Category: Review

I heard them for the first time in 1992 Alpha & Omega-Debut albums "Daniel In The Lions Den" and "King And Queen". They were a revelation at a time when reggae was determined by “Computerized Rhythms” and Dub ceased to exist in Jamaica. I had never heard such a deep, grumpy, extremely warm bass in any reggae recording. The early 80ies I loved because of their deep soundDub-Tracks of the Roots Radics sounded as light as a feather in contrast. If there was any comparison to A&O, it was Lee Perry in his prime with Black Ark. The mystical-spiritual atmosphere of his recordings pointed the way, which A&O continued almost two decades later (and which is currently ending in the productions of Rhythm & Sound). South London bassist Christine Woodbridge and her partner John Spronsen make no secret of who their role models are: “Lee Perry, Augustus Pablo and Yabby You”. As for the music of these three Dub-Artists is less of the refined Dub-Mix (like for example with King Tubby) than their dense, atmospheric sound. Woodbridge and Spronsen have condensed, reduced and radicalized this sound again. He is unique and among all UKDub- Recordings clearly identifiable. In addition to Christine Woodbridge's deep, deep bass hum, the melodies of which are barely identifiable, and the stoic steppers drumbeat, it is above all spherical swelling and swelling background noises with massive reverbs that conjure up the acoustic impression of a jungle and make A&O pieces unmistakable . Acoustic sounds such as the reverberation of huge gongs, briefly played harpsichord chords, explosive melodica or percussions are also typical. What is astonishing is that the tracks, which are remembered as infinitely sluggish rolling rhythms, often turn out to be up-tempo pieces when listened to, which seem to advance with an unstoppable urge. It's great that A&O does not have the fate of many UKDub-Bands of the 90s share and have disappeared into oblivion. After listening to remixes of their old repertoire for many years, completely new pieces are now coming from the home studio in London. The new album "Spirit Of The Ancients" (Greensleeves / Zomba) share the two with Jonah Dan and shine here with great new tracks and wonderful vocal /Dub-Combinations. Jonah Dan, who produced and recorded the other half of the album, fits perfectly into the A&O concept. Although his style is cleaner and the tracks are structured more clearly, the two sounds complement each other to form a round UKDub-Album, as it has been heard far too seldom in recent years. Let's hope that some of this will stimulate the UKDub- Go out scene and motivate them to renew their vigor.

True Dub-Heads will not have remained hidden that the summer months were lacking in supplies. The only interesting material I could find is an album of the Dubwise prayers with the title: "The Dubplate Series ". (Realeyes / Import). This is a very small edition with a hand-burned CD and a laser-copied cover (of particular ugliness). Very, very skeptical, I put the CD (bought for 16 euros) into the player - and was pleasantly surprised. Classic UKDub was heard, not particularly innovative, but solid and astonishingly varied. The spectrum ranges from very nice, straightforward steppers beats to more experimental mixes and growling synth sounds. You can hear on many tracks that Alpha & Omega were the inspiration behind this. On the other hand, the pieces on which the violin playing of a certain J. Bloom can be heard are very independent - infinitely melancholy and very mystical. It is difficult to classify the pieces chronologically, because you can hear sounds from the 80s as well as the 90s - and who knows whether eclectic comrades of postmodernism were at work here and indiscriminately in reggae and Dub-History or whether we are simply dealing with old recordings? The whole thing is mysterious!

Since we have so much space this time (to interpret the lack of material positively), I want to take the opportunity to think a little outside the box of typical reggaeDubs to look out and, dear raggae fans, suggest an album that you can get from your house and techno dealer (e.g. www.kompakt.net): "Rocket In Dub: If Music Could Talk “(Italic / Compact). Irrespective of the reggae scene Dub has secured a permanent place in the world of minimal electronic music in recent years. In the beginning, the driving force was undoubtedly the Berlin Basic Channel label, from which z. B. Rhythm & Sound also emerged and their makers are currently responsible for the re-publication of the Wackies back catalog. The artists of the Cologne compact label have their own minimal style Dub-Music developed for which this “Rocket In Dub“Album is a good example. Hypnotic, powerfully syncopated shuffel beats with lots of little click & cut effects and full reverb and echo. The already quite slimmed-down one can be minimal Dub-Don't understand music. Everything superfluous has been eliminated - the core of the Dub-Sounds lies bare. Like in a laboratory experiment, neatly dissected, analyzed and recombined. If music could talk, it would tell us how it is in the subatomic world of Dub looks like, would tell us whether the microcosm of sound resembles the computer simulation that Rocket In Dub presents. I am willing to believe in it.

Finally, two short messages for Dub-Geeks: The “Culture in.” Produced by Sonja Pottinger and mixed by Errol Brown has just finished Dub“1978 album under the title "Rare and Unreleased Dub"(Revolver / import) Released as a South African import. Unfortunately mastered from pretty crisp vinyl. Was also published again Burning Spears “Living Dub Vol.1 "- but in contrast to the Heartbeat Rerelease from 1992 now under the title: "Original Living Dub Vol. 1 "(Burning Spear / Import). While the Heartbeat version presented the album in a new mix by Barry O'Hare and Nelson Miller, "Original Living ..." offers the original, better mix by Karl Pitterson and Benji Armbrister.

Pressure Sounds, next to Blood & Fire the noblest British reggae retro label, has, instead of looking for treasures of reggae history in distant Jamaica, simply looked in front of their own door. Whoever label maker Pete Holdsworth & Co found there was one of the most important protagonists of British reggae in the 70s and 80s: Dennis Bovell. In 1971 he founded the band Matumbi, which five years later had their first hits in the UK reggae charts. At the same time, Bovell established himself as a successful producer and talent scout. Almost single-handedly, he invented lovers rock - a commercial success story without equal. In the mid-70s he became the first British reggae musician to join Dub to experiment, to which he soon devoted himself entirely. Besides own DubHe also recorded all of Linton Kwesi Johnson's albums and developed his own, often very melodious and sometimes unrestrainedly experimental Dub-Style that can easily keep up with some Perry or Tubby tracks. In recent years, Bovell has largely been forgotten, which makes it all the more gratifying that Pressure Sounds has remembered him and now presents us with an excerpt from the most fruitful phase of his work. 16 pieces are on "Decibel - More Cuts And Dubs 1976-1983 " (Pressure Sounds / Zomba) gathered, almost exclusively Dubs. Powerful roots tracks stand back to back with lovely lovers rock arrangements and crazy perryesques DubExperiments. All tracks are precisely and imaginatively mixed, full of surprising details and beautiful melodies. Sometimes boldly arranged with a complete brass section (incl. Rico Rodriguez), sometimes reduced to the pure, minimal beat, sometimes full of reverb and echoes, then again bone dry - every track is a new surprise. Maybe Bovell will surprise us with new productions soon - that would be something ...

