Category: Dub (Revolution

At the moment I am most impressed by the new work by Chris Dubflow: "Echostream" (myspace.com/chrisdubflow). The Swiss plays my secret favorite variant of Dub: repetitive, driving, slightly technoid, electronic Dub à la Zion Train, Dreadzone, Rhythm & Sound, Rockers HiFi…. I am obsessed by the minimalist groove of this music: Carried by warm chords and a deep, deep, deep bassline, the beats shuffle and syncopate through pleasantly long tracks and let the listener sink into a meditative state - until the music becomes a pure state of consciousness . It is no longer an acoustically perceptible "object". Rather, it dissolves and becomes a pure present. This is a fascinating process that, by the way, can be experienced entirely without the influence of mind-expanding aids. Music like Christ's Dubflow, is completely sufficient for this. The "flow" of his music is overwhelming. Perhaps it's because his tracks are not works of art that have been elaborated and finely adjusted down to the last detail, but rather rhythms recorded in one take with reduced equipment, without overdubbing and post-production. Direct, analog and simply fascinating.

To Chris Dubflows "Echostream" fits another album quite well: "Boudub" (The Studio Stereo / Download) by Otis Readingalthough we are not dealing here with the inescapable hypnotic (Dub) Flow have to do. The Belgian is much more experimental, breaking off the flow as soon as you start to feel comfortable in it. His new album reminds me a little of Hey-O-Hansen, although Reading's sound is much more technoid. He is not easy to classify, especially since his new work is partly close to Dubstep - but without swapping the reggae offbeat for the typical, bad synth pads. "Techno", "Dubstep ”- that sounds like brutal, superficial music now, but“ Boudub" is the opposite. The tracks are complex, full of breaks, full of tempo changes and, last but not least, full of surprises. All of this still seems quite relaxed and lives from the contrast to the occasional harder passages. So if you have your gray cells again with an intellectual one Dub- If you want to enjoy the experience, you should focus on the fascinating Boudub-LetJourney in, sit back and perk up your ears.

And there it is again: the new king size Dub-Compilation! Started in the 1990s and now at "King size Dub, Chapter 15 " (Echo Beach), it is the longest serving as far as I know Dub-Compilation series of the world. And label owner Nikolai is rightly proud of a total of over 100.000 copies sold. Congratulations! In its younger days, the series was more of an inventory of the turbulent times at the time DubScene of the 1990s, so it has now developed into an Echo Beach and Collision label showcase. Therefore, on "Chapter 15" you will find the well-known and highly esteemed names from the beach of echoes: Ruts DC (as a Rob Smith remix), Noiseshaper, Martha & The Muffins, Up, Bustle & Out, Tack >> Head, Dubblestandard, Dubmatrix, Dub Spencer & Trance Hill, Umberto Echo, Jamaram and others. The selection is wonderfully harmonious, relaxed and at the same time sufficiently varied. The Dubmatix track “Deep Dark Dub“, Which is presented to us here as a remix by Felix Wolter (already a small preview of the superb, soon to be released remix album by Dubmatix), is my personal highlight of the sampler, closely followed by the extraordinarily peppy track “Rootsman” from the Dreadzone headquarters and Aldubbs remix “Wa Doo Dubb “- a funny version of the Eek A Mouse classic im Dubstep style.

And then there is another edition of Greensleevesschen "Evolution Of Dub" (Greensleeves), who deal with the work with “Volume 6” Prince Jammy's has prescribed. My initial enthusiasm for the “Evolution Of Dub“-Project has since given way to a little frustration, as the evolution at Greensleeves is a bit on the spot. What initially looked like a fundamental review of the history of the genre is increasingly turning out to be a vehicle for the mere re-publication of the label back catalog. Of course, Jammy is one of the major protagonists of the Dub, but all four albums are “Crucial In Dub"," Kamikazi Dub"," Uhuruh in Dub"And" Osbourne In Dub“Equally important milestones in the genre? In my opinion, only “Kamikazi Dub“Deserved a prominent place in evolutionary history. The album shows Jammy in top form - both in terms of the productions and the fantastic mix. The track "Throne Of Blood" named after the Kurosawa classic belongs to the gallery of the ten greatest masterpieces of the Dub. This track saves the whole 4-CD box.

A man with his Dub-Works rightly an essential chapter of the Dub-Evolution is Neil Perch. With his 1991 founded Dub-Project Zion Train he invented it in the mid-1990s (almost!) single-handedly (Dreadzone was still there) Dub-House and thus opened up an audience far beyond reggae and Dub. Now the label Nascente is dedicating it under the title "Dub Revolutionaries: Zion Train - The Very Best Of " (Nascente) a two-CD retrospective, from the more traditionally oriented beginnings to the Dub-House phase up to today's status as guardian of the original UK-Dub-Sounds is enough. Hearing the Zion Train oeuvre in such a condensed form makes it clear how incredibly progressive Neil Perch was at the time. In contrast, it's almost a shame that he sticks too much to the classic UK sound in his more recent work.

