Category: Dub (Revolution

The fact that Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson produced some of the most beautiful reggae classics of the 70s should have been reminded again after the publication of the homage by Steely & Clevie. That Gibbs and Thompson, "The Mighty Two" but also excellent Dub-Versions of their hits are evidenced by the new Pressure Sounds album "Joe Gibbs and the Professionals: No Bones For The Dogs" (Pressure Sounds / Zomba) that is their Dub- Dedicated to works from 1974-1978. Four years with great hits like "Heart and Soul" by Leo Graham, "See Them A Come" by Culture on the heavy rock rhythm, "Burn Babylon" by Sylford Walker, or even, very big, "Two Seven Clash" , also from Culture, which is here a Dub-Treatment in a class of its own. Very exciting instrumental arrangements, funny samples (car races, barking dogs, shots etc.), sound-FX galore, reverb and echo and above all a virtuoso mastery of the sound are the most important ingredients of the DubVersions by Gibbs & Co. But these ingredients alone would have been worthless if Gibbs and Thompson hadn't had such excellent raw materials. Because a strong rhythm, well arranged, with a swinging bassline and possibly beautiful vocal melodies is a conditio sine qua non for a good one Dub Track. And so it is not surprising that the Dubs on "No Bones For The Dogs" which have survived 24 to 28 years since their creation and still sound as interesting and varied today as they did when they were created.

Let's stay with the classics: after the small one wackies-Special in the last column, here are two more rereleases of Dub-Albums of the legendary American reggae label presented: “Jamaica great Dub Session" and "Natures Dub" (both: Wackies / EFA). Both albums impress with their melodic tracks and the incomparable and always fascinating Wackies sound. Mix-wise, the two works from the early 1980s are rather average, groove-wise, however, they are far ahead - which shouldn't come as a surprise when you know that luminaries such as Leroy Sibbles and Jackie Mittoo are jointly responsible for this. "Natures Dub“Starts off with a true Four To The Floor stomper you'd expect to be in the 1990s rather than the early 1980s. Producer Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes was happy to draw on the Studio One legacy (like everyone at the time), which gave his rhythms those wonderfully rolling basslines (and maybe even helped make his recordings classics too). On “Natures Dub“In any case, he offers us an unsurpassed minimalist interpretation of Rockfort Rock, almost completely stripped on pure drum & bass with fistling hi-hat attacks and sparingly used echo. Such tracks are likely to have induced the minimal techno producers Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald to re-release the entire oeuvre of the Wackies label. Thanks a lot for this! The sound on the “Super Dub Session “is softer and typical of the label's Lovers productions. Soft melodies and lots of reverb and echo determine the sound here. Above all, the drum sound from the Black Ark studio puts its stamp on the tracks. The arrangements are more lush and musical, occasionally there are even tentative brass sections.

From the Bronx it's now over to Brooklin, where the Clocktower label is based. House owner Brad Osbourne never had to deal with such little things as recording sessions or with reggae artists. He just bought complete session tapes from Bunny Lee and Lee Perry in Jamaica and mixed them into his own Dubs - which of course he also gave his copyright to. Now there are a few of these again Dub-Objects available: "Clocktower Records Presents Clocktower Dub" (Abraham / Import). Here are some scruffy ones Dub- Heard versions of hits by Junior Byles, Johnny Osbourne, Dennis Brown, Augustus Pablo and the Heptones, always mixed with recordings from Perry's Black Ark studio. Obscure, weird and idiosyncratic are the appropriate adjectives for this Dub- Best characterize the collection from the 70s. 

Since we're working on inclines Dubs are: "Hallucinogen In Dub" (Twisted / EFA) goes one better: A Dub-Ambient sound network that was undoubtedly created under the influence of small mushrooms. Spherical synth pads and colorful electronic doodles are the predominant stylistic devices here. They stand in exciting contrast to solid reggae grooves and rich basslines and make this work for reggae fans to consume. Some pieces sound like Dreadzone on drugs, others like Stockhausen on reggae. The listener should therefore have a certain tolerance towards musical experiments. However, after a brilliant start, the tracks usually calm down a bit and finally develop a more meditative mood. If you are open minded enough, you will have fun with this album - if you are not, the cover will put you off.