That Dub Every reggae geek knows that the reggae beat has long since transcended. So why not think outside the box in this column? With "Tino's Dub Select "(Tino Corp / EFA) It's very easy, because only gradually - and supported by many reggae vocal samples, Tino leads us from the land of the syncopated 4/4 beat into the realm of crashing breakbeats. Big Beat meets Reggae in the House of Dub could be the mixture served by Jack Danergs (Meat Beat Manifesto), Ben Strokes (DHS) and Mike Powell. Dominated by tricky drum beats and rolling basslines and peppered with 1001 samples from all times and styles of reggae, the recordings explore this Dub-Concept down to its last corner. Funky, dubBy, weired and, above all, very exciting, the breakbeat journey runs through different tempos and styles. A great album that shows the universality of the Dub impressively and radically proves. It cannot go unnoticed in the world of reggae!

An album that, at first glance, shows even more outside the box, and also goes a completely different path than Tino is "Rocket In Dub: If Music Could Talk “(Italic / Compact). The keyword “compact” makes it unmistakably clear to those in the know what we are dealing with here: minimal techno. Irrespective of the reggae scene Dub has secured a permanent place in the world of minimal electronic music in recent years. In the beginning, the driving force was undoubtedly the Berlin Basic Channel label, from which z. B. Rhythm & Sound also emerged and their makers are currently responsible for the re-publication of the Wackies back catalog. The artists of the Cologne compact label have their own minimal style Dub-Music developed for which this “Rocket In Dub“Album is a good example. Hypnotic, powerfully syncopated shuffel beats with lots of little click & cut effects and full reverb and echo. The already quite slimmed-down one can be minimal Dub-Don't understand music. Everything superfluous has been eliminated - the core of the Dub-Sounds lies bare. Like in a laboratory experiment, neatly dissected, analyzed and recombined. If music could talk, it would tell us how it is in the subatomic world of Dub looks like, would tell us whether the microcosm of sound resembles the computer simulation that Rocket In Dub presents. I am willing to believe in it.

Where guys like the Italic protagonists or basic channel makers like Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus get their inspiration from becomes clear when we look at the Wackies album they have just re-released "African Roots Act 1" (Wackies / Indigo) Listen. Produced by Wackie's studio musician Clive Hunt, it offers a dark, multi-dimensional sound that is occasionally reminiscent of Lee Perry's Black Ark. Especially the first track “Addis Ababa Dub“, In which a drum machine is used, should have been the wow experience of the minimal technician. Even today recordings like this still sound fresh and shine full of magic. Since the year it was created, “African Roots Act 1” has been the masterpiece of the Dub - and when you listen again it is all too easy to understand why. It is hard to believe what innovative strength was at the end of the 70s in the small studio deep in New York's Bronx. unfolded. It was just magic.

Another recently published work from Wackie's archive sounds less magical, a bit more conventional and also not as innovative: "Roots Underground: Tribesman Assault" (Wackies / Indigo). Released in the early 80s, it offers the typical Wackies qualities such as the dark atmosphere, the warm sound and the tight rhythms. A nice, exciting album, which just can't keep up with “African Roots Act 1”, but which in itself is well above the Jamaican average of the 70s.

Before we leave the revival selection, let's have a nice double CD sampler with a total of 35 Dub Tracks mentioned: "Dub Sessions ”(Union Square). It is part of the well-known session samplers that have already dedicated themselves to musical styles such as soul, funk, blues, hip hop, drum 'n' bass or Latin. If you look at the track listing, you get the impression of having a Best Of Blood & Fire in front of your nose, because almost 2/3 of the songs were licensed there. This also makes it clear that the stylistic focus of the album is on Dub the 70s. Only the three mixed-up UK- Dub-Tracks. It might have made more sense, the story that Dub to be traced chronologically and to the newDub to give more space to the 90s and the present. Nevertheless, the sampler is a nice all-round hit in old school and a commendable attempt to bring the roots of this fascinating music closer to the mainstream audience.

Sub-Oslo are an 8-headed Dub-Band from Texas (yes, it has been laughed a lot about) and present (after an EP) with "The Rites Of Dub"(Glitterhouse / Indigo) her first full-fledged album. There are trippy, hand-played ones on it Dub- To hear tracks in excess length - very hypnotic, very meditative. Occasionally reminiscent of early Sherwood productions or faintly the Suns Of Arqa. However, that seem Dub-Mix and the restrained effects instead of actually being recorded live here, as is usually the case on the studio mixer. A nice concept that certainly knows how to captivate on stage. What is amazing, however, is the idea that there are eight musicians behind these cautious, minimal sounds - what are they doing? 

The DubAlbum by Nucleus Roots, “In Dub" (Westbury / Import), also hand-played, is of a completely different caliber. Here there is full dynamism in the songs, and the Dub-Mix is ​​a product of classic post-production. Great, the distorted bass on Long Road Dub"Or the subsonic low frequencies on" Tuned In Dub". The album dates back to 2001 but is now being offered as an import for the first time. 

The highlight of the contemporary Dub however comes from Urban Dub, "Featuring Fairshare Unity Sound" (Dubhead / indigo). Urban Dub aka. Roop (rhythms and production), Marjorie Paris (saxophone) and Hieronymous (vocals and mixing) have teamed up with Unruly Julian from the Fairshare Unity sound system and together they have an extraordinarily beautiful and extremely varied one Dub-Album produced. A total of 26 tracks can be heard on the double CD, which are bursting with energy and inventiveness. Solid, uptempo beats form the basis for crazy instrumentation (often with Marjorie's saxophone), for twisted ones Dub-Mixes, ingenious catchy melodies and above all for unusual, fat sounds. "Dub-Playground “would be a congenial title, because the four musicians understand this album as nothing else. They don't care about rules, commercialism or image. Anything that is fun is allowed. While the album with some beautiful, melodic Dubs begins, it develops more and more obliquely in the further course until it finally comes to some totally weird avant-gardeDubs ends. A roller coaster ride through the land of subsonic beats! More of that!

The times when new Dub-Samplers on a weekly basis that filled reggae dealers' shelves are long gone. The new school of Dub has done its job and Dub-Sounds established as ubiquitous part of modern pop music. Dub in its pure form has been reduced to a minimum size and now exists in the music underground with a clearly defined fan base (such as Ska or Jungle). Only the most prominent Dub-Sampler series have survived this development, including King Size Dub, that excellent compilation series by the Hamburg label Echo Beach. Chapter Nine came out a few weeks ago: "King size Dub Chapter Nine " (Echo Beach / Indigo). An album that is ingenuity and trendsetting Dub-Sounds just brimming with it. As is tradition at Echo Beach, a modern one is maintained here Dub- Understanding whose foundation is firmly anchored in the reggae groove, but sound-technically ventures far towards the dance floor. Names like Coldcut, Groove Corporation, Dreadzone or Richard Dorfmeister make it clear where the journey is headed. It's a journey that challenges experiments, for example when the Algerian Rai singer Khaled and Bomb The Bass mastermind Tim Simenon meet, or the Dub-Conference between the Portuguese Cool Hipnoise, the British Nick Manasseh and the Last Poets! But it is also a journey that shows how universal Dub is and how elementary its influence is on pop music. Compared to the previous episodes, Chapter Nine dares the most beyond the traditional in this respect Dub-And it may open doors to musical universes that a reggae purist has never seen before.