Bill Laswell is something like the East Coast Godfather of Bass. If music outside of the mainstream is made in New York and the surrounding area - the center of which is the bass - then Laswell almost certainly has a hand in it. In the present case, however, his busy fingers had to limit themselves to the buttons and controls of the mixer: David Solid Gould & Bill Laswell, "Dub Of The Passover " (Tzadik.com) is the Dub-Version of the instrumental album "Feast Of The Passover" by David Gould, which - unusual for a reggae album - was released on the label of John Zorn. “Feast Of The Passover” is an attempt to cross Jewish holiday songs with reggae, which is not so bad at all, since the slightly melancholic, Jewish melodies are extremely beautiful and harmonize well with the slow reggae beats. But as beautiful as the pieces on the original album are - it's not the dry and somewhat wooden sound that is typical of US reggae. And this is where Laswell comes in and mixes the boring template into a wonderfully fluffy one Dub-Album. It is always fascinating how much the character of music can be changed with the help of the mixer alone. Laswell's mix is ​​quite calm and classic - but the man knows the meaning of the sound and is able to master it with virtuosity. So is "Dub The Passover ”to a wonderful, relaxed Dub-Work that impresses above all with melodies and a wonderfully warm, harmonious sound.

Finally, the "Berlin Sessions " (Irie-ites) from Aldubb, Dubmatix and Mighty Howard mentioned. The three had each other during the last Dubmatix tour for a weekend in the Berlin studio Aldubbs included and three songs included Dub-Version produced. These have now been released as an EP by Irie-Ites and prove that reggae can also be produced here at a Jamaican pace.

The most interesting Dub-The new publication of the still fresh year comes from Münster, from the Senior All Stars, and bears the simple but apt title "In Dub" (Skycap). In a way, it is a birthday present that the boys have given themselves, because when the project was born in 2009, the seniors were 10 years and five separate albums (without Dr. Ring Ding) old. “Right from the start Dub It was an important element of our (instrumental) music, ”explains Thomas Hoppe, the band's drummer,“ but a really decent one Dub-Album has been my dream for a long time ”. How nice that such a dream can also be realized. My dear fellow Riddim author Karsten Frehe managed contacts with some of the most interesting ones at the moment Dub-Producers at, so that an illustrious host of sound tinkerers and Dub-Maniacs found the 14 tracks of the Senior Allstars in "really good" Dubtransform s. Karsten gave every 9th Dub-Meister in the booklet dedicated a small, informative text: Umberto Echo (Munich), Alldub (Berlin) and Dubvisionist (Hanover), webcam HiFi (France), Dubolic (Croatia), Victor Rice (Brazil), Crazy Baldhead (USA), El Bib (England) and Avatar (Ireland). All of them did their job very well and clean Dub-Mixes delivered - Dub Mixes mind you, not remixes. It was about the good old sound engineering trade and not about recording new tracks and turning a relaxed, jazz-inspired instrumental into a dark one Dubconjure up step number. It is therefore not very easy to hear stylistic differences between the various actors. The light, relaxed uptempo sound of the former ska band stays with them Dub- defining the version. In a direct comparison of some tracks from the last Senior Allstars album "Hazard" with theirs DubHowever, it is noticeable that the originals were probably mastered better. The presence and clarity of the original sound is simply fantastic. For this they get Dubs more depth and heaviness, the sound appears more concentrated. So overall a nice one Dub-Reworking that is fascinating to listen to, especially compared to the originals.

The British reggae collective Pama International is pursuing a similar concept with the new album “Pama International Meet Mad Professor: Rewired! In Dub“(Rockers Revolt). Here, too, became a well-known one Dub-Producer, namely the crazy professor himself, invited to existing tracks dubben, namely those of the 2009 Pama album "Outernational". The professor gave everything here, but what can he save if the basis is not right? Unlike the Senior Allstars, Pama International has not built any good rhythms, composed no melodic basslines and created no really exciting arrangements. Therefore, the tracks ripple in a somewhat uninspired manner, even if Mad Professor added a lot of reverb and screwed his fingers sore on the mixer. That me that Dub-Album knows how to impress so little, surprises me, because I actually didn't like “Outernational” that badly. But in a direct comparison it becomes clear that the original benefits a lot from the vocals, which are a nice mixture of James Brown, Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff. It's interesting to see that the effects of the Dub are not suitable for masking a lack of musical quality. The opposite is the case: Dub concentrates on the essentials and makes defects all the more apparent.

