Author gtk

When it comes to the Zion I Kings, one doesn't really know what to make of these gentlemen. These Kings are – we remember – the combined protagonists of the Zion High, I Grade, and Lustre Kings production stables. There's not much more to say about them; more details can be found in the various dubblog.de reviews previous Zion I Kings releases – although one should not expect anything particularly remarkable. These reviews naturally refer only to their Dub-albums; the Kings' main focus, however, is on vocal productions for Akae Beka to Protoje – at least that's what the number of vocal releases suggests. The producers sometimes find one or the other of their own tracks so cool that they give it a Dub-treatment. This has not been the case with pieces of their Dub Album premiere, "Dub in Style" works perfectly – also because the product can be seen as a legacy of Style Scott. Then, unfortunately, things went downhill, with the completely overproduced and pointless ("I'm going to put a collection of Asian instruments over it") instrumental/DubAlbum "Kung Fu Action Theatre“ by Christos DC was probably the lowest point. The “In Search of Zion“-album: Here, roots tracks were recorded around the vocals of Protoje's “In Search of Lost Time“-release and the Dubs included. And it turns out: It is the vocal snippets, especially Protoje's hook lines, that make this Dubs character and recognition. Without them we would probably have to deal with faceless Dub-uniformity to do.

Which brings us directly to the current “Live free“-album (I Grade Records) by the Zion I Kings. What else can one say except “Are these instrumentals or Dubs or can it be removed?" Right from the start: The tracks are, as always, superbly, immaculately produced - so clean that you practically wish for rough edges - or something that would attract attention. That remains wishful thinking, of course: Everything is beautifully balanced, nothing distracts, a perfectly rounded thing, so to speak - but it also tastes as bland as a coffee bean shot through three liters of water. This time too, one can safely ask the question: Is this already elevator music or are the vocals missing to bring the production back on track? The customer can decide.

Christafari, the musical family business of Pastor Mark Mohr, is well known here in dubblog.de at least since the review of their “Dub Supreme“-albums. In short, the act is primarily about deeply religious lyrics, mostly carried by (sometimes classic) roots riddims, all recorded and performed in opulent 1A quality. The whole thing is obviously going very well, as evidenced by extensive tours and streaming numbers (which sometimes run into the millions - even if you only use Spotify as a benchmark). However, one cannot speak of great popularity in the hardcore reggae communities, since Christafari - nomen est omen - appeal to a predominantly Christian audience and it presumably makes a big difference whether and which god you promote in reggae circles. 

Now, whether you appreciate the band’s regular releases or not, the associated Dub-Albums are definitely recommendable, as they scrape the essence out of the overproduction and lose much of Mark Mohr's all too present voice. The latter also dominates the 2024 album "The Prophet“, which oscillates between roots and dancehall and also makes an occasional EDM excursion. 

In 2025 Christafari will start with the “prophetic Dub“ (Lion of Zion Entertainment), the diet-treated brother of last year’s prophet, and a first look into the album confirms the above assumptions: Christafari’s albums can cope with the slimming down very well – away with the vocal overkill, out with many brass sections that sometimes sound suspiciously like synths and in with lots of light, but by no means lightweight Dub-effects. To ensure that the whole thing doesn't float away, there is plenty of grounding with bass - not always and everywhere, but where it fits.

Whether an EDM version was really needed is debatable; crossover attempts are nothing new - we've known about them since Marley, Wailer, Tosh & Co. So anyone who wants to rock out will be catered for.

Ultimately, the “Prophetic Dub“ a hodgepodge of different styles, the high points of which can be found where one indulges in either bass-rich roots or ethereal, floating sounds (“Jerusalem DubThe rest is 4-on-the-floor mediocrity that leaves the critic relatively unimpressed.

What do you expect from an album where Lone Ark, Zion High and I Grade (read: Roberto Sanchez, David Goldfine and Laurent Alfred) shake hands? Pretty much the ultimate Roots grenade - especially since it's the new release from Ras Teo, which is now appreciated by the reviewer and - as you can hear - in the community. And the piece also comes with the finest artwork: a classic portrait of the Emperor of Ethiopia - when was the last time you saw something like this in such a beautiful presentation?

