Category: Five Star

It doesn't happen often that you get a DubListening to the album, one immediately realizes: A door is opening here that one didn't even know existed until just now.The Alien Dub Orchestra Plays the Breadminster Songbook“(Alien Transistor) is exactly that kind of moment. For me, it’s the strangest, most unusual, and probably most innovative.” Dub-publication of recent years – and an impressive testament to how far Dub This is possible if one frees oneself from traditions, production dogmas, and expectations.
The project itself is already extraordinary. The alien Dub Orchestra is a mixed group of Bavarian musicians – including some from the circles of The Notwist and G.Rag y los hermanos Patchekos. Their approach: the songs of British Dub-to record Elijah Minnelli's eccentric songs from his so-called Breadminster Songbook with a full band. Minnelli, who otherwise – by his own account – assembles his "frayed, melancholic hymns to his homeland" on his computer in a damp basement, was himself taken aback by the idea. "Real professionals playing something you've pieced together yourself – it's overwhelming," he says. And indeed: His quirky music suddenly sounds as he perhaps always intended it to.
The album works its way through Minnelli's cumbia-infused DubReggae – but instead of digital loops and a rough-mix atmosphere, there's a fully instrumented, almost anarchically colorful band lineup: guiro, accordion, melodica, sousaphone, trumpet, and all sorts of percussion. It sounds as if a Munich backyard collective rediscovered old Studio One recordings, European folk tradition, and South American rhythms simultaneously and simply mashed them together. Weird? Yes. But above all, mind-blowing.
Tracks like "Vine and Fig Tree" demonstrate what happens when you suddenly shape Minnelli's enigmatically beautiful melodies from wood and metal instead of bits and bytes: The harmonies become tangible, the bass (this time as a wailing sousaphone line!) gains that physical warmth that only real air columns and real hands can produce. With other tracks—such as "Slats"—you almost wonder if Minnelli's original wasn't subconsciously intended for this band. It sounds so natural, so unique, so complete.
And then comes the second part of the album – the real mindfuck: the Dub-Versions! A circular metamorphosis that finally places the project in the experimental realm beyond... Dub-conventions catapulted. For these DubMinnelli brought in sound artist Raimund Wong, who works with an anarchic setup of tape machines and effects chains. Everything was mixed in one take: Minnelli on the faders, Wong with filters and effects that Dub break down, distort, liquefy.
"Pundit Dub“ is perhaps the best example – a hypnotic, droning trip that dissolves into psychedelic wisps and sounds as if the entire album is gliding through a portal into another dimension. It's not a classic Dub and nobody wants to be one. It is Dub as an idea, as a collapse, as a radical opening of form.
Ultimately, "Play the Breadminster Songbook" is nothing less than a love letter to Dub as a living principle. Folk, Cumbia, DubAvant-garde – everything collides, overlaps, and merges without ever becoming arbitrary. The music feels like a constant transformation, an open dialogue between Minnelli's digital intimacy and the analog exuberance of a band that clearly revels in disregarding the rules.
I would conclude: This album shows how far Dub Since King Tubby arrived – and that it's still possible to stretch and bend him, yet still let his core shine through. "Play the Breadminster Songbook" is quirky, bold, playful, and visionary. For me, the most innovative DubA project of recent years. A masterpiece of the unconventional.