With Dub Selector 2 (Quango / Zomba) is another Dub-Sampler appeared, which is a bit more conservative, but basically points in the same direction as King Size Dub. Electronics protagonists like Submission or Noiseshaper stand here alongside downtempo activists like Thievery Corporation or remix virtuosos like Groove Corporation or Richard Dorfmeister. That sounds good - but the disadvantage of this sampler is that it does not collect exclusive and sometimes even very old material. The Nick Holder number can already be found on a high-fidelityDub-Sampler, Big Youths Waterhouse Rock on a Select Cuts sampler and the track from Submission as well as the track from Noiseshaper on King Size Dub-Samplers. Compiler Bruno Guez has made it somewhat easy for himself, which is understandable when you know that the guy is responsible for an entire sampler series on Quango, which is dedicated to topics as diverse as Afro beats and Scandinavian Nu Jazz.

Let's turn to something solid: Gregory Isaacs In Dub, "Dub A De Number One "(Heartbeat / EFA). The album offers Dub-Versions of Gregory pieces that he recorded for producer Alvin GG Ranglin in the 70s. It is largely the B-side of the album "I Found Love", which Heartbeat released about half a year ago. All tracks were recorded in the Channel One studio and mixed by Ernest Hoo Kim and Maxie McKenzie. What the two have delivered is solid craftsmanship - but unfortunately not anymore, because after all, only B-sides had to be filled. A vacuum now remains where Gregory's voice was. Neither the mix nor the bassline or any other instrument fill this space. On the contrary: the briefly faded in song fragments only make this deficiency stand out all the more clearly. The brass parts typical of Gregory can only be heard occasionally. Too bad. Label boss Chris Wilson could have saved himself this album.

At the same time as the Gregory Dubs, Chris Wilson brings a second Dub-Album with recordings from the 70s: Niney The Observer Presents King Tubby In Dub, “Bring The Dub Come "(Heartbeat / EFA). Most of the recordings are previously unreleased King Tubby mixes that Niney simply forgot about King Tubby in the 70s and only rediscovered them after his death. Ten tracks of the 22 on the CD were as Dub-Album and appear here under the title "The Lost Album". Some tracks are easy to identify, such as “Bring The Kutchie Come” or “Tenement Yard”, but even Niney can no longer identify others. In contrast to the GregoryDubs, there are interesting arrangements and idiosyncratic mixes, rich bass lines and melodic brass sections. Some of the remaining 12 tracks are alternative mixes of well-known Niney-Dubs, like "Westbound Train", which Tubby made for use in his own sound system. Maybe these are even the “more original” mixes that are here for the first time on record?

Easy Star label boss Lem Oppenheimer has taken on an extremely risky one Dub-Experiment dared: Easy Star All-Stars, "Dub Side Of The Moon "(Easy Star / EFA) is a reggae remake of the Pink Floyd album "Dark Side Of The Moon" from 1973! Yes, you read that right: Pink Floyd! The fact that they have as much to do with reggae as Madonna does with Stockhausen is something that Oppenheimer apparently sees as a challenge rather than a warning. Undeterred, he and his musician colleagues Michael G and Ticklah set out to chase various reggae styles such as Rockers, Nyabingi or One Drop through the echo box. Without further ado, he replaces the rock-typical guitars with reggae-typical brass instruments, while he apparently considers the psychedelic Floyd synths to be reggae-compatible and keeps them. But the Easy Star crew did not rely on a purely instrumental (and assessable risk) Dub-Version want to restrict, but has reggae singer Frankie Paul, Dr. Israel and Gary Pine, blues singer Corey Harris and old-school Deejay Ranking Joe were invited to take over the vocal parts. They try really hard to make the rock songs sound like reggae - but (to put it simply) they fail. Your singing flows seamlessly into the instrumentaldubbig all-over of the tracks that are not separated from each other, which indeed suggests the psychedelic atmosphere of the original, but doesn’t want to harmonize in the least with the reggae rhythms. The only exception is Ranking Joe's deejaying, which fits perfectly with reggae with its bouncing rhythm - and thus emphasizes the incompatibility of the other songs all the more. It's a shame, you have to say that a lot of energy and an even greater amount of innovation was wasted on the wrong project. Perhaps it had to be tried in order to be able to tick off the topic - because failure also offers the chance to gain knowledge. 

"Reggae music is the weapon of the future" quotes Moss Raxlen aka Mossman Peter Tosh and hits 12 heavy Dub World Bank tracks on the roof. Mossman vs. The World Bank (Dispensation / Import) is the name of the Canadian's debut album, which was released in 2001, but is only now available in Germany via import. It's an absolute low-budget production (you could almost think that the CD was self-made!). The tracks were recorded by a live band and have a nice, warm, relaxed flow. Nothing spectacular, just a few solid ones Dub-Tracks - and a terrific cover on which the Mossman monster tears down the World Bank building in the middle of an inferno. Mossman also sees his music as a “soundtrack” to the protest movement of the NGOs in their fight against globalization. Nice that he ended up with reggae with this attitude! Named on his second album "Mossman vs. Tsunami" (dispensation / import) (with Godzilla cover), Mossman has replaced all musicians on the first album with Mr. Tsunami and is now mixing digitally produced tracks. Again, the Jamaican one Dub 70s direct inspiration. As with the first album, the production is awkward and rough - 100% low budget. But somehow there is a special attraction in that. Or maybe it is just the idealism of the lonely Dub-Producers in wide Canada are so personable.

1969, the year King Tubby denied Dub invented, a keyboard player named Horace Swaby walked into a studio for the first time. When "Augustus Pablo“He made his debut there for producer Herman Chin Loy. Just three years later, Pablo was a producer himself and owned his own Rockers label. Here he established his "Far East Style", so called because Pablo built his melodies essentially from minor chords, which made them sound "oriental". He preferred to play these melodies on the melodica, an instrument that was considered a better toy for children. As an instrumentalist, Pablo was very enthusiastic about the work of King Tubby and had almost all of his pieces remixed in the master's studio (by Tubby himself, Prince Jammy or Phillip Smart). A showcase of the collaboration between the instrumentalist / producer and Dub-Mixer offers the album "In Fine Style 1973-1979" (Pressure Sounds / Zomba). In the best showcase tradition, several mixes of different Pablo instrumentals from 1973 to 1979 are gathered here. It starts with four cuts from "Far East" from 1975. The sound is unmistakable: heavy, drum & bass driven rhythms - dry mixed and sparingly instrumented. Above that, the cutting, melancholy sound of the melodica. There is no doubt that one instrumental is followed by three DubVersions of the same rhythm is a real reggae hardcore pack. But it is precisely this minimalism that enables an experience that has become rare in pop music: to really experience music through pure, concentrated listening. The three versions of “Cool Shade Dub“Offer the best opportunity for this; or the three versions of "Up Warika Hill" from 1974. The album also features more playful tracks like the three Pablo versions of "Real Rock" with a toasting Hugh Mundell as Jah Levi. Augustus Pablo in fine style - says it all!

