Executive Overview
In an era characterized by hyper-compressed digital singles and ephemeral viral tracks, genuine collaborative artistry rooted in the foundational traditions of Jamaican music remains a rare and vital commodity. Enter “Send Dem Come,” a masterclass in modern roots reggae production that bridges the historic musical neighborhoods of Kingston, Jamaica, and the sun-drenched coastal recording studios of California.
At the center of this sonic triumph is King Kong, a legendary deejay whose career spans more than four decades. First stepping up to the microphone at the iconic Tuff Gong studios in 1982, King Kong has returned with the unmistakable, weathered vocal timbre that defined the golden age of dancehall and roots. Produced by Josh Harris (internationally known as DJ Big Feet) for his independent roots imprint, Big Feet Records, the track features the sublime vocal harmonies of Trench Town native Torch. To round out the release, San Diego-based producer and dub virtuoso E.N Young provides a mesmerizing dub mix, cementing “Send Dem Come” as both a nod to legendary Jamaican mixing engineers like King Tubby and Scientist, and a forward-thinking statement on transpacific reggae solidarity.
This comprehensive report explores the genesis of “Send Dem Come,” detailing the intricate web of musical history, cross-continental collaboration, and meticulous studio craftsmanship that brought it to life. Through an examination of its key players—King Kong, Josh Harris, Torch, and E.N Young—we unpack the cultural significance of a release that proves true roots reggae is not a static artifact of the past, but a living, breathing, and continuously evolving global language.
Detailed Chronology: From the Studios of Kingston to the West Coast
To understand the weight and resonance of “Send Dem Come,” one must trace the chronological and geographical trajectories of the artists who brought it to life. This is a story of parallel tracks converging across decades and continents.
1982: The Genesis of King Kong
The story begins in Kingston, Jamaica, during a fertile period of musical experimentation. In 1982, a young vocalist stepped into the sacred confines of Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong studios. Adopting the moniker Junior Kong—a nod to his father—he possessed a distinctively raw, raspy grain in his voice that instantly set him apart from his contemporaries.
As the musical landscape shifted toward the digital dancehall revolution of the mid-1980s, that same gritty vocal texture became a staple of seminal records. King Kong lent his unmistakable delivery to the legendary Firehouse label sides for King Tubby, the undisputed pioneer of dub. He also delivered massive dancehall anthems like “Trouble Again” for visionary producer Prince Jammy (later King Jammy). This era established King Kong as a heavyweight deejay capable of riding heavy, uncompromising riddims with poetic dexterity and fierce vocal control.
The Mid-1980s: Josh Harris and the Rise of The Untouchables
While King Kong was cutting his teeth in Kingston’s dancehall circuit, Josh Harris was charting a very different, yet parallel, musical course in Los Angeles, California. A multi-instrumentalist, Harris served as the keyboardist and vocalist for The Untouchables, a pioneering American 2-tone and ska revival band.
In 1985, The Untouchables released their debut studio album, Wild Child, on the legendary British independent label Stiff Records. The album’s success propelled the band onto the UK charts, exposing Harris to the grueling demands of international touring and major-label production. However, Harris’s true calling lay deeper within Jamaican musicology. Over subsequent decades, he transitioned from ska revivalist to roots reggae producer, ultimately founding Big Feet Records to serve as a vital conduit between West Coast musicians and the legendary architects of Jamaican sound.
The Trench Town Crucible: Torch Enters the Fray
Parallel to Harris’s transition into production, Kevin Campbell—better known by his stage name, Torch—was forging his own path in the gritty, culturally rich neighborhood of Trench Town, Kingston. Raised in the crucible of reggae’s spiritual birthplace, Torch spent over a decade cutting his teeth in Kingston’s fiercely competitive recording sessions.
His raw talent caught the attention of roots icon Tony Rebel, who bestowed upon him the stage name Torch. Throughout the 2000s, Torch not only operated his own independent outlet, Evaburninflame Recordings International, but also toured extensively as a core backing vocalist for reggae titan Buju Banton starting in 2005. Torch’s ability to weave intricate, soul-stirring harmonies made him one of the most sought-after vocal arrangers in modern roots music.
The Convergence: Building “Send Dem Come”
The culmination of these disparate timelines arrived in the modern era when Josh Harris conceptualized the foundational riddim for “Send Dem Come.” Rejecting the rushed, over-produced aesthetics of contemporary pop reggae, Harris engineered a heavy, classic reggae foundation. The riddim is deliberately spacious and unhurried, allowing the basslines and drum pockets to breathe in the traditional style of 1970s and 80s Jamaican rub-a-dub.
When King Kong stepped up to the microphone to deliver the lead vocals, his voice carried the exact same gritty resonance that defined his work at Tuff Gong and King Tubby’s studio decades prior. To elevate the track’s vocal depth, Torch was brought in to layer rich harmony arrangements behind King Kong’s lead. The resulting vocal interplay fuses the aggressive deejay style of Kingston’s golden age with the lush, spiritual harmonies of Trench Town.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Architecture of a Modern Roots Classic
To fully appreciate the scope of “Send Dem Come,” one must examine the production techniques, historical lineages, and quantitative metrics that underpin its creation.
The Big Feet Records Transpacific Pipeline
Big Feet Records has quietly evolved into one of the most reliable independent bridges connecting California’s burgeoning reggae community with Jamaica’s legendary vintage artists. Founder Josh Harris has utilized his decades of industry experience to curate releases featuring a virtual who’s who of Jamaican music royalty, including:
- Ken Boothe: The legendary "Mr. Rock Steady" known for his soaring tenor and global crossover hits.
