St. Ann, Jamaica’s own Romain Virgo and Bass Odyssey Sound System will be making special appearances at the historic VP Records store in Jamaica, Queens for Record Store Day. The event takes place on Saturday, April 20th, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the event, which is being held at 170-19 Jamaica Ave, is free. Â
The celebration of reggae and vinyl will be hosted by entrepreneur and radio personality Garfield “Chin” Bourne of Irish & Chin, and features a meet and greet session with Romain Virgo, who will be signing CDs. A strictly vinyl-only showcase will hear performances by renowned sound systems Bass Odyssey, Nexxt Level, Super Force, and ReggaeBoyz Sound, and there will be access to this year’s exclusive Record Store Day LP release: Pass Me The Lazer Beam by Don Carlos.
Guests can expect the sound systems to play their best custom Romain Virgo dubplates to mark the release of his new album, The Gentle Man. Romain Virgo’s latest body of work rolled out on March 1st to critical acclaim, and features the artists Masicka, Capleton, Patoranking, and more. CDs and merch will be available for purchase at the VP Records store.
Originating in the United States in 2007, Record Store Day is celebrated internationally in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan. The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores across the world to celebrate the unique culture surrounding independently owned record stores, and the vinyl record culture that has brought these stores into a new era of relevance. Through its official organization, Record Store Day and Record Store Day UK separately approve hundreds of special releases in each market, only available at participating stores.
VP Records has released special products for Record Store Day for years, this year including a classic album from reggae singer Don Carlos.
Pass Me The Lazer Beam showcases one of the greatest voices of reggae and early dancehall, Don Carlos, with a classic set of tracks recorded by iconic producer Bunny Striker Lee in the early 1980s. This Record Store Day edition features new liner notes by DJs Solid Rock and Boomshot, a rare Beth Lesser photo, and remastered audio, all packaged with the original cover art.