VP Records’ Imprint 17 North Parade to Reissue Crucial Titles from the Skengdon Archives in 2025
The VP Records x Skengdon reissue campaign kicks off this month by reintroducing Tenor Saw’s Wake The Town album, followed by singles from Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, and more to be announced
40 years ago, in 1985, Kenneth Black introduced the brand-new, all-conquering sound, Stereo Mars, at the legendary Skateland, Kingston, Jamaica. Featuring an all-star lineup of deejays and singers such as Super Cat, Nicodemus, Burro Banton, Tenor Saw, and more, with Danny Dread at the controls, this session captured all the live energy and vibrancy of the golden era of ’80s Dancehall.
To celebrate, VP Records is proud to announce a new reissue program honoring the work of the famed Jamaican soundsystem owner Kenneth Black and his Skengdon imprint in 2025, with the help of music executive, historian, and cultural curator Maxine Stowe. As a pivotal figure in the evolution of the Digital Dancehall era and owner of one of the most influential soundsystems of all time, Stereo Mars (often referred to as Stur-Mars), Black also produced iconic reggae and dancehall artists such as Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Nicodemus, and Little John, to name but a few—including a rising star named Clive Bright, known to the world as Tenor Saw.
The VP Records x Skengdon reissue campaign kicks off this month by reintroducing Tenor Saw’s Wake The Town album, followed by singles from Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, and more to be announced.
About Kenneth Black
Black’s journey began in the mid-70s as a DJ and dance promoter, where he brought some of the top sounds to his hometowns of Clarendon and Manchester. During this period, Black established his close collaborator, the ace selector Danny Dread, who, at the time, was working with Papa Roots soundsystem, also known as Socialist Roots Hi-Fi. The Stereo Mars soundsystem emerged from this foundational relationship, becoming a powerful influence in the dancehall scene and helping to elevate Black’s continued partnership with Sugar Minott and Maxine Stowe of Youthman Promotion.
Also in 1985, Black began releasing music on his newly founded label Skengdon, utilizing the vocal talents of the aforementioned DJs, plus singers such as Junior Delgado, Cocoa Tea, Gregory Isaacs, and many more—riding raw, stripped-back, digital dancehall riddims built at Black’s new state-of-the-art recording facility, Diamond Studio Centre (SKD), in Miami, Florida. The studio became a hub for innovative music production, and together with his assembled team of engineers and musicians—including Anthony ‘Crucial Bunny’ Graham, Oswald ‘Chunny’ Palmer, Steelie & Clevie, and Jackie Mittoo—they were instrumental in creating the rich catalogue of works during this time, yielding over 150 singles and 10 albums.