Know the Road
Lustre Kings Productions is proud to present Norris Man’s 5th full length studio album, Know the Road, modern roots and culture music at it’s best. This latest offering from a veteran sing jay is food for the soul.
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12/14/2008
Breaking Babylon Curse An astonishing new voice in reggae, Messenjah Selah has come together with Zion High Productions and Digital Ancient to compose a modern roots masterpiece. His delivery, word sound and melody throughout this album touch the heart while enriching the mind.
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10/19/2008
Take Charge Noble Society was born out of a desire to blend the sounds of dancehall with hip hop and world music – call it urban reggae. Taking note from the grime scene currently brewing in London, the Noble Society sound is "worldwide energy".
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9/29/2008
Joy Bells Ringing "Joy Bells", his third album, is an excellent collection of his recordings
with LK. It features combinations with top artists like Lutan Fyah,
Yami Bolo, Natty King, and Luciano.
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8/31/2008
African Charm/Future Flow Riddim Two Innovative Lustre Kings riddims are now available for the first time digitally for download. The “African Charm” riddim was originally released in 2002.
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11/01/2008
Infinite Dub
"Infinite DUB" is the dub/instrumental album spawning from the original release, "Infinite Quality", from the Midnite / Lustre Kings combination. It again features the power of Vaughn Benjamin’s searing lyrics, although this time dubbed in.
"She Told Me"(single) With an electro feel, Brooklyn's finest, Noble Society, bring you the dubstep-influenced smash single "She Told Me" feat. 77 Klash.
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02/12/2008
The Shining Riddim At long-last the Shining riddim comes to fruit. Featuring the usual array of talent from Jamaica and Virgin Islands, this darker riddims blazes hot with contributions on percussion from Bongo Herman.
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09/11/2007
Midnite + Lustre Kings:
Infinite Quality
Epic is the only way to describe this amazing album. Both lyrically and musically, it is unmatched in contemporary roots reggae. The soundscapes are lush and beautifully arranged - with a heavy deep roots sound, but balanced with horns, flutes, live strings and other unique instrumentation.
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CD
09/10/2007
Credential Riddim A remake of the classic "Dem Never Know Natty Have Him Credential" from Don Carlos (1982), this re-cut version of the riddim features reggae superstars like Sizzla, Luciano, Anthony B., and Jah Mason.
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07/10/2007
Live From the Frontline Noble Society, Lustre Kings and Project Groundation bring you a mixtape featuring some of reggae and hip-hops most prolific up and coming producers and vocalists.
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02/22/2007
Royal Muzik, vol. 1 A Japanese exclusive release, this album features
top-of-the-line tracks from the first five years of the Lustre Kings'
catalogue.
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02/13/2007
Red Razor Riddim Teaming up with Zion High Productions, LK brings you
another classic one drop riddim. The Red Razor is a driving force, and
this CD features all 23 booming tracks on the riddim.
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Sounds Like
02/04/2007
Rastafari Unity LK presents a special EP release, featuring a combination of talent from across the Caribbean.
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04/08/2006
New Day Linking the original Diego "Fuego" Campo track to his own
euphonic blend of reggae, hip-hop, and R&B, Lustre Kings' Digital
Ancient delivers big-time on NEW DAY.
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11/17/2005
Holding Firm V.I. Roots sensation Ras Attitude puts forth a classic
album with fresh energy and vintage melodies. Attitude's sincerity and
rich vocal performances quench the thirsty roots fanatic. Truly amazing
roots music produced by Zion High Productions.
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05/25/2005
Culture Dem 2 The second chapter in the "Culture Dem" Saga, this album
features six different riddims blessed by artists like Luciano, Anthony
B., Jah Mason, Turbulence, Natty King, Spragga Benz, Determine, Lutan
Fyah, Norrisman, and many more.
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CD
02/13/2005
Time and Place Lutan Fyah's new album, Time and Place, displays live roots
rhythms, dangerous dancehall beats, as well as banging hip-hop
influenced tracks. These musical styles mix seamlessly providing the
perfect backdrop to this chanter's timeless message.
