Retro reggae is (almost) always very popular. Many producers struggle to reproduce the sound of the Black Ark, the early Revolutionaries or Channel One. Pachyman fits in seamlessly there. The Puerto Rican, who lives in Los Angeles, is based on the sound of the late 1970s and offers a fresh one, characterized by small melodies and lively rhythms Dub-Style. He plays all of the instruments himself in his basement studio - you can watch some nice videos on YouTube.
My colleague gtkriz once criticized Pachy's sound harshly: “He presents a sound image that gives the impression of being with the artist in a rather musty, dull rehearsal room that is padded for sound insulation. Nothing is embellished there; the loud hi-hat and the cymbals sound tinny, the bass drum and the bass are dry and flat. ”Well, where he's right, he's right. But the question is: Is that really to be assessed so negatively? Or should retroDub doesn't sound like that? If you answer yes to the last question, then of course the follow-up question immediately follows: Why the copy when there is the original? Which brings us to the philosophical proseminar. That's why I don't want to go into any further detail here, but simply announce: I like his new album "The return oh Pachyman“Exceptionally good. the DubIt's wonderfully playful, the melodies nestle in my ears and the mix makes for good entertainment. And yes: I also enjoy deciphering the many quotations. I get the feeling that Pachyman and I are “one of an kind”. That's why I like him, I like to watch him in his basement studio and hear "Return ..." when I'm in a good mood. Welcome back Pachy!
It always says that it is in Jamaica Dub just about to die. But then the intensive care patient still twitches every now and then and makes everyone present in a state of excitement. Most recently on Teflon Zincfence's album "Dub Policy ". Now another shock wave is going through the intensive care unit: Jallanzo publishes with "Dubam 'It & Luvin' It“A great one Dub-Album made in Jamaica. Jallanzo ?? I didn't know his name yet, but I did know his music, because the multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and Dub-Producer played for the a few years ago Dubtonic Kru, whose music I really appreciated. So now a solo project - in the form of one Dub-Albums! I have no idea who recorded the tracks here, whether they are secondary use or from the outset as Dubs were planned. I only know: you sound breathtaking. So crisp, powerful and dynamic that they would be a pleasure, even if it weren't for the perfect timing, the beautiful melodies, the ingenious arrangements and the inspired mix. Everything is just right here - except for the ugly cover. One reason to forego vinyl. The title of the album comes from a quote from Jallanzo: “Music is my life, my life is my music and I am dubbing it and loving it ”. Jallanzo has dedicated himself to music since he was 13 years old. He mainly works as a studio musician and can be heard on the productions of many well-known artists. Let's hope that we will be able to enjoy his music in the future even without vocals in the foreground.
(This text has been machine translated.) I'm slowly running out of words of praise. I've already written my fingers sore about the works of International Observer - behind which the lead singer of the historic Thompson Twins, Tom Bailey, hides. I love his relaxed Dubs beyond measure. What fascinates me most is that on the one hand they are incredibly relaxed, but on the other hand they are extremely exciting. It's a crazy paradox. Who knows reggae and Dub from New Zealand, can guess what I mean by that: Perfectly timed rhythms full of groove and inner tension, presented in slow motion. Fascinating. Tom Bailey also knows his trade. His tracks are superbly produced: crisp, dynamic, full-sounding. And then there is the ingenious arrangement, the fantastic bass lines and the wonderful, colorful, shimmering melodies. Everything from the mix interwoven into a large, comprehensive, multi-layered euphony.
There is actually no category or the dubs by Tom Bailey. It is undoubtedly one hundred percent reggae-dub technical perfection, which at the same time has completely emancipated itself from reggae. Crazy, right? Tom has created a completely independent dub-style that admittedly makes use of the reggae aesthetic, but otherwise leaves genre conventions behind. No “Yeah” exclamations, no sirens, no steppers, no historical basslines or brass sections - observer Dubs are utterly themselves, without quotes and superficial references. That's why I can't even imagine his music at a sound system event, even with the best of intentions. Unthinkable! But it would be perfect for a New Zealand pop open air festival.