Another case: Again it's about him Dubmix existing material, just that Dub-Master in this case none other than the resurrected Scientist: "Scientist launches Dubstep into outer space“(Tectonic). The poor guy was spared the Pama album, but he had to Dubstep remix. Is there a music that is less suitable for you Dub-Mix suitable as Dubstep? What else do you want to mix with this minimal music? Scientist obviously didn't know why his Dubs not particularly different from the originals - which, by the way, were conveniently included directly in the form of a double CD. Unlike with Mad Professor, however, the “raw material” in this case is not that bad. Previously unreleased, the tracks are from Dubstep luminaries such as Kode 9, Shackleton, Distance, Digital Mystikz etc. Anyone who goes on an excursion in Dubstep-Gefilden is not averse, you can have a listen. However, anyone who expects to hear the scientist he knows from the early 1980s will have to digest a bitter disappointment.

An from comes from Japan Glen Brown produced and by King Tubby mixed Dub-Album to us: "Big Dub - 15 Dubs From Lost Tapes“(Rock A Shacka). Dub Vendor in England sells the good piece for 22 pounds (26 euros) plus shipping costs. So an exclusive pleasure to listen to the (also limited) CD. And what sensations does the luxury CD come up with? For example with Dubs to pieces like “Never Too Young To Learn”, “Father Of The Living”, “Away With The Bad”, “Merry Up”, “As Long As There Is You”, “When I Fall In Love” - but also With Dubs of previously unknown tracks (after all, we're talking about "lost tapes"). As expected, the Glen Brown sound is also rather dry and brittle here and Tubby proceeds with it in the familiar manner: He reduces the little even further, occasionally lets guitar or keyboards sound, cheers over it vigorously, only to turn it back into the mighty one Two, drum & bass, to sacrifice. We are dealing with a truly minimalist work and I have to admit that I was quite bored listening to it - despite great masters and great art. The sound is a number too meager for me and that Dub-Mixes too classic. To my liking, an album for the collection rather than for listening pleasure.

So, that would take me to the column at the beginning of the year, which - as I have just discovered - consists almost entirely of pans. That started well!

A Dub-Album from America! If you don't know, you can tell by the sound: fat beats are not for the Americans. The rhythms have to sound dry and well hung, hand-played and a bit like rock and roll. The Luste Kings production team from California are no exception. Andrew Bain and Corrin Haskel have been producing reggae according to this pattern since 1995 and prefer to have their riddims voiced by unknown Jamaican artists. In 15 years, of course, a beautiful rhythm collection has emerged, from which 11 tunes can now enjoy one Dub-Treatments and on the album "Luster Kings in Dub, vol. 1“ (Luster Kings/ Import). Another 6 tunes are included as pure versions - a total of 17 tracks. Apart from the rather dry sound, it is astonishing what a wide range of styles the pieces cover. There are ultra-soft lovers numbers, hand-played roots, digital dancehall, and even halfway deep ones Dubs based on the European model. If you didn't know better, you would assume a compilation from different producers. The question of whether this range of variation is a strength or a weakness does not arise, however, because for almost all pieces it is true that the beats remain somewhat weak and sap - no matter which style they are currently serving. With a few exceptions (“Proverbs Dub"," Takling Drum Version "), the rhythms do not have enough presence to be considered Dub or even to be able to pass version. They stay in the background, do not require any attention and everything is nice & easy - perfect feel-good music as background sound for the office. I know that the two Luster Kings produce their music with a lot of passion, which is why criticism is not easy for me. But even if it's done with a lot of love, it doesn't guarantee a good album. Maybe the two Californians should just stick to vocal tunes - they're much better at that.

Who believed the evolution of the Dub would be finished with the “Natural Selection”, wrong, because Greensleeves now presents us with the “Missing Link”, that is Vol. 5 of the “Evolution Of Dub“CD box series (Greensleeves). Despite advanced evolution, we are still in the middle of the 70s of the last century with the musician and producer Ossie Hibbert. He contributes two of the box's four albums: "Earthquake Dub" and "Crueshal Dub" (Sic!).

"Earthquake Dub" appeared on Joe Gibbs' label after Ossie gave it to him in exchange for a car (Errol Thompson's car!). In “Reggae: The Rough Guide” it is referred to as a “more militant continuation of the“ African Dub“Series” describes what hits the nail on the head. You can hear the classic, well-known and universally popular Professionals / Aggrovators / Revolutionaries sound, dominated by Sly Dunbar's repeatedly fascinating drum patterns. Uptempo, light and yet also determined, determined and straightforward. In keeping with the style of the times, there are mainly re-editions of classic rhythms to be heard like z. B. "Pick Up The Pieces" by the Royals or "Declaration of Rights" by the Abyssinians.

The box's second Ossie album, "Crueshal Dub", is so obscure that even Ossie himself can hardly remember how it came about. In terms of sound, it is clearly ahead of “Earthquake Dub“And focuses on reviving old Studio One rhythms. Less strong and independent than "Earthquake", but knows it through beautiful, artistic ones Dub-Mixes to convince.

