Mike Brooks, The 18th Parallel

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of introducing our studio band – THE 18TH PARALLEL – first official album ‘Showcase Vol. 1’ with Lone Ark. Today, The 18th Parallel are back with three more singles starring three giant singers from the golden age of Jamaican roots reggae. From day one, Fruits Records main purpose has always been to enforce collaborations between Swiss musicians and Jamaican singers from the golden age of reggae. These three 7” singles mark a new step to achieve the label’s goal: connecting different generations from different cultures through their love of roots reggae.

The first guest singer invited by The 18th Parallel is MIKE BROOKS. Known for hit songs like ‘Rum Drinker’ or ‘Money Is Not All’, Mike is one of the true heroes of the roots reggae sound of the late 70’s: stepper riddims with militant drumming, heavy basslines, thunder of spring reverbs… This is the kind of sound The 18th Parallel recreated with a new riddim designed especially for Mike’s high-pitched voice. ‘Mother Earth’ has not only a strong riddim, but also a strong message, more relevant than ever. The song, written by Mike Brooks’ daughter, is a call for ecological awareness of the state the planet is in : « Mother Earth is crying out for help… ». Young and old, this song is for all of us. B side with ‘Earth Cry’ is a killer dub version by NY top producer and mixing engineer Channel Tubes. Wicked!

The second song of this triptic by The 18th Parallel features the voice known for legendary song ‘The Drifter’ originally recorded in 1969 on Moodisc and later recut by Dennis Brown: DENNIS WALKS. The Swiss producers met Dennis in downtown Kingston in winter 2017. They played a mid-seventies type of flying cymbal riddim to him and a few minutes later Dennis was in the recording booth singing ‘Long Struggling’. One take, no second cut, no lyrics written, pure heartical vibes. Dennis Walks, hidden treasure of the roots reggae era, is surely one of the greatest voice of Jamaica, stronger than ever at almost 70 years old. On the B side, The 18th Parallel grace us with a terrible instrumental cut led by melodica and Elka Rhapsody synthesizer. This is the Edelvibes Rock!

Last but not least, as third guest, The 18th Parallel are honoured to have the one and only, singer, producer, roots icon: LINVAL THOMPSON. Linval has so many hit songs to his catalogue, it’s hard to pick just a few, but we can name ‘I Love Marijuana’ or ‘Jah Jah Is The Conqueror’ as the most typical of his unique style. An inimitable vocal signature, conscious lyrics, a super heavy rockers riddim dubbed in fine style by mæstro Roberto Sánchez. This is ‘What’s Going On’, the third single of this foundation rootsmen 7” series.

The three singles will be available as black wax 7” records and on limited color vinyls with screen printed sleeves (only 90!) on December 3rd 2021. Pre-orders start on November 5th, also available on all streaming platforms. Flash it!