What a wonderfully grounded album!Blue House Rockin'“from Soul Sugar meets Dub Shepherds (GEE Recordings) is far more than just another beautiful autumn release for me – it's one of those albums that you know is going to be good even before you hear the first note! It's brimming with passion, warmth, dedication, skill, and above all: genuine craftsmanship. While so much music today sounds sanitized and algorithmically bland, this album stands in stark contrast – one that not only listens well but also feels absolutely right.
The combination of Soul Sugar (Guillaume Metenier) and the Dub Shepherds (Jolly Joseph, Dr. Charty, Jahno) seems like a happy accident of music history. All four share this deep affection for the analog soundscape and Jamaican studio spirit. The production method alone is an homage to the golden age: recorded live over two days at Blue House Studio, using tube and ribbon microphones from the 50s and 60s, directly onto 24-track tape, and later mixed analog at Bat Records. No artificial bombast, no digital bubble wrap – just music, pure and direct. Every note has meaning, every pause significance, every echo a function.
The album doesn't fit into any one stylistic category, but rather blends seamlessly between roots reggae, soul, funk and Dub Wandering is what makes it so appealing. Right from the start: Curtis Mayfield's "Give Me Your Love." A quiet statement. Soulful, warm, with Jolly Joseph's falsetto perfectly overlaying the groove. Equally touching: Aaron Frazer's "My God Has a Telephone"—here in a reggae guise that preserves the soul of the original while adding a completely new dimension. "Hold My Hand"—created during the session—fits so naturally into the overall picture, as if the song had always existed. A touch of lovers rock, but without kitsch, instead full of feeling and warmth. And then: "Family Affair." Shniece McMenamin transforms the track into a vibrant reggae hybrid full of attitude and soul. A highlight.
Guillaume Metenier on the Hammond organ – that's practically a guarantee of magic anyway. And so it is here: The instrumentals "Disco Jack," "Choice of Music," and "Drum Song" pay deep homage to Jackie Mittoo, and not just formally. They groove, they float, they live – and show how much soul instrumentals can hold when played with talent and passion. And as a final farewell from the studio: "Blue House Rock." A spontaneous jam, raw, funky, imbued with the spirit of Studio One. A small miracle to end the evening.
Why does it all work so well? Because it's honest. Because this album isn't trying to be anything – it's simply a confident statement. Not a retro show, but a genuine homage to musical roots. Analog production, but no dusty nostalgia. Blue House Rockin' really touches me because it's simply beautiful music in the classic sense. This is how my reggae albums sounded when I first started to love this music. I think these memories fill me with a lot of nostalgic sentimentality, which makes it impossible for me to judge objectively. One thing is clear, though: For me, "Blue House Rockin'" is one of the best releases of 2025.

Those who exclusively Dub If you like this in combination with reggae riddims, you shouldn't read any further at this point, because "JEFF the Brotherhood meets Blanc du Blanc: Magick Songs In Dub“(Soul Selects Records) is completely different. It may even be in Dubblog nothing lost, because…

Nevertheless, it is an extremely captivating development in Dub-genre. I can't help it, the album "Magick Songs In Dub“It really hit me like a bolt from the blue two days ago. To put it simply: I've been longing for albums like this, and I can tell you why. "JEFF The Brotherhood Meets Blanc Du Blanc: Magick Songs In Dub“ directly addresses my musical background (psychedelic, krautrock, jazz, Dub and more).

Nashville brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall have continuously evolved since their formation in 2001, and after their brilliant, chaotic grunge sound and various rock 'n' roll subgenres, they have now arrived in the realm of jazz-influenced art rock. With their 2018 double album "Magick Songs," Jake and Jamin delved into psychedelic dimensions, blending intoxicating stoner grooves with atmospheric soundscapes. It was a natural step to contact the mystical sound artists Blanc du Blanc to collaborate on the intergalactic mini-album "Magick Songs." Dub“to create. Unfortunately, only four tracks have a Dub-transformation. However, these four pieces are enough for me to crave more. Blanc du Blanc have their enchanting Dub-Art wonderfully woven into the already compelling compositions.

The EP begins with percussive sounds and with "Wasted Land". Dub“The journey into other sonic dimensions begins. This is followed by “Celebration” Dub“And the alchemical gate is opened. Deep bass lines and tribal percussion lend the piece a hypnotically danceable element. With the 7-minute “Many Moods Dub“—a whole side on the original album—we approach the levels of the subconscious. The sound becomes hypnotic, with many ethereal noises, until the dissonant guitar chaos kicks in and sends shivers down my spine. Now the sound transports me directly to the time of the “Cosmic Couriers” and all the sonic experiments of Krautrock. A languidly flowing “Singing Garden” follows as a beautiful conclusion and gentle landing.” Dub"with sounds that are partly reminiscent of Asia and a pleasantly warm saxophone."

As already mentioned: “Magick Songs in Dub"It's currently on repeat, and I can really only recommend that everyone take the time to listen to it. It's incredibly good!"

Dub Spencer & Trance Hill have a musical vision: the perfect hybrid of Dub and trance – recorded analogue and sound-wise at its finest. With "Synchronos“ (Echo Beach) the band has achieved a perfect landing.