The other two albums in the box are a novelty in the series, as they are used to venture into England: "King Of The Dub Rock Part 1 "and" Part 2 ". In this respect, the boxing title “The Missing Link” has been chosen very cleverly. Both albums are produced by British sound man Lloyd Blackford aka Sir Coxsone Sound. In the sixties, many British sound systems named themselves after their Jamaican models. And since Blackford's worst adversary was named after Duke Reid, Blackford consequently chose the name of Clement Coxsone Dodd. "King Of The Dub Rock Part 1 ”was released in 1975 and contained rhythms by Dennis Bovell and Gussie Clarke. Blackford mixed those Dubs itself and gave the very different sounds a certain uniformity. For historical reasons the album is quite interesting as “Missing Link”, but in terms of listening pleasure it lags far behind “Part 2”, which was released seven years later (and thus made the leap into the 1980s). I bought the album in the year it was first released and on the one hand was fascinated by the rich sound, the strong brass sections and the beautiful melodies, but on the other hand I was also quite irritated by the Space Invaders 8-bit sounds that randomly entered the Tracks were mixed. Fortunately, these were overdubs now removed, leaving the original Dubs can be enjoyed here in all its unclouded beauty. The old school was to my liking Dub at the time of this album's creation at its artistic peak - only to die out a short time later in Jamaica. I am curious to see whether the boxing series will continue with Jah Shaka and Mad Professor in England. "Escape To The Asylum Of Dub"Would be a perfect sequel ...

How about a little Dub from Australia? Brian May, who was born in Britain, tinkers down under on various styles of music that all have one thing in common: Dub. He now has the album under the pseudonym Beam Up "Terra Sonica" (beamingproductions.com) published on the he Dubs, which stylistically cannot be grouped into a single genre, but which all comply with the laws of Dub to obey. The spectrum ranges from world music to reggae Dubstep. To my taste, cross-genre experiments are in principle exciting, but the spark doesn't really want to jump out here. The mixes are brilliant, the rhythms alone are lacking. They could use a little more groove.

On the other hand, Al's new album is pleasantly traditionaldubb to: "Aldubb Meets Ras Perez " (MKZwo Records). You know what you have! Beautiful rootsDubs, very calm, without claim to an innovation award, just fat basslines, big echo chambers and a nice old-school sound. The recordings were made during many rehearsal sessions in Al's in-house Berlin studiodubb. He has drums and percussion Dub-Master himself recorded, Ras Perez took care of the rest. An album that was made unintentionally. While jamming, the two simply let the tape run along: “At some point there were so many Dubs that it just had to be put on CD. ”Right decision! It turned out to be a good album.

Dubstep shouldn't be missing - especially when it comes from Kanka, the French steppers king who recently released his album “Don't Stop Dub“Catapulted our neighbors out of bed. Under the pseudonym Alek 6 he now has that Dubstep album "Inside" (Hammerbass.fr), which uncompromisingly delivers what we promise from Kanka, namely bass, bass and bass. However, unlike usual, only a few offbeats can be heard around it - instead of Warrior style there is dark electronics and rigid minimalism. Occasionally a few jungle breakbeats flare up, but otherwise the wealth of ideas is limited. But who needs ideas for a deafening bass drone? The main thing is that the pants flutter.

Finally something slightly obscure, namely a Polish one Dub-Album by a band called DUP !: “Dup! Session In Something Like Studio ”(dupmusic.com). The entire press release consists of these two sentences: “We are called Dup and proudly present our first album. We play Dub-Music and our main influence is the old school sound of old Jamaican recordings ”. Concise but precise. "Old school-Dub"Hits the point quite well: Dubs that sound almost played live, full of atmosphere, with virtuoso percussions and really beautiful bass lines. And of course with tubby-style mixes and an extra-clean sound.

And there they are again. After 14 years of silence, eight months ago with “Sonn und Mond” there was definitely the most exciting thing Dub- To hear album of the year. And now, with “We So Horny”, another work by Hey-O-Hansen follows! What got into the two Tyroleans and Berliners by choice? Have the muse kissed Michael Wolf and Helmut Erler? If you take the creative content of their albums as a basis, then this question must be answered in the affirmative. I haven't come across anything so unusual, weird and yet absolutely coherent for a long time. Don't worry, we're not dealing with cerebral studio experiments here, but with wonderfully groovy ones, albeit strangely eccentric Dubs. There are Dubs that emphatically show the enormous creative leeway the genre offers and how this can be used convincingly. Unlike “We So Horny”, the predecessor “Sonn und Mond” was the distillate from 14 years DubResearch work and hard to beat in terms of the wealth of ideas. “We So Horny”, on the other hand, contains entirely new material and inevitably sacrifices the diversity of its predecessor to a greater stylistic unity. While "Sonn und Mond" offered a different surprise with every track, "We So Horny" allows you to get into the strange (supposedly influenced by Tyrolean folk music and its idiosyncratic offbeat) Dub- Listen to the sound of the two studio freaks. And what makes the sound so idiosyncratic? Not that easy to say. Perhaps it can best be described with the term “artistic rebellion”. Nothing here sounds “smooth” or conventional. On the contrary. The question is: how much Dub-Convention can be thrown overboard without the music stopping Dub to be? Hey-O-Hansen's answer is: everything except echo, bass and offbeat. And the first thing that goes overboard here is the classic instrumentation scheme. That's why the Hey-O-HansenDubs initially played incorrectly, only to sound logical and compelling in the next moment. The massive use of wind instruments alone is extraordinary. In addition, there is an idiosyncratic mixture of electronic sounds (à la Basic Channel) and hand-played, acoustic instruments as well as a simple, but somehow tricky polyrhythm. Hey-O-Hansen's music cannot really be described. Only one thing can be said very clearly: it is great.