The meticulousness of the productions also explains why the Observer only sporadically releases new EPs (let alone complete albums). Here quality comes before quantity. "Bat“ (Dubmission) is his latest work. After “Mink” and “Pangolin” it is the third EP in the “animal series” - and this is of course as excellent as all other works of this extraordinary dub-protagonist.
(This text has been machine translated.) It was time for Mungo's Hi Fi to release a proper Dub-Album. The three Scots produce their fingers sore, put out the coolest albums and EPs in staccato and save up Dub?! Okay, "Serious Time" got 2014 a Dub-Pendant, but that's about it. But now it's over: "Antidote“(Scotch Bonnet), the new Dub-Meta-Work of the Glasgower is here. "Meta" because it contains ten Dub-Versions of titles from Mongo's oeuvre. So the meta-study of the existing Mungo's productions - which brings us right to the title: “Antidote”. Corona sends its regards. But the Mungo's crew does not refer their antidote to the evil virus, but "it's an antidote to all the stress and restriction of modern life". Aha, there seems to be a bit of frustration. No wonder. For a sound system that lives from festivals and parties, the last few months should have been an imposition. Anyone who knows the Scots from live performances will know that they rock any party. Their mix of old school dancehall and modern bass music is simply irresistible. I've already spent the most beautiful sound system nights in the bass waves of Mungo's Hi Fi. So I was all the more astonished that “Antidote” is NOT being party-music. Dub is obviously serious business for the three guys from Glasgow. Almost academically, they dissect their rhythms here, rigorously cut them down and reduce them to drum and bass. Quite puristic and consistent. Unexpected, but not bad. "It's a sonic journey that will leave all who enter cleansed and replenished on the other side," they promise. A purification cure, in a way. This is exactly the cure they have given their music and the result is a Dub-Catharsis. Pure and clean, as Gregory would call it. May we start cleansed into the newly won freedom.
(This text has been machine translated.) I've always suspected that the sound of Rockers HiFi is timeless. Around twenty years ago it was at least 20 years ahead of its time. That's why Paolo Baldini sounds DubFiles Meets Noiseshaper: "Shaping the noise“(Echo Beach) so fresh today. As if the album had just been recorded. Which it is - just with old recordings. Ha, the newbies are confused. Here comes the answer: Behind the name Noiseshaper are the Viennese boys Axel Hirn and Florian Fleischmann, who did their apprenticeship at Rockers HiFi in the 1990s and who themselves produced fantastic “housey downbeats with a fat reggae flavor” at the beginning of the current millennium brought. The highlight of her career was undoubtedly the use of her song "The Only Redeemer" in the US television series CSI: Miamiwhich earned them a mainstream single release on Palm Pictures and catapulted their music onto dance floors around the world. If you want references: I can't help thinking of Dreadzone, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Thievery Corporation or International Observer when I hear the noise shaper sound - a sound that I love to this day, but which has unfortunately been forgotten. Only the International Observer has remained loyal to him. How nice that Echo Beach now pays respect to the oeuvre of the Viennese and the irresistible different drummer sound. The label released a retro sampler of their music two years ago, but only now is the real highlight: Palolo Baldini chased the already fantastic tracks through the echo chamber and made them even more fantastic. Newsbies should also know who Paolo Baldini is: A Dub-Master like one who resides high up in the Italian Alps.
colleague Karsten Frehe states "Shaping the Noise" that the album by Baldinis Dubmix "does not sound like a new infusion of the well-known, but refreshingly new". How right he is! By Baldinis Dub- Arts, the fifteen year old music sounds dewy. I would speak of a classic win-win situation here. Sophisticated, complex and extremely groovy productions from the past meet a meticulous, imaginative and perfectionist one Dubmixer of the present with an unmistakable feeling for timing and dramaturgy. The result is twice as good. The best thing to do is to listen to the album with your headphones on (on Apple Music in lossless quality, by the way). A big Dub-Hearing experience.
