Studio Opening
In 1982 Fashion opened a four-track studio, essentially an expansion of Lane’s dub-cutting facility, A-Class, in the basement of the new Dub Vendor shop in Clapham Junction. By this time the UK MC explosion had begun, and Fashion played a part with Papa Face, Laurel & Hardy, Pato Banton, Bionic Rhona, Macka B and Asher Senator. The dub-cutting service saw Paul Robinson (of One Blood) and Maxi Priest as regulars at the tiny subterranean studio and Robinson soon enjoyed hits with the label as Barry Boom, while Chris Lane played guitars and percussion with Maxi & Paul's 'Caution' band, contributing to (and engineering much of) Priest's debut album, You're Safe.
Smiley Culture had one of the biggest reggae hits of 1984 on Fashion with "Cockney Translation", and his single "Police Officer" went to number twelve in the UK Singles Chart, and he appeared on Top of the Pops. Their connection with the UK MC boom made the step into ragga and dance-hall in the mid-1980s a comparatively natural one, and the studio was busy enough to employ Gussie P, and later Frenchie as engineers – both went on to be producers with their own labels, Sip-A-Cup and Maximum Sound respectively.
Meanwhile Fashion was also cutting Lovers Rock hits with Michael Gordon and Nerious Joseph, often coming out on another imprint, Fine Style. Two female acts were recruited, Winsome and Shako Lee (Janet Lee Davis). Winsome's "Am I The Same Girl", "Born Free" and "Super Woman" (with Tippa Irie) proved themselves classics of their type. Fashion also continued to work with a variety of Jamaican acts, including Junior Delgado, Joseph Cotton ('No Touch The Style'), Leroy Gibbons, Frankie Paul, Glen Brown and Augustus Pablo.
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