So first of all: Ras Teo's new release "Ion Man in Dub(Forward Bound Records) and the corresponding vocal album “Ion Man” definitely meet the high expectations: The production is A1 - not softened like some newer I-grade productions, but nice and catchy; It uses classical-looking arrangements and has extras such as fine brass sections and wonderful transverse flute passages. Also David Goldfine's more dynamic Dub-Mix is ​​solid craftsmanship - without any forward-looking gimmicks, but with an echo that is used abundantly and couldn't be more precise; The reverb supports the appropriate passages in a well-dosed manner. In short: In terms of production alone, the whole thing would be a case for a 5-star review if... yes, if it weren't for the fade-outs. They're probably a no-go now, who still does them? Just at Dub-Tunes, fade-outs are a disgrace when there are plenty of effects available to help you dubto set a big final chord. So please: This really doesn't have to be the case anymore.

We are dealing with this here Dub, but I still want a shout for the vocal album “Ion Man“ (Forward Bound Records): It's not just Ras Teo's velvety vocals that have developed further - note the wonderfully layered backing vocals; His songwriting has also reached a new level and is already approaching that of Ijahman Levi approach. An impressive example is the track “Hard Fe Ketch”, which could just as easily have appeared on an Ijahman album. Here too: 5 star material if... yes, if there weren't the unpopular fade-outs again, see above: No-go.

The bottom line is that we are dealing with two fine roots albums that are addictive and which the reviewer feels are currently playing around the clock. “Ion Man in Dub“Unfortunately, it is currently only available to a limited extent via bandcamp; The vocal album “Ion Man”, on the other hand, received the big release and can be found on virtually all digital platforms. All thumbs up for both releases - but a small star deduction for the above inconvenience.

Good albums always make a comeback - or, as in this case, a proper release on all notable streaming channels. So far Ras Teo and I have had David's Dub-version of their 2015 release "Bredda Daniel“ She spent a few years more or less hidden in the band camp catacombs; but now “Bredda Daniel in Dub“ (Akashic Records), obviously not just visually spruced up and polished, lifted into the well-deserved light of Spotify & Co. The streaming money tap per se has pretty little pressure, but in contrast to the easily infiltrated bandcamp offer, it trickles away day in and day out, and we would like to give Ras Teo and I David that credit.

The two are a well-rehearsed team: “Bredda Daniel” was their first collaboration, followed by the “Timeless” album and several other releases, preferably in single format. There's not much to lose here about Ras Teo himself - that's for the interested reader dubblog review of his fine Roberto Sanchez-produced “Ten Thousand Lions“album is recommended. However, it should be added that my relationship with Ras Teo's voice - thanks to his numerous other releases - is now more positive. I now also have a lot of respect for the fervor with which he presents his deeply religious texts, which often seem like they were taken directly from the Tanakh. There is no veering into shallower waters of worldly topics - the man knows the Holy Scriptures, lets the world know it and is reminiscent of the 1970s, when roots reggae was still on a first-name basis with the Bible.

I David, on the other hand, is at home in the studio and seemingly constantly produces tracks - sometimes with a live roots feeling, sometimes with a digital jackhammer. When working with Ras Teo, he chose the former - thank God - especially since the sterile digi sounds never suited the singer particularly well - see Ras Teo's first albums. He is also responsible for the mix of “Bredda Daniel in Dub“, to which he gave an extra pinch of bass in contrast to the vocal album, which was rather weak in this regard. 

That's good, no question, but it could be a little more for my taste. Otherwise there's very little to complain about: more classic Dub with beautiful, no less classic effects - one more album that could just as easily have boomed out of the speakers back in the day. It fits, sits, lasts, is fun and is definitely worth recommending.

PS: If you want to get into more melodica, you can find many of the “Bredda Daniel” tracks on I David’s instrumental “Roots Radical"-Album.

The "Various" aka "Various Artists" in the title of the review is quite an overstatement, especially since only the riddims/Dub Versions of the dominions Sly & Robbie, the Roots Radics and Peter Chemist are involved. The latter in turn uses the first two as instrumentalists in his role as producer. A circle closes, so to speak, even before you have heard the first note.

The recently released album "Dub Masters' (Reggae Library Records), comes across as cheap in terms of cover artwork, and in a sense it is: here's a few Dubs of different acoustic qualities thrown together for no apparent reason; Mastering obviously (obviously if the word existed) didn't take place. Quasi a product for final use at the digital rummage table, brand K-Tel. All in all a grace star, thanks for the interview.

A different approach to the review emerges when looking at the tracklist: there is a small but impressive collection of excellent ones Dubs or tracks by Black Uhuru, Earl Cunningham, Barrington Levy, Jimmy Riley and Sly Dunbar himself; plus a few classic ones Dub-Outings of no less classic riddims: Cuss Cuss, Level Vibes or Breaking Up (here erroneously called Real Rock Dub listed). So the album is a little "powerhouse" and the blemish of the lack of mastering suddenly adds to the authenticity of the tracks - even if fiddling with the volume knob is quite annoying.

