Label
Riddim
Format
Date

 Irie Ites
Down In Jamaica
7" Single
October 1, 2007

Artist & tune

  • Suga Roy & Conrad Crystal - Good Sensi / Keefaz & Baby G - On Y Croit Encore
  • Chezidek - Bad Out Deh / Mafia & Fluxy and Dean Fraser - Down In Jamaica Version
  • Lutan Fyah - Bad Traffic / Mafia & Fluxy and Dean Fraser - Down In Jamaica Version
  • Perfect - Light This Joint / Mafia & Fluxy and Dean Fraser - Down In Jamaica Version
  • Cornell Campbell - Lickie Lickie / Ras McBean - We Never Tell Them
  • Glen Washington - I Couldn't Do That / Mafia & Fluxy and Dean Fraser - Down In Jamaica Version
  • Tanya Stephens - I'm Not Proud / Mafia & Fluxy and Dean Fraser - Down In Jamaica Version
  • George Nooks- Break Of Day / Mafia & Fluxy and Dean Fraser - Down In Jamaica Version
Overall rating : (1 to 5 stars)   
The in Le Mans, France based Irie Ites label brought us the 'Zion Riddim' last year as well as the 'Borderline Riddim' and most recently a relick of Burning Spear's ,'Rocking Time Riddim', once more a riddim built by Mafia & Fluxy, as is their latest series of 7"s, now being a joint release of four 45s on Irie Ites and four 45s just a bit later on Mafia & Fluxy's own label. As a tribute to Joseph Hill, the lead singer of Culture who passed away on August 19, 2006, Mafia & Fluxy together with saxophonist Dean Fraser relicked the 'Down In Jamaica'-riddim, released as a Culture single on Sonia Pottinger's High Note label in 1979 (to accompany the release of Culture's 1979 "Cumbolo" album) and also used for the Joe Gibbs and Errol T produced combination "Send Some Rain" with Clint Eastwood that was released in 1978.

To cut a long review short, this is a fabulous relick by Mafia & Fluxy (alongside Dean Fraser) with great tunes recorded over it and well mixed by Calvin 'So So' Francis. The honor of adapting the Culture original has been given to Sugar Roy & Conrad Crystal who transform "Down In Jamaica" into the superb "Good Sensi" with Keefaz & (the French - actually originating from Martinique - singjay, not King Jammy's son) Baby G's very nice "On Y Croit Encore" (in French) on the flipside, followed by Chezidek's excellent "Bad Out Deh" and Lutan Fyah's equally strong "Bad Traffic". Perfect's fine ganja tune "Light This Joint" is the fifth and final tune of the releases on Irie Ites own label.

Mafia & Fluxy release the singers tunes on their label, with the exception of (by me always considered as 'Irie Ites own') Guyanese singjay Ras McBean's strong (more sung than singjayed) "We Never Tell Them" on the flipside of Studio One & Treasure Isle (and many more studios) veteran Cornell Campbell's magnificent "Lickie Lickie", before the next tune stemming from another Studio One graduate as Glen Washington sings the poignant "I Couldn't Do That". The only one representing the ladies on this riddim is Tanya Stephens who absolutely shines on "I'm Not Proud" before George Nooks delivers the great fifth and last of the tunes on the Mafia & Fluxy label, his "Break Of Day" is another standout over this brilliant relick that is a more than appropriate tribute to the late and great Joseph 'Culture' Hill that should be bought by all soundsystem selectors and 7" buyers.