Rise Up - The Riz Records Story

2 part extremely limited vinyl pressing, spread across two separate LPs, complete with screen printed sleeves and sleeve note insert. Between them the two records contain all 15 tracks.

For Reggae Archive Records latest lovingly compiled and annotated testament to the nascent UK roots/dub scene of the 1990s, they’ve gone straight for one of the best with “Rise Up – The Riz Records Story”. With an output that spanned most of the decade and a catalogue that stretched beyond the usual handful of singles to include some very strong albums, Riz was a powerhouse for the revival of UK reggae and the growth in its popularity that continues to this day. This is a fantastic selection of 15 of the best the label has to offer. If that wasn’t enough, six of the tracks feature exclusive discomixes from Rootikal’s David Hill whilst tracks from Willie Williams and Earl 16 are previously unreleased.

One of the labels strengths was the ability to attract and record leading Jamaican artists as well as those from the UK. In addition to Willie Williams and Earl 16, we’ve included tracks from Johhny Osbourne, Admiral Tibet, Danny Red, Bob Skeng, Orville Smith, Mikey Mystic, Indica All Stars and of course the ever present Riz All Stars, the sort of line-up that most of the UK’s independent reggae labels could only have dreamed of recording. All the tracks were taken from the original master tapes with everyone involved in the project aiming to achieve the best possible sound. These tracks have never sounded better.In addition to the music, the package also contains extensive sleeve notes recounting the label’s story with contributions from key players Nick Manasseh and Gil Cang as well as archive images, with the vinyl version coming in hand screen printed sleeves.