(This text has been machine translated.) And yet another incredibly good reggae instrumental album: Bost & Bim: "Warrior Brass“(Bombist). I have to admit that I really like good instrumentals, because like Dub they meet an essential criterion: no text. Let's face it: text is pretty overrated in reggae. The times of rebel music and its socially critical texts seem to be over for decades. We have long had to be satisfied with verbal outpourings on topics such as religion, herb or sex or even expose ourselves to homophobic or violence-glorifying philippines. That annoys me - or at least bores me. How nice it is to indulge in pure music. Music that can be completely itself, that does not serve a text message and is degraded to a "backing". That's why I love this latently arrogant tradition in the Dubto let a singing voice fade away in the echo after just a few words ...
But I like good reggae instrumentals not only because of what is missing, but also because of what they have more - and I have to admit that this applies not equally to Dub: The full, rich sound of a full reggae band. I hear p. e. the track “Tommy's Mood”, then not only does the bass squeeze out of the subwoofers, but a whole wall of sound comes rolling towards me. A lush, rich, harmonious and comfortably warm sound, garnished with both gentle and powerful brass sections. Perfectly arranged, superbly played and well produced - reggae with a brass section is always a delight.
By the way, as reggae producers, Bost & Bim are a quite remarkable number - which I didn't really have on my screen. The two French have already produced successful tunes for Morgan Heritage, Chronixx and Winston McAnuff. Matthieu Bost is also a gifted saxophonist, which he impressively proves here on "Warrior Brass". The classic brass section is completed by a trumpet (Manuel Faivre) and trombone (Marc Delhaye). In addition to the three main characters, there are other excellent musicians at work, such as z. B. Ticklah, Horseman or Mista Savona. Incidentally, there are not only wind solos to be heard, other instruments also come into play and take over the lead. Therefore “Warrior Brass” always reminds a little of a jazz album - an association that is not least triggered by the cover design. In fact, however, it is more of an homage to classical Jamaican instrumental music, with many charming quotes (z. B. Lee Perry), small excursions to Nyabinghi and Calypso and two titles dedicated to Tommy McCook and Cedric Brooks.
(This text has been machine translated.) I admit it. I have "Out on the floor Dub“purchased and downloaded as a digital release from Tuff Scout. The album is a devoted homage to the good old record stores and their treasures: vinyl records. Well, my digital faux pas is indicative, because those shops that we used to visit so regularly (it was always Saturday mornings for me) to look for new material for our music addiction hardly exist anymore. How this ritual was like in the relevant London reggae shops Dub Vendor or Lasco's Music Den , describes Steve Barrow wistfully in his beautiful liner notes for this album (which, by the way, is on the Bandcamp page to be read). Oh, those were the days! Sure, some shops are still there today, but they are almost under monument protection or are classified as cultural heritage. They have long outgrown the sphere of everyday life and mainly deal with historical pressings and memorabilia. Gone are the days of the 7 “pre-releases from JA.
One of those heritage stores is Out on the Floor Records in Camden, London. A relic of the 1990s - but still active. In addition to soul, funk, rock, punk, etc. there is one thing above all: reggae vinyl, because Jake, one of the three operators, is a fanatical collector of historical JA pressings. The man also runs the reggae label Tuff Scout, which publishes new recordings, but they always sound like they have 50 years under their belt. "Out on the floor Dub“Is now a collection of Dub-Version of the label, produced and mixed by Gil Cang and Demus. Unfortunately, Jake mainly expresses himself in the medium of music, which is why there is hardly any background information on the actors and their productions. But it doesn't matter, because the only thing that matters is what comes out at the back, as I used to say, referring to our old-old Chancellor. And that is - Lemmi will surely agree with me - definitely worth a vinyl pressing. Really beautiful old school Dub, but with a better sound. Excitingly mixed and combined to a superb Dub-album with a perfect flow.
