Shock! You live like that in the Ruhr area and have been overwriting for decades Dub and doesn't notice that one in the neighboring city of Dortmund Dub-Hinker first quality works: Alien Levi. First the online research for this review of his album "Interferences, Vol. 2" (DiSFish Records) put me on the trail of this loner who, by the way, was a member of a Dortmund reggae band back in the 1980s. Hard to believe. And then there's something else: The album "Interferences, Vol. 2" was originally released in 2015 and has been on the shelves of relevant record stores for around four years, but has only now appeared on digital channels and streaming services. Ashes on my head. But no matter, better late than never: So if you are on intelligent, electronic Dub à la International Observer, then enter “Alien Levi” in the search in Spotify or Apple Music and select “Interferences, Vol. 2”. A wonderful one Dub-Album full of warm, harmonic bass masterpieces, cleverly arranged, beautifully mixed and above all: wonderfully composed. For me the album has been going up and down the last few weeks. Incidentally, in the last four years, Mr Levi seems to have given up bass harmonies and turned to more experimental electronic sounds beyond the Dub add. So I can only guess: Stream "Interferences, Vol. 2" as often as you can to get it back on the right track with streaming royalties ;-)
22 responses to "Alien Levi: Interferences, Vol. 2"
Greetings,
in "Interferences Vol. 1" Alien Levi shows who he is with the Dubvirus infected.
A treat for all ON-U sound addicts.
How do you always say so beautifully Ras Vorbei ? "I'd rather hear the original right away". I am inclined to phrase it that way. Well, I don't think it's that bad now. But I don't feel like cheering either.
I'll start with the really bad one. "Dub Top - Lee "Scratch" Perry "(!) There are the so-called" flying cymbals "again. He doesn't seem to like Lee Perry at all, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to do this one Dub (?) to be called that. Is inedible for me! Then the keyboard - or synthesizer sound on “Flee Out” (!) It's minus for me. With "Dub Foundation “then something like a murmur goes through my body and I also feel something like DubThe atmosphere. Overall, the reverb effects on the snare drum sound too much like 1 + o. But I don't have to close myself completely to the disc, because it's still offbeat. Then there is the really fat AHA effect with Andy Fairley! His voice alone creates the right thing for me DubFeeling!
It may be that my synapses are so hard-wired through the On-U.Sound volleys from the past and still from the present that only the voice and my associated DejaVus can cause euphoria in my soul. All in all, I can give myself the record ………… .. but I don't have to. Sorry René, that I can't share your enthusiasm with you. But Andy is in my playlist!
"I've got the legs of Bobby Moore" (I can still pull myself into an endless loop) …………………. lemmi
Greetings Lemi,
I spoke of "Interferences Vol. 1" !!! and just wanted to point out where the wind is blowing at Alien Levi.
ON-U. Sound cannot be copied, so I will always choose the original. We absolutely agree on that.
Stay tuned....
Jo Ras Vorbei !
In my first paragraph I also spoke of Vol.1, but admit that I did not formulate it precisely enough.
"Tune in to the King of Sounds and Blues, A Reggae Music I will never refuse" ………………………… lemmi
Lookup:
"Interferences Vol. 1" was written by none other than Patrick Dokter aka Dr Dub remastered. dr Dub is among other things the “Resident DJ” at Adrian Sherwood's recently opened underground club “Shanty Town” in Ramsgate.
Alien Levi has also made Bim Sherman.
Rummage through https://disfish.bandcamp.com/music
hmmm ... I don't know ... it all sounds pretty wooden & like cobbled together at home - I suspect that it was not done on purpose to get a specific sound image. These Bontempi sounds (I exaggerate for the sake of clarity) unfortunately do not touch my drum and peritoneum at all.
Greetings
For sure these riddims areDubs in 2015 been tied together in a small room for a long period of time. Today, technology makes possible what was not even remotely imaginable not so long ago. Here, too, the “wallet” shows, as it did back then with ours Dubmasters of the 70 / 80s from YES to the limits of the possible.