Let's continue with weird Dub-Mucke: "Japanese Dub“(30 Hertz) by Jah Wobble & The Nippon Dub Ensemble. The last I heard from Mr. Wobble was his "ChineseDub”Album“ Mu ”from 2005. With“ Japanese Dub”He picks up where he left off with“ Mu ”. He just moved a little further east. Instead of the Chinese character “Mu”, the Japanese “Ma” now appears on the cover. The meaning is the same: emptiness, absence - an essential term in Zen meditation - and there Dub has a meditative quality per se, it is of course predestined for Jah Wobble's esoteric excursions. This time she leads us to ritual Shinto music, taiko drums and shamisen sounds. The basis of all the pieces on the album is always Wobble's rumbling bass and often beats programmed by him (on Japanese equipment, of course). That doesn't work badly, especially since Wobble often relies on reggae beats. Traditional Japanese singing is really crazy. If you are not open minded here, you should be in shock. The intoned song ("Kokiriko" - supposedly the oldest song in Japan) is actually very beautiful and has an incredibly catchy melody - even for western ears. Jah Wobble was so obsessed with this song that he put it on the album four times, as it were as a version excursion. Besides this song, there are other nice things to discover: pentatonic and chromatic scales, kabuki singing and booming drums for example. Jah Wobble doesn’t go easy on his listeners - but that’s exactly what offers the chance for new discoveries. And for that we thank Mr. Wobble-bass.

Last year the debut album by Dubkasm, "Transform I" (Sufferah's Choice), a dark, mysterious one Dub-Root's work with guest vocalists like African Simba, Dub Judah and, interestingly, also Brazilian singers outside of the reggae scene. Now with “Transformed in Dub“(Sufferah's Choice) the DubVersion of the album. This is even darker, more intense, even heavier and - according to my feeling - has also become even more interesting, because here all attention is given to the music, the sound, the finesse of the mix. Behind Dubkasm are two guys from Bristol, Digidub and DJ Stryda, who since childhood (after attending a show by Jah Shaka) have devoted themselves entirely to the "orthodox" rootsDub have prescribed. Therefore you are not allowed to make any new ones from the two Dub- Expect knowledge, rather the loving care of the good, old ones Dub-Tradition. How much the two BristolDubYou can look forward to your new, analog mixer dubsee casm.com in a nice little film portrait.

Ok, dreadzone. With this name, memories of the early 90s awaken in me, memories of a huge aha moment when I saw the crossover of Leftfield and Roots for the first time on the Dreadzone album "360 Degrees"Dub heard. As a result, Dreadzone released more fabulous albums, which not only represent the next higher evolutionary stage of Dub presented, but on which also great songs and insanely catchy melodies played. So I hardly need to mention that I have the new CD "Eye On The Horizon" (Dubwiser Records / Soulfood) with trembling fingers. What came next can perhaps be described as a result of confusion, disappointment, and ultimately favor. What is certain is that the new album cannot meet the gigantic expectations. It follows on from “Second Light” or “Biological Radio” - especially when it comes to song melodies and arrangements - but it does not reach the level of these albums. While this virtuoso techno / dance, leftfield and pop under the predominance of Dub united, “Eyes On The Horizon” clearly steers through pop and often even rock waters. Even if the title "Eyes On The Horizon" suggests otherwise, Greg Dread & Co have not really developed since the aforementioned albums from the 90s, but also since "Once Upon A Time", which was released in 2005. It's nasty to write something like that, but I have a feeling that Dreadzone was looking a little too much towards chart success on their new album. Surely this criticism is a high level complaint. Countless Dub-Producers would thank heaven if they could only produce anything close to the quality of "Eye On The Horizon". Because: if you leave all expectations and prejudices about pop and rock behind you, it suddenly becomes obvious: The new Dreadzone factory is good. And how do you notice it? Simply because you put it on again and again and have fun listening to it.

After we had the "absolutely last volume" of the King Size a few times DubSeries behind us and last year with “Vol. 69 ”a sampler fluttered into the house“ out of line ”, there is now:“ King Size Dub Chapter 13 “(Echo Beach) - and, that's the beauty of traditions, again with a Ruts DC remix. But - seriously now - I am glad that Echo Beach is continuing the legendary series, because the samplers (Vol. 1 appeared in 1995!) Always offer a highly tasteful selection of current productions. So also Chapter 13, where this time, in addition to a lot of in-house artists such as Noiseshaper, Up, Bustle & Out, Dubxanne, Dub Spencer & Trance Hill or Dubblestandart, also tracks from Dreadzone, The Vision, Aldubb or autumn in Beijing to be brought to hear. An excellent selection - Echo Beach just knows where the bass is playing.

