Roots Archives Forum

I have a Martin Campbell album titled Can better really come it is some OK material, i like the riddims, can someone give me some information on this artist ? and maybe recommend recommend me other albums ?

great uk style, he has many dub albums hi tech roots dynamics and he has 2 other albums rootsman time or something forget and a newer one..

channelonereggae.com might be the site with more info

Martin Campbell is excellent, he puts out some killa tunes, he owns channal one UK, Can better Really Come is a wicked album, my favourite one, i did a post on martin here several months back which u might find in a search, also check out any releases on the channel one label, artists like Ras Nyto, Robert Lee, Phillip Gad, songs like Too Much War, Ghana and Yu Talent are all killa tunes.
Albums i know of are:
Can Better Really Come(2000)
Rootsman The Real Thing(2001)
Take a Look(2005)

He has been around scince the late 70's and i beleive he has been putting stuff out scince this time, mainly producing i think.

Some more info i had with an album:
Martin Campbell is a british artist that has been producing rhythms since the 1970's, mainly for Dub use, in the late 1980's he started to voice his rhythms himself, with the producer Rej Forte of Jah Works. Reggae Retro Records label took Martin Campbell's releases since 1994, releasing many Dub LPs. "Can Better Really Come" is his newest project. Sixteen songs recorded between 1994 /99 reemembers me the Rub A Dub era (popular style in Jamaica in the begining of the 80's), with strong rhythms and lyrics reflecting socio-economic, domestic conditions. Martin Campbell has voiced, composed, mixed and produced this solid project. "I Love A City", "The Way", "Match My Fire", Loser" and "Your Love" are classics

kendrick andy .. peter marshall donette forte ... and foundational roots vol 1 uk

don't forget the Dub crusaders's -Universal spirit warrior LP check the photo of Martin's tough guy pose in the back of the cover. Wicked dubb LP on Rej Forte's Jahworks label, but recorded at MArtin Campbell's Channel One UK Studio. aDam
http://www.bomreggae.gemm.com
http://www.myspace.com/jahadambom

1. Is the Channel One UK sound system related to Martin C?

2. I see Hoo Kim as executive producer on San Diego Vives LP for example? Is that so, really?

3. On all the Martin C releases I've got, no credits to the musicians! Who are the Hi Tech Roots Radics? I'd guess its mostly samples and played by the man himself, ie Martin C?

Anyways, respect to MC for solid music, done with the heart and guts!

1. No Channel One sound system is not related to Martin C.
but Mickey dread (owner of Channel One sound system) used to play some dubplates from Martin C.

2. As far as i know Hoo Kim and Martin know each other from long time (70's) and Hoo Kim is the one who gave him the right to use the name Channel one UK.

3. Martin plays a lot of instruments. Santa Davis used to play the drums on lots of his production but don't know about other musicians.

Don T,

Many thanks for information here. Unless someone else knows for players of instruments, I'll conclude he does most of the sound creation. I also note his San Diego vibes has a few tracks that are covers of existing riddims.

Anyway, I am overall impressed by the man's work.

The terrific zine Full Watts had a complete story on Martin Campbell several years ago. Sorry, not sure which issue. I have all my Beats, Dub Missives and Full Watts packed away somewhere. I have Can better Really Come and Rootsman The Real Thing. They both are great and I recommend them highly. I really wanted to get Take A Look 3 years ago but it was a signed limited edition LP and to order it from the US would have $55. Too much for me!

Charlie Reggae aka Ken Jones who used to work with Reggae Retro wrote an excellent guide and discography about Mr Campbell and his musical works, published in Summer 2002 entitle 'Rootsman'.