And so deliversDub Masters” takes a look back at the 'good old days' – I would say plus/minus the year 1980 – and reminds you of what Dub Jamaican character at that time: The absolute supremacy of drum & bass and the clever fading in and out of the (already sparse) other soundtracks. This concentration on the essentials works acoustically excellently and shows that one can definitely do without the sometimes limitless echo & hall orgies today: A few accents here and there do the trick. If the blank – that is, the riddim – is of quality, it doesn't take much to produce ear gold. Well done, Dubmasters – and by that I mean the real stars of the album: the sound engineers and mix masters who celebrate the art of omission. I guess someone at Reggae Library Records forgot to mention her by name.

To start with something positive, Alborosie is a great live act with his Shengen Clan. But that's it again. At the beginning of his solo career, the Italian delivered a decent performance with his country-typical grating voice (greetings from Umberto Tozzi, Gianna Nannini, Zucchero & Co): Who doesn't remember the "Herbalist"? And who could have guessed that this track would be the blueprint for pretty much everything else to be produced at Alborosie's Shengen Studio?

Voluminous drums, a simple bassline and credibility samples packed into a simple 80's rubadub-Arrangement without significant hooks; an Italian who tries his hand at patois and perhaps for that reason just barely misses the meaningful content: that was all half-funny with the “Herbalist”; but building a whole career on this concept… well, contrary to expectations, it actually worked! Alborosie fans probably won't agree with me that all albums sound the same and the tracks are interchangeable - that goes for the vocal ones, and especially the cultivated boredom ones, I would argue Dub-Albums. Even the artist himself doesn't seem to have much fun at the mixing desk:

So let's move on to Alborosie's current ones Dub-Release: Schengen Dub / Embryonic Dub (Greensleeves/VP Music Group) is the name of the stream version, which comes up with an amazing 22 tracks. This seemingly never-ending consonance can kill one or the other listener - fans of vinyl, on the other hand, can expect two albums that probably offer better sound and should be easier to digest simply because they are divided into two portions. Or you make it easy for yourself and dizzy through the acoustic convolute - in the sense of: If you've heard one track, you've heard them all:

To end with something positive: Alborosie is a great live act with his Shengen Clan!

Opinions may differ on Mellow Mood – the Italian “en vogue” reggae combo with the dreadlocks twins on the mics: some find it too much dancehall, others too much roots and then there are those who love patois-singing prosperity consider Europeans to be extremely embarrassing. Fortunately, Mellow Mood only interests us peripherally here, because it's actually primarily about Paul Baldini, who plays a leading role in all of the band's productions as producer, sound engineer and mix master.

There is no longer any need to say big words about Baldini – his productions for various artists are generally of high quality; but he can really shine with his Dub-Mixes: These are musical battering rams whose punch subjects the speaker membranes to a breaking point. There's a hunt Dub-Effect the other; between echo and reverberation attacks it squeaks and bubbles, it's a joy.

Of course, this also applies to Mellow Mood's current release "Morning Dub", which Baldini in contrast to the extremely compressed-sounding vocal album "Morning“ sounds wonderfully bass-heavy: It must be so saturated and dynamic at the same time Dub sound 2023.

That would be the “Mañana DubActually a contender for a 5 star review, if… yes, if there wasn't a desire for a bit more modern sounds. Mellow Mood and producer Baldini don't show themselves to be particularly willing to experiment here, see/listen to the drum and percussion samples or the synth sounds. That may be complaining at a high level - but it should show that there is still a little room for improvement.

Has it really been more than 20 years since Groundation's landmark album "Hebron Gate“ appeared? I still remember that the famous, but no longer active Ixtulluh distributor gave me the album. It wasn't love at first sight by any means; it took me a while to think about the release back then: do you still need an unknown band when - in contrast to today - there are tons of other new releases vying for attention? In retrospect, my hesitation was a mistake, because the first time I listened, my jaw dropped. This was reggae the way I had wanted it for years: down-to-earth roots with appealing lyrics and various jazz and blues sprinkles that made the whole thing really interesting: here there were obviously accomplished musicians at work, with influences from other genres made. The fact that the album was recorded under the aegis of Jim Fox and has the appropriate (sound) qualities increased interest - obviously not just mine, as the feedback from the reggae community has shown (although there were also some reservations about Harrison Stafford's voice, which took some getting used to). ). A comparison with the two previous albums reveals the quantum leap in the development of Groundation - and so "Hebron Gate" ultimately became the (not yet so elaborate) blueprint for all subsequent albums by the band; at least as long as this line-up - including Marcus Urani and David Cachere on Hammond organ and trumpet - existed. What followed was a steep career in the reggae universe - especially in Europe, where Groundation, as a successful live act, played almost everything that deserved the name stage; the big festivals anyway. 