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CD
09/26/2004
Calling all JAH Children A collection of Music from the Lustre Kings catalogue in a
mix tape format. over 60 tracks of concious music masterfully blended
by Child of Project Groundation Massive. This album is off the hook!!!
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Vinyl / CD
06/17/2003
The Future Out now on the Jet Star label, Turbulence is a contemporary reggae classic that speaks to all lovers of conscious music.
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CD
05/03/2003
Culture Dem An essential collection of conscious music, this is the
first album released from the Lustre Kings catalogue of music.
Featuring 5 different riddims with the royalty of today's Rastafarian
deejays, singers and chanters.
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CD
2002
One on One
This Album "One on One" is Digital Ancient's first solo effort. Not being specific to any genre, the album is a worldly blend of folk, hip-hop, soul, reggae and R&B. It displays strong song writing and is a fresh, smoky mixture of colors, sounds, languages and sentiments that reflect a universal appeal for love, resistance and consciousness.
Lustre Kings productions is a reggae record label based in Oakland, California, Brooklyn, NY, and Kingston, Jamaica. Lustre Kings has been releasing music in Jamaica, United States and Europe steadily since 1998. Started by Corrin Haskell and Andrew Bain, LK is dedicated to producing quality cultural music with a message. Having worked with every big name in the Rastafarian music scene today; Capleton, Sizzla, Luciano, Midnite, Anthony B.,Lutan Fyah , Yami Bolo, Jah Mason, Turbulence, Norrisman, Pressure, Determine, Natural Black, Natty King, and more have recorded on riddims like “African Charm” ('02), “Credential” ('02), “Fortune Teller” ('03), “Black Mystic” ('02), “Alarm Clock” ('04), "No Politics" ('04), "Talking Drum" ('05),"New Day" ('06), "Red Razor" ('07) and "The Shining" ('08), now all availble in digital format. Over the past ten years LK has sold approximately tens of thousands singles worldwide in the 7” vinyl format, through distributors like Jet Star (UK / USA), One Love Jamaica (JA/ Italy), VP Records (USA), Ernie B (USA), Penthouse (JA), Music Ambassador (USA), Dub Vendor (UK), and Soundquake (Germany), Cap Calcini (JA/EU). In addition to the 7” singles, we have a growing catalogue of cd releases. A full-length compilation album, “Culture Dem”, solo artist album, Turbulence “The Future”, which was signed to a licensing deal with Jet Star Phonographics, the flagship reggae label in the UK. The groundbreaking various artists’ compilation “Calling All Jah Children” that used a selection of our catalogue put into a legal mixtape format. The solo artist album Lutan Fyah, “Time and Place” and the second compilation Culture Dem 2, another various artist release that features the best reggae and dancehall has to offer. In 2006, "Royal Muzik: Best of LK" was liscensed to Diamond Edge Records for exclusive release in Japan and the Far East. 2007 was marked by the epic release of "Infinite Quality", a LK/Midnite collaboration featuring Vaughn Benjamin's lyrical powerful alongside Digital Ancient's masterful production. LK finished 2008 with a fury releasing several titles including: Al Pancho's "Joy Bells Ringing"; Noble Society's "Take Charge" which was voted Best Reggae Album of 2008" by Itunes; "Infinite Dub", the dub/instrumental accompaniment to the "Infinite Quality" release; and the classic release "Know the Road" from Norris Man.
All of our projects have received extensive press world-wide, appearing in several publications like “The Beat” (USA), Riddim Magazine (Germany), XNews (Jamaica), Murder Dog (USA), Rove Magazine (japan), Riddim (Japan), Rasta Snob (Italy), Melody Maker (UK), Natty Dread (France), Ireggae.com (internet), Jahworks.org (internet), and Amazon.com (internet), Bassment (Italy), United Reggae (France), Reggae-Vibes (Netherlands), CORE (USVI), and The Fader (USA).
