Historic reggae recordings come to life at The Kennel

Posted 18 May 2012, 10:32 by The Kennel

Now it can be told: For the past several months, famed producer Clive Chin and Kennel chief engineer Billy “Prince Polo” Szeflinski have been hard at work digitizing, cataloging, embellishing and mixing and hundreds of hours of previously unreleased recordings by the biggest stars of the golden age of ska and reggae!

The archive consists of hundreds of hours of reggae music recorded from 1968-1978 by Clive Chin and his father, Vincent “Randy” Chin, at the legendary Studio 17, located at 17 North Parade in Kingston, Jamaica. Included are performances by such major artists as Bob Marley, the Wailers, Peter Tosh, Alton Ellis, Gregory Isaacs, Lord Creator, John Holt, U-Roy, Tommy McCook, I-Roy, Augustus Pablo and many more.

The original master tapes, which lay undisturbed in Jamaica for nearly 30 years, were brought to the States through the assistance of E.M.P. (Experience Music Project) and Microsoft founder Paul Allen. The tapes have been digitized and cataloged for the first time by Chin and Szeflinski, working at The Kennel Recording Studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Szeflinski, an up-and-coming dub reggae producer, has not only remixed the recordings, but has also added new instrumentation and vocals to the tracks, many of which were unfinished instrumentals.

On Saturday, June 16, attendees will have a first listen to these historic recordings and a reggae history lecture by Clive Chin (w/ moderation by Pat McKay of SiriusXM Radio) at The Frost Theatre of the Arts, at 17 Frost Street in Willamsburg, Brooklyn; and at a Reggae Dance Party immediately afterwards at Loreley, 65 Frost Street, with the cream of New York City’s top DJ’s and Artists performing alongside Chin.

Tickets to the event are on sale now at The Lost Archive of 17 North Parade web site.

Prince Polo in the control room with one of the historic reels