Also on the Blood And Fire label is a nice one Dub-Retrospective published: Ja-Man All Stars, “In The Dub Zone" (Indigo). Although almost from the same time as Augustus Pablo's tracks (see above), there is a completely different sound to be heard here. The producer is the little-known Dudley "Manzie" Swaby, who in 1977 and 1980 had two Dub-Albums released ("Ja-Man Dub"And" King's Dub"), Which are summarized here on one CD. Both albums were recorded in the Channel One studio, which is the reason for their distinctive sound. Compared to Pablo's dry minimal sound, we are dealing here with rolling basslines, fluid arrangements - and last but not least with Sly Dunbar's concise drum style. This is where Dancehall cast its shadow as early as 1977. As you are used to from Channel One, you will also be with these Dubs plentifully supplied with recuts from Studio One-Rhythms, mixed slickly by Crucial Bunny, Maxie, Soljie, Ernest Hookim or Swaby himself. In 1980, Dancehall had finally fully arrived and the unmistakable Channel One sound dominated reggae. Tracks 14-23 of the CD are from this time; they ideally embody this era - and the final bloom of the Jamaican Dub before its decline in the mid-80s. Many of these tracks could already be heard on General Echo's debut album “Rocking & Swing” from the same year. Dancehall Lives!

Let's take a leap into the present: "Roots of Dub Funk 3 - The Dub Adventure " (Tanty /?) - and again we hear a completely different sound. It's the sound of the newDub as shaped by Jah Shaka, Alpha & Omega, The Disciples and many others in England in the 90s. "Melody lines and harmonies combined with warm horns sounds, vocal echoes, heavyweight kick drums and dirty basslines by the truckload," is how the album compiler Kelvin R. describes this sound very aptly. The biggest difference to the classic tubby mix is ​​that the rhythm is usually much slower, the bass drum, on the other hand, “marches” with four beats through the 4/4 time and the sound is more important than the mix. In addition, the Dub completely digital today. Anyone who would like to review this statement will find in “Roots of Dub Funk 3 “ideal study material: 12 superb Dub-Tracks by producers from England, France, Germany and the USA. Also included are Alpha & Omega, Jah Warrior and Vibronics.

While “Roots Of…” is more of a classic form of Dub presented, we have it at Cool Hipnoise, "Showcase & More" (Select Cuts / Indigo) to do with an excellently successful crossover experiment. Dub forms the basis for a fascinating musical mix, in which sounds from Brazil, Cuba and Portugal, under the direction of Nick Manasseh, combine to create fresh, unheard grooves. Cool hip noises are Joao Gomes, Francisco Rebelo and Tiago Santos from Lisbon, who combined hip hop with jazz, soul, reggae and Brazilian beats in the 90s. Dub- Producer Nicholas Raphael aka Nick Manasseh, who produced the band's last two albums, has consistently got their sound on Dub polarized. The result is great proof of the universality of Dub. He succeeded perfectly in using the stylistic devices of the Dub to merge inseparably with those of other musical genres. The Dub gets something of the lightness and elegance of Brazilian music while the Latin American sounds come through Dub Gaining groundedness and dynamism.

Also with his new "own" album, Manasseh Meets The Equalizer, "Step Like Pepper" (Select Cuts / Indigo) Nick Raphael treads crossover paths. Here he consistently builds on the first Manasseh Meets The Equalizer album from 1994 and mixes heavy ones Dub-Sounds with cool jazz flavors. If St. Germain hadn't existed in the meantime, “Step Like Pepper” would be called a sensation. So you have to try not to constantly compare the album with St. Germain. Once this step is done, you will hear some very beautiful, excitingly arranged tracks with a variety of samples, ranging from old Lee Perry productions to Blue Note. As usual with Manasseh, everything is based on solid beats that are always varied and interesting. With him you can really speak of "composition" (while others Dub-Producers are only too happy to “save as…” their tracks).

Let's stay with the Select Cuts label and focus our interest on an unusual sampler: "Babylon Is Ours - The USA In Dub" (Select Cuts / Indigo). The really wonderfully self-deprecating title makes the concept clear: the compilation throws a spotlight on the criminally underexposed from a European perspective DubScene of North America. A few names from this scene are of course known in this country: Systemwide, Dr. Israel, Avatars Of Dub and maybe one or the other Act from the Guidance-Dub-Samplers. Otherwise we know little. But when you listen to “Babylon Is Ours”, you get the impression that there is a good reason for this! Real discoveries cannot be made here. OK, the US combos can keep up with average European productions - but is this statement worth a sampler called “Babylon Is Ours”? One would have expected a little more innovative power here.

In Riddim # 2, Loud & Lone, one of them, was mentioned for the first time Dub-Duo from Spain. The two, Borja Juanco and Roberto Sanchez, have now dealt with the musicians of the Basque Dub Foundation teamed up and released a showcase album entitled "BDF Meets Loud & Lone" (A-Lone / Import) added. 18 tracks can be found here, with vocal track and Dub- Alternate version. All instruments are hand played, which fits the overall very classic impression of the album. The album could easily have come from Jamaica in the 70s (apart from the better sound) - it is mixed here in the old masterly manner. So it's all the more astonishing that the album actually comes from Spain. Maybe a couple of American ones should Dubjust go on vacation there ...

Let's get to the final highlight: "Richard Dorfmeister Presents A Different Drummer Selection" (Different Drummer / EFA). The two boys from Birmingham, Glynn Bush and Richard Wittingham, who operated as “Rockers HiFi” until the second half of the 90s, founded the “Different Drummer” label in 1992 as the home of their own as well as those of like-minded people Dubmore creative. From the beginning, the name of the label stood for innovative music, the various musical influences under the umbrella of Dub united. None of the innumerable Dub-Acts of the 90s has expanded the spectrum as sustainably as Rockers HiFi and their label. Last year, Different Drummer turned ten - an occasion for Richard Dorfmeister to combine the best tracks of different drumbeat on one album. Also part of the party are Noiseshaper with heavy reggae beats, G-Corp with two grandiose heavyweight steppers, Phase 5 and International Observer with rather trippy groves, Rockers HiFi with a nice, house-influenced one Dub and of course the in-house overproof sound system with their unbelievable "Watch What You Put Inna". Let's hope that the “Different Drumbeat” continues - in all directions, because the label is as open minded as the genre it stands for.

Up, Bustle & Out - an unknown name for reggae fans - and yet the name stands for one of the most interesting reggae /Dub-Albums from the past year. In the past, Rudi & Ein, the two makers of Up, Bustle & Out, alternately devoted themselves to different ethno sounds, which they imported into the trip hop universe and processed there into fascinating downtempo grooves. After an Indian and a Cuban album, they now took off with their new work "Urban Evacuation" (Unique / Indigo) of Reggae of the 70s. The album, which was created entirely in the spirit of King Tubby, pays homage to this sound. But it wouldn't be worthy of this review if it had been content with it. On the contrary: Rudi & Ein go far beyond the Tubby model. Perhaps it is her non-reggae background that allows her to mix styles in such an undogmatic manner and create sounds so adventurous: Ska, Flamenco, Breakbeats, Trip Hop, Latin, Arabic, Indian ... everything plays along during Reggae and Dub form the solid basis. The stylistic diversity is also evident in the names of the guests: Ras Jabulani, from the Black Roots, who voiced two tracks in the unmistakable Linton Kwesi Johnson style, or MC Nicky Blaze, singer with Roni Size, or Nitin Sawhney and Jim Barr ( Portishead), who play the double bass here, or Andy Hague with some very nice trumpet solos, or Senora Eugenia Ledesma on the percussions, or…. The list of contributors is long. It is therefore all the more astonishing that the album sounds like a piece and the pieces follow one another in perfect flow. The result is an almost cinematic atmosphere that seems to carry the listener through different worlds and repeatedly creates new images in front of his inner eye.

