Phillip 'Prince' Smart

Philip Smart

King Tubby’s vocal, mixing and dub cutting studio opened sometime

Around 1971.

By then he had assembled some of  the equipment he needed. It was the 4 track mixing board and 4 track recorded bought from Byron Lee’s Dynamic studio in 1973 that made all the difference.

The demand for dub - was such, that Tubby had to employ other engineers to

Do the work.

First through the door was King Jammy, after that came Phillip Smart and singer Pat Kelly. And after that came Scientist, Professor, Pug The Chemist. 

It’s taken a good while, for Phillip Smart to finally get a dub album with his name on it. And now there are two album.

Phillip got into the music, by setting up his own sound, he was a good friend of Augustus Pablo - and swapped music and tapes with him. 

Pablo being a regular at King Tubby’s may have even introduced Phillip to Tubby.

That we will never know.

What we do know is that Phillip Smart or Prince Phillip took up residence at King Tubby’s around the mid-seventies.

Phillip Smart Meets The Aggovators at King Tubby’s (Jamaican Recordings)

Covers this era, and is produced by Bunny Lee. And what an album it its. Rammed with great rhythms, but the usual selection. With so many great Bunny Lee produced

Dub album released over the years. It’s hard to know where to start

This album is something else. It’s got everything. You can tell Prince Phillip

Really enjoyed mixing these dubs.

He knew how to get every bit of pure excitement out of the mixing board. Every single aspect of what is now expected from a dub album is present.

Filters, Delay, Reverb and Echo. It puts Prince Phillp up there with the greats of

Dub. King Tubby, ET, Lee Perry, King Jammy, Scientist. Add to that name Prince Phillip The man passed away a few years ago but not before setting up the HC&F

Studio in New York, with whom he worked with many great talents. His passing

Was a great loss. This album is a fitting tribute.

Prince Phillip Presents Dubplates & Raw Rhythm from King Tubby’s Studio 1973-1976 2LP

This time it’s Prince Phillips dubbing up rhythms mainly from Augustus Pablo, but also producers like Lloyd Charmers, Lloyd Parks.

Two producers who have built many many great rhythms over the years - but who have no dub albums to their name.

The opening dub is one from Lloyd Charmers - his production of Ken Boothe’s ‘Is It Because I’m Black’ A magnificent mix - with some dread vocals added for more excitement.

A little later Lloyd Parks turns up with ‘Officially’ one of his big hits from the early

Seventies.

The remaining tracks all come from Pablo. Pablo and dub have always been a big part of the reggae scene,

But what makes these dubs much interesting is the rawness.  Unless you was in Jamaica - listening to sound system during this time, you would have never heard

Dub like this.

Included are dubs from Jacob Miller, The Heptones, and of course Augustus Pablo.

This music is full of energy. It’s made dub so popular in the mid-seventies.

Then the record shops were full of Dub albums, but very few of them had this kind of power.

That is what makes reggae music so interesting for those who follow it. Everytime you think - you have it covered. There is always more!!!

What is sad - is that they were not available when the artists were around.

Thankfully Prince Phillip did very a very a good interview not long before he died.

Check it out it’s a great interview!!!

https://www.clashmusic.com/features/meeting-philip-smart/