Since I am - without a doubt - open minded enough, I also got the album from Brain Damage, "Always Greener (On The Other Side)" (Hammerbass / Import) from France. Here, the listener can expect extremely slow, monotonous rhythms with a fat sound-FX set. Rhythm & Sound meets Wordsound meets Alpha & Omega - one could briefly summarize the concept. However, Brain Damage is less minimalistic than Rhythm & Sound, not as experimental as Wordsound and not as dark as Alpha & Omega. Nevertheless, the album exerts a strange fascination. The meditative mood, the limbo between disharmony and groove, the sluggishness of the bassline ... It is not easy to illuminate this fascination - and it is also not easy to get fully involved with the album. But if you do, you hear a lot: soft echoes of oriental melodies and Indian harmonies z. B. or mysterious scraps of words that emerge from the sound complex. The two vocal tracks with Tena Stelin also set two nice accents.

Let's stay in France, a music nation whose reggae and Dub-Create only slowly and very gradually becomes visible to us. The DubProducer and mixer miniman is located with his self-confident French titled album "En Marche Pour Sion " (Age Of Venus / Import) on the way to the kingdom of the Rastas (like gentleman). His pounding steppers rhythms leave no doubt that he has mastered this path with a steady pace. The whole album appears like a deja vu from the 90s, Disciples, Rootsman and Zion Train send their regards. But that doesn't seem to bother Miniman: He doesn't care about the current trend in business, he doesn't care about attracting buyers outside of the French reggae community and he doesn't need strong guests to voice his tracks. He just makes his music - uncompromisingly and consistently. What is to be bad about it? So it fits only too well that he has his picture taken in his Ikea bedroom studio. You have to have that much self-confidence!

The Groove Corporation from Birmingham, on the other hand, stands for the modern club sound of the Dub, which incorporates the diverse influences of electronic music and is located entirely in the here and now. With "Dub Plates From The Elephant House Volume Two " (Different Drummer / EFA), pack yours for the second time Dub-Plate box and show where the status quo of the genre is at the moment. Their spectrum ranges from exciting crossover sounds (like "Clever Kid" to that like a Dub-Remix of the Gotan Project sounds) to trip-hop experiments and hard-hitting dance floor steppers rhythms. Diversity seems to be the basic principle at G-Corp, because every track has new arrangements, new sounds and new surprises in store. A property that is currently in the Dub is far too rare. They leave no doubt about the great potential of this genre and what its way into the future should look like. It is thanks to musicians like G-Corp that Dub has found its place in the dance of contemporary electronic music and asserts its unmistakable influences there. In this respect they are Dub-Plates of the Groove Corporation the exact antithesis to the tracks by Miniman: Modern club sounds with strong roots in reggae.

How strong Dub capable of influencing current club sounds is shown by the new album of the Thievery Corporation, "The Richest Man In Babylon"whose title makes it clear that it is not far from reggae. There are a few straight ones here Dub-Tracks that even the aforementioned corporation from Birmingham should be jealous of. Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, the two eclecticists in person, took good care and made their own Dub which they have embedded between wonderful lounge tracks with a strong world music influence. But only by the way. Let's turn to someone else Dub- Outsiders too: the Bad Brains. The dreadlocked punk musicians from Washington have with "I'n'I Survive Dub“(Reggae Lounge / Groove Attack) actually a flawless one DubAlbum submitted. Flawlessly ...? Not quite, because it can happen that brute guitar-punk sprinkles interrupt the moderate groove of the basslines and clear the ears without considering losses. Amazingly, it even works out quite well. The normal ones" Dub-Tracks are actually quite normal - apart from the fact that they are hand-played, which you can clearly hear, especially since the sound also sounds like a live atmosphere. Arrangements, instrumentation and Dub-Mixes stay pretty much on the carpet and some tracks should be played with a bit more punch. On the other hand, the brass section is nice, which is unfortunately far too rare in reggae today. Inevitably, the question arises with this album, who is it made for? Hardly for reggae fans, because then it should offer more. And whether friends of punk one Dub-Album, unfortunately, must remain an open question at this point. But if you listen to some hardcore dancehall productions, the boundaries between punk and reggae seem to dissolve anyway ...

