Category: Five Star

There is music that literally makes you sit up and take notice. A few weeks ago my daughter asked whether I "KMFDM: In Dub“(Metropolis Records) would know; I absolutely have to listen to the album once - after tons of heavy sounds from early childhood, she knows her "old man" too well. And what shall I tell you? The “In Dub“Is one of those again Dub- Curiosities that have always cast a spell on me.

KMFDM was founded in 1984 by Sascha "Käpt'n K" Konietzko as a performance art project in Hamburg, moved its headquarters to Chicago in 1991 and has been successful in industrial metal / industrial rock for over 36 years. None other than the ON .U sound mastermind Adrian Sherwood, who has been exploring the endless possibilities of the Dub-Musik, produced the KMFDM album "Don't Blow Your Top" in 1988 and continued with its mixture of industrial, rock, Dub creative standards again.

About the album itself, “Käpt'n K” said in an interview: “The idea of ​​a Dub-Making a plate had been brewing for a number of years. I just never found the time to sit down and tackle the project. Some of my earliest musical influences were Dub and reggae and I did the project really old school. The dismantling of the original tracks and the brass arrangements were a lot of fun for me. In doing so, I found out that songs are at 125 BPM too dubben is not so ideal. It worked best with the slow and really fast tracks. ”That sounds very interesting. So I got down to the album and delved into the matter. “Käpt'n K” has reinterpreted twelve songs that span their entire career. Already after the first full rimshot on the snare at "Dub Light “I knew that this was an album to my liking. I would never have dreamed that this groovy and rocking source material would be so skillfully integrated Dubcostume transfer. Lucia Cifarelli sings “Everything Old Is New Again” on “Real Dub Thing ”and thus perfectly defines the power of“ In Dub". KMFDM hymns are reinterpreted and garnished with a hodgepodge of meditative grooves with groovy guitar passages, high-pitched horns, intense organ sounds and heavy bass lines, as on “A Dub Against War "," Hau Dub"," Bumaye "presented. With “Bumaye” I mean to hear a sequence with Nina Hagen's voice.
All in all, an album that is bursting with ideas and yet Dubheads will polarize. Quote from a fan: “My girlfriend likes reggae, but KMFDM not so much. Now she likes KMFDM too ”. For ON .U Sound Addicts from the very beginning, “KMFDM: In Dub“An easy exercise and access to those seldom heard sounds may be a little easier.

The Gladiators are undoubtedly a veteran of reggae history and their musical roots can be traced back to Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd's Studio One. My first encounter with their music was only in the mid-1970s. Their then producer Tony Robinson had made a deal in Europe and so the first (regular) albums of the Gladiators appeared on Virgin Records. Albert Griffiths died on December 15.12.2020, 74 at the age of XNUMX after a long illness of Parkinson's. The head of the trio with classic harmony vocals à la Wailers, Culture, Abyssinians, Israel Vibration, Meditations, Mighty Diamands etc. has the appearance of the "Gladiators: The Time Is Now Discomixes“(Tabou1) and I can imagine that he was very happy with the end result. Dartanyan "GreenLion" Winston, a young American sound tinkerer in his early 30s from Ohio, has chosen a few tracks from the almost inexhaustible repertoire of the Gladiators and created wonderfully classic discomixes. Eight original songs are skilfully deconstructed and reconstructed with a ton of energy, studio and mixer magic. Dartanyan "GreenLion" Winston pulls out all the stops and delivers a wonderfully sparkling sound bath of vocals, echo, reverb and delay. My highlights, the eight-minute title, are: "Fussing and Fighting" - a Marley song that most clearly shows how much Albert Griffiths' voice resembled Bob Marley's - and "Dreadlocks your Time is now" of course. The album cover gives the impression that it was created under the influence of psychoactive or even more hallucinogenic substances in the hippie era. Even if I had made a slightly different selection of songs, “The Time Is Now Discomixes” is, in retrospect, a wonderful homage to the wonderful gladiators who, undeservedly, were always a bit off the side of the really big vocal trios.

