International Observer: Escape From the Dungeons of Dub (EP)

How should be more contemporary Dub sound? A big question that everyone will have their own answer to. Let's approach the answer ex negativo. 1. Hardly any production is produced in Jamaica Dubwhat jamaican Dub does not make a promising candidate in the sense of our question. What echoes from the island to us mostly sounds like an update of the classic Dub-Sounds by Tubby & Co. There is a lack of depth, consistency and magic. 2. The antithesis to this sound might be UK steppers: bass, heaviness and dark magic. Does that make steppers more modern? In proportion, yes, because Steppers fuses classic Dub with a modern club sound. But although the style has become harder and more intense, it is basically based on a pattern developed in the 1990s and used since then. Anyone who has ever tried to date a steppers tune knows how difficult it is. So maybe not a convincing answer to our initial question. 3. Then there is the fully digital laptopDub, often screwed together by techno-socialized home musicians. Yes, Dub from the perspective of electronic music is already basically a modern concept. Even if all traditionalists clap their hands over their heads and talk about soulless music: laptopDub is definitely a contemporary form, even if the results are often not convincing on a purely aesthetic level. 4. And one more possible answer to our question: retroDub à la Prince Fatty. Absolutely eclectic and of course already postmodern. But ultimately “just” a clever quote from the original. But there is another possible answer: 5., the International Observer, aka Tom Bailey. He just put his new EP "Escape From the Dungeons of Dub" (Dubmission records) and with it my personal definition of modern Dub. It's one hundred percent reggaeDub In absolute technical perfection, which at the same time has completely emancipated itself from reggae. Crazy, right? But that's exactly what makes the music of the ex-Thompson Twins head Tom Bailey so modern. It is just autonomous. A completely independent music, which admittedly makes use of the formal aesthetics of reggae, but otherwise completely ignores the genre conventions, which gives it an astonishing independence. There is simply no suitable one Dub- drawer for her. But it is not only their autonomy, the observerDubs owe their unique quality. It's simply the great compositions, beautiful melodies, the sophisticated arrangement, the perfect timing and the incredibly dynamic, clean sound. With every beat it becomes clear that here with Tom Bailey an exceptional talent is at work, who, beyond commercial interests and scene credibility, is selfishly the pure desire for good Dub-Music has prescribed.