Let's jump right into the center of Dub: Jah Works, "Messages From The Seventh Sense" (Jah Works / Import) ideally embodies what is known today in the reggae community as New Dub What is understood is: powerful roots rhythms, massive basslines, loads of reverb and echo and, last but not least, a warm, relaxed and latently mystical atmosphere. Jah Rej invites us to a nice label tour, where we meet a lot of completely unknown artists and we meet some great ones Dub-Tracks will be heard. No experiments await us here, and once or twice we have to press the skip button, but overall it's one Dub-Journey, which hardly any other label can offer at this level at the moment. Producer (and esoteric) Jah Rej was probably inspired by the Zion Train dedication of his label in the form of the sampler "The Inspirational Sounds Of ...", released a few months ago, and unpacked even more treasures. He only doubled the “Quick March” of the Roots Crusaders - which he would gladly forgive on such a perfect track.

Also Ryan Moore retrieves treasures from his archive: Twilight circuit Dub Sound system: "The Essential Collection" (M-Records / Import) gathers - as the title undoubtedly makes clear - the best tracks of its previous Dub-Creation (which includes 9 albums since 1995). At a Dub-Artist of as unbelievably consistent continuity as Moore, it goes without saying that the Essential Collection cannot come up with surprises. It is not even possible to hear a stylistic development of Moore over the past 7 years. Experiments? No thanks! Dub is best pure, thought the master and fabricated some of the deepest reggae grooves that the Dub-The world ever vibrated. Recorded live by the master himself and then chased through all the echo chambers that the studio provided. Can be more essential Dub not be: The Essential Collection Of Essential Dub!

There have been many re-releases of King Tubby-Tracks from the 70s and 80s are given - which is no wonder, because in the age of the total remix you inevitably remember its inventor and creator. Since Tubby chased gigantic amounts of tracks through his echo chamber, every reissue could draw on the full potential and select tracks at will. It is all the more astonishing that reggae fans had to wait until the end of 2002 to hear about it "100% of Dub" (Select Cuts / Indigo) to receive such a broad collection of masterpieces by the King. The spectrum ranges from uptempo Bunny Lee productions of the mid-70s (Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy etc.) to the gloomy soundscapes of a Fatman from the late 70s and early 80s. While Tubby mixed the early pieces with unbelievable virtuosity and completely rearranged them with the help of his mixer, the late tracks are dominated by the pure sound in all its sluggish heaviness and dark depth. Of course he has Dub-Enthusiast all recordings already scattered in his collection - there is news on "100% Dub“Not to be discovered. But rediscovering the old in this beautiful combination is a lot of fun.

How one hundred percent Dub today sounds, however, let on "Dub Clash " (Dubhead / EFA). Much doesn’t seem to have changed since Tubby’s Fatman Mixes, but on the other hand it’s amazing how powerful this minimalist genre is, because, despite all its limitations, it can be more pure Dub still be exciting and sound good. As in this case: Dub Clash delivers the typical Dub-Minimalism: deep rumbling bass lines, sparse instrumentation, rolling beats and tons of reverb and echo. And still, somehow it's good: warm bass sound that you can feel in the pit of your stomach! No more and no less.

The fourth episode of the "Hi-Fidelity Dub Sessions " (Guidance / EFA) to work. It starts with a Japanese one Dub the Reggae Disco Rockers with vocal by Horace Andy, followed by the incredible track “Why Not Tonight” by See-I, which was recorded by Desmond Williams. Further tracks by Ticklah, Roots Combination, Richard Dorfmeister, Groove Armada and Smith & Mighty keep the level at the highest level. Only the last two pieces by Tosca fall off a bit. Thanks to Guidance for regularly bringing out such outstanding state of the art samplers without blinkers.

Also the Dub- Syndicate has with "Murder Tone " (On-U-Sound / EFA) put together a sampler - but only with their own material from the "Dub Syndicate-Classic Collection ". Especially in comparison with the others discussed here Dub-Albums, it becomes abundantly clear again how independent and concise the music produced by Adrian Sherwood is. Its sounds, its arrangements, its melodies are unique. With “Murder Tone” he is delivering something like a retrospective of the last twenty years, and at the same time relaunching his somewhat neglected On-U-Sound label.

But there is also new material from Adrian Sherwood to listen: "Never Trust A Hippy" (Realworld / Virgin). Officially his first album under his own name, if you will, his "Debut". In view of its gigantic back catalog, a more than ironic phrase that the Virgin marketing team uses. It also seems ironic that his “debut album” does NOT appear on his own label. This is due to the fact that Peter Gabriel, label boss of Realworld, asked him to make a pure remix album from the label's back catalog. But Sherwood wanted to record new pieces rather than just recycle old ones and so went into the studio with musicians like Sly & Robby or Lenky (creators of the Diwali rhythm) and recorded new backings, over which he then played various realworld samples. The result is a very atypical Sherwood album that leaves the limits of reggae far behind. Whether it always succeeded is another question. Some songs sound a little uninspired, others not consistent enough. Often one gets the impression that Sherwood wanted too much: Dancehall, Dub, World music and sample experiments - compressed together in one song it often borders on overproduction. Sometimes this diversity is combined in a congenial way. No profit without risk.

On the French hammer bassDub-Label (which should get a proper German distribution soon) is an album by Paris Yard, with the title "Dubvisions " (Hammerbass / Import) released, which is not unlike the Sherwood work. Here, too, there are many world music samples and a clear affinity for dancehall. But unlike Sherwood, the construction of the pieces here is much simpler, but also more powerful. Here you can find z. B. also uncompromising electricalDub-Tracks whose massive steppers rhythms do not allow experiments. Then again there is traditional African music that comes with Dub-Sounds is fused, followed by an up-tempo dancehall-Dub. Confusing conceptless, but precisely because of that exciting and entertaining.

The album, also released on Hammerbass, is in a dance context - if not pop "Peace, Unity, Love, Having Fun And Computers" (Hammerbass / Import) by Batam batam anchored. The sound can best be compared to Dreadzone, even if Batam Batam still uses carefree pop melodies and doesn't care in the least about reggae credibility. The “Having Fun” in the title hits the core of the album concept: Everything that is fun - be it 60s pop or disco choirs - becomes alcohol-free here Dub-Cocktail mixed. The reggae beat remains a solid base, but with the lush pop arrangement above it, it is hardly perceived as such. This is not a criticism! What should be wrong with “Having Fun”? Dub doesn't have to be head music, even if many think so.