It always says that it is in Jamaica Dub just about to die. But then the intensive care patient still twitches every now and then and makes everyone present in a state of excitement. Most recently on Teflon Zincfence's album "Dub Policy ". Now another shock wave is going through the intensive care unit: Jallanzo publishes with "Dubam 'It & Luvin' It“A great one Dub-Album made in Jamaica. Jallanzo ?? I didn't know his name yet, but I did know his music, because the multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and Dub-Producer played for the a few years ago Dubtonic Kru, whose music I really appreciated. So now a solo project - in the form of one Dub-Albums! I have no idea who recorded the tracks here, whether they are secondary use or from the outset as Dubs were planned. I only know: you sound breathtaking. So crisp, powerful and dynamic that they would be a pleasure, even if it weren't for the perfect timing, the beautiful melodies, the ingenious arrangements and the inspired mix. Everything is just right here - except for the ugly cover. One reason to forego vinyl. The title of the album comes from a quote from Jallanzo: “Music is my life, my life is my music and I am dubbing it and loving it ”. Jallanzo has dedicated himself to music since he was 13 years old. He mainly works as a studio musician and can be heard on the productions of many well-known artists. Let's hope that we will be able to enjoy his music in the future even without vocals in the foreground.

The Zurich Dub-Combo Dub Spencer & Trance Hill is in dubblog a regular guest. Their albums usually get 5 out of 5 stars, which is the highest rating. If a friend points out a “previously officially unpublished, only known to a small circle” work that has appeared on YouTube via Twitter, then of course you will listen carefully. Since September 2020 the "Black album“Apparently online there and has so far reached a good 800 listeners. So it remained an insider tip and raised even more questions for it. Indeed: What is this “Black Album” about?

Band bassist and manager Marcel “Masi” Stalder sheds light on the matter on request. Around the time of “Riding Strange Horses” (2010) Nicolai Beverungen worked for his record label Echo Beach - wherever Dub Spencer & Trance Hill publish their stuff - the idea of ​​an Echo Beach anniversary album had with verdubGood versions of well-known songs, to which the people of Zurich should also make a contribution. Because at that time Stalder and colleagues had so much fun recording strange songs dubTo put on a nice dress, they suddenly recorded around a dozen tracks with the idea of ​​releasing them as a separate album. The problem: The rights were not available for all songs. Therefore, the album disappeared in the drawer - with the exception of one song that made it onto the aforementioned "Riding Strange Horses", which was only equipped with cover versions: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.

The rest of the "Black Album" found the light of the public in a different way. For one thing, it offered Dub Spencer & Trance Hill to their fans after concerts on self-burned CDs; However, it was a very small edition of only around 100 pieces. On the other hand, Echo Beach brought out a best of the Zurich band in 2017 with “Return Of The Supervinyl”. As the name suggests, only on vinyl, but with a treat - a link to the "Black Album", which was never officially released. Because the activation of the link was only possible in a roundabout way and required a lot of nerve, the vinyl edition was quickly sold out, the ominous work was still reserved for a small group of interested people. Until it was uploaded to Youtube almost a year ago. Presumably from a fan.

Now that the winding paths of the “Black Album” have been clarified, the most important question still arises: Is it worth listening to the ten songs on it? Absolutely - if you are on verdubbte cover versions are available! Marcel Stalder explains with a laugh that every member of the band has brought in his “youthful sins”, his “musical hateful love”. What Dub Spencer & Trance Hill made it out of it is - once again - simply great. Even “The Final Countdown” by Europe (the original causes me physical pain personally) is an experience. In contrast to “Riding Strange Horses”, the original voices are missing on the “Black Album”. But it doesn't matter. That was the only way James Brown's “I Feel Good” could turn out so spooky and gloomy. Nothing more is revealed, except that one likes to put up with such youthful sins. The album fits in seamlessly with the early work of Dub Spencer & Trance Hill one. It is not difficult to read from the previous lines that the writer would like an official publication at a later date.

