Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by David Corio—
As you may have heard, hugely influential and prolific Jamaican producer Winston Riley died last week. As both the producer behind the long-running Techniques record label and, before that, a singer in the vocal group the Techniques, Riley (the uncle of our own Sherman Escoffery) had his hands in an immeasurable number of timeless recordings, spanning over four decades and the genres of rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. Here on this list are 10 of the most significant ones. For more on Riley and his music, we recommend visiting the Twitter feed of social observer “Big Black Barry” (always a great source for meaningful commentary on Jamaican music legacies), downloading Cultcha Sound’s tribute mix, or buying the Quintessential Techniques anthology released by VP Records in 2009.