It is well known that you should stop when it's best - and so the Blood & Fire Remix series ends with a climax: "Select Cuts from Blood & Fire - Chapter 3" (Select Cuts / Indigo). Nicolai Beverungen, the Dub-Masterchief from Hamburg, has the almost complete Who's Who of the British for the big farewell party DubScene invited to remix reggae classics from the Blood & Fire catalog. In response, he's terrific with Dub-Tracks have been given away that make it clear where the Dub today it stands: under the sign of club culture. Groove Corporation, Dreadzone, Smith & Mighty, Different Drummer and the others leave no doubt that modern Dub has long been fused in the most excellent way with the sound of techno, house, drum & bass, garage, electro etc. and has thus paved its way into the future. But it is crucial that this Dub the reggae roots have not been lost that its beats and Dub-FX rest on the warm, soft bed of rolling basslines: eg “Rockfort Rock” from Groove Corporation, “Stalag” from Smith & Mighty, or “Greedy Girl” from Pressure Drop. It's nice to see how the constants of reggae evolution have now arrived in the 21st century - and can still sound surprisingly new. Smith & Mighty's version of Stalag is by far the best thing Dub has been produced recently. The same applies to the Dreadzone remix of two Prince Allah classics, which is carried over to garage pop realms by a bouncing syncopated uptempo beat, or, also outstanding: Don Lett's remix of the Prince Allah / Pablo Moses tracks “Great Stone / One People ". A heavyweight stomper without equal who will cause a sensation in many clubs and dancehalls. Interestingly, Letts is the director of the film "Dancehall Queen" (and over 300 music videos) - a true all-rounder. Conclusion: a superb remix record with only one problem: that it is the last one.

Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald (Rhythm & Sound, Basic Channel), the two Berlin-based minimal techno producers, owe the reggae community more than many a pure-blooded reggae label boss, because these two recently opened the dusty archives of oldest American reggae label wackies open. They have freed true pearls of reggae history from their obscure, long-lost crackling vinyl pressings, lovingly dressed in reproductions of the old cover artwork and re-released in a beautiful edition. After some great vocal albums (be sure to listen to: The Love Joys) there is now "African Roots Act 2" and "Act 3" (EFA) the first Dub- To hear albums from Wackies. Both were produced in the early 1980s by Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes in the small studio behind the Wackies record store in the heart of the Bronx. In addition to beautiful versions of old Studio One riddims such as “Fight it to the Top”, “Love Won't Come Easy”, “Real Rock”, “Love Me Always” and other in-house compositions, the recordings are particularly impressive due to their peculiar sound who made Bullwackie productions so famous (and infamous). It's somewhere between Black Ark, Studio One and Channel One. No wonder that he has drawn the audiophile minimal enthusiasts from Berlin under his spell. "Act 3" is the way Dub-Version of Sugar Minott's "Wicked Ago Feel It" album.

After so much adulation, we are now getting closer to the norm again DubAlbums. Comes from France Dub-Producer Manutension, whose album produced in 2001 "Stricktly for Sound System Dub (Dub Attacks the Tech Vol. 1) " (Import) is now to be published in Germany. Although Manutension mainly relies on heavy steppers rhythms, his minimalist arranged album has become extraordinarily experimental. He proves once again that Dub is music for the stomach and the head at the same time: attentive, conscious listening is just as exciting here as the thumping of the bass in the pit of the stomach is pleasant. Hopefully the album will find a good distribution in this country.

Multi-instrumentalist and has a similar sound DubMixer Ryan Moore, who uses analog tube amplifiers to produce heavyweight floorshakers in his Amsterdam studio whose sound couldn't be fatter. Under the name of Twilight circuit Dub Sound System he now brings the third episode of his "Dub Plates "Series (Cargo) out. All eleven tracks were manually recorded and mixed by him. You can hardly produce music more consistently and you can be more uncompromising Dub actually doesn't sound either. Admirable in its formal purity, but at the same time perhaps a little too uniform, too uneventful. A danger that many at New Dub oriented towards the 1990s Dub-Productions succumb. Even the steppers master himself, Yeah Shaka, was able to get her with his new album "Authentic Dubwise - Jah Shaka Meets Fire House Crew " (Blow) do not withdraw. An album without ups and downs “happened” to him, whose sound cannot decide between London and Jamaica. Too bad. They are more skilful Love grocers on their new album "Fresh Produce" (Dubhead / Indigo) to work. The pieces by the “love grocer” Chris Petter and David Fulwood live from the charming, soft wind melodies that the two played on their own. They have also invited guest vocalists like Earl 16 or Cheshire Cat, who help to make the album varied and interesting. The Love Gocers are topped by Tom Tattersall aka Mungo's HiFi from Glasgow, whose debut album "Mungo's HiFi Meets Brother Culture " (Dubhead / Indigo) an unreservedly beautiful Dub-Album with succinct melodies, warm beats and interesting arrangements. Tattersall gets support from Jah Shaka Sound-Mike-Man Brother Culture, old-school microphone chanter, who gives around half of the tracks dancehall flair and thus sends a clear signal: Dub to skanken. 