They seem a little different Trance Vision Steppers with her new album, "Tvs.2" (Forty-five / Indigo) to see. Minimalistic electronic sounds à la “Space Night meets Dub, weightlessly flowing, meditative. The addressee here is more the head than the stomach. There is no stranger behind this sound: Felix Wolter, mastermind of the reggae band “Visions” and various other projects such as “Pre Fade Listening” - and more avant-garde Dub-Producer from Hanover. To what extent the sound of TVS still has something to do with reggae cannot be clearly determined. Proven reggae beats can hardly be heard, and yet the reggae vibe resonates in every note. Dub is universal.

It drives even more minimalist Mapstation (featuring Ras Donovan) with "Version Train" (Dusty Gold / Indigo). Stefan Schneider remixes the tracks from his previous electronic album "A Way To Find The Day" in reggae style. Nobody should expect to find fat one-drop rhythms here. On the contrary, the tracks are pure minimal electro-plucker-click-Dub-Soundscapes whose sound and instrumentation have absolutely nothing to do with reggae. But there is this strange syncopation of the beats that has something to do with reggae in a very associative way. If the reggae vocals by Ras Donovan, which are strongly reminiscent of Tikiman, are added, then the album has undoubtedly earned its place in this column. I find this approach to reggae absolutely refreshing, exciting and also really beautiful. Of course, the tracks are often brittle and a little “cerebral” - but it doesn't always have to be “Jump & Shout”. Here, at the boundaries of the genre, more interesting things often happen than in its center. Unfortunately, Stefan Schneider takes his minimalism principle too literally: just under 30 minutes for the price of a "normal" album is simply too short (and by no means manifests an alleged "artistic claim").

The fact that Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson produced some of the most beautiful reggae classics of the 70s must have been emphatically recalled after the publication of the Steely & Clevie homage. That Gibbs and Thompson, "The Mighty Two" but also excellent Dubversions of their hits are documented on the new Pressure Sounds album "Joe Gibbs and the Professionals: No Bones For The Dogs" (Pressure Sounds/Zomba), which is her Dub-Dedicated to works from 1974-1978. Four years of great hits like Leo Graham's "Heart and Soul", Culture's "See Them A Come" about the heavy rock rhythm, Sylford Walker's "Burn Babylon" or, really big, "Two Seven Clash". , also from Culture, here a Dub- Be subjected to top-class treatment. The most important ingredients of the Dub-Versions by Gibbs & Co. But these ingredients alone would not have been worth anything if Gibbs and Thompson had not had such excellent raw material. Because a strong rhythm, well arranged, with a swinging bassline and possibly beautiful vocal melodies is a sine qua non for a good one Dub Track. And so it is not surprising that the Dubs on "No Bones For The Dogs" which have survived 24 to 28 years since their creation and still sound as interesting and varied today as they did when they were created.

Let's stay with the classics: after the small one wackies-Special in the last column, here are two more rereleases from Dub-Albums by legendary American reggae label presented: “Jamaica great Dub Session" and "Natures Dub" (both: Wackies/EFA). Both albums impress with their melodic tracks and the incomparable and always fascinating Wackies sound. In terms of mixing, the two works from the early 1980s are rather average, but in terms of groove they are right up there - which shouldn't come as a surprise when you know that luminaries such as Leroy Sibbles and Jackie Mittoo are partly responsible for it. "Natures Dub' kicks off with a true Four To The Floor stomper, more 1990's than early 1980's. Producer Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes happily drew on the Studio One legacy (as did everyone at the time), giving his rhythms those beautifully rolling basslines (and maybe even helping his recordings become classics, too). On "Natures DubIn any case, he offers us an unsurpassed minimalist interpretation of Rockfort Rock, almost completely stripped of pure drum & bass with fistling hi-hat attacks and sparingly used echo. Such tracks may have persuaded the minimal techno producers Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald to re-release the entire oeuvre on the Wackies label. Thanks a lot for this! The sound on the “Super Dub Session" is softer and typical of the label's Lovers productions. Gentle melodies and a lot of reverb and echo determine the sound here. Above all, the drum sound, which was monitored from the Black Ark studio, puts its stamp on the tracks. The arrangements are more lush and musical, occasionally there are even tentative horn sections.

From the Bronx it's now over to Brooklin, where the Clocktower label is based. Host Brad Osbourne never had to concern himself with such small things as recording sessions or reggae artists. He just bought complete session tapes from Bunny Lee and Lee Perry in Jamaica and then mixed them into his own Dubs – which of course he also gave his copyright to. Now a few of these again Dub-Objects available: Clocktower Records Presents Clocktower Dub" (Abraham/Import). Here are, among other things, scarred ones Dub- Hear versions of hits by Junior Byles, Johnny Osbourne, Dennis Brown, Augustus Pablo and the Heptones, mixed in with recordings from Perry's Black Ark studio. Obscure, weird and idiosyncratic are the appropriate adjectives that these Dub-Best characterize collection from the 70's. 

Speaking of obliques Dubs are: "Hallucinogen In Dub" (Twisted/EFA) goes one better: On Dub-Ambient sound network that was undoubtedly created under the influence of small mushrooms. Spherical synth pads and colorful electronic doodles are the predominant stylistic devices here. They stand in exciting contrast to solid reggae grooves and rich basslines and make this work for reggae fans to consume. Some pieces sound like Dreadzone on drugs, others like Stockhausen on reggae. The listener should therefore have a certain tolerance towards musical experiments. However, after a brilliant start, the tracks usually calm down a bit and finally develop a more meditative mood. If you are open minded enough, you will have fun with this album - if you are not, the cover will put you off.

Since I am - without a doubt - open minded enough, I also have the album by Brain Damage, "Always Greener (On The Other Side)" (Hammerbass/Import) from France. Extremely slow, monotonous rhythms with a fat sound FX set await the listener here. Rhythm & Sound meets Wordsound meets Alpha & Omega - one could summarize the concept briefly. However, Brain Damage is less minimalist than Rhythm & Sound, not as experimental as Wordsound and not as dark as Alpha & Omega. Nevertheless, the album exerts a peculiar fascination. The meditative mood, the state of limbo between disharmony and groove, the sluggishness of the bassline... It's not easy to illuminate this fascination - and it's also not easy to fully engage with the album. But if you do it, then you hear a lot: Quiet echoes of oriental melodies and Indian harmonies z. B. or mysterious scraps of words that emerge from the sound complex. The two vocal tracks with Tena Stelin also set two nice accents.

Let's stay in France, a music nation whose reggae and Dub- Creation only slowly and very gradually becomes visible to us. The DubProducer and mixer miniman is with his self-confidently French-titled album "En Marche Pour Sion " (Age Of Venus / Import) on the way to the kingdom of the Rastas (like gentleman). His pounding steppers rhythms leave no doubt that he has mastered this path with a steady pace. The whole album appears like a deja vu from the 90s, Disciples, Rootsman and Zion Train send their regards. But that doesn't seem to bother Miniman: He doesn't care about the current trend in business, he doesn't care about attracting buyers outside of the French reggae community and he doesn't need strong guests to voice his tracks. He just makes his music - uncompromisingly and consistently. What is to be bad about it? So it fits only too well that he has his picture taken in his Ikea bedroom studio. You have to have that much self-confidence!