After "Hebron Gate" the EP "dragon war' or the album 'Dub Wars", the Dub-versions of some album tracks - very tasteful work thanks to Jim Fox, who brought the simple beauty of the instrumentals to the fore and gave them an unexcited Dub- Underwent treatment.

Fast forward to 2023; Groundation is still there (albeit with an almost completely different line-up) and still has it, like last year's release "One Rock“ impressively demonstrated. The veteran Harrison Ford – who obviously managed to secure the rights to the Groundation catalog – is taking the “Hebron Gate” anniversary as an opportunity to revisit the album. This could very well have been a remastered deluxe edition - with unreleased tracks that were already too bad for release at the time, or with bumpy studio outtakes that nobody really needs. Instead, he had the idea of ​​leaving the original tapes to Martin Nathan aka Brain Damage, who unraveled the soundtracks, polished the sound to a high gloss, then put the whole thing back together (sometimes in a highly idiosyncratic way) and provided it with a few additional instrumental tracks or sound effects. It is probably no coincidence that the title “Dreaming from an Iron Gate” (Baco Records) the word “Dub“ can’t find it again; that would also be short-sighted. Rather, the new album is an in-depth, at times psychedelic journey into the bowels of Hebron Gate. 

There's a lot to discover here that was lost in the original mix and is only now being revealed by the sound, which has been adapted to today's listening habits - such as the finely chiseled drum and cymbal work by Paul Spina or some background vocals that apparently made the mix 20 years ago. fell victim to scissors. This often gives the impression of being in the middle of an acoustic documentation of the old recordings, in which special features that have never been heard before are repeatedly pointed out. However, one can certainly question whether the newly recorded, additional soundtracks were necessary: ​​they are often helpful in condensing the atmosphere; sometimes, on the other hand, they seem to be asking themselves the question of meaning. Also debatable are the excursions into… well, into the psychedelic. In and of itself not an uncharming idea, but it slows down the natural flow of the riddims: It grooves along very nicely and all of a sudden, without any warning, (newly recorded) synths roar and sway along... a bit in the direction of Pink Floyd, one might think . You can see that as an enrichment or as sacrilege, it always takes getting used to.

Which says a lot, if not everything, about this release. As always, use the comment tool below for additional opinions and discussions. That leaves the assessment of the reviewer, who sees himself torn: first the album amazes and inspires, then it bores, then again one discovers something new and unheard; sometimes the excursion into the psychedelic is good, sometimes it's just annoying. Does the star award even depend on the daily constitution? So I play it safe with the rating and at the same time rely on the independent judgment of the local people Dubologists: What do you think of "Dreaming from an Iron Gate"?

What used to be marveled at as a curiosity is now a matter of course: roots reggae and Dub have found their home in all corners of the world. This is also the case in the Chinese Sichuan province, where the seven-piece combo JahWahZoo got together to play surprisingly authentic-sounding reggae. her debut soon"zoo party“ and his Dub-Counterpart "Zoo Dubby" were produced on site by Nick Manasseh - which certainly allows conclusions to be drawn about the musical ability of the band.

The second album was - no less amazingly - a collaboration with I Kong, the veteran of the Jamaican Kong family, not unknown in the reggae universe, with Chinese roots. "Zoo to the Roots“ was released in 2020 and can be heard because of the successful tunes: Roots to the core, made in Chengdun.

In good old tradition is now (finally) the corresponding Dub-Album released: "Zoo to the Dub“ – due to a lack of Mandarin knowledge, I not only have to fit the name of the label, but also the other details about the production. Research suggests that Skunga Kong - son of I Kong - was at the mixing desk; one or the other reader may know more precisely and share it here. Ultimately, what counts is what is found in our auditory canals; and that is finely mixed Dub, which is based on solid, hand-made riddims.

There are two recommendations for this - one, to fully commit to “Zoo to the Dub“ to let in and to the Dubs to please; the other recommendation would be to revisit the I Kong oeuvre - the vocal release 'Zoo to the Roots' offers a fitting start.