Tracklist:

1. "Enter Dubman "(" Enter Sandman "by Metallica)

2. "The Final Dub Down "(" The Final Countdown "from Europe)

3. "Eye Of The Lion" ("Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor from the "Rocky IV" soundtrack)

4. "Bomb Back" feat. Nya ("Bomb Track" by Rage Against The Machine)

5. "Chilly Jean" ("Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson)

6. "Tire" ("Fire" by Jimi Hendrix)

7. "I Feel Stoned" ("I Feel Good" by James Brown)

8. "Owner Of A Dub Heart “feat. The Homestories ("Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes)

9. "The Sea" ("The Ocean" by Led Zeppelin)

10. "Until The End Of The Disc" ("Until The End Of The World" by U2)

(This text has been machine translated.) I'm slowly running out of words of praise. I've already written my fingers sore about the works of International Observer - behind which the lead singer of the historic Thompson Twins, Tom Bailey, hides. I love his relaxed Dubs beyond measure. What fascinates me most is that on the one hand they are incredibly relaxed, but on the other hand they are extremely exciting. It's a crazy paradox. Who knows reggae and Dub from New Zealand, can guess what I mean by that: Perfectly timed rhythms full of groove and inner tension, presented in slow motion. Fascinating. Tom Bailey also knows his trade. His tracks are superbly produced: crisp, dynamic, full-sounding. And then there is the ingenious arrangement, the fantastic bass lines and the wonderful, colorful, shimmering melodies. Everything from the mix interwoven into a large, comprehensive, multi-layered euphony.

There is actually no category or the dubs by Tom Bailey. It is undoubtedly one hundred percent reggae-dub technical perfection, which at the same time has completely emancipated itself from reggae. Crazy, right? Tom has created a completely independent dub-style that admittedly makes use of the reggae aesthetic, but otherwise leaves genre conventions behind. No “Yeah” exclamations, no sirens, no steppers, no historical basslines or brass sections - observer Dubs are utterly themselves, without quotes and superficial references. That's why I can't even imagine his music at a sound system event, even with the best of intentions. Unthinkable! But it would be perfect for a New Zealand pop open air festival.

The meticulousness of the productions also explains why the Observer only sporadically releases new EPs (let alone complete albums). Here quality comes before quantity. "Bat“ (Dubmission) is his latest work. After “Mink” and “Pangolin” it is the third EP in the “animal series” - and this is of course as excellent as all other works of this extraordinary dub-protagonist.

I often find myself asking: "How would Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and many more sound today if they hadn't died much too early?" This question comes to mind when I hear Lee "Scratch" Perry. No, no, thank god Scratch is still alive. But what if Lee “Scratch” Perry hadn't slipped into an increasingly unpredictable, depressive, and destructive phase in the late 1970s that ended up with the flaring of his Black Ark studio in Washington Gardens, Kingston? How would albums from Black Ark Studio sound like today? Fortunately, there is an Adrian Maxwell Sherwood and a Daniel Boyle who still have the ability to inspire this man, who is well over 80 years old, to top performance.

Maxwell Livingston Smith alias Max Romeo produced his masterpiece in the Black Ark as early as 1976 together with Lee Perry and the Upsetters - a massive mountain range that is still visible today in the vast Reggae landscape. Almost 40 years after "Was in Babylon"In 2015 Max Romeo, Daniel Boyle, Lee" Scratch "Perry and three great Upsetters published another collaboration:"Horror Zone". “Horror Zone” is by no means a cheap copy of “War ina Babylon”, but rather a successful connection to old times, so more of a kind of further development. That was the case with the vocal album "Horror Zone" DubAlbum in good old fashion already with. And what's next? After this "Lee Scratch Perry meets Daniel Boyle to drive the Dub Starship through the Horror Zone“Was already released in 2020 in a limited vinyl edition for Record Store Day, now that follows Dub Album of the Dub Albums in digital form. Boyle and Perry have the original "Horror Zone" -Dubs subjected to another processing on the mixer and refined a cosmos with tons of cave-like reverb and analog special effects, which according to credits Lee "Scratch" Perry is attributed. Once again we are convincingly heard that it is not a challenge for Perry & Boyle, an already good one Dub-Mix album one more time because these two Dubmasters are always able to go one better. The result can be more than heard, because the two have an intergalactic, dubcreate a wise supernova that shines the entire galaxy even brighter than the original.
Daniel Boyle's Rolling Lion Studio produced, recorded and mixed exclusively with analog devices from the 50s to the 80s and the characteristic Black Ark sound, which is understandably not 100% achieved. Nonetheless, I'm pretty sure that “Lee Scratch Perry meets Daniel Boyle to drive the Dub Starship through the Horror Zone ”will be a new classic in Lee“ Scratch ”Perry's overall / life's work.

