A new 6 track EP ‘Morning Star’ is out now in all good record stores and in stock on Bandcamp.
The follow up to 2022’s ‘Return to the Island’ LP was influenced heavily by the evocative powers of incense and a deep sense of escapism. The EP has a more organic sound palette than its predecessor, from both the use of samples and appearance of various guest musicians. Lead track ‘Morning Star’ features long standing collaborator Mike Burn (Udaberri Blues & Mama Capes) who adds his trademark liquid gold lead and rhythm guitar lines with live bass from Fernando Pulichino.
The guest on ‘Savanna’ is frequent Jack J collaborator Linda Fox, who provides emotive and melancholy sax over a Dub House backing track with a particularly dreamy chord progression. The EP features Instrumental Dubs of both tracks, alongside two other new productions, the 80s leaning ‘Hands Across the Sea’ and ‘Wah Fix’, which rounds off the more Dub influenced B side with a 125 BPM bouncy Dub House excursion.
In 2026 the Jura Soundsystem project enters its 10th year and is the creative musical outlet of Isle of Jura founder Kevin Griffiths. All tracks produced at IOJ HQ in Moana, Adelaide between 2022 and 2025 with support from the incense gods of Cedarwood, Jasmine and Sandalwood. The 12” is housed in a 3mm spine full sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton.
A new track features on the next Jahtari label compilation ‘Jahtarian Dubbers Vol 5’. The album is a collection of all new Outsider Dubs, Dancehall bangers and lots of cosmic low end, marking twenty years of Reggae oddness from Leipzig. Buy the Vinyl and download here on Bandcamp.
My debut artist LP titled ‘Return to the Island’ (2025 Edition) is out now on IOJ offshoot Temples Of Jura. The album was very much influenced by the tropical birdsong heard in my garden studio here in Adelaide, field recordings of which made it into many of the tracks. The album traverses some of the styles that influence the label with a backbone thats’s rooted in Balearica with shades of Deep House, Nu Disco and Ambient along with some leftfield samples picked up on my digging adventures. I view music production in an almost meditative way, i love to get lost in the process, which is liberating but also dangerous as hours and days can easily be lost. In truth, releasing the music is my least favourite aspect of the process, but its necessary to justify the time to my wife that i spend in my studio! Its also good to get it out there so i can move onto the next one. I hope you will enjoy it.
Instrumental Dubs #3 is out now in all good record stores and in stock on the IOJ Bandcamp, another deep dive into the Dub version and beyond. Side one explores the axis of UK Street Soul and Reggae with the opening two tracks produced by Howard Hill and originally released on his Passion Enterprises label in the late eighties. Both ‘Versions’ have a machine lead rhythm section paired with a reggae skank and snippets of soulful vox. The Proto House of Protek’s ‘I Love to Dance With You’ featured on a Jura Soundsystem DJ Mix for Planet Trip, a one off single from the now sadly deceased Errol Parkes that’s been re-edited with love by The Nightlark from Edinburgh. The B side features The Cool Notes ‘Natural Energy’, which isn’t strictly speaking a Dub Version, but it has that vibe with a primarily instrumental backing track featuring sparse vocals and spacey FX. The album closes with a secret weapon of Ilija Rudman ‘Dub 4 Love’ that pays homage to a famous track from Acid House’s heyday. Pressed on 180g Heavyweight Vinyl with full sleeve jacket design by Bradley Pinkerton.
‘Freediving in the Tropical Zone’ features on the new Cafe Del Mar Chillout mix which you can stream here on Spotify. I remember buying the first Cafe Del Mar CD compiled by Jose Padilla that i played endlessly in my bedroom, it was a classic for me (Cafe Penguin Orchestra’s ‘Music for a Found Harmonium’ still gets me emotionally every time) so to appear on one of the albums in the series feels great.
New playlist for Test Pressing‘s new series. Dive in here. Consistently one of my favourite music blogs, always on point with reviews and recommendations and Paul ‘Apiento’ Byrne is an absolute don.
As part of Vermelho Wonder’s Vinyl 12″ debut single I contributed a Special Version of ‘Se Voce’, dubbing out the vocal parts and adding some fills and reverb. A 300 pressing which is very nearly sold out, the last few are on Bandcamp.
My Selects playlist is refreshed on the first Friday of the month with 25 new tracks. The playlist features 100 tracks in total with the new ones added at the top, its an eclectic selection of Ambient, Reggae, Dub, Disco, House, anything i’m vibing off in the office. Spark up an incense and dive in here.