Behind the beautiful name Jahtari is a small label from Leipzig that started a few years ago as an experiment and, as the name suggests, is initially dedicated to the 8-bit sound of early computers like Atari and the C64 with its famous three-part SID sound chip would have. The experiment consisted in playing music as soulful as reggae with the help of mathematical algorithms. By the way, an experiment that King Jammy and Steely & Cleevie had already succeeded in the mid-1980s. But while Jammy's “Computerized Reggae” sounded retort-like “digital” due to the inability of the computer technology at the time and this stage was soon overcome with the availability of better sound chips, for Jan Gleichmar, the founder and boss of Jahtari, this sound is the goal of all efforts. He tailored the Jahtari label to his body and collects his own productions here as well as the like-minded laptop fricklers. The “Jahtarian Dubbers ”albums, the second chapter of which has just been released, are something like the manifestos of this sound. “Jahtarian Dubbers, Vol. 2 " (jahtari.org/) presents us now 13 tracks of fully synthetic "digital laptop reggaes", chased through several software echo chambers and enriched with space invaders sounds. Some pieces also offer rock-solid vocals such as z. B. “Puff That Weed”, on whose chattering bit sequences the virtuoso Soom T rides like on a speeding bobby car. In the mind's eye you can see cheap netbooks overheating and China iPhone clones vibrate. And this is exactly where the charm of this weird music lies: The (intentionally) primitive instruments really secrete genuine, real and true reggae tunes. Fat bass, stiff offbeat, solid drums and a groovy beat. The whole sound cosmos “Reggae” shrinks to its minimal, constructive elements - and sounds really good at the same time. Super Mario meets Basic Channel, reggaewise. Just an interesting experiment or good music that can survive even without the included theory? The answer is: 42!

Dub-Reworkings of popular pop songs are obviously in vogue. Easy Star Records has already taken on Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Radiohead, and Echo Beach has subjected The Police to a thorough reviewdubexercise and now it hits the former clash singer Joe Strummer with “Shatter The Hotel”. This wave was triggered by "Dub Side Of The Moon ”, an album that has sold an incredible 2003 copies since 90.000. The more stupid the concept, the more successful it seems. And since concepts of this kind are easy to think of, everyone tries their luck. These were roughly my thoughts when I was "Shatter The Hotel" (www.strummerville.com) got my hands on it. Almost reluctantly, I listened. OK, that was passable. After the second listening it was okay. When I heard it for the third time, I found myself singing along. Now - I have to admit - I'm very fond of Joe Strummers posthumously Dub-Tribute. The big plus of the album is, quite simply, the solid song base. These are real catchy tunes! Converted into clean, functional and calm Dub-Versions can't be said against it. Driven by the catchy melodies and more frequent vocal accompaniment, there is something like good popDub-Reggae originated. In contrast to the albums mentioned above, the pieces on “Shatter The Hotel” were not all recorded by a band, but were contributed by well-known and unknown producers from the international reggae scene. So does the infallible Dubmatix from Canada starts with “London Calling”, then from Dub Antenna, the Creation Rockers and the Dub Cats as well as a number of other unknown producers / bands followed. Sound and style are so similar, however, that everything merges into a homogeneous album - to put it positively. Incidentally, the sales proceeds go to the Joe Strummer Foundation, which supports young musicians.

At the beginning of the new millennium, Mafia and Fluxy released a series of albums under the title “Reggae Heights”, in which they copied old vocals onto newly recorded backings. One album in the series was dedicated to Barry Brown's oeuvre and featured seven Dubs as bonus material. If that wasn't enough for you, you now have the opportunity with the album "Barry Brown In Dub"which is only available as a digital release, another six Dubs to acquire. And since the two British Rhythm Brothers have really done rock-solid instrumental and mixing work, this acquisition is highly recommended. And who then even more Dub- You need fabric, he can come with it "Dub Anthems " grab the full boom right away. Mafia & Fluxy are offering 15 of their best Dubs from that time. Fat, fat, fat tracks whose massive basslines vibrate the plates off the table. There is no innovation award, but there is DubChamber of Crafts awards an award for outstanding workmanship (sponsored by the porcelain industry). Many an old, well-known and beloved riddim is brought to the fore here (“anthems”) like z. B. "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown", Marley's "Forever Loving Jah", "Open The Gate", "Warriors Charge" and of course "Realrock".

