Category: Review

Dub is known to be a subgenre of reggae. But also Dub breaks down again into various sub-subgenres. Insanely, even a sub-subgenre, like Steppers, is made up of different ways of playing. There would be z. B. the old-school steppers we know from classic UK sound systems. Iration Steppers, Disciples or Jah Warrior are typical representatives. Then there is a younger school that is a bit more experimental. Alpha Steppa, Kanka or Jah Schulz come to mind here. And then there's the school that produces pure fodder for Sound Systems. A very special sound that is not so easy to describe. Instead of putting it into words, I recommend listening to this album: Benjah and EK: "Dust off the Dubs' (Lions Den). Benjah and EK are two young producers from France. They also operate under the name "Bedrin Records" and offer exactly the sound that forces the selector to rewind on sound system events. With a little imagination, the whole thing could be described as “technowise Dub" describe. The rhythm is XNUMX% reggae, but the productions have completely abandoned the mimicry of handmade music, the rhythm is maximally repetitive and all references are closed Dub and reggae in the form of samples, MC vocals and "jah" calls or sirens are absent.

The Berlin label Lions Den, which specializes in sound system music, has long been into the sound of the two Frenchmen and therefore decided to dedicate an album to them, on which they present the best Dubs of the last few years into a thick package of 20 tracks. I feel like Lions Den, I also like this uncompromisingly concrete sound, especially the polyrhythms forced by the drums did it to me. However, there are also some pretty bad ones among the 22 tracks (11 instrumentals plus Dubversions), in which sluggish synth orgies spoil my fun, or I'm overwhelmed by boredom because of the unimaginative beats. Maybe not everyone would Dub it deserves to be dusted off.

Not just reggae, tooDub gone international" - this is shown again by a current, consistently successful release: "Dubmasters meet Shashamane“ (ZIMA). Although it is Dubversion of the self-titled (and recommendable) album by the Polish band Shashamane, the title already contains the "Dubmasters” is the focus. The squad including Umberto Echo and Dubmatix can be seen and heard; they all deliver first class Dub-Mixes that capture the essence of the vocal versions - a comparison confirms this impressively. “No filler, all killer” as they used to say so aptly elsewhere.

It recommends in any case, also in that vocal album listen to it - fine, old-school instrumented roots reggae, performed by a classic BMW line-up including focused, I-Threes-inspired vocals. The Shashamane band not only manage to conjure up the musical vibes of the past, they also optimize them with arrangements that give the vocals and instruments enough space and the best possible impact. The Dubmasters adopt this concept almost selflessly: The Dubs are devoid of any self-portrayal and cannot – at least according to the reviewer – be assigned to the respective mix masters. A round thing, so to speak.

And so it is no longer surprising that such (BMW-)inspired, almost historical-sounding music comes from Poland with a playful naturalness. It just shows once more where the Roots Reggae flag is being held up. And finally: Where the source material is good, it can also be used Dub-Mix nothing can go wrong. Two thumbs up for them Dubmasters and the Shashamane band!

Dub is now produced all over the world, of course also in Germany (but ironically hardly in Jamaica). Not only do we have one of the most prominent in Hamburg Dub-Labels worldwide, but also a well-hung generation of established ones Dub-Producer. With people like Jah Schulz and Kaptan, there are also young talents in the starting blocks. Both, Schulz and Kaptan, are committed to pure, uncompromising sound systemDubs, which derive their immersive power from pure bass presence and stoic, repetitive beats. The focus here is no longer on the virtuoso mix, or even a pale memory of a vocal version that doesn't exist anyway, but on the pure, abstract-concrete sound driven by the bass. Kaptan has just presented his debut album: Dubs From the Vault (Basscomesaveme) which I am currently listening to with great fascination. With the traditional Dub-Schema doesn't have much in common with this album either. But all the more with Jah Schulz - and on the last track also a lot with Rhythm & Sound. So it's expressly not about heavy steppers, but about slower productions in which the bass spreads out like a swollen yeast dough. All pores and cavities of Dubs are pervaded by the bass batter. Drums and offbeat swirl around like raisins. Just delicious! Although the title suggests otherwise, the "Dubs From the Vault" current productions and by no means material that was once lost in the archive. The album only has seven tracks - which is due to the release format, because if you want to physically own the album you actually have to buy an audio cassette. Luckily there is also a digital edition with perfect sound.