(This text has been machine translated.) And yet another incredibly good reggae instrumental album: Bost & Bim: "Warrior Brass“(Bombist). I have to admit that I really like good instrumentals, because like Dub they meet an essential criterion: no text. Let's face it: text is pretty overrated in reggae. The times of rebel music and its socially critical texts seem to be over for decades. We have long had to be satisfied with verbal outpourings on topics such as religion, herb or sex or even expose ourselves to homophobic or violence-glorifying philippines. That annoys me - or at least bores me. How nice it is to indulge in pure music. Music that can be completely itself, that does not serve a text message and is degraded to a "backing". That's why I love this latently arrogant tradition in the Dubto let a singing voice fade away in the echo after just a few words ...

But I like good reggae instrumentals not only because of what is missing, but also because of what they have more - and I have to admit that this applies not equally to Dub: The full, rich sound of a full reggae band. I hear p. e. the track “Tommy's Mood”, then not only does the bass squeeze out of the subwoofers, but a whole wall of sound comes rolling towards me. A lush, rich, harmonious and comfortably warm sound, garnished with both gentle and powerful brass sections. Perfectly arranged, superbly played and well produced - reggae with a brass section is always a delight.

By the way, as reggae producers, Bost & Bim are a quite remarkable number - which I didn't really have on my screen. The two French have already produced successful tunes for Morgan Heritage, Chronixx and Winston McAnuff. Matthieu Bost is also a gifted saxophonist, which he impressively proves here on "Warrior Brass". The classic brass section is completed by a trumpet (Manuel Faivre) and trombone (Marc Delhaye). In addition to the three main characters, there are other excellent musicians at work, such as z. B. Ticklah, Horseman or Mista Savona. Incidentally, there are not only wind solos to be heard, other instruments also come into play and take over the lead. Therefore “Warrior Brass” always reminds a little of a jazz album - an association that is not least triggered by the cover design. In fact, however, it is more of an homage to classical Jamaican instrumental music, with many charming quotes (z. B. Lee Perry), small excursions to Nyabinghi and Calypso and two titles dedicated to Tommy McCook and Cedric Brooks.

(This text has been machine translated.) It's Friday April 23rd and Alborosie's sixth dub album is out today. Let's not kid ourselves, the candidate has been chosen. "Back-a-yard Dub“ will hardly be able to be pushed from the pole position of this years Dub-Charts. Because it's not just grandiose sounding, modern old school Dub is in the tradition of real versions, but also an audio event that works on its own, which even without deejay, dancehall or sound system blows away everything that gets in its way with murderous waves. The album is the counterpart to the Wailing Souls LP "Back A Yard" released a few weeks ago, which Alborosie produced in his studio with a lot of Eighties fanfare, Simmons and synth drums. Flabba Holt from the Roots Radics played bass, Tyrone Downie from the Wailers played the keyboards. After the powerful old work of the Wailing Souls was in the can, Puppa Albo has the "Alborosie Dub Station "thrown on. It's his newest toy, a plug-in he developed that is able to reproduce the typical effects from King Tubby's studio. The reverb and the sound of the tubby tape echo are less spectacular, but very nice. Absolutely awesome, however, is the digital replica of the high pass filter. In combination with the variety of instruments of the Wailing Souls template and the Dubskills from Alborosie, the new effect board creates a monstrous spectacle. Assembled to an anarchic ping-pong excess full of reverb and filter effects that have never been heard before. Comparable to the force of sound of a Groucho Smykle. But he has to record additional keyboards to stage his wall of sound. Alborosie, on the other hand, benefits from the complexity of its production and packs for him Dub a few more felt dB on it. No matter what the people say, these sounds lead the way! His mix is ​​like a sales recommendation for the device he has developed, and initial reactions in social media are already showing that this plug-in will be able to use it in the near future Dub is mastered over a wide area. That the LP “Back-A-Yard Dub“Means - and means: back in Jamaica - and the packaging is reminiscent of the aesthetics of the old stamp print cover, not only alludes to the fact that alborosies are by chance Dub is created where it comes from. If there were 10 stars, this LP would get 15.