Before our enjoyable Dub-Hour comes to an end, we take another look at the revival selection and find here once again an ultra-rare album that (how could it be otherwise) the Pressure Sounds label dug up for us: "Prince Jammy Presents Strictly Dub" (www.pressure.co.uk). Recorded in the late 1970s and small editions published in New York in the early 1980s, it offers us a glimpse of Jammy's early work, which was created at Tubby's mixer on Dromilly Avenue. It was produced, arranged, mixed and remixed by the Prince himself, recorded by Jamaica's Cream, the session musicians of the time: Sly & Robbie, Ansel Collins, Gladstone Anderson, Bobby Ellis, Deadly Hedley, Sticky Thompson (among others). An illustrious combo that perform beautiful versions of classic rhythms such as "Baba Boom", Ali Baba "or" Shenk I Sheck ". The titles of the pieces are interesting: “Brookly Dub"," Bronx Fashion Dub", "Immigrant Dub"Or" 42nd Street Dub". Marketing jamaica-wise, because the album was finally planned for New York. And how does it sound? Well! Not spectacular, but very beautiful. Thanks to the classics, the basis is right and thanks to the brilliant musicians, the implementation is also right. Relaxed, uptempo played, airy sound, full arrangements with very, very nice percussion. Jammy's mix is ​​nice and appropriate. It gets really exciting with the two bonus tracks, which - according to press information - come from a "somewhat later period". They sound downright experimental compared to the rest. Heavier sound, a lot of pressure and a charming distortion effect that drives between the beats. Jammy has obviously learned a lot in a short time.

Good Dub-Albums often cross my path. But Dub-Albums that really inspire me are rather rare. Hey-O-Hansen's "Sun and Moon" (Pingipung / Rough Trade) is such an album. The cover made me think of weird noise jokes à la Einstürzende Neubauten, but when the CD finally played in the background during breakfast, my girlfriend and I exchanged a puzzled look, put the newspaper aside and turned up the volume. What crazy music! 100% reggae, but played in a way that has never been heard before. The sound is reminiscent of Peter Presto (review in Riddim August 2006), i.e. of melodic compact electronics. Unlike Presto's sound, they are Dubs from Hey-O-Hansen but strangely tricky and yet very simple. It's like playing reggae on the wrong instruments - but really virtuoso. Individual sequences of sounds seem disharmonious and misplaced, only to be wonderfully closed and catchy in the interplay. This is how it ends z. B. a weird accordion that plays over a warm, pulsating offbeat, in a gently breathed chanson, while detailed lo-fi gimmicks take over the direction afterwards. In another song we hear a heavy, sluggish Lee Perry Black Ark sample accompanied by a harp that eventually gives way to a female voice, only to make way for the accordion again. Each piece is an excursion into a fascinating sound landscape, in which a surprise awaits behind every hill and every tree. The liner notes quite aptly speak of “artistic rebellion”. Instead of obeying the genre conventions, a radical break is made with them and with it the door to a completely new one Dub-Experience. Helmut Erler and Michael Wolf are the names of the two creative minds behind Hey-O-Hansen, come from Austria, where - according to their own statement - they were inspired by the offbeat of Tyrolean folk music, played in a rock steady band in the 1980s and in the middle of the Emigrated to Berlin in the 1990s. There they have been tinkering their sound escapades in their own studio for 14 years, which they bring to the audience in a wide variety of places in a wide variety of formats. What has been created in this way in the years since 1995 is now being published on a CD for the first time, carefully compiled and sorted. And this CD - I'm already sure of that - will be in mine Dub-Charts ranked number one in 2009.

Neil Perch, mastermind of Zion Train, likes to point out that his album "Live As One" won the 2008 Reggae Grammy. On closer inspection, the “Reggae Grammy” that Mr. Zion Train is so proud of actually turns out to be a “Reggae Academy Award”, which is presented in Kingston and has nothing to do with the US Grammy Awards. Still - probably euphoric by the success - Neil Perch has Dub- Actors from all over the world asked for remixes of the tracks on the album, which are now collected on one CD as Zion Train, "Live As One Remixed" (Universal Egg) have appeared. The 15th Dubs come from Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, France, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Mexico and of course from England (but not a single mix from Germany!). The most famous names are Rob Smith, Vibronics, Brain Damage, and Weeding Dub. Some tracks are represented several times ("Boxes And Amps" four times), which allows the mixes to be compared with each other and thus the essence of Dub to trace. However, the remixes stay all too true to the tenor of the original. Only De Niro delivers a massive one Dubstep mix of “What A Situation” from and Dub Terror transforms “Boxes And Amps” into a beautifully nostalgic jungle track.

The album also comes from Universal Egg "Dub Terror "(Universal Egg) from: Dub Terror. I have to admit that the CD has been lying around with me for two or three months - which has a certain expressiveness. I can't think of too much about the album produced in Warsaw. The tracks follow the classic UKDub-Scheme and flirt with occasionally Dubstep - but do not gain new perspectives from this genre. The ingredients are actually right, such as well-chosen samples, a clean sound and six good guest vocalists, but the result is not really exciting. There is simply a lack of good compositions (if you are at Dub wants to talk about it at all).