The Swiss musicians also use musical elements on their new album – DubTrance, dance, techno, rock, and jazz—all together in a new and unexpected way: experimental, multifaceted, and always full of surprises. It comes out of the speakers as a heavy bass avalanche, danceable, or quite trippy. 

In contrast to the digital ethno, downtempo and trance scene, the four Lucerne natives rely exclusively on analogue instruments: drums, bass, guitar, keyboards – refined with numerous Dubeffects and sound gimmicks. Synchronos continues unabated on the path that Dub Spencer & Trance Hill embarked on the same path with their previous album, "Imago Cells": Leaving traditional song structures increasingly behind, they focus on catchy, hypnotically repetitive grooves, further emphasizing the trance element in their music. For suitable devices, "Synchronos" is also available as a Dolby Atmos mix, allowing the listener to experience the echoes and beats in three dimensions.

Dub Spencer & Trance Hill will present Synchronos on an extensive club tour in 2025/26 – with Umberto Echo, who will be mixing live in surround sound for the first time at selected venues. Go, listen, be amazed – or enjoy the fine album with headphones and immerse yourself completely in the soundscapes of Dub Spencer & Trance Hill. Anyone who doesn't say "wow" probably has broken ears.

Another album from Down Under that once passed me by completely and undiscovered. Fortunately, we now get the 2025 edition of "Sheriff Lindo And The Hammer: 10 Dubs That Shook the World [2025 Edition]” (EM Records). Why actually 10 Dubs? The LP features eight tracks, and the CD includes five bonus tracks. Regardless, it's the legendary first album by Anthony Maher, a member of the Australian experimental music ensemble "Loop Orchestra," who, under the name "Sheriff Lindo and the Hammer," produced just 250 copies with the help of band members from "Severed Heads." Reggae maniac Anthony Maher's experimental spirit in the mixes went far beyond King Tubby's. Dubideas, also penetrating the realms of post-punk and British experimental avant-garde artists such as David Cunningham and David Toop. Since the recordings for “Ten DubSince the tracks "S That Shook The World" date from 1981 to 1988, it can also be assumed that the experimental On-U Sound albums of Adrian Sherwood also strongly influenced this compilation of tape experiments. Or is Anthony Maher even the Australian answer to Adrian Sherwood?

These eight fat Dubs (LP) are definitely characterized by the dexterity and fader-flicking timing of Anthony Maher, aka Sheriff Lindo. He uses his skills for concisely placed effects and sound effects with remarkable confidence. As the creator of "Ten Dubs…” Maher is known for his combination of Jamaican Dub and British Industrial and Post-Punk as an antipodal outlier of the Dub-music. He strays far from its origins, but always maintains a firm understanding of its fantastic, dematerialized dynamics.
What else can I say? For me, there are a few albums a year that are simply different and very exciting. This now includes the milestone with cult status, "10 Dubs That Shook The World", which has risen from the depths of the Australian underground after 37 years to finally stay on the surface. These eight or 13 DubThey are less a time capsule than a signal that continues to have an impact today with undiminished power and dynamism.

Thirteen years. An eternity in the fast-moving world of digital sound aesthetics, but a blink of an eye in the cosmos of Dub, where time dissolves into endless echoes and reverbs anyway. The Breadwinners, under the leadership of the notoriously reserved studio wizard Al Breadwinner, are back for the first time since this time with a new Dub-Album back: “Return to the Bakery” – and it's as if time has stood still. From the first bass line on, it's unmistakably clear: "Return to the Bakery" is not a nostalgic experiment, but a devoted homage to the golden age of reggae and DubProduced and mixed in the in-house Bakery Studio, Breadwinner remains true to its ethical code: analogue tape machines, vintage outboard gear, and a recording process that literally imprints the live feeling on the magnetic tracks. Nothing sounds dusty or museum-like – quite the opposite. Dubs roll warm, organically, with a depth of sound and dynamics that is only possible with today's recording and mastering techniques. Every delay, every spring reverb is not just an effect, but an instrument in its own right, with a soul and a life of its own. The guest list reads like a who's who of the reggae underground. Nat Birchall and Stally let their tenor saxophones ring out, while the living legends Vin Gordon (trombone) and KT Lowry (trumpet) contribute fine brass sections that seem to come straight from the golden era of Studio One. Alrick Chambers lends the whole thing an almost ethereal quality with his flute playing. But the true star remains Al Breadwinner himself. Dub-Mixes are not simple "versions," but artistic deconstructions. Like a sculptor, he carves a new, unique reality from each session. The tracks are fragmented, reassembled, shifted in space – a game with the laws of physics and psychoacoustics. At times, one imagines oneself in the Black Ark Studio during its heyday. Not because of crude copying, but because the spirit of Lee Perry is truly evoked: the playfulness, the unexpected, the charming impurities that are so sorely lacking in digital productions today. Of course, the heretical question arises: Do we need historicizing music? Isn't it superfluous to Dub of the 70s down to the smallest detail? The answer is provided by the album itself – with a relaxed, self-confident smile: No, not at all! Because this isn't simply a copy of past sounds. Rather, this music is a homage to craftsmanship, a sensual experience that deliberately eludes quick consumption and perfectly calculated streaming playlists. It demands our attention – and rewards us with intense and deeply satisfying listening experiences. And even if critics might argue that it's "redundant," it remains one thing above all: pure pleasure – and that alone is more than enough to justify its existence.

