Mr. James Brown enjoyed letting the drummer get some – it was not only the backbone of his chunky funk, but an organizational tool oft derided or simply set aside by others. If you listen to any punk record from the last decade or so, it becomes rather obvious that the folks sitting behind that array of hap dash metal, plastic and chrome aren’t always musically competent – or even expected to be. That’s not only unfortunate, but ridiculous considering the fact that a rhythm section needs to be locked down in order for the remainder of the troupe – in whatever genre – to function properly.

The issue persists through every medium and every genre. How many drummers can you name? What groups did they play with? There aren’t too many folks that’d be able to recall specifics of this nature and JA music isn’t too different. Of course, Sly and Robbie, at this point are one of the most revered rhythm sections in all of music. They deserve to be.

But Sticky, who was featured prominently on the Harder They Come sound track has recorded hundreds of sides -  I don’t know his given name, though. In his anonymity can be figured the lot of so many other talented and indispensible figures in music.

The deluge of re-worked re-issues from the Pressure Sounds label, out of the UK, won’t alleviate this problem, but it has been able to throw light towards a figure, who while not as prolific or well known as the other percussionists mentioned herein, has counted work that since the mid ‘70s has affected not just JA culture, but the world at large.

Santa or Carlton Davis has contributed to some of the most important works in the reggae canon. I own some of ‘em and didn’t even know, which, I suppose, calls into question to ability comment upon all of this, but well…

Coming on just his fourth recorded work, Davis performed along side the Barrett Brothers and Peter Tosh on the monumental Legalize It. That album and it’s ode to herbs in addition to the tireless polemics on the ‘shitstem’ made it one of the more conscious roots efforts ever recorded in addition to being a perpetual favorite of your weed dealer. That disc could alone cement one’s importance, but Davis also recorded frequently with Black Uhuru, Tubby’s, Prince Jammy, the Meditations, B. Levy, the Scientist, Yabby You and Niney the Observer. That’s an incredible list of latter day dub enthusiasts for Davis to not have gained the any sort of notoriety.

The Presure Sounds collection, Down Santic Way, focusing on some of this drummer’s work can’t even begin to amply lay out the history of this player. The taste that it gives through work with the stalwarts of the genre as well as the lesser known folks, though forms one of the most entertaining dub discs that I’ve encountered. Down Santic Way, while a few years old at this point, didn’t get a huge reception as some of its Soul Jazz released brethren, but it deserved to. Dub it well.