With a host of up and coming releases slated for the next year, the Lustre Kings extensive catalogue is ready to be awaiting discovery by the world. Nearly all of the artists that Lustre Kings began working with from its inception have gone on to claim number one song titles in the Jamaican market, bridging those artists towards international success.
Article from Natty Dread Magazine 2006---
Lutan Fyah storms in. A hurricane with a bandana in his hair, and a true chatterbox, he greets everyone, obviously happy. Here, at King Corrin's crib, a small house close to Highway 580 in Oakland, in the turbulent suburbs of the new-bourgeois San Francisco, the singers feels a little bit home. What more normal? Corin and his partner Moon, the tenants of the Lustre Kings label, gave him last year Time And Place, his best album so far. Doing so, they contributed to turning Lutan from the "upcoming sing-jay" status to "big" one. It's here as well that he spent a few weeks in 2001, along Jah Mason and Norris Man, taking his time to record, creating a true confidence and building up a true friendship. It shows in the music, and marks a real difference with most non-jamaican labels. "My home away from home", hilarious Lutan sums up.
This is the LK way : diaspora-style, the label often accomodates its distant members. At this very moment, for a mini-tour, the "house-artist" Jah Dan, of new Yorkean musicians crew Noble Society fame, is crashing on a couch. Moon, the Lustre Kings riddim buider, also from Brooklyn and guitarist in the group which accompanies Lutan, is staying somewhere else in Oakland. It can be for instance at Rankin' Scroo's, a veteran jamaican singer popular in the "Midnight Rock years" who runs a studio here; or at Child's, another usual shelterer, a XXXL-dressed DJ with cigars blocked in his cap, pure East Coast speech, who got known for his Project Groundation mix Cds... Depending.
That family is tight, welded almost, and got fed with multiple influences - Moon also produces from hip-hop to folk, and occasionally drops solo albums on which he plays flute other instruments. This side also shows in the LK productions. Originality. This is what made the small label leave the strict circle of 7" collectors to reach a wider audience, thanks to the Culture Dem, compilations, illustrated by an exiled Cuban friend, Jah Terms.
Versatility, as well, is the key to the LK sound. From a series to the next, the range covered has gone from pure roots with "Credential", a version to Don Carlos' tune- to percussive dancehall with "African Charm"- via recent, sweet One drop style as heard on the recent "New day". Between the two extremes, always some intriguing, efficient, musical finds, perfectly produced. As exemples, the insolite environment of the "Talking Drum" or the dramatic effects on Turbulenceís "Bun Dem Again" can illustrate.
To add up to the musical skills, the two buddies do have a talent to spot the future talents in Jamaica (Turbulence, Lutan Fyah, Al Pancho...) before they become "big artists". This is how the Lustre Kings' credential grows... Why this name, by the way ? Corrin Haskell, a piercing glance and turban always matching his shirt, also a kids' teacher in a Oakland-city school, details the process: "Moon and me grew up together in Seattle, we've known each other since we were 12 years old. We were a whole group of kids and we started to call ourselves The Lustre Kings because there was this parking space downtown, on which we wanted to park, that read : ' Reserved to Lustre Kings'. That's it. This fantastic name found, what to make with it ? In the beginning, nothing. Adolescence occurs, the two pals just collect music.