But back to the subject of “Remix”. In 1982 the punk rocker Ruts CD recorded their album "Rhtyhm Collision" in the then newly founded Ariwa Studio of Mad Professor, which mixed punk rock with reggae and a little funk. The album never received much attention, but became an underground icon that has sold around 100.000 copies to date, including all reprints and re-issues. In 2002, Neil Perch of Zion Train took on the album and produced one Dub-Remix the set. Today, again a few years later, the third generation is at work: deconstructed, reconstructed, coiffed, refurbished and refurbisheddubbt by the bass disciples these days, the album appears under Ruts DC, "Rhythm Collision Re> loaded" (Echo Beach) now one more time. Rob Smith (whom we know from Smith & Mighty and the More Rockers) remixed five of the thirteen tracks, Dreadzone took on two tracks, as did the Cologne-based electronics tinkerers Salz and Steve Dub (the programmer for the Chemical Brothers). All those involved in the big Ruts DC relaunch followed the path that African Headcharge once called the "Path Of Respect" and largely retained the identity of the original. Although we are unmistakably reggaeDub have to do, the sound of punk rock remains omnipresent and the voices of the rods stick out crisp again and again from the sea of ​​bass. An idiosyncratic mix of styles that works perfectly in this form.

Incredible 20 years after the album "Dubvision “sends the Dubvisionist Felix Wolter under the title "Dubvision II "(percussion & electronics) a follow-up album out into the world. Here he has gathered “melodious tracks from friends” who made their recordings with him in the staccato and Time Tools studios. In addition to The Vision and the Herbman Band, these friends also include Gentleman, Tamika & Mamadee and the Far East Band. Maybe it's the age, maybe also the decades of experience. Felix Wolter decided in any case for carefully selected relaxed, melodic and wonderfully classically played tracks and put them into equally "melodious" Dubs transformed, to which you can groove comfortably, but which can also be listened to attentively and then reveal thousands of little gimmicks and nice ideas. So begins z. B. the first piece “Andrés Dub“With a nice, melodic brass section, then after two verses“ into the mix ”, where virtuoso percussions gently play in the foreground, which are then replaced by a nice guitar melody. Everything as a matter of course, logical, consistent. Of course we're not hearing a musical revolution or cutting edge hereDubs in the forefront of Dubstep and electronics. We hear “only” really good craftsmanship, sounds with soul and Dubs with warmth. And it's so incredibly beneficial to just listen to good music and not have to be progressive and open minded. In any case, I would like to expressly wish for more Dub-Works by Felix!

Now something very nice is coming - from the Revival selection: King Tubby & The Clancy Eccles All Stars, “Sound System International Dub LP "(Pressure Sounds). This one produced by Clancy Eccles Dub-Set is so incredibly obscure that no one, "really NO ONE" - as the press release emphasizes - had ever heard of it. When an old vinyl copy turned up in early 2009, the Pressure Sounds geeks went crazy, researched, remastered and rereleased the LP, now in the original cover with previously unseen photos of King Tubby (the CD also contains five bonus tracks). The album documents Eccle's advance into that Dub-Genre, for which he had King Tubby remix ten tracks recorded by Dynamics in the early 1970s. Tubby mixed the recordings sparingly and transparently, stripped them except for drum & bass and almost completely dispensed with vocals. Formerly tubby style at it's best!

That Dub what is now a truly international style is shown once again in the album "Like River To Ocean" (Amaru Music) from the Irish music duo Avatar was recorded and its cover is adorned with Japanese calligraphy. Behind Avatar are the two instrumentalists James Kennedy and Tony O'Flaherty. Both born and raised in the southwest of Ireland, they say they are inspired by the Irish landscape, its beauty and solitude. The clear water, the fresh air and the stoic mountains form a natural harmony in which to sit, contemplate and about Dub lets think. So it's not surprising that ambient sounds like the noise of waves appear again and again in the very relaxed pieces. Above all, it is the soft sounds of the brass that create the Dub of the two Irish. But there are also two pieces that are strange: “Joyfull Dub"Sounds like the drums come from the rhythm repertoire of a Hammond organ and" Kingdom I Dub“- actually a nice piece - is accompanied by praise for Haile Selassie. The connection to the Irish landscape does not want to reveal itself to me here.

Finally we give ourselves a real UK steppers droning - even if the music comes from France: "World Wide Dub"(Control Tower) by The Dub Machinist. There is not much of the Lord Dub-Machinists known - but one thing can be said for sure: he takes his name seriously. His pounding as if moved by a large, steam-powered machine colossus Dubs through space and time and let the floor and walls vibrate. Brutal and minimalist. Nothing, but nothing at all about them Dubt is new or innovative - and there is only one idea: oomph! But the total consistency with which this idea is thought through makes the album an experience. In the style of Heavy Metal, pure “Heavy Dub" speak. You need something like this from time to time to have your eardrum massaged. Ah, that's good!