"Return to the Bakery" is not an album for casual consumption, and certainly not a background soundtrack. It is an acoustic work of art, crafted with dedication and craftsmanship. Those who take the time to immerse themselves in this world of sound will not only be greeted by warm, pulsating bass lines and artfully applied delays, but will also experience a musical depth that leads directly to the spiritual roots of the Dub It is music that does not run behind time, but rather transcends it.

The start of "Dubs of Perception", the new album by Zion Train, is a calculated shock: archaic-sounding tribal chants echo out of nowhere, raw, untuned, like an incantation around a campfire. No sooner have you embarked on this pseudo-ethnographic trip than a monotonous sub-bass surges in, so thick and stoic that it almost swallows the voices. Over the next minute, these two poles clash repeatedly—a ceremonial echo and a low-frequency force that shouldn't really work together. Then a break. Sound layers interlock, and the actual Dub begins, which seeks neither to serve roots tradition nor club formula. It is at this very moment that the game being played becomes clear: create expectation, shatter expectation, maximize contrast, and then place everything in a new context.

"I deliberately chose a different approach this time," explains Neil Perch, producer and driving force behind Zion Train. "In the studio, I planned to combine new technologies with old, almost forgotten methods. I wanted to go back to the roots of live?Dub"Mixings – with a 40-year-old, restored 32-channel analog console. This console has a rich history; it was used, for example, in the legendary Music Works Studios in Jamaica."

Nevertheless, the album doesn't sound museum-like at all, but surprisingly contemporary. "At the same time, I've integrated modern effects, like the Zen Delay and a new version of the Roland TB 303 – the classic acid house bass machine. This combination of old and new defines the album's sound." Thus, the past hums in the low frequencies, while the "here and now" shimmers above, supported by Cara Jane Murphy's (very sporadic) vocal lines, Roger Robinson's spoken word accents, and the energetic Zion Train brass section. Guest musicians like Paolo Baldini and veterans Trinny Fingers and Blacka Wilson fill the sound with a self-awareness that only arises when studio sessions still involve genuine collaboration.

The central principle of the album, however, remains unpredictability: "With analog mixing, everything is impulsive," says Neil. "I roughly set the mix, choose the effects – but from the moment I press play, it's pure improvisation. You can't plan anything out. You simply follow the vibe, and that brings out aspects of my artistic character that would never appear in fully thought-out productions. That's exactly what makes the work exciting. Even after more than 35 years, this process still surprises me." This attitude can be felt in every piece. For example, in "Travelling," which begins with a Burning Spear sample and then becomes a 303 thunderstorm, as if the machine wanted to test the foundations of the subwoofer. Then a lovely flute melody joins in – it couldn't be any weirder. Dubs hardly compose. Neil confirms that this aesthetic ties in seamlessly with "Siren": "There is a clear connection to my early work. Back in the 90s, I worked a lot with acid house machines. I last used them on the album "Siren". Now I've gone back in that direction with my equipment. Mainly because I love that sound - but also because what I've done in the last five to eight years in the Dub?scene was quite boring. Originally, I liked Dubbecause it was exciting compared to reggae. Reggae, in my opinion, had already become boring in the 1990s and still is today. So I turned Dub because it was still exciting in the eighties and nineties: new ideas, new technology, many new groups. But while the Dub?Virus spread?–?which is great on the one hand, because now the whole world Dub listens?–?at some point, music became boring for me too." Neil describes his musical development. "Technologically, I always try to develop, adapt, and innovate when making music. What motivates me most is to create sounds that are not constantly Duband reggae? language – because I find it completely predictable, commercial, and uninspiring. Too much music sounds exactly the same, is full of clichés, cultural appropriation, and misunderstood concepts – I consistently avoid all of that."

