There are so many artists and songs that pass through our ears, but rarely do we know who’s behind the music. The sounds we gravitate to, that we identify with, and that is part of what I try to do here on Bass Culture - pull back the curtain and find out who helped shape an album or entire generation - Gussie Clarke is one of those “wizards of oz” - a man who helped shape hit after hit, that still spin on turntables and sound systems today. His career has spanned decades, but for this mix, I’ve focused on his earlier productions from the 70s and early 80s, before the digital age of reggae took over.

Brief Overview of Gussie and his life

Augustus “Gussie” Clarke is one of reggae’s true architects, someone who moved effortlessly from roots and early deejay culture into the digital era without ever losing clarity, musicality, or purpose. His story begins in a tiny dub-cutting room at 81½ Church Street, where he cut exclusive specials using a Treasure Isle lathe and quickly realized he could shape entire records if he controlled the rhythm, the vocal, and the final mix. Early productions like U-Roy & Errol Dunkley – The Higher The Mountain and album-defining moments such as Big Youth – Screaming Target and Gussie Presenting I-Roy showed how he could turn raw sound system energy into cohesive, groundbreaking albums.

Through the 1970s, he built a warm, balanced catalogue with artists like Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Leroy Smart, Hortense Ellis and Roman Stewart, deep lovers cuts, roots anthems and rhythm tracks that felt soulful and timeless. Clarke wasn’t just making music; he was building infrastructure through publishing, label management and distribution, which gave him complete creative control and the freedom to reinvest in better equipment and bigger ideas. By the early 80s, he was pushing roots harmony groups like The Mighty Diamonds into modern territory, updating arrangements with drum machines and synth bass while keeping the music's heart intact.

U-Roy; Big Youth – The Higher The Mountain

Leroy Smart; Gussie Clarke – Mixed Up

Gussie Clarke – Funny Feeling

Augustus Pablo – Classical Illusion (12” Version)

Jacob Miller – Girl Don’t Come

I-Roy; Gussie Clarke – Coxone Affair (2025 Remaster)

Gussie Clarke – One Way

Tommy McCook – The Right Track

Delroy Wilson – How Can I Love Someone

Big Youth – Screaming Target

Dennis Brown – Funny Feeling

Trinity – Love The Daughter

Roman Stewart – Try Me

Mikey Dread – Proud to Be Black

Mighty Diamonds – Pass the Kouchie

Gregory Isaacs – My Time

Let’s start with the title of this mix, “Dirty Funky Nasty Bad” - a long-time friend of mine with a great sense of humour would keep all of us howling with laughing, doing bits and saying random shit dropped this line in one of those moments and it’s stuck with me for decades (thanks Kento).

I love raw-sounding music; not overproduced or mixed, just pure edgy sonic bliss, which is what I based this playlist around- in yer face funk.

dirty (raw)

funky (poppin' groove that doesn’t let up)

nasty (pushing the levels a little hard to induce sweet saturation)

bad (this jam is one bad mofo).

Soul Toronados – Hot Pants Breakdown

Eddie Bo; The Soul Finders – The Hook & Sling - Vocal Mix

Soul Vibrations – The Dump

Larry Ellis; Blackhammer – Funky Thing - Pt. 1

Billy Garner – Brand New Girl

Marva Whitney – In The Middle

Leroy & The Drivers – The Sad Chicken

Charles Bradley; Menahan Street Band – Stay Away

Duracha – Ghet-to Funk

Wess & The Airedales – Blackout

Lefties Soul Connection – Doin’ the Thing

Little Royal – Razor Blade

Whitefield Brothers – Rampage

Lefties Soul Connection – Organ Donor

The Fun Company – Zambezi, Pt. I & II

Roy Porter Sound Machine – Party Time

The Stovall Sisters – Hang on in There

Bernard “Pretty” Purdie – Soul Drums

Reuben Wilson – Inner City Blues

Being a drummer and bass player, I gravitate towards the foundation of a song - the groove, percussion, and how instruments weave in and out of “the pocket”, be it the short offbeat guitar skanks heard in reggae or the syncopated piano stabs heard in Latin music. That’s what drew me to reggae - the lock-step agreement of groove between the bassist and drummer that allows the rest of the band, organ, vocals, guitars, etc, to either support the core riddim or thread around it, adding depth and melody. The same goes for funk, afrofunk, and other similar genres. They all have related musical elements - tight syncopated grooves, a throng of glorious percussion, and horn combos that add electric energy that elevates and excites you.