As Alien Levi writes himself, he had to familiarize himself with the equipment and then tried out what was possible. Lots Dubs ended up in the garbage can. “The first attempts were just terrible. It must have sounded like Kraftwerk with way too many bongs and a bottle of Jägermeister. Believe me, I know how it feels ... "
I took the time again and listened to the work again in peace. Alien Levi's “Interferences, Vol. 2” has a caesura from take 7 and turns more towards the offbeat. From then on I like the album a lot better and I can confirm René's point of view. Someone really took the trouble and gave us “a wonderful Dub-Album full of warm, harmonic bass masterpieces “served and as an extra bonus the whole thing for free. What more do you want?
I find it original that Alien Levi Lee Sampled Scratch Perry, the American double popes and writers of the 60 / 70s William S. Burroughs and (Prof.) Timothy Leary. William S. Burrough's books "Naked Lunch" and "Junkie" were read by everyone in my circle of acquaintances. Also Dub Spencer & Trance Hill have already paid homage to William S. Burroughs with a full album.
The sad thing about the whole thing is that far too many are horny because of this permanent overstimulation and the constant availability (Dub) Mukke often only briefly listen to music, zap through, think he has got an overview and then quickly disqualify the work. How many ON.U Sound works would have fallen through the cracks with this listening behavior?
Then there is this “bass fetishism”, I don't always have to have the feeling that someone kicks me in the pit of my stomach every time I hit the bass. I am well aware that the Dub Dum & Bass are the salt in the soup, but everything with measure and aim.
Regarding overstimulation again, I compare that to floors that can absorb a certain amount of water. As soon as these soils are saturated, the water flows off above ground and can no longer penetrate.
I hope I haven't offended someone .... stay tuned
"The sad thing about the whole thing, I find, is that far too many are horny because of this permanent overload of stimuli and the constant availability (Dub) Mukke often only briefly listen to music, zap through, think that he has gained an overview and then quickly disqualify the work. How many ON.U Sound works would I have fallen through with this listening behavior? "
I feel addressed but by no means offended. What music and in particular Dub I am doing the same thing. In principle, my bottom is completely saturated or, as Bob Marley would say, "my cup is running over"! Still, I have to stick with it, otherwise Richie Phoe, for example, would have remained unknown to me and I would have been some of the best Dubs slipped through your pants all the time. In order not to drown completely, I look for the fly in the ointment so that I don't die of overstimulation. At Uk Steppers I usually find a whole wig made of plastic hair enriched with plastic granules in the soup. I can always put it to the files quickly. Plastic is out anyway! Except Black Magic Plastic!
Like a Jedi Knight, I allow myself to be fully guided by my feelings and if I have the slightest doubt, even when checking the disc superficially, the case is settled for me.
The result of my approach is then the essence of my passion.
So …………. and now I have to really show off again or hit the shit. I have perfect pitch
for groove, or for my favorite groove. A fraction of a second is enough to tell whether it's grooving or not. Just two examples, even if not everyone can understand:
It was probably back in the 80s when I deigned to listen to the music on the radio. Every Thursday the international hit parade with the unforgettable Werner Reinke (ok, it was HR3, so not everyone will know this legend). Suddenly there was a tune that was so different and produced an upliftment that had never been achieved before, that I absolutely had to know who it was. It was Gary Clail and The On-U.Sound System "Human Nature" !! °!
Gary Clail again! this time in the 90s (?):
I zapped through the program - I zapped past MTV in half a second but STOP! .... What kind of awesome groove was that, I thought …… Zapp back and then it was pure goose bumps. "One Law before the Rich and Another for the Pure" Gary Clail and The On-U.Sound System !!! I had never heard of the tune before and half a second was enough to realize that it would be my favorite tune for the following weeks.
I mean to say that my taste is FIX! I know and I feel in every cell of my body what I want or don't want. It's the same with food. If you add fennel to your meal, you will also hear Dieter Bolen ;-)…. is my opinion.
Yes it's good lemmi, you can come back down ... .. go into the shade ... .. that'll be fine again ...
I actually wanted to write something about bass fetishism, but I think I've given my opinion on it often enough. Bass does not mean that the pants flutter, but BASSLINE !!! And always only BASSLINE !!! …… and if it still bubbles nicely, it's midsummer !!! .... no matter what time of year. Time becomes relative again, because "we" know that BASSLINES bend space and time in the space-time continuum ……… oh, I love to spin around like that …… I'm a fan …… .. what do you want to do ………… .... lemmi
Hi Lemmi,
Here is a recent example of even your perfect pitch failing.