With "Dubs?of?Perception“ he now provides material that Dub-Mainstream runs counter to - tracks that are not limited to a simple stepper beat, but only become apparent through repeated listening.

This is precisely the strength of the album: It demands listening without denying danceability. The band's live experience—re-tested in 2024 on stages from Mexico to Croatia—seems to have an impact on the studio. Modulations, delays, and abrupt breaks recall those moments when Neil raises the reverb fader during a concert until the room is filled with echo. Thus, "Dubs?of?Perception" manages the feat of being both a retrospective and a vision of the future. The craftsmanship with which Neil composes his tracks combines with a desire to take risks, to make new connections and to leave mainstream paths. When Dub Today, Zion?Train often sounds like a genre that endlessly repeats its own rituals, but this is precisely where Neil takes the ritual seriously, but he varies it – so radically that by the end of a track, you feel like you've relearned a familiar language. If you want to know where Dub Anyone who wants to move beyond the usual stepper templates will find a fascinating and extremely passionate answer here.

Even the great Pablo Picasso knew: “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” Or as we Germans say: “Good stealing is better than bad homemade.” Creative people call this process “inspiration.” Something similar must be “Ono-Sendai Sound Battles The Root Of All Evil“. The multi-instrumentalist, who lives in Tilburg (NL), and about whom next to nothing is known, gives us a sound that could also be called a reminiscence of times long past and deceased heroes of this genre. In particular, King Tubby, Yabby You, Roots Radics, Lee Perry, Joe Gibbs, Scientist, Errol T and so many others to whom we owe this wonderful music.
A creative process such as the creation of such a great album never takes place in a vacuum. Rather, the result of this path is the logical consequence of a chain of impressions that the artist collects and reconciles with his experiences. When you listen to music in a normal way, for example, these impressions are stored in the brain as subconscious perceptions. Creative people like Ono-Sendai Sound seem to collect these things, like a squirrel hoarding nuts, in order to retrieve them when they are needed.
But much more important is of course the conscious inspiration through active observation and listening far beyond one's own nose. This is more or less how Ono-Sendai Sound must have proceeded. For "Battles The Root Of All Evil" he took some reggae classics by Johnny Clarke, Peter Tosh, Eek-A-Mouse, John Holt, Gregory Isaacs and others and created a contemporary, gripping Dub-album. The riddims are still unmatched and the text samples underline this breathtaking mix. Hall-soaked percussion makes its way through a thick veil of echoes and reverb. Of course, bass and drums form the backbone of this production, which is full of attention to detail. I don't want to go into detail about each individual track here, because for me the overall impression of the almost 35-minute album is what counts, and it has already made it onto my shortlist for the best of the year this year.
Finally, I have to mention one more track, “Rich Mans Curse Dub“, because it captivates me with the constant threatening sound of a circling helicopter and at the same time brings back bad memories of reporting on the Vietnam War. I have never heard a more haunting version of “Police in Helicopter”.

