Lustre Kings Productions

Lustre Kings productions is a reggae record label based in Oakland, CA, Brooklyn, NY, and Kingston, Jamaica. Lustre Kings has been releasing music in Jamaica, United States and Europe steadily since 1998.

Started by Corrin Haskell and Andrew Bain, LK is dedicated to producing quality cultural music with a message. Having worked with every big name in the Rastafarian music scene today; Capleton, Sizzla, Luciano, Anthony B., Natty King, Yami Bolo, Jah Mason, Turbulence, Norrisman, Spragga Benz, Determine, Natural Black, Lutan Fyah, Midnite, Niyorah, Ras Attitude, Marlon Asher, and more have recorded on riddims like African Charm,Credential, Fortune Teller, Black Mystic and Alarm Clock, No Polotics, Talking Drum,and New Day.

Over the past five years LK has sold thousands of singles worldwide in the 7 vinyl format, through distributors like Jet Star (UK/ USA), One Love Jamaica (JA/ Italy), VP Records (USA), Ernie B (USA), CapCalcini (JA), Penthouse (JA), Music Ambassador (USA), Dub Vendor (UK), andSoundquake (Germany).

In addition to the 7 singles, we have a growing catalogue of cd releases. A full-length compilation album, Culture Dem, anunder-ground classic which really brought LK into the light. A solo artist album by Turbulence "The Future" was signed to a licensing deal with Jet Star Phonographics, the flagship reggae label in the UK. The groundbreaking various artists compilation Calling All Jah Children, mixed by DJ Child, thatused a selection of our catalogue put into a legal mixtape format. The solo artist album by Lutan Fyah, "Time and Place" which established the artist as a force world wide. The next chapter of Culture Dem 2 was another various artist release that features the best reggae and dancehall has to offer. The latest riddim album releases, "New Day", "RedRazor", "Shining", were the first of its kind, combining artists from across the Caribbean, including the powerful Virgin Islands movement. In 2006, LK released an exclusive "greatest hits 2002-2007" album in Japan with Diamond Edge records. In addition, LK's 2007 release "Infinite Quality" combined Midnite's vocalist Vaughn Benjamin with the outstanding production from Digital Ancient. All of our projects have received extensive press world-wide, appearing in several publications like The Beat (USA), RiddimMagazine (Germany), XNews (Jamaica), Rove (Japan),Murder Dog (USA), Riddm (Japan), Rasta Snob (Italy), MelodyMaker (UK), Natty Dread (France), Ireggae.com (internet), Reggaevibes.com (Netherlands), Reggaefrance.com (France), and Amazon.com (internet).

With a host of up and coming releases slated for the next year (albums from Al Pancho, Noble Society, Norrisman, Jah Dan, and Culture Dem 3) as well as releasing the entirety of our 7 selections in cd & digital format, the Lustre Kings extensive catalogue is ready and awaiting discovery by the world. Nearly all of the artists that Lustre Kings began working with from its inception have gone on to claim number one song titles in the Jamaican market, bringing those artists towards international success.

