musical history.