WAU/Mr Modo digital dub 12" records - 1989

• published: 27 Sep 2015
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A handful of 12" records released in 1989 on the WAU/Mr Modo record label. I knew Adam who was 'Mr Modo' although I did not know either Alex Paterson or Youth KJ in the 'What About Us' camp. These five 12" records (A and B sides) start and finish with beautiful uplifting tracks from Tena Stelin (actually 'Tenestelin' in the Amharic language of Ethiopia, meaning 'greetings') along with the help of Nick Raphael. The first track 'Jah Equity', and dub, and the very last track in the selection (the ninth and tenth track) 'King Of Kings', 'Give Thanks And Praise', and the accompanying dubs. Nick Raphael also had a hand in the haunting remake of 'Dream', and dubs, by Bim Sherman, a track originally recorded for Jah Woosh's imprint 'Original Music' around 1979. Both the Tena Stelin and Bim Sherman vocal and dubs are my personal favorites on these WAH/Mr Modo 12" records, and it is no coincidence that Nick Raphael had a hand in both these two releases. Nick Raphael was also known as Nick Manasseh, after the sound system of the same name. By the latter part of the 1980's, the Manasseh sound system had gained a reputation as one of the better systems promoting the newer digital UK roots alongside the older Jamaican roots from the 1970's and 1980's. Nick selected the records and dub plates alongside Billy T, and soon enough both would start to select similar records (that had made the sound system stronger than most) for the newly launched Kiss FM radio station. Manasseh had the late night Saturday night / early Sunday morning slot. A perfect time for folks like myself to get home to and relax onwards through to the morning... A couple of years prior to this regular Kiss FM slot, Nick alongside Scruff formed Sound Iration, producing digital rhythms to back up several well chosen vocalists. 'Sound Iration In Dub', which was also released on the WAU/Mr Modo record label, was one of the first albums to be released with the new Steppa UK digital roots sound. Another record label that released material by Sound Iration was Youth Sound records, based along Stroud Green Road near Finsbury Park, who if I remember rightly was run by someone called Peppi who also had a sound system. If my memory is not too out of line, Peppi used to set up in the Africa Centre in Covent Garden. Whether those were Peppi's nights might be open to debate, depending on my memory cells, either way the Africa Centre was one of the better nights out to listen to sound systems at the turn of the 1990's. I witnessed the Manasseh Sound System many times, in all kinds of venues, whether North London Dub Club nights at Tufnell Park, the Hoxton Bass Clef and out door sessions including Furnivall Gardens on the river near to Hammersmith. I was on nodding / light conversation terms with both Nick and Billy T, but I knew Rocksteady Eddie a little more. Rocksteady Eddie A.K.A Eddie Joseph, helped form Riz Records alongside Nick and Gil. In 1993 I punted the Riz record label to Southern Record Distribution just in time for the 'Manasseh Meets The Equalizer' album that was to be released. NOTE: S.R.D distributed the vinyl, the C.D was released on Acid Jazz records a year or so later and the C.D was not distributed by S.R.D. The Riz record label was one of the very first that I pushed hard to be distributed by the company that I was working for (and am still working for today). During the early 1990's I was involved in a sound system with Kevin - ex of Conflict, a sound system that was set up in squats and fields, similar to the Bedlam and the Spiral Tribe sound system set ups. In fact our sound system would share space with Bedlam on a few occasions and Spiral Tribe once or twice. Working at S.R.D gave me access to all the junglist and techno pre-releases, weeks prior to any shop action, so those pre's would go on the deck. Techno or junglist depending on the type of event. Whatever the sounds on the night, they would normally be mixed up with several Ecstasy tablets. I preferred to select and play records during the 'comedown' shift, delving into my hard case record box to grab reggae records, whether the newer digital UK roots 12"'s or the older Jamaican roots from the 1970's and 1980's. These newer digital UK roots 12" records released on WAU/Mr Modo were always in that box. MWS 011T Tena Stelin / Sound Iration Jah Equity Version MWS 012T Bim Sherman / Sound Iration Dream Dream (Version) Dream (Part III) MWS 013T Zulu Warriors / Naph Tali 2000 Style 2000 Dub Dub 2000 2000 Dub Inna Warrior Style MWS 014T Rudie Lee / Teamworks Never leave Version Never Leave Stepper / Teamworks No Love Version MWS 015T Tena Stilen King Of Kings Part 1 King Of Kings Part 2 Give Thanks & Praise Give Thanks & Praise (Version)