Category: Five Star

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.

The A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio in Santander has developed into one of the most interesting production facilities for modern roots reggae. Superb productions, perfectly crafted riddims, brilliant sound quality and simply great compositions are the trademark of the studio. Behind this studio in Santander, Spain, is Roberto Sánchez, a multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer and producer who has gathered a group of highly gifted Spanish reggae musicians around him. He and his crew are responsible for some of the most exciting albums of recent times. For example, Inés Pardo's "My Time", Ras Teo's "Ion Man" and I Man Cruz' "In A Mission", to name just a few of the most recent. But now Sánchez and his colleagues have surpassed themselves and created an absolutely outstanding instrumental and Dub-Album submitted: “Showcase 1” by Message (A-Lone Reggae). It was recorded in just one weekend in the Ark studio, live, pure and direct - and of course on magnetic tape, just like the musicians in Jamaica used to do. It is precisely to them, and to the reggae sound of the 1970s, that Sánchez & Co. pay tribute with their showcase album. “The soundtrack of our lives,” as Sánchez says. Their tribute contains 7 instrumentals and 7 Dub-versions. Lead instruments include melodica, trombone and sometimes a keyboard. All pieces are the band's own compositions. What excites me most is the tight production of the pieces. What a brilliant, energetic game, what precision and what perfect timing! I am convinced that handmade reggae cannot be recorded better today. The “song quality” of the pieces is equally convincing, as are the arrangements. So the only question that remains is: Dub-versions. Since not much can actually go wrong with the source material, it almost answers itself. Roberto Sánchez has the beats firmly under control: The Dubs are exciting and varied – and of course strictly old school. As expected, the lead instruments were robbed of their dominance here, but this only made the quality of the rest of the music stand out even more clearly. Anyone who buys the album in physical form will also be gifted with detailed liner notes on the production process and will see a few black and white photos of the musicians - also in the style of seventies vinyl.

What wonderful musical legacy is presented to us here? An album that basically began in 1978, developed further as a brainchild and was put into practice in 2017, finally finding its completion with the release in 2024. But first everything in order.

The cover image of “Roots Architects: From Then 'Til Now“ (Fruits Records) shows a typical street scene in Kingston. Dogs eat discarded leftover food from the sidewalk. A young woman in the background stares suspiciously at the viewer. Older men sit on a bench and look with infinite patience at the dusty street while a grizzled, bearded gentleman with a walking stick approaches us. A normal day in Jamaica.

When we look at the history of reggae, it is usually told through singers, producers and sound systems. A singer or toaster was hired to sing or chant over a pre-existing rhythm. The producer paid the recording costs and tested the song at a dance to see if it could become a hit. In the 1970s, when reggae was deconstructed and transformed into its avant-garde offshoot Dub was transformed, the sound engineers who used their studios as instruments became more and more of a focus. The dedicated studio musicians who produced the actual rhythms are often overlooked. Except perhaps from a few aficionados who always kept an eye on the instrumentalists involved.

The Jamaican-Chinese roots reggae singer I Kong - aka Errol Kong, nephew of the legendary Leslie Kong - released the LP "The Way It Is” with a unique line-up that included almost all of the island’s leading session musicians. Although the album received critical acclaim, it flopped financially, and I Kong went into self-imposed musical exile in the countryside. In the early 2010s he was contacted by Swiss producer and vintage reggae lover Mathias Liengme. Liengme became friends with Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace in 2011. Many people will know “Horsemouth” from the Rockers film and as the drummer on the early Burning Spear recordings. Some time later, Liengme found himself in Jamaica, where he welcomed the living legends of the golden reggae era that had made the country and reggae world famous. Through I Kong, Liengme met Robbie Lyn. Robbie Lyn had played keyboards on The Way It Is and hundreds of other famous Jamaican recordings. After working together on I Kong's long-awaited album "A Little WalkLiengme turned to Lyn for his ambitious project. Robbie Lyn opened his address book, opened up his connections and the ambitious project took shape. The work of the Swiss pianist and producer Mathias Liengme is a true meeting of veterans. In February and March 2017, Mathias Liengme traveled to Kingston for the fifth time to honor the musicians who delighted his ears since his youth and led him to write a doctoral thesis on Jamaican music. He wanted to record with as many of the surviving veteran session musicians as possible. With the help of some of them such as Robbie Lyn, Fil Callender or Dalton Browne, he managed to bring together more than 50 musicians aged 54 to 85 for nine instrumental songs. Fifty of the greatest studio musicians in Jamaica's history, whose work spans from the beginnings of reggae in the late 1960s to the present day and who contributed to reggae's international success. This great instrumental album is a tribute to the unsung heroes who created all of these amazing riddims. The names alone speak for themselves: Ernest Ranglin, Sly & Robbie, Karl Bryan, Vin Gordon, Glen DaCosta, Robbie Lyn, Ansel Collins, Dougie Bryan, Mao Chung, Boris Gardiner, Jackie Jackson, Lloyd Parks, Bo Pee, Dalton Browne, Flabba Holt, Fil Callender, Mikey Boo, Barnabas, Horsemouth, Dean Fraser, Ibo Cooper, Cat Coore, Derrick Stewart, Dwight Pinkney, Bubbler, Lew Chan, etc… They are all responsible for thousands of hours of recording and millions of minutes recorded by heard by music lovers around the world.

So the Roots Architects, the legends of reggae, returned to the studios in Kingston to do what they always did best: make instrumental music together. The result is a great album that is indispensable for all lovers of Jamaican music, instrumental reggae or simply beautiful music. For musicians, "From Then 'Til Now" is what "Inna de Yard" is for singers. Plain and simple, a tribute to the greats. But unfortunately, "From Then 'Til Now" has now also become a kind of epitaph for the musicians who have died since the recordings in 2017. Winston "Bo Pee" Bowen, the namesake of the album, died on March 26, 2019 at the age of 62 from a fatal heart attack. Arnold Brackenridge died on October 7, 2020 at the age of 70 from prostate cancer. David Trail died at an unknown time this year. Dalton Browne was 64 years old when he died on November 1, 2021 from complications following major heart surgery. Bongo Joe died at the age of 86 on September 5, 2021. Mikey Boo, whose drumming was impaired by a stroke and subsequent dementia, died on November 28, 2021 at the age of 74. Just ten days later, Robbie Lyn's good friend Robbie Shakespeare succumbed to kidney surgery at the age of 68. He was followed in the same month by 71-year-old Mikey Chung. The project's youngest musician, bassist Christoper Meredith, died on July 27, 2022 at the age of just 54. After a series of health complications, Lyn's beloved "big brother" and former bandleader Fil Callender passed away on May 27, 2022 at the age of 75. Robbie's keyboard colleague and close friend Tyrone Downie died in a hospital in Jamaica on November 5, 2022 at the age of 66. Her keyboard colleague Ibo Cooper died on October 12, 2023 at the age of 71.

May they all rest in peace as their immortal music vibrates speakers, bodies and souls for many dances to come.

I dedicate this review to my dear friend Endi (Palatinate for Andi), who left for the realm of the ancestors after a long illness. Like the heroes mentioned above, he has not left us, but rather before us.