There was a period in the 60s & 70s that set New York on fire, emanating from Spanish Harlem, The Bronx, and Lower East Side, and labels like Fania Records - boogaloo (bugalú). We’ve all heard the style and artists at some point, but what is boogaloo? I had to look it up myself, and here’s the definition.

“Boogaloo was created by young Puerto Rican and African American musicians in New York City who mixed the music they heard on the radio, like soul and R&B, with Latin styles like mambo and son”.

This is part one, so I invite you to use the comment section to share some of your favourites for part two in the future.

Eddie Palmieri – Vámonos Pa’l Monte

Noro Morales – Vitamina

Cal Tjader; Eddie Palmieri – Bamboléate

New Swing Sextet – Mira Mama

Mongo Santamaria; La Lupe – Montuneando – Remastered

Johnny Colon – Mayenlle

Boogaloo Assassins – Mi Jeva

Ray Barretto – Mi Ritmo Te Llama

Pete Rodriguez – I Like It Like That

Joe Cuba Sextet – Que Son Uno

Louie Ramirez – Cooking With Ali

Joey Pastrana and His Orchestra – Orquesta Pastrana

Orquesta La Moderna of New York – Picadillo

Tito Puente – Salsa y Sabor

I had a show in Dresden years ago, and the opener was a DJ who played cumbia. When her set began, the dance floor instantly filled with people laying down synchronized dance steps, which was eye-opening and fantastic fun to watch. It’s inevitable that these two genres would merge, as Cumbia originated on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and includes African, Spanish (colonial), and indigenous influences that date back to the 16th Century. For this playlist, I went down the rabbit hole seeking groove enlightenment.

Lucky Salvadori; Chalart58 – Simulacro

Ticklah – El Dia De Suerte (Dub)

Joseph Cotton – Cumbia Party

Yapunto; Taggy Matcher – El Mar y Ella (Taggy Matcher Remix)

The Lions; Malik “The Freq” Moore; Black Shakespeare – Cumbia Rebel (Version)

Quantic; Flowering Inferno – Te Pico el Yaibi (Version)

Combo Lulo; Alba Ponce de León – Culebra Mentirosa

Taggy Matcher; Kumbia Boruka – Cumbia Locura (Dub)

Ticklah; Mayra Vega – Mi Sonsito (Feat. Mayra Vega)

Aldubb; Dubmatix; Illbilly Hitec – Essential (Cumbia Mix)

Lengualerta; La Basu; La Gorda Dubs; Cristrombon – Nik Baditut Sei

Quantic; Flowering Inferno – Dub del Pacifico

Frente Cumbiero; Mad Professor – Cumbietiope

Flowering Inferno; Nickodemus; Zeb – No Soy Del Valle (Nickodemus & Zeb Remix)

I’ve always seen/heard the parallel between reggae and house music—namely, the Steppers vs. 4-On-The-Floor groove, and have been drawn to that fusion of the two. Back in 2002, I’d slapped a King Tubby sample over a house beat, and it was a revelation to me (I can fuse this) that song that became Journey To The Center Of The Dub. The King Tubby sample was removed, but the idea remained.

On the other side of the pond, in the UK and across Europe, this style was already established and in the clubs. I can’t profess to more than a surface-level knowledge, but after sifting through a lot of tracks, I put together this playlist of songs that I enjoyed. I encourage you to share some of your favourite house reggae tracks in the comments—include a YouTube link if possible.

Noiseshaper - We Rock It

Francis Mercier & Black Uhuru - Welcome To Dinna

Camouflage - Ramjock

Block & Crown - Jam On (Original Mix)

Sugar Hill, Wasabi, Terry Lex & Max Romeo - Chase the Devil

Joeski - In This Life

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Sun Is Shining (Fire House Mix)

Junkie XL & Peter Tosh - Don’t Wake Up Policeman (feat. Peter Tosh & Friends)

WIPP & Ini Kamoze - Here Comes the Hotstepper

Mau P - MERTHER

Liu & Alex O’Clock - Bad Boys

KVSH & DVBBS - No No No

Dreadzone, Gaudi & Earl Sixteen - Boundary (Gaudi Remix)

My soul has a deep passion for all things groove—reggae, jungle, hip-hop, funk, soul, or any style that gets the feet moving and the head nodding. So, for this mix, I decided it was time for a dive into Latin Funk with some greats—Joe Bataan, Tito Puente, and Ray Barretto, alongside lesser-known artists from the 70s onward.

Bring on the thin-lofi-guitar solos, wah-wah flavours, rollocking percussion, blazing horns, and as much cowbell as you can handle.

