King Jammy's Selector's Choice Vol 2

King Jammy, Jamaican DJ and producer, began his career under the tutelage of dub legend King Tubby before setting up his own sound system and, in the late 1970s, founding his self-titled studio. In the 80s and early 90s, in particular, the studio was responsible for producing some of the most important sounds in reggae music and promoting a new generation of artists with a new attitude and idea of where they wanted to take the genre. Gone was the more organic sound of the past, replaced by digital rhythms, often reworked by several different artists.

King Jammy's occupies a special place in reggae history as one of the pioneers of dancehall – high tempo and more obviously aggressive lyrically than Jamaican music that came before it. For lovers of more conscious, roots-reggae this perhaps won't be for you, especially as there's a strong sexist – or at least über-macho – slant to much of the lyrics. Whether these artists have gone on to influence the more misogynistic and homophobic lyrics of the likes of contemporary ragga artists Beenie Man and Bounty Killer is questionable, but there's little doubt that these modern artists were influenced by King Jammy's.

That's not to say that there isn't some great music on this four-CD set, in particular the last disc. It opens with Shabba Ranks’ ‘Peenie Peenie’, showcasing rapid toasting on top of a killer rhythm. Next up is the equally catchy Chaka Demus with ‘Original Kuff. It's fascinating to hear two tracks from a key moment in these artists’ respective careers, when their sound was at its most raw and arguably best. Both these vocalists went on to have huge mainstream careers: Shabba Ranks scored a massive worldwide hit with ‘Mr Loverman’ in 1993; Chaka Demus, meanwhile, teamed up with the soulful Pliers to release the pop-crossover album ‘Tease Me’. Elsewhere, highlights include Tiger's ‘Boombastic’, Admiral Bailey's ‘Jump Up’ and John Holt's ‘If I Were A Carpenter’. Even if you don't like everything here, with over four hours of music, there's more than enough to tickle the tastebuds.