What you get here are five cuts riding Dennis Brown’s I Am The Conqueror riddim, and Niney brought that razor-sharp production. Dennis wasn’t even out of his teens when he voiced this roots classic, but you’d never know it from the power and authority in his delivery. The youth sounds like he’s been here before. “Wherever you are, though you may be far, listen, I am the conqueror, so you must never try to conquer me.” That’s how you lay down a statement, seen?

After the vocal, you get two killer dubs of the same riddim. The first one keeps things stripped back, minimal effects letting the rhythm breathe and work its magic. Dub 2 comes harder though, rougher around the edges with more echo splashed across it and vocal fragments floating through the mix. Real depth to that one.

Flip it over and you’re into Son of Selassie territory. That’s Max Romeo and Milton Henry linking up, chanting I Man An African over the I Am The Conqueror riddim. It’s a repatriation tune, and they’re pouring genuine feeling into every line about yearning for the motherland. Max Romeo was really hitting his stride by the mid-1970s. He moved away from his earlier style and stepped right into the deep, conscious vibration we all know and love today. You can hear his lyrics getting sharper and more political as he brought that heavy Black Ark energy to the world.

The Observer Allstars (reportedly Soul Syndicate) provide a deep dub treatment that showcases the rhythm section’s prowess.

Bottom line? This 12″ is essential. Proper reggae history pressed into wax, powered by Buyreggae.com. Word is that Deeper Roots will serve the reggae massive with many more essential 70s Reggae & Dub releases.