Instead of purism, daring to do a little crossover again: Coming from Vienna Dubble standard and her new album "Streets of Dub" (Indigo), which combines remixes of older recordings with new tracks and is technically sound between trip hop, Dub and sometimes even (you hardly dare to pronounce it) ROCK moves. The Mad Professor Steppers remix and Rootsman's Dillinger remix are nice, the other tracks vary more or less strongly between uninspired beats and really exciting style experiments, such as the Fatsquad D'n'B remix.

There are even more crossovers, however Lightning Heads debut "Studio Don" (Sonar collective). “Debut” is a little out of place when you know that the pseudonym “Lightning Head” (the name comes from a Lee Perry interview!) Hides Glyn “Bigga” Bush, the former half of Rockers HiFi. Then at the latest you have an idea of ​​the direction in which the sound of the album is pointing: Intelligent Dub Grooves (nice label, right?), Enriched with Batucada rhythms (Samba), Latin piano riffs and funk beats - all right? Well, you could also say that the album is a musical journey from Kingston to Havana, the Bronx, Brixton and the Stax sound from Memphis to Dorset (the English nest where Bush has his studio). On this trip, Bigga Bush met four excellent vocalists: Farda P (known from Rockers HiFi), Colliston White (from Vienna), Monterria (a soul singer from Atlanta) and Patrice. Needless to say, we are dealing with an extraordinarily versatile album here, which you need to have open ears and an open mind to enjoy. But that distinguishes us Dub-Friends of course!

What's wrong with the professor? Every good friend asked himself this question Dubs in view of the fairly uninspired recent Ariwa publications. What happened to Neil Fraser's superb mixing and production skills? Given the new album "Mad Professor & Mafia & Fluxy: From Mars With Dub" (Ariwa / Zomba) an answer seems to force itself: The professor had not forgotten his skills - all he lacked were good musicians who provided him with the “raw material” for his creations. But the problem has now been solved: With Mafia and Fluxy, the rhythm twins of British reggae, he has found two true rhythm artists who flew with him to Mars and a fantastic one there Dub- Recorded album; the best in many years. As if the old days had returned, the rhythms crash with tremendous pressure from the speakers and the Mad Professor turns controls, heads, sounds and effects like a crazy professor. He seems his DubCelebrate style in a state of complete ecstasy: much is not enough for him, more is better! No tack remains without effect, there is hissing, chirping and buzzing in every nook and cranny of its three-dimensional sound structure, the bass drum detonates in four-to-the-floor staccato, the bassline winds its way through the octaves and echoes ceaselessly oscillate between the channels you lose your balance. There is no doubt about any Dub-I've had more fun with the album in the last few months than with this gem, which is much less science fiction than Ariwa-old-school-at-it's-best. But even better: it is the first part of what will hopefully be a long series.

The British too Dub-Collective Zion Train has ground under his feet again. As is well known, they crashed bitterly in the second half of the 90s after your great crossover success “Homegrown Fantasy” in 1995. Your self-confident mix of (acid) house elements and rootsDub got more and more into the wake of pop and finally lost all independence. But with their new album "Original Sounds Of The Zion" (Universal Egg / EFA) - the title suggests - they found their way back to their "original" sound, which can best be compared with that of Dreadzone: high-speed stepper rhythms, beautiful, melodic (brass) synths -Sentences and a lot of electronic chirping. Occasionally a pure house track mixes in, or a beautiful song by vocalist Molara - variety, but by no means arbitrariness. Everything unites into an intoxicating, trance-like flow, the Dub Defined as dance music without ifs and buts.

