Lookin’ Natty in the Congo

 

Michael Alec Anthony West began his music career in the late 80s working as Rebel MC with Double Trouble. Double Trouble was a British dance music group active in the late 80s/early 90s founded by Leigh Guest & Michael Menson. In 1983 they began DJing at clubs & warehouse parties around London as the Double Trouble Roadshow. DJ / musician Carl Brown aka Karl "Tuff Enuff" Brown & Michael "Rebel MC"  joined the group in 1985. West had previosly been part of Beatfreak Sound System.

Rebel MC gained fame in England as a pop-rapper, but by 1991 had released Rebel MC - Black Meaning Good, an album that presaged Jungle with hardcore techno married to Dub basslines & ragga toasters such as Barrington Levy's 1994s "Code Red", which West released as "Conquering Lion". It became a smash hit. It brought the Jungle movement to the British masses. Jungle is heralded as the first uniquely UK-born bass music.

West converted to Rastafarianism in the mid-90s & changed his name to Mikail Tafari. He founded Congo Natty Records & X Project. In 1996 Congo Natty Records released their debut offering, Tribe of Issachar - Junglist. By 2000, Mikail began releasing his own solo material under the name Congo Natty.

Here's a Congo Natty release that I gathered up but never got the opportunity to share until now. Like the rest of the musick this month, these ended up in Overflow & is Dub or Dub Adjacent.

This version of Ancestorz contains the original 31 tracks which I have split into two separate sets, tracks 1-16 & tracks 17-31. As a bonus I am sharing a third set, the 2h10m Ancestorz Mixtape. 

 

Congo Natty - Ancestorz (Rootz of Jungle), New State Music NEW9384C, 2022.
all decryption codes in comments

Set 1 -    
Navaho Flute    
Exodus 1:7    
Athos    
Jungle Starliner    
Ancestorz (Jungle Fari)    
Ancestral Hi Tek    
Rebel Soul    
Musik 4 da Soul    
Jungle Defender    
Jungle Krar    
Tottenham Story    
Tribute to Chief Red Crow    
Marching 2 Zion    
Postcode Dance    
Samurai Junglist    
Zanziba

Set 2 -
Jungle Serangi    
Lalibela Almaz    
Akae Beka    
Binghi Man    
Holy Mount Zion    
Children of Enoch    
Senegal    
Enoch Maccabees    
Melchezedek Harpz    
Empress Jane    
Empress Yolande    
Wareika Hill (Count Ossie tribute)
Dragon Slayer    
Psalm 23    
Garden of Life (Tenor Fly tribute)

Set 3 -
Ancestorz Mixtape

 

 

 

Enjoy,
NØ

Running Through the Jungle

 

Been listening to Congo Natty's latest opus Ancestorz (Rootz of Jungle) for days now. 31 tracks of Congo at his best, then a 2 hour ten minute Ancestorz mixtape from the man himself. As I listened & enjoyed & luxuriated in the sounds, I realized I had slighted the great Rebel MC & creator of Jungle here at NSS. Filling that empty void right here & now.

A megapost of past tastes from Congo Natty or Ras Project or X Project or Tribe of Issachar or Conquering Lion or Blackstar or Lion of Judah or Rebel MC. Creating under any of these monikers, it all amounts to greatness. Dig in. 

 

Tenor Fly meets Congo Natty - 12 Years of Jungle 5x12", Congo Natty CONGOLP1, 2003.
all decryption codes in comments

Vynil 1 -
Comin on Strong 1990
Tribal Bass 1992

Vynil 2 -
Wickedest Sound 1991   
Jah Sunshine 1994

Vynil 3 -
Alaska Ride 1994
DJ School & DJ School (Dub) 1994

Vynil 4 -
'Ses' Jungle 2000
Trinity Way 2000

Vynil 5 -
H.I.M. War 2002
H.I.M. War Dub 2002 

 

 

While most Various releases have various artist, this is Congo in three of his various guises: Rebel MC; Tribe of Issachar; & X Project. 

 

Various - Most Wanted Volume 1, Congo Natty CNVCD 002, 2008.

Original Ses (Police in Helicopter) featuring Topcat
Yes Selectah
Champion DJ featuring Top Cat
Kunta Kinte featuring Topcat
Jah Sunshine featuring Tenor Fly
Code Red (original mix) featuring Super Cat
Jah Set It
Junglist (DJ Zinc remix) featuring Peter Bouncer
His Imperial Majesty featuring Topcat
Emperor Sellassie I
tracks 1, 3-6, 8-10 Rebel MC; track 2 Tribe of Issachar; track 7 X Project.

 

 

 

 

Various - Congo Natty Most Wanted Remixes 3x12" 45rpm, Congo Natty CNVLP003, 2009.

Disc 1 -
Wardance (Serial Killaz remix)
Police in Helicopter (Ray Keith 2004 remix)
Disc 2 -
Champion DJ (Shy FX remix)
Tribal Natty (Aphrodite remix)
Disc 3 -
Junglist (Zinc remix)
Champion DJ (DJ Ron London Someting mix)

 

Conquering Lion released numerous iterations of "Code Red" & remixes. This is the Serial Killaz 12" single. 

 

 

 

Conquering Lion - Code Red (The Serial Killaz remixes) 12" 45rpm, 

CONGONATTY REMIX 010, 2009.

Side A -
Code Red (Serial Killaz remix)

Side AA -
Code Red (Serial Killaz VIP mix)

 

 

 

 

This one is a follow-up to Congo's Jungle Revolution from 2013. Many of our favorites producers do their Dub versions here: Adrian Sherwood; Dubkasm; Dougie Wardrop's Conscious Sounds; Vibronics; Mungo's Hi-Fi; & more.

 

 

 

 

Congo Natty - Jungle Revolution in Dub, Big Dada Recordings BDCD243, 2015

Intro - Lee Perry
Dub Souljah (Dubkasm Dragon Slayer mix)
Get Ready VIP Dub (Sukh Knight remix)
Nu Beginningz (Jinx in Dub Steppa remix)
Revolution in Dub (DJ Madd remix)
UK Allstars in Dub (Adrian Sherwood remix)
Intro (Scientist)
London Dungeons Dub (Young Warrior remix [son of Ja Shaka])
Rebel Tuff like Tuff Gong Dub (Joe Ariwa remix [son of Mad Professor])
Jungle is I & I (Hylu & Jago Future Dub mix)
Intro (Maia)
Jah Warriors in Dub (DJ Madd remix)
Microchip in Dub (King Yoof remix)
Nu Beginningz Dubwise (Mungos Hi-Fi remix)
Get Ready Dubwise (Vibronics remix)
Micro Dub [Say No] (Conscious Sounds mix)

& as one final bonus, a track from the new Ancestorz (Rootz of Jungle) here.

Rumble in the Jungle,
NØ