The revelation came when Moon, who decided once to take off to Jamaica, "with a backpack and just the clothes I had on me", staying at people's places. Soul searching. And discovering Garnett Silk, Capleton in full redemption mode and the bubbling conscious dancehall scene building up after the 'punaany years'. Enthusiastic, he convinces childhood friend Corrin to go check it out on the spot. Not needing to be asked twice, Corrin leaves in 1995 in order to go teach at halfway Tree for 5 months. "I lived in Papine and I had a one hour walk down Hope Road to join my school", he recalls. "On the way, I stopped sometimes at the house of Bob Marley and passed around the occasionnal mix-tape, that's how I met Mr. T ". Mr. T, not a big singer, brings nevertheless the young teacher to Nannyville, "It was pure bobos in there, there were even Sizzla with his mini-locks, and also Jah Mason, Jah Marcus, Mabrakat. We'd burned the chalice, I recorded a few a cappellas because everyone was singing all the time. I also brought back actually a full Mr. T tune, recorded at Anchor studio, called "Jah All The While". It was to become our first official single. Returning to the USA, I linked up straight with Moon, who was already making a lot of beats : "Yo Moon, if you give me 5 riddims, I have all the artists we need ". Moon listened and agreed. He smiles today : "I had my MPC and I said myself: I can do better than that ". Not even bragging. The pair goes back to Jamaica a few months later, their five instrumentals under the arm, and voice three unknown artists: I-Call, Mr. T and King Shadroch. If the result is in their own words anecdotic, the label is at least launched. More importantly, both "rookies" learn certain strings from the trade while mixing in Dynamic. "We had to negociate with Sylvan Morris", Moon laughs. The engineer, when he saw the freshly-landed Americans, sort of tried to "adapt" his rates : "All of a sudden, from 500 dollars for the three tunes, he wanted 500 for each one". Mmh. Sylvan ends up doing the job for the initial price, the series drops anyway, with a limited success. "No big names", Corrin says; "Honestly, the tunes weren't that great ", Moon admits. Still, they stuck their foot in the door. It won't close ; the only missing now being amazing vocalists. Enters Al Pancho. "The true beginning", Moon states. It all starts in Seattle, when Norris Man and Anthony B stop during a 1999 tour. Backstage, Corrin passes around some LK flyers when Norris, a colourful charcater to say the least, gets all wired up : on the LK promo piece is a picture of his long-lost school buddy Mr. T ! Back to Jamaica a few months later, the Lustre Kings put both friends in contact again. Norris Man is so happy that he records the US labelís first anthem : "Culture Dem", which is to become the title of LKs hit-compilation series. In the studio on the same day, an unknown youth that never stops singing is roaming around. "He had a really different voice tone", Corrin remembers. His name is Al Pancho and he's going to become a staple in the LK classic singers' team. Plus he knows virtually every singer, from Luciano to Natty King.
More than this encouraging start, the Americans now need some big names. It all changed in the summer of 2001, right before September 11. "Those were powerful times", Corrin sums up. Living now in California, he goes to Seattle where Jah Mason and Lutan Fyah are staying at a friend's house. "That gave us time to discuss and really work". They record some major tunes in the history of the label, in a hip hop basement studio : among them is "No More War" by Lutan Fyah, on the "Fortune Teller" riddim popularized by Turbulence with "Burn Dem Again" or Yami Bolo with "War And Revolution", their biggest sale to date. Probably more fond of the Bay Area's weather than Seattle's too, both singers follow Corrin and set camp in his place for the entire summer.
This is when the Lustre King method to really link up officially starts. Based on a real relationship, not business-only driven. This is one of the reasons Lutan Fyah's album "Time and Place" sounds so perfect : no secret, eight weeks of tight bonds and works always pay. NorrisMan, also cruisin by, is invited as well; along one of Moon's friends : Jah Dan, a Guyanese-NY eclectic conscious rapper/singer who used to work with DJ Premier and was part of the Buckshot Lefonque project. He's also a member of the collective of musicians and producers called Noble Society, that count in its ranks Nick Fantastic, who created the "Hard Times" riddim.