We can see that there is another way of doing things Dubital with the compilation "Suitable # 2" (Suiteque), which focuses on slower and often more complex rhythms. The roadstead cannot be “straight forward” here, each track is singular and demands attention. Dubital took the chance to put together the most outstanding and idiosyncratic tracks of its colleagues (including Mad Professor, Twighlight Circus and Zion Train) on one long player. Unlike Zion Train, this one is required Dub more of an analytical reception in order to be able to develop its effect.

The bassist goes one step further Yeah Wobble (formerly bass player for PIL) on his album "Shout At The Devil" (30 hearts). Similar to Bill Laswell, he experiments intensively with world music and, having devoted himself extensively to Celtic music, has now turned to oriental sounds and reggae. It's hard to believe, but the music of North Africa and Arabia fits perfectly with the beats from Jamaica (Big Man - Rai meets Reggae and Bhangra dancehall had already suggested it). Jah Wobbel and Dubulah (Transglobal Underground), who is responsible for the beats, have created a fascinating sound universe from these two worlds, into which you can immerse yourself in order to explore the dimensions of the sound on the waves of the deep, flowing bassline. Tablas fade away in echoes, strings cut through the room, scraps of voices sound out of nowhere and sink into dark depths. A magical atmosphere pervades the album, fascinating and eerie at the same time. Only the voices of guest vocalists Natasha Atlas, Shahin Badar and Nina Miranda offer orientation and support. Their voices float weightlessly over the beats singing about the mountains of the moon or the winds of Africa.

Ok, let's get back to the bottom. The right plate for it is "Dub Inna De Cave Vol.1 " (Jet Star / Import) the Cave crew. All tracks were recorded in Jet Stars Cave studios and served as backings for various Jet Star artists (e.g. Rasites, Daweh Congo, Glen Washington). Produced by Danny Ray and mixed by Fitz Blake, they represent solid Dub-Crafts. Here it goes straight ahead, there you know what you have. Which is not to say that there are no beautiful ones Dub-Mixes, or that the rhythms were boring. On the contrary: both are exemplary. Experimentation is simply avoided - and that is a good thing (to use the Chancellor's words), because Dub occasionally wants to be heard with the belly instead of the head.

It's always amazing to see old productions of the Dub-Foundation compared to the current recordings. King Tubby, Errol T., Lee Perry… it's hard to believe what quality the old masters achieved with their simple equipment more than 20 years ago. Sometimes I wonder (a little heretically) if Dub-Music has ever made progress. One cause of such doubt is King Tubby and Prince Jammy mixed Yabby You-Album "Dub It To The Top "which has just been re-released on the Blood and Fire (Indigo) label. The tracks collected there are from the years 1976-79 and are on the album "Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet: Vocal & Dub“And several single B-sides appeared. Recorded in the Channel One Studio, they clearly point towards dancehall. Powerful, energetic rhythms, great brass sections and the incomparable mixing skills of the king and his prince have produced an album that is undoubtedly one of the great classics of the genre. The beginning already sets standards: three versions of the Shank Kai Shek riddim get the album rolling. Other classics follow: Michael Prophets Dub-Version of "Heptones Gonna Fight", or "Rock With Me Baby", also in a Michael Prophet Dub-Version. You can't praise the album enough: buy it!

Only a little later, the recordings were on the album "Sly & Robbie Meet Bunny Lee At Dub Station" (Jamaican Recordings / Import) recorded in the Channel One studio. Bunny Lee produced and Sly and Robbie played the Rhtyhms. Most of them previously served as backings for Johnny Clarke and present Sly Dunbar's "Rockers-Style" to perfection. For the Dub-Mix has no credit on the record, but I wouldn't be surprised if Prince Jammy had been at work here.

Also a great album by Dub-Foundation: "Dennis Brown In Dub" (Heartbeat / EFA), produced by Niney The Observer. Militant observer rhythms, chased through the echo chamber by King Tubby and garnished with Dennis' vocals ... What can I say about that?