PS: When the text was written, no streaming links were yet activated. There are audio samples here.. Or you trust the reviewer and get the LP straight away. Vinyl won't be around forever anyway.

(This text has been machine translated.) I have seldom spent so much time at home as in the past few weeks. Corona locks us up in our apartments and houses. This confinement is excruciating, but it can also be a source of great creativity. To Tom Dorne aka Sumac Dub that seems to be the case, because he currently has an outstanding, beautifully melancholy EP with the telling title "Ex home session" (ODGProd) released. Not only does the title refer to the domestic isolation (in beautiful Grenoble), but it also ties in with Toms "Jam Session Vol. 1" from 2019 on. Seamless, because here and there a calm, meditative sound predominates, interspersed with ambient noises such as z. B. The twittering of birds and sometimes accompanied by the violin or piano playing of the master himself. The vocals sampled from speeches or readings are also typical of the two works. But it is above all the "ex-home session" that casts its spell on me. The magical atmosphere of the first tracks is overwhelming. Deeply sad, gloomy, heavy and yet powerful. Soft beats garnished with measured piano chords and melancholy violin playing. Unbelievably pretty. Then follows the track “Imminent Departure” and with it a sound metamorphosis Dub-Techno - which is shocking but absolutely conclusive. The warm plucking minimal techno beats only logically continue what the two previous tracks “Petit Prince” and “The Hadal Tone” began.

The last two tracks stunned me, because they were written by the Bass Trooperz. I have no idea whether Tom is involved in them or whether he is just using their tracks as a Dubs mixes. In any case, they also fit perfectly into the overall work, feature beautiful sitar playing and atmospheric waves - but then turn up the beats clearly. That puts a positive and energetic end to one of the most beautiful Dub-EPs from the Corona period.

I was really looking forward to this album: Blundetto, “Good Good Dub“(Heavenly Sweetness). Dangerous, because such anticipation often leads to disappointment due to the high expectations. But not with "Good good Dub“! The Frenchman's album is simply very good good! Of course it's that Dub-Version of the album "Good Good Things" released last year - which in turn is a belated successor to "Bad Bad Things". Who doesn’t know Blundetto: It’s the Frenchman Max Guiget, who tends to record his music in a small two-room apartment near the Gare du Nord between a gigantic vinyl record collection, old recording devices, exotic instruments and overcrowded ashtrays. He is dedicated to global sounds - especially Latin - and maximally relaxed rhythms full of smoky atmosphere. Reggae is rarely heard on his “normal” albums. Quite different, however, on theirs Dub-Counterparts! Blundetto knows what Dub really needed: a reggae foundation. Okay, sometimes it's not that solid, but that would be too easy for the sound nerd. Rather, his art consists in fusing exotic ingredients into a fascinating sound amalgam, which is characterized by an intense, dense - sometimes quite melancholy - atmosphere. Whoever lets himself in, breathes in the fat atmosphere to the full, opens ears and mind, cannot help but succumb to this music; To let yourself fall into it like in a bed of cotton candy and finally to sink into pleasure. Beautiful! Only seven tracks - but with as much emotional content as seven albums elsewhere.