Lutan Fyah storms in. A hurricane with a bandana in his hair, and a true chatterbox, he greetseveryone, obviously happy. Here, at King Corrin’s crib, a small house close to Highway 80 inOakland, in the turbulent suburbs of the new-bourgeois San Francisco, the singers feels a littlebit home. What more normal? Corin and his partner Moon, the tenants of the Lustre Kingslabel, gave him last year Time And Place, his best album so far. Doing so, they contributed toturning Lutan from the “upcoming sing-jay” status to “big” one. It’s here as well that he spent afew weeks in 2001, along Jah Mason and Norris Man, taking his time to record, creating a trueconfidence and building up a true friendship. It shows in the music, and marks a real differencewith most non-jamaican labels. "My home away from home", hilarious Lutan sums up. This is the LK way : diaspora-style, the label often accomodates its distant members. At thisvery moment, for a mini-tour, the “house-artist’ Jah Dan, of new Yorkean musicians crew NobleSociety fame, is crashing in a couch. Moon, the Lustre Kings riddim buider, also from Brooklynand guitarist in the group which accompanies Lutan, is staying somewhere else in Oakland. It canbe for instance at Rankin' Scroo’s, a veteran jamaican singer popular in the “Midnight Rockyears” who runs a studio here, or at Child’s, another usual shelterer, a XXXL-dressed DJ withcigars blocked in his cap, pure East Coast speech, who got known for his “Project Groundation”mix Cds... Depending. That family is tight, welded almost, and got fed with multiple influences - Moon also producesfrom hip-hop to folk, and occasionnally drops solo albums on which he plays flute otherinstruments. This side also shows in the LK productions. Originality. This is what made the smalllabel leave the strict circle of 7" collectors to reach a wider audience, thanks to the CultureDem, compilations, illustrated by an exiled Cuban friend, Jah Terms. Versatility, as well, is the key to the LK sound. From a series to the next, the range coveredhas gone from pure roots – “Credential”, a version to Don Carlos’ tune- to percussive dancehall –“African Charm”- via recent, sweet One drop style as heard on the recent “New day”. Between thetwo extremes, always some intriguing, efficient, musical finds, perfectly produced. As exemples,the insolite environment of the Talking Drum or the dramatic effects on Turbulence’s Bun DemAgain can illustrate. To add up to the musical skills, the two buddies do have a talent to spot the future talents inJamaica (Turbulence, Lutan Fyah, Natty King, Al Pancho...) before they become "big artists". This is how theLustre Kings’ credential grows... Why this name, by the way ? Corrin Haskell, a piercing glanceand turban always matching his shirt, also a kids teacher in a city school, details the process:"Moon and me grew up together in Seattle, we’ve known each other since we were 12 years old. Wewere a whole group of kids and we started to call ourselves The Lustre Kings because there wasthis parking space downtown, on which we wanted to park, that read : ' Reserved to LustreKings'.” That’s it. This fantastic name found, what to make with it ? In the beginning, nothing.Adolescence occurs, the two pals just collect music. The revelation came from Moon, who decided once to take off to Jamaica, "with a backpack and justthe clothes I had on me”, staying at people’s places. Soul searching. And discovering GarnettSilk, Capleton in full redemption mode and the bubbling conscious dancehall scene building upafter the 'punaany years'. Enthusiastic, he convinces childhood friend Corrin to go check it outon the spot. Not needing to be asked twice, Corrin leaves in 1995 in order to go teach at halfwayTree for 5 months. "I lived in Papine and I had a one hour walk down Hope Road to join my school,he recalls. On the way, I stopped sometimes at the house of Bob Marley and passed around theoccasionnal mix-tape, that’s how I met Mister T ". Mister T, not a big singer, bringsnevertheless the young teacher to Nannyville, "it was pure bobos in there, there were even Sizzlawith his mini-locks, and also Jah Marcus or Mabrak. We’d burned the chalice, I recorded a few acappellas because everyone was singing all the time. I also brought back actually a full Mister Ttune, recorded at Anchor studio, called Jah All The While. It was to become our first officialsingle. Returning to the USA, I linked up straight with Moon, who was already making a lot ofbeats : yo Moon, if you give me 5 riddims, I have all the artists we need ". Moon listened andagreed. He smiles today : "I had my MPC and I said myself: I can do better than that ". Not evenbragging. The pair goes back to Jamaica a few months later, their five instrumentals under thearm, and voice three unknown artists: I-Call, Mister T and Shadroch. If the result is in theirown words anecdotic, the label is at least launched. More importantly, both "rookies" learncertain strings from the trade while mixing in Dynamic. "We had to negociate with Sylvan Morris",Moon laughs. The engineer, when he saw the freshly-landed Americans, sort of tried to “adapt” hisrates : "All of a sudden, from 500 dollars for the three tunes, he wanted 500 for each one". Mmh.Sylvan ends up doing the job for the initial price, the series drops anyway, with a limitedsuccess. "No big names", Corrin says; "Honestly, the tunes weren’t that great ", Moon admits.Still, they stuck their foot in the door. It won’t close ; the only missing now being amazingvocalists. Enters Al Pancho. “The true beginning", Moon