Finally, I would like to briefly mention four nice compilations with tracks from theDub point out: "Roots Of Dub Radio 2 " (Tanty Records) "A News Breed Of Dub - Issue Three " (Dubhead / EFA), "Nu Shoots Inna Roots - Dub Version Style " (Free Radical Sound / EFA) and "King size Dub - Chapter Eight " (Echo Beach / Indigo). With the exception of the last one, all albums are from England and offer exactly what you would expect from Nu Dub expected. I especially liked “Roots Of Dub Funk 2 ”, which offers more interesting tracks than“ A New Breed… ”and sounds less consumed than the“ Nu Shoots… ”, which as a vocal version has turned on my turntable so many times. King size Dub  from Hamburg's Echo Beach label sets - as usual - its own standards: “File Under Logical Dubgression ”is on the cover, making it clear that innovation and openness point the way. This often leads to related genres such as triphop, world music or pop. Also part of the party are Groove Armada, Rhythm & Sound, Noiseshaper, Tackhead - not always fresh, but happy. Happy end.

Germany's reggae impresario No. 1 knows its genre. Accurately makes use of Dr. Ring thing Always anew in the large pool of Jamaican music history, mixes what he has found with his brilliant songwriting talent and thus produces himself at the top of German ska and reggae. Also with "Dr. Ring-Ding & The Senior Allstars Meet Victor Rice (Pick Up The Pieces) " (Grover) attacks Dr. Ring thing up a nice, old reggae tradition by having one Dub-Version of his last album "Big Up" presented. GedubThe tracks by Victor Rice, producer, mixer and busy musician behind countless US ska, reggae and jazz greats such as the New York ska jazz ensemble, the Stubborn Allstars or the current formation of the Skatalites became bt. For four days and four nights the master mixed everything vigorously until an album with powerful thumping bass and endlessly reverberating echoes was created. A brave experiment, because Dub- Versions of ska pieces are not exactly the order of the day. But the experiment was a success: Even post-modern scruffy ska pieces are successful here thanks to the Dub-Wolf has been turned and now sound like a Skatalites concert on the moon. Absolutely old-school style - a work of real handcraft.

Another little one Dub-Masterpiece off the beaten track is the 2nd album of one Dub-Duo from Spain: Loud & Lone. Your album "Better Collie and Loud & Lone 1998-2001" (Oidos Sordos / Import) could almost pass as an early work by Lee Perry. Produced on a 4-track device in a tiny studio in Santander, it sounds almost as atmospheric as a Black Ark recording. The two Spanish Dub-Frickler Roberto Sanchez and Borja Juanco, like Master Lee, know how to create a fascinating sound structure with the simplest of means. They use both classic riddims and their own compositions, from which they develop pulsating, strongly syncopated rhythm tracks. Occasionally the whole thing is garnished with a little singing - which, however, would not have been absolutely necessary. The older the tracks, the more they sound like “classic” Perry productions, until finally Perry pieces actually sound like cover versions. Should this be criticized as eclecticism? No, you'd better understand the message: There is great reggae in Spain.

But there is also something new about the in other European countries Dub-Front: So is z. B. the third edition of the Hi-fidelity Dub Sessions (Guidance / EFA) published in the usual quality: deep, slow and warm. The sixth track of the sampler is particularly interesting, which is labeled “Moments in Dub“By Nick Holder - but actually a Linval Thompson Channel One production from the early 80s. Did Holder meticulously recreate the track from original samples, or what is his name doing there? Can someone explain this to me?

That one Dub- The template (originally nothing more than a “remix” of the original version) can now remix again is not new. That Alpha & Omega however theirs Dub-Track "Show Me A Purpose" several times from different Dub- Let producers remix these remixes on an (!) Album with the title "Show Me A Purpose" (Hammerbass / Import) is - although successful - really heavy. But the two also have a very "normal" Dub-Album outside: "Serious Joke" (Import). The sound is unchanged, but the rhythm has become faster, which somehow doesn't seem to really fit.

The French, on the other hand, is very experimental Dub-Scene. The new album "Combat Dub" (Hammerbass / Import) by Bangarang is a good example of this: tricky sound games and electronic influences intersect here with massive reggae basslines. Here NuRoots veterans like The Disciples, Zion Train or Alpha & Omega made their way over the Bangarang tracks. But Wordsound's Crooklin faction also delivered some noise tracks. It's starting to seem like you are Dub- Enthusiasts can no longer avoid the French Hammerbass label. Time for them to get proper German distribution!