By the way, while we get the download beamed into the media library with a trivial boring cover, the vinyl is adorned with a fantastic illustration. It shows the store in Camden (including “LKJ in Dub“ in the shop window, my first Dub-Record!). Jake is standing in the doorway. The back of the cover shows what is going on behind him: a crowd of people as it was last seen in a record store in 1999.
(This text has been machine translated.) It's been seven years since Echo Beach asked the master singer Horace Andy into the studio to play his big hits with new, contemporary rhythms. The result was called "Broken Beats". Now follows "Broken Beats 2" (Echo Beach), on which new rhythms can be heard - but garnished with the same, well-known vocal recordings. Echo Beach have put an incredible 27 tracks into the digital version of the album. Since the material of "Broken Beats 1" only comprises eight songs by Horace Andy, this means that on "Broken Beats 2" all songs are performed several times. The front runner is “Money, Money”, which is presented here in ten versions. Why the whole thing here in the dubblog shows up? Because the backings are made by illustrious Dub Artists, such as Subatomic Sound System, Adubta, Adam Prescott, Dreadzone or Jah Schulz - to name just a few. In addition to the many versions, there are some extremely beautiful Dubs - for me the real highlights of the XXL album, because as much as I have always liked Horace Andy's voice and songs, it annoys me to have to hear the same melodies over and over again over the exorbitant length of the album. Hence the Dubs here are islands of relaxation and recreation in a sea of “Cuss Cuss” and “Money Money”. Quite apart from the fact that the quality of the productions does only in the Dubs really come into its own. But unfortunately, unfortunately there are far too few of them on “Broken Beats 2”. But the way I know Echo Beach, it will soon be one called "Broken Beats 3" Dub-Album appear.
For friends of the black gold there is also a "Broken Beats 1 & 2 Vinyl Edition" with eight songs and a very nice cover.
Your artist name: Brizion Your real name: Brian Zanchetta You live in: San Diego, California Title of your last album:A Hundred Tones Of Dub
What is your personal definition of dub?
An alternative version of a song that emphasizes the bass & drum parts.
A musical form of improvisation where the mixing engineer alchemizes the song using the application of space and texture in the mix process.
A practice of transformation and transcendence within the realm of sound.
What makes a good dub?
A heavy bassline, solid drum pocket, big reverb and some stimulating fader throws into the echo chamber.
Which aspects of dub music fascinate you the most?
The aspect of dynamics and improvisation. How a seemingly very simple and repetitive instrumental track could play out in an infinite number of ways by the dynamic mixing moves and effects combinations. It's as though the dubwise treatment to a song sends it into a kind of perpetual motion.
How did you discover your passion for dub and how did you develop yourself and your music since then?
I always loved Reggae from when I was a young child. I discovered Dub as a teenager while digging deeper in Reggae music and instantly became obsessed. It became imperative that I find a way to create my own expression and interpretation of Dub. Already being a musician, I sold some of my equipment to buy some basic recording gear. I always had an aspiration to recording engineering and mixing just as much as being a musician. So I developed with those two passions in parallel.
What does your process of creating a dub track look like?
Building a raw rhythm, drums, bassline and chordal comping.
Then adding embellishments, and melodic parts.
Balancing the mix of these elements.
Then finally sending it off into the dub Realm and doing multiple improvised takes with variations, usually in a sequence of versions, typically the first version is the straight instrumental, two is a typical dub path I follow. Then each additional chapter of Dub becomes more and more nuanced.
Live performance is such an enjoyable experience. But I'm truly fulfilled by studio work.
When you are satisfied with a dub track you produced?
