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 80 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 in 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 occasionnally 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 – “Credential”, a version to Don Carlos’ tune- to percussive dancehall –
“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 Turbulence’s 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, Natty King, 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 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 from 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 Mister T ". Mister 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 Marcus or Mabrak. 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 Mister 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, Mister T and 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 Mister 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 label’s
first anthem : Culture Dem, which is to become the title of the 2 LK’s hit-compilations. 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 real 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 produced 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 the then-
relatively unknown Turbulence –they stay at his place- and Anthony B, 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 Principles (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 5000 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 should’nt
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 won’t stop trying to find new talents. From the Boo Studio in Rhode Island, Moon
works tightly 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 Zion High label. All that should
lead to really interesting things, amongst others "the Zion High first singles made in Jamaica",
Moon smiles. 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 to Lustre Kings”.
Lustre Kings productions is a reggae record labelbased in Oakland, CA, Brooklyn, NY, and Kingston, Jamaica. Lustre Kings hasbeen releasing music in Jamaica, United States and Europe steadily since 1998.
Started by Corrin Haskell and Andrew Bain, LK isdedicated to producing quality cultural music with a message. Having workedwith every big name in the Rastafarian music scene today; Capleton, Sizzla,Luciano, Anthony B., Natty King, Yami Bolo, Jah Mason, Turbulence, Norrisman,Spragga Benz, Determine, Natural Black, Lutan Fyah, Midnite, Niyorah, RasAttitude, Marlon Asher, and more have recorded on riddims like African Charm,Credential, Fortune Teller, Black Mystic and Alarm Clock, No Polotics, Talking Drum,and New Day.
Over the past five years LK has sold thousands ofsingles worldwide in the 7 vinyl format, through distributors like Jet Star (UK/ USA), One Love Jamaica (JA/ Italy), VP Records (USA), Ernie B (USA), CapCalcini (JA), Penthouse (JA), Music Ambassador (USA), Dub Vendor (UK), andSoundquake (Germany).
In addition to the 7 singles, we have a growingcatalogue of cd releases. A full-length compilation album, Culture Dem, anunder-ground classic which really brought LK into the light. A solo artistalbum by Turbulence "The Future" was signed to a licensing deal withJet Star Phonographics, the flagship reggae label in the UK. The groundbreakingvarious artists compilation Calling All Jah Children, mixed by DJ Child, thatused a selection of our catalogue put into a legal mixtape format. The soloartist album by Lutan Fyah, "Time and Place" which established theartist as a force world -wide. The next chapter of Culture Dem 2 was anothervarious artist release that features the best reggae and dancehall has tooffer. The latest riddim album releases, "New Day", "RedRazor", "Shining", were the first of its kind, combining artists fromacross the Caribbean, including the powerful Virgin Islands movement. In 2006,LK released an exclusive "greatest hits 2002-2007" album in Japanwith Diamond Edge records. In addition, LK’s 2007 release "InfiniteQuality" combined Midnite's vocalist Vaughn Benjamin with the outstandingproduction from Digital Ancient. All of our projects have received extensivepress world-wide, appearing in several publications like The Beat (USA), RiddimMagazine (Germany), XNews (Jamaica), Rove (Japan),Murder Dog (USA), Riddm(Japan), Rasta Snob (Italy), MelodyMaker (UK), Natty Dread (France), Ireggae.com (internet), Reggaevibes.com (Netherlands),Reggaefrance.com (France), andAmazon.com (internet).
With a host of up and coming releases slated forthe next year (albums from Al Pancho, Noble Soceity, Norrisman, Jah Dan, andCulture Dem 3) as well as releasing the entirety of our 7 selections in cd & digital format, the Lustre Kings extensive catalogue is ready and awaitingdiscovery by the world. Nearly all of the artists that Lustre Kings beganworking with from its inception have gone on to claim number one song titles inthe Jamaican market, bringing those artists towards international success.
06/30/2008
"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.
Buy this single:
Download
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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Vinyl / CD
Download
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.
Buy this album:
CD
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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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Download
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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CD
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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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CD
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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.
Buy this album:
CD
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02/04/2007
Rastafari Unity LK presents a special EP release, featuring a combination of talent from across the Caribbean.
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CD
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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.
Buy this album:
CD
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.
Buy this album:
CD
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.
Buy this album:
CD
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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.
Buy this album:
Vinyl / CD
Download
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!!!
Buy this album:
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.
Buy this album:
Vinyl / CD
Download
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
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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.