Enrique Olivarez & Los Vampiros - Arriba Tipo

Ray Camacho & The Teardrops - Si Si Puede (LOA Remix) - Lack Of Afro Remix

Bronx River Parkway - Song For Ray

Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Got Myself A Good Man

Nico Gomez; Nico Gomez And His Afro Percussion Inc. - Lupita

Joe Bataan - Latin Strut (2022 - Remaster)

Ray Barretto - Together

Tito Puente - Hit The Bongo

Luchito; Néstor - Tighten Up

La Clave - Latin Slide

Mongo Santamaria - Windjammer

Ricardo Marrero - My Friend

Sherlock Holmes Investigation - Investigation

Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Cloud 9

Ray Camacho - Movin’ On

The focus of this mix is the 4-on-the-floor roots reggae stepper style, with a variety of artists spanning decades, from Johnny Osbourne to Chronixx—the mood-lifter mix.

Joe Armon-Jones - Lifetones (Vocal Version feat. Asheber)

Johnny Osbourne - Mr Marshall

Linval Thompson & The Revolutionaries - Africa Love Dub

Henry Simms - Live In Love

Soul Sugar & Dub Shepherds - Choice of Music

Soul Sugar & Dub Shepherds - Hot Weather

U-Roy, I-Roy, Gussie Clarke & Big Youth - Original Deejays (Brawta Mix)

Chronixx - Don’t Be Afraid

Al Campbell - Respect

Keith Hudson & Soul Syndicate - Even Those Dreadful Words

Lone Ark Riddim Force, Roberto Sanchez & Javi Arkotxa - Love Jah Dub

Ras Teo, Ashanti Selah & Zion I Kings - Knock Knock

Scientist, Dubiterian & Joseph Cotton - Dirt Settings

Linval Thompson & Roberto Sanchez - Roots Lady Dub

Jeff Sarge, Angie Amgel, Beverly Willams, Collin Ska Johnson, Fred Locks & Velma Maxwell - Sufferation Dub

Mad Professor - Kunte Escape

This mix captures the lush, cinematic vibe of the 1990s, when dusty vinyl samples, jazzy chords, and deep basslines took their place on the musical world stage—the blend of sounds, from trip-hop, downtempo, nu-jazz, and the French touch to the cinematic.

The Herbaliser – The Sensual Woman

Air – Modular Mix

Morcheeba – Trigger Hippie

Coldcut – Autumn Leaves

David Holmes – Rodney Yates

St Germain – Rose Rouge

Lemon Jelly – In The Bath

Thievery Corporation – Shaolin Satellite (Remastered 2022)

Lionrock – Fire Up The Shoesaw

Hexstatic – Chase Me

The Dining Rooms – La Citta Nuda

Propellerheads – Velvet Pants

Turn the lights down and the groove up. Electric Boogie Nights is a high-energy mix celebrating the golden era of dance — from 80s boogie to 90s house and French touch. It’s the sound of roller rinks, warehouse floors, and neon dreams. Expect basslines that bounce, vocals that lift, and rhythms that don’t quit.

Soul II Soul; Caron Wheeler – Back To Life

Deee-Lite – Groove Is in the Heart

Chaka Khan – Like Sugar

ESG – Dance

Stereo MC’s – Connected

Jamiroquai – Canned Heat

Groove Armada – Superstylin’

De La Soul – Me Myself and I

Daft Punk – Around the World

Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love

Basement Jaxx – Red Alert

Michael Gray – The Weekend (Radio Edit)

The Bucketheads – The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)

Stardust; Benjamin Diamond; Alan Braxe; Thomas Bangalter – Music Sounds Better With You

Welcome to Low Orbit Soundcapes, a journey through atmospheric dub, minimal rhythms, and spacious textures designed to slow the pulse and open the mind. This mix moves through shades of ambient and dub—from deep, meditative pulses to shimmering electronic landscapes. Perfect for late-night focus, meditation, or simply drifting into sound.

Short Description:

Mind over MIDI - Paul St. Hilaire – Ital Version

Stella Phonic – Microdub

Rod Modell – Beach

Audhentik – Bubble Wrap Dub

Atmodub – Resonance I

Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Liu Sola, Nicky Skopelitis, Mick Harris, Jah Wobble – Divination One

Jah Wobble - Marconi Union – Wealth

Adrian Sherwood – Starship Bahia

Alex Haas - Bill Laswell – Tzea / Reborn

Sounds From The Ground – Drugstore

Blamstrain – 6 PM

Will Oirson – Minor Figures .1