- Lutan Fyah: A modern roots torchbearer renowned for his conscious, socially critical lyrics.
- Johnny Osbourne: The "Dancehall Godfather" responsible for timeless anthems like "Truths and Rights."
- The Silvertones: Iconic harmony trio whose foundational rocksteady and reggae recordings date back to the legendary Treasure Isle era.
“Send Dem Come” fits seamlessly into this catalog, representing a masterclass in cross-continental project management where authentic Jamaican vocal styling meets meticulous Californian studio engineering.
E.N Young and the Art of the Dub Mix
A critical component of the “Send Dem Come” release package is the official dub mix crafted by E.N Young. Operating out of Imperial Sound Recording Studio in San Diego, California, E.N Young is a heavyweight in the modern American reggae scene. As a gifted multi-instrumentalist—particularly renowned for his mastery of the melodica—Young has cut and engineered more than 1,250 reggae tracks.
His production and mixing credits read like a roll call of modern reggae royalty, including work with:
- Steel Pulse: The pioneering British roots band and Grammy Award winners.
- Stick Figure: The multi-platinum American reggae-rock phenomenon.
- Alborosie: The Italian-born, Jamaica-based reggae artist and producer known for his analog purism.
Working from the raw stems of the original “Send Dem Come” recording sessions, E.N Young approaches the mix through the lens of his greatest influences: the pioneering studio wizards King Tubby and Scientist. Rather than simply applying superficial digital effects, Young physically deconstructs the track. He utilizes vintage spring reverbs, tape delays, and sweeping EQ cuts to pull the arrangement apart into something vast, immersive, and meditative. The dub mix transforms the original song into a sonic journey, emphasizing the physical weight of the bass and the hypnotic spatial awareness characteristic of 1970s Jamaican dubplates.
Official Statements & Industry Perspectives
The collaborative ethos driving “Send Dem Come” speaks volumes about the communal nature of the global reggae community. While modern music industries frequently emphasize hyper-individualism and algorithmic optimization, projects like this highlight the power of collective memory and shared artistic heritage.
Industry analysts and roots purists have lauded the single for its uncompromising refusal to pounce on fleeting pop-reggae trends. By keeping the tempo measured, the instrumentation organic, and the vocal performances raw, the creative team behind “Send Dem Come” has issued an unspoken manifesto: roots reggae does not need to be modernized to be relevant; it simply needs to be executed with authenticity and soul.
Josh Harris has frequently emphasized that Big Feet Records was founded not as a commercial enterprise designed for immediate chart-topping gratification, but as a preservationist and collaborative platform. By pairing veterans like King Kong—whose career stretches back to the analog trenches of Kingston—with contemporary multi-instrumentalists like E.N Young, Harris ensures that the foundational grammar of Jamaican music is passed down, respected, and re-contextualized for modern audiences.
Future Outlook: The Ongoing Evolution of Global Roots
As the global music market continues to fracture into hyper-niche streaming ecosystems, the success of releases like “Send Dem Come” points toward a promising future for independent roots reggae.
1. The Proliferation of Cross-Border Collaboration
The traditional model of flying artists to Kingston to record in isolated island studios is no longer the sole pathway to authentic reggae production. As demonstrated by Big Feet Records and Imperial Sound, high-speed digital infrastructure combined with deep-seated personal relationships allows artists in California, Jamaica, Europe, and beyond to co-create music that honors Jamaican traditions while utilizing state-of-the-art mixing environments. We can expect to see an increase in transpacific co-productions where West Coast production houses partner directly with first-generation Jamaican dancehall and roots architects.
2. The Resurgence of Vinyl and Dub Culture
With the continuous global resurgence of vinyl records and physical media, releases that feature a dedicated A-side vocal track paired with a heavy B-side dub mix—such as the package curated for “Send Dem Come”—are finding an increasingly enthusiastic audience among audiophiles and sound system operators. Producers like E.N Young are leading a new generation of analog-minded engineers who understand that dub is not merely an auxiliary remix style, but an essential, standalone art form demanding the same level of creative rigor as the original song.
3. Preserving the Legacy of the Elders
As time claims the foundational architects of Jamaican music, projects that actively engage surviving legends like King Kong carry immense cultural and historical value. These recordings serve as living bridges, connecting 21st-century listeners directly to the golden eras of Tuff Gong, King Tubby, and Prince Jammy. Future projects issuing from the Big Feet stable will undoubtedly continue this vital preservation work, ensuring that the voices that built the global reggae empire are neither forgotten nor relegated to dusty archival digital folders.
Conclusion
“Send Dem Come” is far more than a standard single release; it is a transcontinental testament to the enduring power of roots reggae. By uniting the gritty, battle-tested deejay styling of King Kong, the visionary production framework of Josh Harris and Big Feet Records, the sublime vocal harmonies of Trench Town’s Torch, and the cerebral, tubby-esque spatial manipulation of E.N Young, this project achieves a rare alchemy.
It honors the past without sounding dated, pushes creative boundaries without abandoning tradition, and most importantly, delivers an unforgettable musical experience that resonates deeply from Kingston to California and across the global reggae diaspora.
To stream "Send Dem Come" and experience this masterclass in modern roots production, visit the official release link on Spotify.
