Suffer Sounds

Dennis Bovell’s prolific and eclectic career encompasses a huge range of music: from dub poetry to lovers rock, to post-punk, to disco, to pop and beyond. His production work encompasses such diverse figures as The Slits, I Roy, Maximum Joy, Fela Kuti, The Pop Group, Janet Kay, Saada Bonaire, Orange Juice, Golden Teacher, Steel Pulse, and more.

This compilation focuses on the period during and immediately after Bovell’s involvement with the Jah Sufferer Sound System, digging deep to find deep cuts and lesser-known versions, mainly from 1976–1980, plus a killer and lesser-heard dub of the iconic “Silly Games.” Painstakingly restored and remastered at Dubplates and Mastering in Berlin, these decades-old tracks sound pristine and dynamic, sequenced to take the listener on a journey through Bovell’s production and arrangement genius.

The accompanying sleevenotes are a result of a long conversation with Dennis about this period of his life, with track-by-track recollections and fascinating biographical asides.