Although the Original Skatalites with trombonist Don Drummond only existed from May 1964 to August 1965, they occupy an almost mystical place in Jamaica's diverse musical history.
Ten years after the death of Don Drummond and the sad end of the Skatalites, bassist Lloyd Brevett brought together some of his former bandmates for a reunion. The sessions were produced by Lloyd Brevett and Glen Darby, who sang for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One at the age of 14 and was a member of the Scorchers. The core line-up for this project was the hard core of the legendary Skatalites: Lloyd Brevett, Lester Sterling, Rolando Alphonso, Tommy McCook and Jackie Mittoo. But that wasn't all, the best studio musicians of the time such as Horsemouth Wallace, Benbow Creary, Augustus Pablo, Chinna Smith, Ernest Ranglin were also on board, and Don Drummond's trombone was replaced by Vin Gordon. But the biggest coup, in my opinion, was the addition of the Sons Of Negus Nyahbinghi Dummer Bongo T, I-Marts and Sidney Wolf. Lloyd Brevett wanted a sound like the one he had experienced as a teenager at the grounations in the Rasta camps of Wareika Hills and Bull Bay, because these chanting and reasoning sessions had a lasting impact on him both musically and mentally.
Lloyd developed the melodies and rhythms for the upcoming studio sessions together with Tommy McCook during a number of jam sessions at his house in Henderson Avenue, Waltham Park Road. The Nyahbinghi drummers are said to have already taken part in the sessions.
After that, they went to Black Ark Studio, where three tracks from the album were recorded. Brevett recalls that he, McCook and the Nyahbinghi drummers were accompanied by Benbow Creary, Augustus Pablo and Chinna Smith. The remaining five tracks on the album were recorded at Aquarius Studio by Herman Chin Loy. At Aquarius, the list of musicians was expanded to include Rolando Alphonso, Lester Sterling and Johnny Moore. Ernest Ranglin replaced Chinna Smith, and Benbow was replaced by Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace. The album was released in 1976 under the title "The legendary Skatalites". Later editions were simply called "African Roots". Some time later, the Dubversion of the album under the title “The Skatalites: Herb Dub – Collie Dub“ in a mini edition of 200 copies. The tapes produced at the Black Ark were taken to King Tubby in Dromilly Avenue, Kingston 11, who made three fantastic Dubs. For the instrumental tracks recorded at Aquarius Studio, Lloyd Brevett suggested that the Dubs directly mixed by Herman Chin Loy. But Clive Hunt insisted that the mixing be split between him and Karl Pitterson. Although the album was recorded in two completely different studios, the sound is homogeneous, complex, profound and of the highest musical quality. Glen Darby remembers that for the musicians involved in this album it was always more than just another recording session. "They didn't really do it for the money. They wanted to revive the band, the Skatalites." It became a reunion album, because three years later the Skatalites were on tour again. In any case, the Skatalites' recordings never sounded like they did on this album before or after. This is not ska, this is real Nyahbinghi roots reggae Dub of rare quality, wonderfully played and mixed. An essential album that is finally being re-released on vinyl by LB Records/Studio 16 and definitely belongs in every collection.

FYI: Since I couldn't find the 2024 re-release on any streaming platform, I unfortunately had to resort to the compilation of the 2001 release, but in my opinion that's not a big deal, because it offers a lot more.

What a beautiful album: Hornsman Coyote Meets House of Riddim, “Madman Slide” (House of Riddim)! One of the most impressive works I have heard in recent weeks. The rhythms are rich, dynamic, full of warmth and emotion – and there is also this impressive lead instrument: the trombone. It simply sounds majestic. It is probably due to its dark tone and the relatively high bass content compared to the trumpet that it sounds so warm, relaxed and confident – ​​exactly what is perfect for Dub No wonder that the band Message recently used the trombone as a lead instrumentHornsman Coyote shows us how versatile the instrument can be: sometimes gentle and grooving, sometimes energetic and driving. Sometimes it caresses the rhythm, sometimes it sounds like the trumpets of Jericho. Seven days of trombone playing can bring down the strongest walls - or so the Bible claims. Hornsman plays the trombone for 11 tracks, which adds up to 43 minutes, but at the right volume it can also shake walls. Important: If "instrumental album" and "trombone" make you think of Dean Fraser's saxophone excursions, you need not be afraid here. Unlike Fraser, where the saxophone often floats somewhat isolated above the rhythms, Hornsman's trombone playing interacts harmoniously with the backings, is almost embedded in them and combines organically with the rhythms without ever being intrusive. Hornsman uses a clever trick to achieve this: he often plays the trombone on two tracks that are layered on top of each other in the mix, which makes the instrument sound softer and gentler and allows it to blend even more with the rhythms. But all of this would only be half as impressive without the magnificent backing tracks of House of Riddim. This Austrian band really is one of the best - their productions are masterfully crafted and show how well reggae and Dub can sound.