By this time of year the reggae blogosphere is compiling top ten lists or googling cover versions of Christmas songs and Auld Lang Syne. But Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred of I Grade Records in St Croix, US Virgin Islands – and one third of production trio Zion I Kings – has his eye on the year ahead. 2014 albums are in the works from St Croix’ Midnite, St Thomas’ Pressure Buss Pipe and St Catherine, Jamaica’sLutan Fyah. These three unite on this powerfully flavoured taster EP – ostensibly to shout the Midnite release Beauty For Ashes, due in January.
Though their output has slowed of late, on average Midnite’s various branches issue around 3-5 projects annually. All will attract their faithful – the people that take pride in “getting” the dread slow pace, the “less is more” approach to production from Ron Benjamin, and the “more is less” condensing of multiple topics into one tune by autodidact singer-chanter-poet Vaughn Benjamin. But their standout of recent years was 2011’s Kings Bell produced by Andrew Bassie Campbell (with help from Tippy) whose uptempo hook laden rhythms brought Midnite to a wider audience. And while Midnite have worked with I Grade since 2002 this looks to be another attention grabbing project – mainly due to the aforementioned three artists recording and vibing together.
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