Category: Five Star

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.

With 1,5 million inhabitants, Yekaterinburg is the fourth largest city in Russia. Named after Tsarina Catherine I and the patron saint of miners, Saint Catherine, it lies on the Trans-Siberian Railway and forms the imaginary border between Europe and Asia.
The ska band Lollypop Lorry, founded in 2008, comes from this Ural region, which is quite remote for us. The band's logo shows the Lollypop Lorry - a UAZ 452 Buchanka, the Russian answer to the Wolfsburg bus and delivery van (Bulli).

The first publication of Lollypop Lorry: Goes Dub (Jump Up! Records) in 2020, the Dubblog as well as the re-release in 2022. But better late than never, I will briefly introduce you to this album, which was created between August 2018 and October 2019. An album that is really popular with me at the moment. Of the nine tracks, eight are jazz standards that are part of the ska, reggae/Dub & Latin Jazz Ensemble has congenially laid down deeper for our ears. The album was mixed by Victor Rice in his Studio Copan in São Paulo. The Dubs are by Ivan Gogolin, who produced the album together with Maxim Koryagin. The two musicians are also responsible for the arrangements, which are very varied. It starts with a Miles Davis standard, followed by “Dizzy Dub“ based on a musical template by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The best thing about it is that the band has seamlessly incorporated Aston Barrett’s bassline from “Lively Up Yourself”. Simply magical! John Coltrane’s “Blue Train” becomes the “Dub >7< Train”. The absolute highlight of the album for me is “Take Faya”, where we hear the old Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond classic “Take Five” as well as “Dub Fire” by Aswads: A New Chapter of Dub What more can I say? Both the basslines and the DubI like it all the way through – in short, a great album that I discovered far too late.

What a label name: "Spiritual Food"! That is exactly what my soul is thirsting for. And yes, it certainly shows some self-confidence to fill an entire LP of a good 40 minutes playing time with just two riddims. But isn't that exactly Dub in its purest form? In my opinion, absolutely. And when the two riddims and the versions are so good and convincing and are both a joy to listen to at home and are also convincing on the big sound system, what more could friends of deeply saturated Rasta culture want?
I don't even know where to start, I'm so excited about this piece of black vinyl, which unfortunately comes without a cover, just in a white paper envelope (in true old school Jamaica style). Lourenzo Bougard aka Macca Dread is no stranger to the scene behind the production. He is also known for the well-known Youthie productions "Gecko Tones" and "Nomad Skank" and now some other smaller notable publications (e.g. "Wise Up EP" or "Almandub#2"). The production is tight and rich, but for my ears it has a good mystical note with lots of percussion and a number of added sound gimmicks, which brings exactly the depth that I like so much. Spiritual food, the name says it all. Musically, both riddims are of a high standard, both melodic and monotonously driving, in just the right dose (Paracelsus would jump for joy). The Hooligan or Gringo riddim has something almost euphoric to offer me with its slightly Cuban-sounding Latin elements and I never get bored at all listening to an instrumental or Dubversion one after the other. On the contrary, every new mix brings a breath of fresh air, other instrumental parts are put in the spotlight, Dub in top form. Especially the "Benyah Horn's Version" with the trombone (which sounds like a trumpet here) and the “Macca Dread Melodica Version” with the typical Cuban piano riffs are real pearls. Benyah on trombone, Crucial Rob on drums and the Cuica, Irie Mates on choral singing, blues harmonica player Danos and Macca Dread on production, melodica and all Dubmixes a very good job. The Dubmixes are solid and fit smoothly into the whole.
Ha, I just forgot to mention the vocal versions. Here I also give the two singers Zion Irie on the Hooligan Riddim and Ras Tweed on the Point Finger Pon Riddim top marks. Brilliant conscious lyrics, listen for yourself. And how Ras Tweed in particular with all his experience in "Point Finger Pon" gets into the flow, then slows down again, has something deeply moving about it. Finally, I would like to mention the two lovingly designed portraits of the singers, which virtually replace the cover and pay tribute to the artist Aude Saloni This release is by no means a classic album, but it is just the thing to bring the sun into the dark, cold season. Dub-Heart and energy flow into the dance floor. Jahman!

I love the hypnotic, hard Dub-Sound of sound system sessions - these repetitive rhythms always captivate me. But recently my enthusiasm for handmade, analogue produced music has grown even stronger. I have the feeling that it is "richer" and the sound is more complex - of course only when it is played, recorded and produced really well. Apart from that, I have a really great appreciation for talented musicians. It is simply a true craft art to create good instrumentals and Dubs manually precise and with perfect timing. After recently dealing extensively with AI-generated music, my appreciation for man-made music has grown even more. And it is in this mood that I now come across Message's new album, "Showcase II" (Messengers) - and what can I say? “Showcase I” already impressed me, and now I am at "Showcase II“ enchants us again. The concept has – fortunately – not changed. The album contains seven instrumentals and seven Dubversions. Lead instruments are again mostly melodica, trombone and sometimes a keyboard. All pieces are original compositions by the band, were recorded live in the Lone Ark studio in Santander (northern Spain) and recorded on good old magnetic tape. Studio mastermind Roberto Sánchez himself sat on the drums and also took care of the recording. And of course the whole thing is once again seen as a homage to Jamaican reggae of the 1970s. Even at first listen, you can hear that Message doesn't just copy, but captures the essence of the genre and reinterprets it. The musicians succeed in doing this perfectly, not least thanks to the live recording, because this is the only way to really capture the energy and vibes that make roots reggae so special. It gives the album a special magic and an authentic, lively sound that is often missing from digital productions (which, however, have other qualities!). “Showcase II” is a work that not only honors the musical architects of the genre - the Jamaican musicians of the 1970s - but also shows how the band Message has found its own way within this tradition. Every track on “Showcase II” radiates the spirit of the band, the sense of community and the love of music. The best that reggae has to offer comes together here: brilliant craftsmanship, perfect production and, last but not least, really good compositions. We'll have to wait and see whether I have to sing such hymns of praise again for “Showcase III”. I certainly wouldn't mind.