Rainfoord! ;-))
Exceptions prove the rule.
At Steppers you run into open doors, a few bars and I give thanks.
Some works, especially ON-U. Sound, sometimes need a little more time. Sometimes these intricate masterpieces simply have to be heard more often to reveal the subtleties. Nice that you mention Gary Glail, also one of my ON-U's. Sound discoveries. You can hear it and either like it or not. The guy is awesome!
Richie Phoe might also have slipped on me, but as a loyal Riddim reader and thanks to Renés Dub Column, I am still on the cutting edge and peu à peu peu à peu through his suggestions.
hehe Ras Vorbei !
In principle, I've been waiting for Rainford's objection. "Exceptions prove the rule".
But I have to disagree because my very first comment on the record is on “Pay It All Back 7” (if I'm not mistaken again). I was actually spontaneously enthusiastic about the record.
Even if I only had a very superficial picture of the disc at the time, I immediately found 5 big tunes for myself. They are all now. And yet I also looked for the fly in the ointment with “Rainford”, although it was more of a chain of certain comments that led me to have certain doubts. I still stand by that, because I think “Cricket In The Moon” is just too good to deal with the croak and the text lalala…. kackakakcka boom boom to end. Without this idea the tune would have been inviolably good for me. So it's only very good ;-)
My sense of justice is very strong and therefore I have to mention that we (including René) and especially myself were made aware of Richie Phoe by our dear colleague from Vienna Gerhard Thomas Kritz. Ok, that doesn't refute your statement that you met Richie through riddim, but it does make it clear how important GT Kritz is. His “Deep In Dub Playlist “on Spotify is the biggest and best for me DubLibrary that the world wide web has to offer. (I hope he likes it when I do some promotion for his playlist every now and then ;-)).
I think I read somewhere that you despise Spotify. If I get this confused, I apologize. I'm still not a streaming fan, but - how should I put it - the jacket is closer to me than the shirt or the other way around and when I find such awesome music, I can't ignore it.
I'm just scared that you make yourself so dependent on the computer. I already have so many addictions that I don't need any more of them. It is then again an extreme topic transfer but I would be interested to know where (if it is really so) your aversion to Spotify comes from.
“Privatize The Air” ……………………… .. lemmi
Weather is so great! I'm taking a short vacation! Until Monday ! …………… lemmi
That had to be done with the Rainford, just wanted to hit the shit a bit. I found our discussion really refreshing. Was really fun !!! I prefer a critical comment than a pat in the back.
It is a mystery to me where you got the knowledge or want to have read that I had an aversion to Spotify.
I have kids and nothing works for them without these services, streaming is both a curse and a blessing.
I wish you a nice short vacation
Jo, thanks for the good wishes Ras Vorbei.
It worked. It was a super nice long weekend! But now it's finally Monday again ......
Yes, then I'll say sorry! for the assumption that you don't like Spotify that much.
It was probably a mistake.
Streaming is both a blessing and a curse. I recently streamed the Pickout Allstars again. Was running here on the side at work (or was I working on the side, I don't remember anymore) and suddenly a tingling murmur and tremor went through my body again. I thought “what awesome Dub“Molding was playing and I keep thinking, it's good that I have the record at home on vinyl. But why do I know this Molding Version plus Dub not at all !? I've heard the record at least 5 times at home!?! Well, they actually have the best version plus Dub omitted on the vinyl LP. I am inclined to throw the pane away out of frustration at just throwing it away. All the Dubs that are on there are now worthless and no longer usable because I always have to remember that the disc is incomplete and ultimately just a copy of what I actually wanted. The makers of these machinations are either deeply evil or they simply have no plan for music. They really would have everyone else Dub but cannot leave out “Molding” !!!
Yes, I cry around here extremely but I have a lot in my throat because of it.
Well, the main thing is that it is finally Monday again ………………… .. lemmi
Greetings
“They really would have everyone else Dub but cannot leave out “Molding” !!!
Maybe the big heads thought - if they think anything at all - we will do another EP of IJahman's masterpiece. After all, there are at least 4-5 versions /Dubs that were imported by the Pickout All Stars. Ooooder and that's more likely, they have absolutely no clue what is really cool, otherwise they would have treated "Molding" more reverently and given its due place.
