VP Records celebrates 40 years of Reggae Music with new Exhibition & Reissues

 
Art & Culture

The iconic record label has announced a new exhibition in London, which will run from the 29th October to 1st November at the Jamaican High Commission. The record label was first formed in Kingston, Jamaica and has been responsible for the evolution of the sound across decades all over the globe. Founded by Vincent "Randy" Chin and his wife Patricia Chin the label is now the world's largest independent reggae label and has acted as an outlet for some of the most influential musicians from the genre. 

The exhibition has been described as follows:

"From humble beginnings as a small record store in Kingston, Jamaica to an international powerhouse of reggae and dancehall in Jamaica, New York, the exhibition will chronicle the past 40 years of VP’s history through a ten-piece visual display and two evenings of panel discussions on the impact of Caribbean music in the UK. 

Running 29th October through to 1st November, the exhibition will feature spotlights on Greensleeves Records — which VP acquired in 2008 — and reggae legend Dennis Brown. It will also detail the development of the label’s pioneering compilation series, Reggae Gold, Soca Gold and Strictly the Best."

As part of the 40th birthday celebrations the label will also make available some of the rarest music in the collection including the first reissues of some of the most collectable vinyl records in the VP catalogue such as Freddie McKay’s “Fire Is Burning,” Junior Reid’s “What Do You Know,” and Echo Minott’s “Saddest Day.”

Photographs from the exhibition preview can be seen below:


Photography courtesy of Asia Ella.