Jim the Boss and his Hi Fi Rockers studio band have released “Dubs from the Grave“ (Hudson Soul) has put together an album full of spooky effects that is perfect for the season. Just in time for Halloween, after a five-year creative break, there is a new mini-album for fans of the Celtic holiday and reggae/Dubgenre, dealing with themes such as duppies, ghosts, vampires, zombies and other undead creatures. This album is the ideal soundtrack for any Halloween party. But that's not all: belief in ghosts, which is deeply rooted in African culture, has always been omnipresent in Jamaica. You really only have to think a little and you'll come up with lots of songs that deal with this theme: The Wailers - Duppy Conqueror (1970); The Upsetters - Haunted House (1970); Devon Iron - Ketch Vampire (1976) or Peter Tosh - Vampires (1987). Among the albums, "Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires" (1981) is particularly noteworthy, with titles such as "Your Teeth In My Neck", "Plague of Zombies" and "Night Of The Living Dead".

Just in time, the Dub-Maker Jim the Boss and his HiFi Rockers are back to bring us a new album of reggaeDub-titles. The 7 tracks are peppered with spooky sound effects, monster laughter and voice effects from 'Dr. Frankenboss' - Jim's alter ego for this album. The original versions of the tracks were recorded in recent years and are brought to life in this remix. "Big Man Dead" was already released in 2014 on Miserable Man's "American Sessions" EP and "The Dark Art" is a new edition of the "Dark Art" riddim that was already heard on the "Hudson Soul" album. The two tracks "Halloween Town" and "Queen of the Dead" - a Dubversion of Jah Adams' "My Love For You" – were released as radio-only promos throughout 2017.

“American Horror Story” is a danceable, spacey and dubbig track where you can't avoid moving your hooves.
“Queen of the Dead” is just as physical, with spooky laughter and sound effects. A driving riddim that rides on a nice fat bassline.
I think “Halloween Town” is particularly worth mentioning, performed in a rather funny (African?) accent. We hear a powerful and haunting version of the Lee “Scratch” Perry & The Stingers riddim: “Give Me Power”.
“Big Man Dead” reminds me in lyrics and flow of Linton Kwesi Johnson and his Dennis Bovell Dub Band
“The Dark Art” begins with the exemplary laughter of an evil witch and culminates in a beautiful piece of music, peppered with precise saxophone passages by Dave Hillyard and bouncing keyboards.
“Throw me Brain” is a remake of the Studio One classic “Throw me Corn” and the intro is by Lee “Scratch” Perry.

All in all, I like this small but fine (Dub-)Collection really fun and this more traditional Dub-Reggae offers much more than just seasonal Halloween tracks. I, for one, can and will certainly listen to the album all year round.

The series began during the Corona period: “Tape Me Out #1“ was published as a YouTube video three years ago. There is not much to see. The two friends Dr Charty and Jolly Joseph (= The Dub Shepherds) sit at the mixing desk and mix live for 50 minutes Dubs with material from their label Bat Records. #2 and #3 appear in quick succession. Then nothing happened for a long time until the beginning of this year #4 was released, parallel to her album “Night and Day”. Until then, “Tape Me Out” stood for pure video productions – which explains the name. In July, “Tape Me Out #5“ as a video AND as a regular Dubalbum. The mixes on the album are exactly the same as those in the video. The entire Dub-album was mixed in one take - a process that you can follow live in the video. A really beautiful and unique concept that also testifies to the mastery of the two musicians, 11 Dub-tracks one after the other without any mistakes. While in the first episodes of the series they are still sitting quite relaxed at the mixing desk, in #5 you can see their concentration and tension. 45 minutes Dub-Mixing in one go is really hard work.

Although in these typical Dub-Mixing videos are not much to see, but they always captivate me. And that is the case here. Strangely enough, it is fascinating to see how music is created on the mixing desk. I sometimes find it even more exciting than watching a musician play an instrument. This is perhaps because one person at the mixing desk controls all the instruments and not just one. Seeing how turning a knob or moving a slider changes the sound, triggers effects or switches instruments on or off - in other words, how music is "designed" and controlled - is for Dub-Nerds like me really find it exciting. But only as exciting as the music is good. And the two Frenchmen have no doubt about that. Their own productions and those of other artists on their Bat label (eg Pinnacle Sound) are among the best that European reggae has to offer. Like so many of us Europeans, they love the reggae sound of the 70s and 80s, which they pay homage to with all of their label's releases. Of course, everything is recorded analogue, mixed analogue and stored analogue on magnetic tape. It is not uncommon for them to quote historical riddims, work with DJs and singers from the golden era and mix their Dubs of course in the style of the old Jamaican masters. But similar to Prince Fatty and other retro fetishists in good old Europe, they don't just play classics, but deliver a fresh and original interpretation of this music and its sound. And so Tape Me Out #5 is not a remake, but an absolute newmake with the fantastic stylistic devices of the past - and a great Dub-Album.