Can you only vaguely imagine how excited I was in 1978 about IJahman's debut "Haile I Hymn". The work - still his absolutely best for me - ran in an endless loop for weeks. I still get goose bumps at the thought today! I hadn't heard a single sound before, let alone known who IJahman is. Went home with my new acquisition, unsuspectingly put the LP on the turntable and then sat there with my mouth and ears open and listened to the previously unknown sounds. Murderer ...
The first side of his second LP “Are We A Warrior” with “Molding” was still of the same quality, but unfortunately the quality of the second side fell off quite a bit.
As I write these lines, it becomes more and more clear to me what an exciting development in reggae I have witnessed live.
Lemmi, do you have any idea who is behind the Pickout All Stars? All I know is that it is a British label based in London and a Lloyd Dennis producer.
Look the other way around, less is more. The day has 24 hours, you only have two ears and you can't hear everything anyway. The "disc" can't help that only half was pressed on it, but I can understand your frustration very well. Don't throw it away, maybe your vinyl LP will still be a classic ;-)
Stay tuned ...
It's me again, I have one more question: "Well, the main thing is that it's finally Monday again ...".
Monday was always the most hated day of the week for me - except for Easter and Pentecost, of course.
My motto has always been: "rather in the darkest bar than in the brightest workplace".
You seem to enjoy going to work ...
Hehe, I work in a bar ;-)
No Ras Vorbei ! You realize again how difficult it is to convey your own humor with just words.
I would have to write a lot of comments so that my “style” is no longer misunderstood.
You also don't know that there are flyers lying around here at the university in Göttingen that say “Finally Monday”. Nobody found that funny here except me. Not because I like Monday so much, but because the saying “breaks every taboo” and is so absurd that I am almost inclined to say that the saying is flawless Dub !!
Well, maybe I didn't really notice your humor and it wouldn't have been necessary to answer, but sometimes I like to pretend to be stupid just so I can keep making my "stupid sayings".
I'll put it this way, being able to work here is certainly not the worst, but one thing is for sure…. I definitely did not invent work ;-)
“One day, I don't like, it's a monday monday” ……. there is simply a good reggae tune for every topic!
Greetings …………… .. lemmi
hmmmm Ras Vorbei,
you will meet me now at my weakest point! I'm nothing in research! Maybe GT Kritz knows more or René himself. I'm glad that at least I didn't miss the music. There is nothing on the vinyl disc!
And whether I have a - even very precise - idea of how “Hail I Hymn” hit you in 1978. At least as much as I did about 4 years later. I met I JAH Man with "Are We A Warrior". I was particularly enthusiastic about the length of his tunes, which of course only works if the tunes are so great that you want to hear them for so long. Of course, I bought “Hail I Hymn” as quickly as possible, which means that I and basically all of our previous clicks have become I JAH Man fans. We were very lucky to be able to see him live several times. My favorite record from I JAH Man, however, is “Africa” and I just have to mention the wonderful “Inside Out”. Especially the wonderful “Over There” was something of a hit here in Göttingen (Göttingen means ass in Turkish). So you have filled every dance floor!
But I was always particularly impressed by the live concerts of I JAH Man. The band, especially the bass player and of course the lead guitarist, was (not only) from my point of view the creme de la creme of reggae bands that ever found us. I just say Skully !!! To see this man live at the Pecussions was a godsend. I've only got three autographs in my life because I can actually do without something - one was from a badminton player from Indonesia, one from Kevin Keegan (I was really stupid back then) and an autograph from Skully. This man brought tears of joy to my eyes by the way he played the percussions and for that I just needed an autograph.
Even many years later - as early as the 2000s - I JAH Man still had his super monkey tit mega-band with him. Even if she was already a bit slimmed down (e.g. without Skully), it still started really well.
Unfortunately we now live in times when it is probably too expensive to bring the really horny musicians from Jamaica. That's why they only play halfway here, with a mix of musicians from Europe. No offense, I would be happy if I could play reggae as well as they did, but against these original bands from Jamaica it is nothing and nothing at all. For example, I was once able to experience Johnny Clark with a band from Jamaica who also did background for Ronny Davis. They were called Indica Band !!! But it doesn't matter because a week later they had a different line-up again. Anyway it was Dub Judah (if he really was) somewhere else again. On the net you can see concerts by Johnny Clark but all of them with strange bands that just don't get to the point. Doesn't stand up to the comparison and is therefore void for me. But you can still stop by here. Here in Gö-Town I would still like to give myself that, but I don't travel far anymore.