states. It all starts in Seattle, whenNorris Man and Anthony B stop during a 1999 tour. Backstage, Corrin passes around some LK flyerswhen Norris, a colourful charcater to say the least, gets all wired up : on the LK promo piece isa picture of his long-lost school buddy Mister T ! Back to Jamaica a few months later, the LustreKings put both friends in contact again. Norris Man is so happy that he records the US label’sfirst anthem : Culture Dem, which is to become the title of the 2 LK’s hit-compilations. In thestudio on the same day, an unknown youth that never stops singing is roaming around "he had areally different voice tone", Corrin remembers. His name is Al Pancho and he’s going to become astaple in the LK’ classic singers’ team. Plus he knows virtually every singer, from Luciano toNatty King… More than this encouraging start, the Americans now need some big names. It all changed in thesummer of 2001, right before September 11. “those were powerful times, ”Corrin sums up. Livingnow in California, he goes to Seattle where Jah Mason and Lutan Fyah are staying at a friend’shouse. “That gave us time to discuss and really work”. They record some major tunes in thehistory of the label, in a hip hop basement studio : among them is No More War by Lutan Fyah, onthe Fortune Teller riddim popularized by Turbulence with Burn Dem Again or Yami Bolo with War AndRevolution, their biggest sale to date. Probably more fond of the Bay Area’s weather thanSeattle’s too, both singers follow Corrin and set camp in his place for the entire summer. This is when the “Lustre King method to real link up” officially starts. Based on a realrelationship, not business-only driven. This is one of the reasons Lutan Fyah’s album Time andPlace sounds so perfect : no secret, eight weeks of tight bonds and works always pay. NorrisMan,also cruisin by, is invited as well, along one of Moon’s friends : Jah Dan, a Guyanese-NYeclectic conscious rapper/singer who used to work with DJ Premier and was part of the BuckshotLefonque project. He’s also a member of the collective of musicians and producers called NobleSociety, that count in its ranks Nick Fantastic, who produced the Hard Times riddim. Strenghtened by this kind of successful collaboration, the Lustre Kings fly again to Jamaica inDecember 2001. "Two or three most memorable sessions at Anchor studios”, Corrin notes. This iswhen they get Sizzla, "He was more of an enigma, cool but mystical, more laid-back than that onetime Nannyville,” Moon remembers. “He got his tune in 15 minutes". They also record the then-relatively unknown Turbulence –they stay at his place- and Anthony B, Yami Bolo. Capleton, aswell, one of the artists they love to see work the most. “He has his feet well on the ground”,Moon explains. “It was exciting to go to the David House, everybody came down to the studio, fourcars were packed up with people, they were shooting gunshots in the air ! It was insane. Onceinside, the ambiance was even crazier.” Just before those sessions, they even took Al Pancho andNatty King to Cuba, “he sang No Guns To town over there before he recorded it when he cameback"... Now everything is in place for LK. Their most successful series come from those times :Fortune Teller, Alarm Clock, or the tune Woman Of Principles (Lutan Fyah, still) which even getssome air play on the radio in Jamaica. A real recognition, if you bear in mind that they don’t dothe Payola thing. “Payola?” The term is American and comes from the 50s, when a series ofscandals destroyed the careers of rock’n’roll DJs Alan Freed and Dick Clark, because it gotproved they accepted money to play tunes from such or such producer. In Jamaica, this form ofpayment is more than accepted : it’s more of a general, accepted phenomenon. Anyway. Selling little on the island due to non-Payolaship partly, the Lustre Kings ownersdistribute nevertheless from Jamaica their discs stamped with "Made In Jamaica" on the label,since they are recorded and pressed on the spot. The two only series which were not got actuallysaved by this printing on their label : "we managed to go through customs because with the label,we managed to let them believe we were bringing back unsold copies”, they laugh. Besides theendless trips, this is the kind of mind gymnastics they have to play when living 5000 km awayfrom Kingston, They don’t regret it, though. "Here in the US, it’s our backyard,” Corrinexplains. “When artists come here, we can have a quality time to record, with no distraction likein Kingston, when every guy is like : ‘Yo King, listen to my tune, number one'!" The LK take their time. It’s the simple recipe that they apply. In the future, that should’ntchange. Moon and Corrin would like from now on even less artists on each series, three or four ofthem, and maybe release 10" or 12", just to make sure proper promotion is made for each tune.And no, they won’t stop trying to find new talents. From the Boo Studio in Rhode Island, Moonworks tightly Vaughn Benjamin, the singer of the Virgin Islands based group Midnite, whom he’sknown since 1997. The LK instrumentalist is also very close to Zion High label. All that shouldlead to really interesting things, amongst others "the Zion High first singles made in Jamaica",Moon smiles. In his corner, talented Jah Dan’s huge talent is also ready to unleash some greatsongs… And there are still so many more to discover… This summer, the two LK accomplices will bein the field again. Their future sure sounds creative. Or just like the spot in that Seattleparking lot : "Reserved to Lustre Kings".