The Groove Corporation from Birmingham stands for the modern club sound of the Dub, which includes diverse influences of electronic music and is located in the here and now. With "Dub Plates From The Elephant House Volume Two" (Different Drummer/EFA), pack yours for the second time Dub-Plate box and show where the status quo of the genre is at the moment. Their spectrum ranges from exciting crossover sounds (like "Clever Kid", which sounds like a Dub-Remix of the Gotan Project sounds) to trip-hop experiments to hard-hitting dancefloor steppers rhythms. Diversity seems to be the basic principle at G-Corp, as every track offers new arrangements, new sounds and new surprises. A property that's just im Dub is far too rare. They leave no doubt as to the great potential of this genre and what its path to the future should look like. It's thanks to musicians like G-Corp that Dub has found its place in the dance of contemporary electronic music and asserts its unmistakable influences there. In that respect they are Dub-Plates by Groove Corporation the exact antithesis to Miniman's tracks: modern club sounds with strong reggae roots.

How strong Dub able to influence the current club sounds, shows the new album by the way Thievery Corporation, "The Richest Man In Babylon", whose title already makes it clear that reggae is not far off. Here you will find some perfect ones DubTracks that even the aforementioned Birmingham-based corporation would be jealous of. Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, the two eclectics in person, were paying attention and making their own Dub produced, which they embedded between beautiful lounge tracks with a strong world music touch. But that's only marginally. Let's turn to someone else Dub-Outsiders to: the Bad Brains. The dreadlocked punk musicians from Washington have with "I'n'I Survive Dub“ (Reggae Lounge/Groove Attack) actually a flawless one Dub-Album submitted. Flawless...? Not quite, because it can happen that brute guitar punk sprinkles interrupt the moderate groove of the bass lines and sweep your ears free regardless of losses. Surprisingly, it even harmonizes quite well. The normal ones" Dub-Tracks are actually quite normal - apart from the fact that they are hand-played, which you can clearly hear, especially since the sound also sounds like a live atmosphere. Arrangements, instrumentation and Dub-Mixes stay pretty much on the carpet and some tracks could also be played a little more powerfully. On the other hand, the wind section is nice, which unfortunately is far too rare in reggae today. This album inevitably raises the question of who it is made for. Hardly for reggae fans, because then it would have to offer more. And whether friends of punk a Dub-Album to heart must unfortunately remain an open question at this point. But if you listen to some hardcore dancehall productions, then the boundaries between punk and reggae seem to dissolve anyway...

It is well known that you should stop when it's best - and so the Blood & Fire Remix series ends with a climax: "Select Cuts from Blood & Fire - Chapter 3" (Select Cuts / Indigo). Nicolai Beverungen, the Dub-Masterchief from Hamburg, has the almost complete Who's Who of the British for the big farewell party DubScene invited to remix reggae classics from the Blood & Fire catalog. In response, he's terrific with Dub-Tracks have been given away that make it clear where the Dub today it stands: under the sign of club culture. Groove Corporation, Dreadzone, Smith & Mighty, Different Drummer and the others leave no doubt that modern Dub has long been fused in the most excellent way with the sound of techno, house, drum & bass, garage, electro etc. and has thus paved its way into the future. But it is crucial that this Dub the reggae roots have not been lost that its beats and Dub-FX rest on the warm, soft bed of rolling basslines: eg “Rockfort Rock” from Groove Corporation, “Stalag” from Smith & Mighty, or “Greedy Girl” from Pressure Drop. It's nice to see how the constants of reggae evolution have now arrived in the 21st century - and can still sound surprisingly new. Smith & Mighty's version of Stalag is by far the best thing Dub has been produced recently. The same applies to the Dreadzone remix of two Prince Allah classics, which is carried over to garage pop realms by a bouncing syncopated uptempo beat, or, also outstanding: Don Lett's remix of the Prince Allah / Pablo Moses tracks “Great Stone / One People ". A heavyweight stomper without equal who will cause a sensation in many clubs and dancehalls. Interestingly, Letts is the director of the film "Dancehall Queen" (and over 300 music videos) - a true all-rounder. Conclusion: a superb remix record with only one problem: that it is the last one.

Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald (Rhythm & Sound, Basic Channel), the two Berlin-based minimal techno producers, owe the reggae community more than many a pure-blooded reggae label boss, because these two recently opened the dusty archives of oldest American reggae label wackies open. They have freed true pearls of reggae history from their obscure, long-lost crackling vinyl pressings, lovingly dressed in reproductions of the old cover artwork and re-released in a beautiful edition. After some great vocal albums (be sure to listen to: The Love Joys) there is now "African Roots Act 2" and "Act 3" (EFA) the first Dub- To hear albums from Wackies. Both were produced in the early 1980s by Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes in the small studio behind the Wackies record store in the heart of the Bronx. In addition to beautiful versions of old Studio One riddims such as “Fight it to the Top”, “Love Won't Come Easy”, “Real Rock”, “Love Me Always” and other in-house compositions, the recordings are particularly impressive due to their peculiar sound who made Bullwackie productions so famous (and infamous). It's somewhere between Black Ark, Studio One and Channel One. No wonder that he has drawn the audiophile minimal enthusiasts from Berlin under his spell. "Act 3" is the way Dub-Version of Sugar Minott's "Wicked Ago Feel It" album.

After so much adulation, we are now getting closer to the norm again DubAlbums. Comes from France Dub-Producer Manual, whose album produced in 2001 "Stricktly for Sound System Dub (Dub Attacks the Tech Vol. 1) " (Import) is now to be published in Germany. Although Manutension mainly relies on heavy steppers rhythms, his minimalist arranged album has become extraordinarily experimental. He proves once again that Dub is music for the stomach and the head at the same time: attentive, conscious listening is just as exciting here as the thumping of the bass in the pit of the stomach is pleasant. Hopefully the album will find a good distribution in this country.

Multi-instrumentalist and has a similar sound DubMixer Ryan Moore, who uses analog tube amplifiers to produce heavyweight floorshakers in his Amsterdam studio whose sound couldn't be fatter. Under the name of Twilight circuit Dub Sound System he now brings the third episode of his "Dub Plates "Series (Cargo) out. All eleven tracks were manually recorded and mixed by him. You can hardly produce music more consistently and you can be more uncompromising Dub actually doesn't sound either. Admirable in its formal purity, but at the same time perhaps a little too uniform, too uneventful. A danger that many at New Dub oriented towards the 1990s Dub-Productions succumb. Even the steppers master himself, Yeah Shaka, was able to get her with his new album "Authentic Dubwise - Jah Shaka Meets Fire House Crew " (Blow) do not withdraw. An album without ups and downs “happened” to him, whose sound cannot decide between London and Jamaica. Too bad. They are more skilful Love grocers on their new album "Fresh Produce" (Dubhead / Indigo) to work. The pieces by the “love grocer” Chris Petter and David Fulwood live from the charming, soft wind melodies that the two played on their own. They have also invited guest vocalists like Earl 16 or Cheshire Cat, who help to make the album varied and interesting. The Love Gocers are topped by Tom Tattersall aka Mungo's HiFi from Glasgow, whose debut album "Mungo's HiFi Meets Brother Culture " (Dubhead / Indigo) an unreservedly beautiful Dub-Album with succinct melodies, warm beats and interesting arrangements. Tattersall gets support from Jah Shaka Sound-Mike-Man Brother Culture, old-school microphone chanter, who gives around half of the tracks dancehall flair and thus sends a clear signal: Dub to skanken. 