I love it when yourself Dub mixed with atypical musical cultures. Dub and classical music has always fascinated me, the combination of Dub and jazz I love very much and also the mixture of Dub with Nordic melodies I have fond memories of some productions. That reminds me: I had one of the first encounters of this kind on an album by the Twinkle Brothers, which they had recorded together with some Polish violinists. What was it called? Doesn't matter. What has always worked great is the combination of Dub with oriental harmonies. I'm thinking of the Spy from Cairo and others. How nice that we finally have this exciting sound again in the form of a successful album: "Sahar(Merkaba Music) by Kino Doscun & Youthie. Trombonist, flautist and accordionist Youthie might Dub-Be well known to fans. Just think of their fantastic Macca Dread productions. Youthie is now a guarantee for good music. But who is Kino Doscun? My research leads me to a certain Dino Coskun who is a sound engineer at the Opéra National de Paris. His specialty is remixing and Dubpracticing oriental music by playing oud, saz, guitar and percussion, looping and then in dubBig sound textures transferred. On "Sahar" he is responsible for almost all instruments. Youthie is limited to trombone, flute and accordion. The result is a fascinating one Dub-Melange of complex oriental melodies, sensitive instrumental solos, of course lots of bass and restrained reggae beats. Everything is interwoven in complex arrangements and mixed with virtuosity. Were it not for the echoes and reverb, "Sahar" could be mistaken for an elaborately arranged instrumental album. The music is unmistakably based on reggae basslines and regularly sounding offbeats, but the strong oriental character of the instruments and the melodies lead us to the limits of the genre - and at the same time prove to us how universal reggae and Dub could be.

The eight-piece band Pama International was founded in 2001, and they call their music “Dub Fueled Ska Rocksteady & Reggae”. There is already a certain contradiction in this description, because Dub and ska and rocksteady don't actually go well together (if you disregard the work of Victor Rice). In 2006 the band signed a record deal with Trojan Records - as the first band in 30 years. But two years later, the fun was over. The pamas then founded their own label "Rockers Revolt" and recorded the album "Love Filled Dub Band", which is considered one of their best. Although the album (according to its title) already from strong Dub-Elements, the London sound inventor Wrongtom was commissioned to create a Dub-make version. But his recordings disappeared into Nirvana and (allegedly) remained missing until 2022. Now they have miraculously reappeared and are now on the album "Pama I'ntl Meets Wrongtom in Dub' (Happy People). A big story about a reasonably simple album. Yes, Wrongtom did a good jobdubbt, but the result remains kind of colorless. But maybe that's also due to the pronounced retro style of the recordings. One looks in vain for the magic, depth, intensity and spirituality of good current productions. The sound remains comparatively noncommittal and irrelevant. Yes, the whole thing looks a bit uninspired - just like the cover. Who, however, Jamaican Dub 1970s might have a different opinion here.

If you fancy cracking steppers, Le Faune Stepper is the place for you. On his new album "Paradox’ (ODG) the bass drum hits the floor in staccato. In addition, there are sometimes very bad synth sounds. So bad it's fun again. And of course lots and lots of bass. Since the experienced trumpeter Robin Pavie is behind Le Faune Stepper, we also hear many beautiful wind solos, which are sometimes reminiscent of Balkan sounds. In general, you have to use some imagination when composing his Pavie Dubs concede. So many fine melodies adorn the often brute stepper beats. It's almost a shame that the Faun obscures the artistic aspects of his work with his distorted basses and brutal beats. On the other hand, the contrast between finely crafted elements and brutal anarchy is particularly attractive. Like all ODG albums, "Paradoxe" is also available free download available. It's also available on stream - and if you want to do a good deed, you can do so too Bandcamp also buy.

Bristol, the English city on the River Avon, created a musical universe by 1991 at the latest with the trip-hop artists Massiv Attack, Tricky and Portishead. But the city's musical history goes back much further. The Equals with Eddy Grant formed here in the mid 1960's. Reggae bands Talisman, Black Roots and The Pop Group with Mark Stewart followed in the mid/late 1970s. Gary Clail, associated with On .U Sound, also came into the limelight in 1991, coming from Bristol. These are just a handful of examples, I could go on and on with the list of Bristol musicians if this wasn't the main issue here Dub Cuts from Eeyun & The Co-Operators: Vibrations from the Bionic Tabernacle (Woodland Records).
Eeyun & The Co-Operators were formed in Manchester but later relocated to Bristol. At the heart of the whole project is producer, sound engineer, songwriter and instrumentalist Eeyun Purkins and his Waggle Dance Studios. In April 2019, the Co-Operators & Friends released the album, "Rhythms From The Kitchen Sink”, which in November 2020 “Beating The Doldrums" followed. It was not until a year later that the quintessence of the since then unpublished Dubs see the light of day from the first two LPs. Eeyun Purkins mixed those Dubs previously existed as Rhythms from the Kitchen Sink and Beating the Doldrums, but the mixes have remained unreleased. The tracks didn't even make it onto a single after the mixdown. Now they are available as a "Name your Price" download. The DubTracks were all renamed: "Murder at Midnight" ft. Joe Yorke (Kitchen Sink) became "On Humanby Corner", "The Thief & the Liar" (Doldrums) became "Higher & Higher".
The strong influence of classic reggaeDub-Albums from the 1970s on Eeyun's work as a musician and producer is all Dubs to be heard clearly. Eeyun Purkins found it best to keep the tuning and sound as close as possible to the original vocal mixes and also use the original versions. The successful end result proves him completely right.
I still have to mention one artist: It's the songwriter Perkie (making punks cry since 2006) with her wonderful voice, who obviously must have fascinated Eeyun Purkins as well, because Not Forgotten Dub aka Crazy Woman ft. Perkie from Kitchen Sink is the only track on the entire album that occasionally has song fragments floating through it. Pure goosebumps for me.