In order to emphasize this demand, a hammer bass album should be discussed here: Dub Wiser, “A New Millennium of Dub" (Hammer bass / import). Unfortunately, it doesn't match the quality of the two Hammerbass releases discussed above. Dub Wiser is too much of the Mid-90s New-Dub-Sound arrests, which - with all due respect - is no longer really fun. The Turkish intro of the first track, however, is fun ...
Also from Mad Professor there is something new: a duet with Lee Perry on "Techno Dub" (Ariwa / Zomba) and one with Scientist  on "At The Sound Table With LSP" (Ariwa / Zomba). If Dub-Legenden Treffen sounds like very exciting albums, but unfortunately this is not the case in this case. Boring and uninspired is the mildest judgment I would like to announce here. What's wrong with the mad professor? Has he forgotten how good Dub works? Or is he simply lacking the ideas? In this case it is of course not helpful to invite colleagues who also suffer from a chronic lack of ideas. His remixes were more interesting Rut's DC, which is now on the Hamburg label Selected Cuts as a double CD including the remixes of Zion Train under the title: "Rhythm Collision Vol. 1 & Remix Versions " are new out.
That also applies to things in Hamburg Dub there is a lot going on, as the Hamburg producer proves Matthew Halfman with his Turtle Bay Country Club: "Dub Decade " (Iceland / Mercury). This is where the former head of the castrated philosophers gathers Dub-Versions of his productions for Patrice, Absolute Beginners, Jan Delay, Di Iries and others. Beautifully and absolutely open-minded, he demonstrates how the principle "Dub“Can be applied to different genres and that it also confidently withstands the proximity to pop. However, this does not mean that there is no reggaeDub would be heard. On the contrary: with “Castrated Dub"Or" Di Iries - Dub"He has bone-dry, minimalist neo-Dub-Tracks in their luggage that will make every mainstream record buyer look the far. The joy of experimentation, breaking genre barriers and perfect production skills result in a great one Dub-Album from Germany. Nice that there is such a thing.

The new remix album is also pretty open minded Groove Corporation from Birmingham: "G-Corp Presents Remixes From the Elephant House" (Guidance / EFA) The “Chemical Brothers des Dub“Present their remixes of tracks by Dillinger, Bob Marley, Rockers HiFi, The Congos, UB40, Luciano, Bobby Womack, Ennio Morricone and others. The typical Birmingham sound, as you know it from Rockers HiFi or Smith & Mighty, can be heard from every byte, and it is not uncommon for the pieces to be closer to the post-house dance floor than to reggae - which helps clear your ears. Again, it's fascinating to see how much that Dub leaves his home genre and exerts his influence on associated musical styles. 

And since we're at the crossover: The Berlin minimal technologists Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald released their second album a few weeks ago on the Rhythm & Sound label, which brings together tracks from the past four years: "Rhythm & Sound" (Rhythm & Sound / EFA). As usual, abstract electronics merge with reggaeDub under the great principle of minimalism. Actually, the two Berliners only consistently continue what is in the Dub per se is: downright autistic monotony. But that's by no means boring. On the contrary, minimalism creates a peculiarly fascinating impression of the musical present. The noise that is intentionally placed under the tracks increases this even further, as one involuntarily perceives oneself as "hearing people". Extreme sounds for extreme listeners.

The product of the collaboration between the two bassists is similarly experimental, if not nearly as extreme YeaWobble and Bill Laswell: "Radio Axiom" (Palm / Mercury) In the broadest sense of the reggae context, the album is a great sound experiment on a low-frequency level. The bass swells violently and booming, dipping everything into a lake of warm frequencies and dark sounds, from which the bright sound of a jazz trumpet or the fine singing of African singers rises now and then. Very meditative, very relaxed and yet highly exciting. Here is the one Dub in itself: pure sound with no material reference.

He has struck again, the Hamburg Echo Beach label operator Nicolai Beverungen, and the second chapter of his "Selected Cuts from Blood & Fire" (Selected Cuts / Indigo) released. Once again it has the cream of European Dub-Remixer unleashed on the Blood and Fire-Back catalog. Luminaries like Apollo 440, Nick Manasseh, Leftfield, Zion Train or Seven Dub took the chance to give the reggae classics a good portion of club flavor and catapult them into the dance reality of the present. It is funny that in part Dubs by Scientist or King Tubbydubbt were. But works wonderfully! Also great is the Max Romeo remix by Segs Jennings (bassist for Rut's Cut) and Steve Dub (Sound architect of the Chemical Brothers) - this is where the tradition of Dub with heavy bassline and Sly Dunbar-typical militant drum style. Perhaps the highlight of the sampler. Also nice: the Black Star Liner remix of the old Prince Jammy production “Step it Up” in Bhangra style, or the work of Dub-Specialist Nick Manasseh and Leftfield. Both tried their hand at Glen Brown's Lambsbread. Interesting to hear how different two remixes of the same piece can sound. That one is especially cool Dub-Track by Jah Wobble, on which only the intro of I-Roy's "Double Warning" was sampled. A bone dry, straighter one Dub-Track. Make a nice conclusion Dubphonic with its tough flowing, heavy Dub-Remix of Linval Thompson's "Jah Jah is a Guiding Star".

