As years go, if 2026 were a treasure chest and new early reggae-style releases were the contents, said chest would be positively overflowing. Alongside a regular stream of 45s from the Original Gravity label, a new Aggrolites LP, a new Flying Hats LP, a new Appetizers LP and a sizeable proportion of the Joey Quinones solo LP, here is new single Vine I Balla (or Come And Dance if you don’t speak Catalan/ haven’t got your phone switched on) from new Barcelona-based outfit 4 Caps. Yes – not to be outdone by Madrid’s Mango Wood, Spain’s second most populous metropolis shows it’s got game too and provides a spectacular second reason not to despair the next time Wagner, Rivas and co. take the best part of a decade to get an LP together. The title track opens with guitar chanks before a classic Hammond riff kicks in for a midtempo groove while male vocal harmonies evoke all your favourite back-in-the-day Jamaican groups but especially The Pioneers (on the verses) with a more Symarip/ Aggrolites-style shouty hook of ‘Soul! Funk! Reggae!’ On the flip, the equally gorgeous but more uptempo The Way You Adore Me employs a funky reggae beat and a foregrounded lead vocal. While the contemporary global early reggae scene is still relatively uncrowded (compared to, say, the funk/soul scene), the entry bar for quality is nonetheless high. On the evidence of this release, 4 Caps have entered at the top.
(Out 9 November HERE)/ Liquidator Records
