A truly seminal figure in the development of Jamaican deejay culture, Ranking Joe began performing at the tender age of 15, honing his skills as a microphone controller for Dennis Alcapone’s vaunted El Paso Hi-Fi. He didn’t truly come into his own until the end of the ‘70s, when he adopted the moniker Ranking Joe and began toasting over hard rub-a-dub rhythms provided by producers like Joseph Hookim, Joe Gibbs, and others. Ranking Joe recorded his second proper full-length, Saturday Night Jamdown Style, at Channel One Studio under the supervision of producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes and dub master Scientist. The opening track, “Step It Down Shepherd’s Bush,” was likely inspired by Joe’s experiences performing in London with Jah Screw and the Ray Symbolic soundsystem; it pays tribute to the spread of soundsystem culture to Jamaican communities in the U.K., Canada, and the United States. The remaining tracks, which boast outstanding rhythms from The Roots Radics, are equally accomplished, making Saturday Night Jamdown Style one of Joe’s most invigorating early releases.