And now have fun discovering and decoding the tracks. Quick tip: Vibrations from the Bionic Tabernacle starts with a Dub from the "Doldrums" album followed by one Dub from the "Kitchen Sink" album and always alternately so on.

Born in Barcelona in 1978, Gerard Casajús Guaita is better known to us by his stage name Chalart58. In the Catalan band La Kinky Beat, founded in 2003, which is a wild mixture of rock, reggae, punk, ska, rocksteady, raggamuffin, Dub, Drum & Bass, Jungle and Hip-Hop, he was employed as a drummer. Chalart58 then burst into the limelight as the founder of record label La Panchita Records. That was around 2014/2015 and since then I've liked the panchita Dub School is always very positive. Last year, Manu Chao, who is not the first to work with Chalart58, released the album with him: Inna Reggae Style (La Panchita Dub School), which is unfortunately already out of print. All in all, it is positive to note that all previous releases of the label do not necessarily point in the direction of the mainstream music industry and are nevertheless ideally suited to bringing our small, fine genre closer to a wider audience.

After many convincing albums from the label, a new edition of the The Panchita Dub School: Soul Rock Reggae (La Panchita Records). On page one of the album, each of the five young, partly jazzy-sounding soul singers gathered here: Désirée Diouf, Brigitte Emaga, Reina Blava, Emma Yuzz, Eipriil shows their vocal qualities to catchy reggae rhythms. Five very crisp ones follow on page two Dub-Versions produced and mixed by the "students of the academy": Bone Lema, ZRP Beats, Pau Senserrich under the supervision and attentive ears of their "teacher" Chalart58.
Thanks to Roberto Sánchez and Chalart58, classic showcase albums are booming again and that's why I prefer listening to "Soul Rock Reggae" as a showcase. Which approach is more in line with your own listening habits, you should decide for yourself, depending on your taste.

Many don't like American reggae because of its rocky character. Nevertheless, in view of the large number of American bands (Tribal Seeds, Groundation, Slightly Stoopid, SOJA, Passafire, Stick Figure and many others) and their success, "rock reggae" has long since attained the status of a subgenre. Even Bob Marley & The Wailers sometimes had two lead guitarists (Al Anderson & Junior Marvin) in their standard line-up, who occasionally rocked properly. So basically nothing new. The “Arise Roots”, founded in 2010, have also been among the exposed American bands for some time. The band was formed with the intention of forming a new and unique roots reggae band that would reflect the collective passions of the six musicians. "Arise Roots", the band from the streets of Los Angeles, pursued one goal from the very beginning: to create a fresh reggae sound with a modern feel that appeals to all walks of life, ages and races, without compromising the true roots reggae feeling . In 2020, the six musicians released their critically acclaimed fourth album,Pathways“ (Ineffable Records). A few days ago (27.01.) was the first Dub- Album of the band: "Dubways' (Ineffable Records). As the name suggests, a complete one Dub-Version of the "Pathways". The album was mixed by the Zion I Kings, the trinity of modern American reggae. Through their work over the last decade, the Zion I Kings have created a kind of musical return of reggae to its roots, and that's what "Dubways”, but just like the American, rockier, roots reggae variant. We hear excellently rehearsed, organic and very relaxed Dub-Sound with Yamaha keyboards, fat bass guitar, playful e-guitar solos, vibrating drums and pleasantly floating song fragments from the original album. I was particularly impressed by lead guitarist Robert Sotelo, who adds his unmistakable signature of riffs and licks to the overall sound.
All in all - also thanks to Zion I Kings - a very successful, relaxed album from America's west coast.

Almost exactly a year ago this album was re-released in France by Onlyroots Records. It was said at the time that they weren't interested in promo, their records would sell like that. Sure, in the inner circle of nerds, but the rest of the world doesn't notice anything. A sense that such an attitude is one of the reasons why reggae and Dub meanwhile settling on a separate, unnoticed comet is completely absent here. But records like these are simply too good for such a lack of cosmopolitanism! chanting Dub With The Help Of The Father previously stuck in a pale blue cover. Now the original Selassie photo artwork is highlighted in red, yellow and green. The original LP was released in 1978 with green lettering on Augustus Pablo's Rockers label and now costs a mid-three-digit amount. Reprints had red writing on a yellow label, but are also hard to find. Parallel to the Dubt came an ultra-rare, untitled, coverless deejay album by Prince Mohammad (ie George Nooks) on Hungry Town. With some copies, Prince became "Price", as if one had suspected that a four-digit amount would be called for the Deejay LP. the Dubs are based on tunes like Horace Andy's "New Broom", "Youths Of Today" and "Don't Let Problems Get You Down", Roman Stewart's "If I Had A Hammer" and Lacksley Castell's "Love In Your Heart". The new vinyl rumbles heartily in the empty grooves, but this is not the case with the loud ones mixed by Prince Jammy with King Tubby Dubs goes down. An All Killer No Filler Reissue still available from Only Roots. Maybe one day they'll take pity and re-issue the Prince Mohammad LP. And think about your own attitude towards public relations.