Yes, half of the story is not told here either, but I don't want to torment you too much with my grief,
that unfortunately a lot is over and will not come back.
Weekend (sigh) weekend (sigh) where is the weekend? …………… lemmi
The length of the title was something special, IJahman had a maximum of 2-3 titles per page. "Zion Hut" with that nice Nyahbinghi drumming and then that voice - great!
Yes, there was a time when bands - regardless of genre - went on tour to boost sales of their new album. Back then, a tour was negative business, even for Pink Floyd and other big players. Today we go on a tour to finance themselves because nobody can live from the sale of records. Hence these “low budget bands”.
All of the performers from JA came with their studio band. Israel Vibration or Eek A Mouse with the Roots Radics.
Jimmy Cliff, for example, came with an all star band like many others: Ernest Ranglin, Joe Higgs, Santa Davis, Sticky Thompson, Diggles Bailey, Bagga Walker, Sterling McCleod.
Obviously they can no longer cope financially today ... what a shame.
Burning Spear was accompanied by ASWAD on his tour of Europe in 1977, when he was not so well known. On his first tour through Germany in 1981 - I saw the "Master Of Wailing" in Mannheim - he (s) had a band with All Stars with him. At the percussion, by the way, Elias Rodney, I mean his brother.
Do you mean IJahman's band in the 90s? You have my full approval "what a band" !!!
Sorry René, we ran away again
Definitely the band from the 90's !!!
But the band in the 2000s was still really good. I think my world was still fine until 2010.
But now you've already given another cue! EEK A MOUSE! The first live encounter was possibly in the eighties at the Sunsplash on the Loreley. "I like Ice-cream" if you were there too, you know :-) There were only three people as a band (maybe members of the Roots Radics) and EEK A Mouse !! Until then and since then I had never heard anything cool and relaxed and simply uninhibitedly sovereign. EEK A Mouse was probably not on crack then! And the band played the coolest Roots Radics riddims that existed until then. Less than half a year later he came back - I think it was the Bochum mine - boundless anticipation and pure enthusiasm accompanied me on the way there. And then for the first time I understood what the term sham package meant. EEK was there! Everything is fine so far ! The opening act (I thought) was Rapsody (the singer sold his soul at the summerjam but well, the boy has to go on living)! Yes and then came EEK A Mouse! The basic problem was that Rapsody were still there and actually tried to accompany EEK A Mouse. Which they did until the end. I can only say one thing, normally at live concerts I was always in the first to second row and freaked out with enthusiasm. With this combination - EEK and Rapsody - I sat on the stairs the whole evening and had the same feeling as my sister when she was about 4 years old when she was on holiday in Spain by mistake and full of anticipation for a delicious portion of popcorn instead of sweet , got salty popcorn. Against this facial expression, Angela Merkel's hanging mouth can only be described as a satisfied, permanently stoned all-round grin.
It was already clear to me that the artist basically doesn't care. It all depends (for me) on the band. Of course I prefer Winston Rodney to Mark Forster, for example, but I'm honest and admit that if they swapped bands, Mark Forster would do a better concert than Winston Rodney. Ääääähem, now it's even becoming abstract for me.
I prefer to do the mörchen ………………. lemmi
Greetings Lemmy
No, I saw Eek A Mouse in Mannheim with a big band and this concert was world class.
I spent some wonderful hours backstage with Andrew Murphy and Rhapsody, who lived in Heidelberg for many years. In the HD / MA area, Rhapsody were an institution. Their concerts are legendary, unfortunately they never managed to capture this atmosphere on recordings.
Rhapsody accompanied Lee Scratch Perry on his early 90s tour through Germany and I found her really "tight" ;-)
Stay tuned ...
I saw Rainford Perry at a festival with a band in Geel. They even called themselves The Upsetters and they all looked really cool (yes, I have to admit that plays a small but certain role for me). But that was one of the limpest reggae bands I've ever seen live. Well, somehow Rhapsody was always in the wrong place at the wrong time for me. But I also have a record of them and I really like one song there. But it's also af a riddim from Original Jamaica.
State firm ………………. lemmi