Strenghtened by this kind of successful collaboration, the Lustre Kings fly again to Jamaica in December 2001. "Two or three most memorable sessions at Anchor studios", Corrin notes. This is when they get Sizzla, "He was more of an enigma, cool but mystical, more laid-back than that one time Nannyville," Moon remembers. "He got his tune in 15 minutes". They also record an album the then-relatively unknown Turbulence, they stay at his place, and Anthony B and Yami Bolo. Capleton, as well, one of the artists they love to see work the most. "He has his feet well on the ground", Moon explains. "It was exciting to go to the David House, everybody came down to the studio, four cars were packed up with people, they were shooting gunshots in the air! It was insane. Once inside, the ambiance was even crazier." Just before those sessions, they even took Al Pancho and Natty King to Cuba, "he sang No Guns To town over there before he recorded it when he came back"... Now everything is in place for LK. Their most successful series come from those times : "Fortune Teller", "Alarm Clock", or the tune "Woman Of Principle" (Lutan Fyah, still) which even gets some air play on the radio in Jamaica. A real recognition, if you bear in mind that they don't do the Payola thing. "Payola?" The term is American and comes from the 50s, when a series of scandals destroyed the careers of rock n' roll DJs Alan Freed and Dick Clark, because it got proved they accepted money to play tunes from such or such producer. In Jamaica, this form of payment is more than accepted : it's more of a general, accepted phenomenon.
Anyway. Selling little on the island due to non-Payolaship partly, the Lustre Kings owners distribute nevertheless from Jamaica their discs stamped with "Made In Jamaica" on the label, since they are recorded and pressed on the spot. The two only series which were not got actually saved by this printing on their label : "We managed to go through customs because with the label, we managed to let them believe we were bringing back unsold copies", they laugh. Besides the endless trips, this is the kind of mind gymnastics they have to play when living 5,000 km away from Kingston. They don't regret it, though. "Here in the US, it's our backyard," Corrin explains. "When artists come here, we can have a quality time to record, with no distraction like in Kingston, when every guy is like : "Yo King, listen to my tune, number one!"
The LK take their time. It's the simple recipe that they apply. In the future, that shouldn't change. Moon and Corrin would like from now on even less artists on each series, three or four of them, and maybe release 10' or 12', just to make sure proper promotion is made for each tune. And no, they wonít stop trying to find new talents. From the Boo Studio in Rhode Island, Moon works tightly with Vaughn Benjamin, the singer of the Virgin Islands based group Midnite, whom he's known since 1997. The LK instrumentalist is also very close to the Zion High and I Grade labels. In his corner, talented Jah Dan's huge talent is also ready to unleash some great songs. And there are still so many more to discover. This summer, the two LK accomplices will be in the field again. Their future sure sounds creative. Or just like the spot in that Seattle parking lot:"Reserved for Lustre Kings".
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HEARD YOU GUYS ARE BACKIN JAH DAN AT REGGAE RISING.....PLEASE PLAY HIS NEW SHIT FROM SHADETEK!!!! WE ARE RAIDERS.....FULL HUNDRED......BAZOOKA SHOTS....BUZZROCK WARRIOR.....NO WEAK SHIT PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You're cordially invited to an EXCLUSIVE BIG SHIP EVENT: FREDDIE McGregor, Chino & LADEN performing LIVE@ di SHATTO BALLROOM FRI JULY 31st. ONLY $2O b4 1a.
Just dropping by to say Hi and see what you’re up to and how you are doing.
As always, wishing you well. Stay positive, productive & purpose driven.
Peace
Michael
Blessings and Love... Just wanted to share this Video with you of DoubleLion .DoubleLion will be have a show case of bands on Sept 6th Labor Day Weekend. This is a Free event show casing 6 different bands from the sacramento and bay area. Bring your chair out and enjoy the day. Lion Soulutions Car Detailers will be there Detailing cars on the spot.Bring your soccer shoes there will be a DoubleLion Soccer tournament. Location DISCOVERY PARK IN SACRAMENTO..One ..
heeeey!!!!how are you?I hope that all is well ,if you have time, listen the new song in myspace ,an advance of my next album. ONE DAY -SHINJIMAN (SPAIN/JAPAN) & HIBIKILLA (JAPAN) one of the best japanese dancehall/reggae singers (sorry ,my english is very poor...) big greetings,bless up!!!
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