Johnny Clarke – Conqueror (2023) EP

Label: Taitu Records
Bandcamp release date: 08/04/2023
Digital release date: 08/11/2023

Taitu Records is back after a trip deep into the vaults to pull out this gem of an EP from the original Johnny Clarke featuring Russ Disciple. Some of the earliest tracks laid for the label, both cuts resonate with a message relevant to today.

When Amanda first decided to strike out on her own as a producer in 2009, she embarked on a whirlwind week-long voicing mission to Jamaica where she recorded Linval Thompson, Cologne, Prince Alla and Johnny Clarke. Fresh off an early success and hungry for more, she jumped at the chance to record Johnny Clarke soon after in California, where he was due on tour. Also on her list was linking the West Coast dub soundsystem scene bubbling in San Diego, so she caught a plane out to California on another music mission.

While succeeding in linking Johnny Clarke, a local studio was not immediately available, so Amanda linked up Brizion (DubStrand) and Ras Zahir (Blackheart Warriors / I-Roots), who saved the day with equipment to turn a hotel room into a voicing booth. The result is a pair of tracks comprising the Conqueror EP. The title track is an uptempo message to the youth in the rockers style, and the rumbling one drop, “Flat Foot Hustler”, demands attention to inequality in society.

Russ D shines on both cuts with two dubs of each track, and for those who love to fly foot, a special harderwise remix of “Conqueror” appears exclusively on the Bandcamp release.