The boom in neo-Dub is long gone Dub-Albums have become rarer and only a few hard-boiled people hold the position - which is an astonishing development overall, because with the increasingly popular return to roots rhythms in Jamaica, lies for Dub-Mixer perfectly suitable remix material ready. Some Jamaican producers now have the Dub discovered as a pure export product for the European and US markets, but it seems they have Dub-Mixing unlearned in the years of inactivity. Best example: "Dubbing with the Banton "(Penthouse / Import), produced by Donovan Germain. The rhythms are undoubtedly tough and the sound great - but where's the mix? What you hear here are better Buju Banton B-sides, which splash around without tension. Is even less interesting Junior Kelly's “Juvenile in Dub"(Jet Star / Import)that was produced in England - which is actually a guarantee of good Dub could apply. But far from it: “Instrumental Version” would be the more appropriate term here. The matter is different "Guidance in Dub"(Charm / Jet Star / Inport), The Dub-Album for Daweh Congos' "Guidance". Here's the old one Dub-Haudegen Gussie P hand laid. It's nice that he's still in business - but it's a shame that he hasn't learned a lot, because “Guidance in Dub" Not. Gussie's mixing style is indebted to the early 80s, unlike then, but the tracks are now digitally produced. Maybe that's why the pieces have less atmosphere than the old Roots Radics-Dubs. But that even “hand-played” tracks don't necessarily lead to a good one Dub- Perform album, Israel shows vibration with "Dub Combo "(RAS / CRS / EFA). Here you have a lot of atmosphere and good Dub-Mixes - but unfortunately the well-rehearsed backings are not exactly exciting. The basslines just don't get rolling ...

Enough with the grumbling, after all we have with you "Dub for the Modern World - featuring Static "(Charm / Jet Star / Import) also a really good, modern one Dub-Album in the program that does everything correctly: good rhythms, deep bass lines, exciting and varied mixes and interesting arrangements. Recorded in Jamaica, London and Miami, Morris "KC" White produced fresh (digital) versions of traditional riddims and had them lavishly mixed by luminaries such as Scientist, Bunny Tom Tom, the aforementioned Gussie P and others. No trace of the "secondary exploitation mentality" that has produced the albums mentioned above: "Dub for the Modern World ”is a highly independent album that addresses the dead end genre Dub can give new impulses. 

Less new impulses, but a hymn of praise to the great tradition of Dub is the sampler of the New York reggae collective "Roots Combination" (Guidance / EFA) Victor Axelrod has brought together the most interesting reggae musicians, producers and singers in New York and an astonishingly closed one Dub-Album (except two vocal tracks) created, which may be the final climax of the dying genre neo-Dub is. It's unbelievable that such perfect productions are made in New York - you'd rather expect them to be cerebral Dubs in the style of blooklyner Dub-Labels Wordsound. But no trace of it! The roots combination is mainly experienced in the bowels.

But while we're on the subject of Wordsound, "Below the Radar" (ROIR / EFA) gathers the best Wordsound-Dubs of the last few years. It shouldn't come as a surprise that reggae rhythms can not always be heard and that some tracks barely groov because of all the experiments.

Finally two real neoDub- stragglers: Disciples "presents Backyard Movements Dubwise 2001 "(Boom Shacka Lacka / Import) and Bush Chemists "Dub Fire Blazing "(Dubhead / EFA). While the Disciples don't play particularly innovative but all the more popping four-to-the-floor tunes, the Bush Chemists maneuver their way with their standard program over the length of the album. Where the disciples refer to the great time of the NeoDubs feels reminded, Deja-vus overtakes the Bush Chemists. And so these two albums once again reflect the glitz and shadows of a great genre that shouldn't die under any circumstances. You're welcome!