Dennis Bovell - Sufferer Sounds
We’ve got a stack of future Good Thing records in house right now, and—true to form—I waited until the last minute to decide which one to send out this month. Of the choices, Dennis Bovell’s Sufferer Sounds felt the most seasonally appropriate—a perfect soundtrack for the last few warm nights we might get to enjoy for a while. Before this record, I’ll admit I wasn’t at all familiar with Bovell or the sound system scene. I’m glad to have been acquainted. Bovell has long been a central figure in the UK reggae and dub world, carrying forward the sound system tradition—where towering speaker stacks, earth-shaking bass, and exclusive “dub plates” gave each crew its own signature sound. A dub plate wasn’t just a track, it was a coveted weapon: a custom mix or version that could make or break a sound system in competition. (Not unlike the Pico scene we Good Thingers celebrated earlier this year.) And one last note: Sufferer Sounds has been spinning in the café pretty much every time I go in since dropping it off a couple weeks ago. That’s always a good sign.
Javier Solis - Tarrazu, Costa Rica
We've been happily buying coffee from Javier Solis's farm La Taboba for 5 years now. Years ago, Javier convinced his father Alfonso to stop delivering their coffee to the local co-op, and instead process it all on their own farm. We're so grateful he did. La Taboba is managed by Alfonso as Javier has a full time gig as a school teacher. When we visited La Taboba in 2023, Javier hosted a big hang on a lookout deck that they had erected high up on the slopes of his farm. Javier showed up with a bottle of Jägermeister and a bottle of thick pink liquid that claimed to be some sort of strawberry tequila. What a guy. This year's lot from La Taboba is sugary sweet, with notes of red grape and almond.