When I hear it back and it gives that physical sensation of excitement or emotional reaction. When for even just a moment you are lost in the motion. The two most satisfying feelings of producing for me are: Hearing the track playback on vinyl record and hearing the bassline of my tune drop on a proper sound system
What is most essential when producing dub music?
Uninterrupted attention and a perseverant attitude.
What is your special strength?
Working quickly ... perhaps.
Which one of your albums do you consider your best work up until now?
I released an album with one hundred different tracks compiled from the last decade called “A Hundred Tones Of Dub". I think it is gives a kind of all-encompassing sense of the different styles I've worked through over the years. But my personal favorite album 'series' I've done is called “Deep Space Dubplates ”which currently has 5 chapters.
Are you able to make a living with music?
Attempting.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
I love creating the most, if I can play my role of being creative. It is truly fulfilling. However I really enjoy helping people as well. I love mixing projects for artists and bands. I also really love teaching and education. I truly just enjoy anything music related.
What annoys you in the studio?
Computer problems.
When you're not working on dubs, what is your favorite thing to do?
I love to cook. My other passion besides music.
What do you listen to besides dub music?
I have a deep love for jazz music.
Jah Shaka is my role model. One of the most humbling occurrences in my musical career was to see Shaka play tunes I had produced in his sessions.
If money and time didn't matter: Which project would you like to realize?
A difficult question to answer in a broad sense ... But since we are on the subject of music, I would love to develop an organized program to inspire youth to create music and give them an opportunity to see how music can be produced. Having a creative outlet was so vital to me growing up, I would love to develop more channels that allow for youth to discover their own creative outlets in music.
Are there any sound system events that you particularly like to attend? Why?
There are some local events we do here in San Diego, where a few sounds gather at a park near the bay and play all through the day. It's always an uplifting community vibe.
What do you prefer: Studio work or sound system performance?
Live performance is such an enjoyable experience. But I'm truly fulfilled by studio work.
What is your greatest musical role model and why?
Jah Shaka. So many aspects of his musical endeavors have been deeply inspiring to so many worldwide. Jah Shaka wasn't the first dub music I heard, but it was the music that made me want to make my own dub. One of the most humbling occurrences in my musical career was to see Shaka play tunes I had produced in his sessions.
Is there a sound system that you particularly appreciate?
A sound system here in San Diego called Blackheart Warriors HiFi were my earliest supporters as well as mentors in Reggae music. They were the first sound ever to play Dubplates I had produced (all acetate cuts). I truly admire all their contributions, vision and vigilance of musical endeavors.
(This text has been machine translated.) The French label Subsquad is pursuing an interesting concept. It compiles under the title "City Squad“Free Dub-Samplers with Dubs by artists from one French city each. After Bordeaux last year, it was now Grenoble's turn. The town near the Alps has fewer residents than Herne, and yet Subsquad has 15 (!) Tracks of different types Dub-Artists get together - all from Grenoble. Incomprehensible! There are actually 14 sound systems at home in the city and the surrounding area (not a single one in Herne). Well who would have thought? Little did I know that Grenoble was a stronghold of the Dub is. For some inexplicable reason I am locating Dub still in big cities. But at least since Paolo Baldini it has been clear that Dub also resounds through the valleys of the Alps. Grenoble of all places Dub-Hotspot is mainly due to the Roots 'n' Culture Festival, which started in 2003 as a summer festival dedicated to alternative music, but gradually turned to reggae and has been a pure sound system event since 2017. I've never visited it before, but I imagine it to be fantastic because this is where two of my greatest passions magically come together: Dub and the mountains. Infected from the festival Dub soon the whole small town and the Roots'n'Culture collective now hosted all year round by many others DubEvents in Grenoble. who the Dub-History of Grenoble in detail can be found on the Subquad website . make
Back to the sampler: It offers 15 tracks by local artists, of which not a single one has crossed my path so far, but they have gathered here DubBut s completely convince me. I've already made a note of the next Roots'n'Culture festival.