Instead of purism, daring to do a little crossover again: Coming from Vienna Dubble standard and her new album "Streets of Dub" (Indigo), which combines remixes of older recordings with new tracks and is technically sound between trip hop, Dub and sometimes even (you hardly dare to pronounce it) ROCK moves. The Mad Professor Steppers remix and Rootsman's Dillinger remix are nice, the other tracks vary more or less strongly between uninspired beats and really exciting style experiments, such as the Fatsquad D'n'B remix.

There are even more crossovers, however Lightning Heads debut "Studio Don" (Sonar collective). “Debut” is a little out of place when you know that the pseudonym “Lightning Head” (the name comes from a Lee Perry interview!) Hides Glyn “Bigga” Bush, the former half of Rockers HiFi. Then at the latest you have an idea of ​​the direction in which the sound of the album is pointing: Intelligent Dub Grooves (nice label, right?), Enriched with Batucada rhythms (Samba), Latin piano riffs and funk beats - all right? Well, you could also say that the album is a musical journey from Kingston to Havana, the Bronx, Brixton and the Stax sound from Memphis to Dorset (the English nest where Bush has his studio). On this trip, Bigga Bush met four excellent vocalists: Farda P (known from Rockers HiFi), Colliston White (from Vienna), Monterria (a soul singer from Atlanta) and Patrice. Needless to say, we are dealing with an extraordinarily versatile album here, which you need to have open ears and an open mind to enjoy. But that distinguishes us Dub-Friends of course!

What's wrong with the professor? Every good friend asked himself this question Dubs in view of the fairly uninspired recent Ariwa publications. What happened to Neil Fraser's superb mixing and production skills? Given the new album "Mad Professor & Mafia & Fluxy: From Mars With Dub" (Ariwa / Zomba) an answer seems to force itself: The professor had not forgotten his skills - all he lacked were good musicians who provided him with the “raw material” for his creations. But the problem has now been solved: With Mafia and Fluxy, the rhythm twins of British reggae, he has found two true rhythm artists who flew with him to Mars and a fantastic one there Dub- Recorded album; the best in many years. As if the old days had returned, the rhythms crash with tremendous pressure from the speakers and the Mad Professor turns controls, heads, sounds and effects like a crazy professor. He seems his DubCelebrate style in a state of complete ecstasy: much is not enough for him, more is better! No tack remains without effect, there is hissing, chirping and buzzing in every nook and cranny of its three-dimensional sound structure, the bass drum detonates in four-to-the-floor staccato, the bassline winds its way through the octaves and echoes ceaselessly oscillate between the channels you lose your balance. There is no doubt about any Dub-I've had more fun with the album in the last few months than with this gem, which is much less science fiction than Ariwa-old-school-at-it's-best. But even better: it is the first part of what will hopefully be a long series.

The British too Dub-Collective Zion Train has ground under his feet again. As is well known, they crashed bitterly in the second half of the 90s after your great crossover success “Homegrown Fantasy” in 1995. Your self-confident mix of (acid) house elements and rootsDub got more and more into the wake of pop and finally lost all independence. But with their new album "Original Sounds Of The Zion" (Universal Egg / EFA) - the title suggests - they found their way back to their "original" sound, which can best be compared with that of Dreadzone: high-speed stepper rhythms, beautiful, melodic (brass) synths -Sentences and a lot of electronic chirping. Occasionally a pure house track mixes in, or a beautiful song by vocalist Molara - variety, but by no means arbitrariness. Everything unites into an intoxicating, trance-like flow, the Dub Defined as dance music without ifs and buts.

We can see that there is another way of doing things Dubital with the compilation "Suitable # 2" (Suiteque), which focuses on slower and often more complex rhythms. The roadstead cannot be “straight forward” here, each track is singular and demands attention. Dubital took the chance to put together the most outstanding and idiosyncratic tracks of its colleagues (including Mad Professor, Twighlight Circus and Zion Train) on one long player. Unlike Zion Train, this one is required Dub more of an analytical reception in order to be able to develop its effect.

The bassist goes one step further Yeah Wobble (formerly bass player for PIL) on his album "Shout At The Devil" (30 hearts). Similar to Bill Laswell, he experiments intensively with world music and, having devoted himself extensively to Celtic music, has now turned to oriental sounds and reggae. It's hard to believe, but the music of North Africa and Arabia fits perfectly with the beats from Jamaica (Big Man - Rai meets Reggae and Bhangra dancehall had already suggested it). Jah Wobbel and Dubulah (Transglobal Underground), who is responsible for the beats, have created a fascinating sound universe from these two worlds, into which you can immerse yourself in order to explore the dimensions of the sound on the waves of the deep, flowing bassline. Tablas fade away in echoes, strings cut through the room, scraps of voices sound out of nowhere and sink into dark depths. A magical atmosphere pervades the album, fascinating and eerie at the same time. Only the voices of guest vocalists Natasha Atlas, Shahin Badar and Nina Miranda offer orientation and support. Their voices float weightlessly over the beats singing about the mountains of the moon or the winds of Africa.

Ok, let's get back to the bottom. The right plate for it is "Dub Inna De Cave Vol.1 " (Jet Star / Import) the Cave crew. All tracks were recorded in Jet Stars Cave studios and served as backings for various Jet Star artists (e.g. Rasites, Daweh Congo, Glen Washington). Produced by Danny Ray and mixed by Fitz Blake, they represent solid Dub-Crafts. Here it goes straight ahead, there you know what you have. Which is not to say that there are no beautiful ones Dub-Mixes, or that the rhythms were boring. On the contrary: both are exemplary. Experimentation is simply avoided - and that is a good thing (to use the Chancellor's words), because Dub occasionally wants to be heard with the belly instead of the head.

It's always amazing to see old productions of the Dub-Foundation compared to the current recordings. King Tubby, Errol T., Lee Perry… it's hard to believe what quality the old masters achieved with their simple equipment more than 20 years ago. Sometimes I wonder (a little heretically) if Dub-Music has ever made progress. One cause of such doubt is King Tubby and Prince Jammy mixed Yabby You-Album "Dub It To The Top "which has just been re-released on the Blood and Fire (Indigo) label. The tracks collected there are from the years 1976-79 and are on the album "Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet: Vocal & Dub“And several single B-sides appeared. Recorded in the Channel One Studio, they clearly point towards dancehall. Powerful, energetic rhythms, great brass sections and the incomparable mixing skills of the king and his prince have produced an album that is undoubtedly one of the great classics of the genre. The beginning already sets standards: three versions of the Shank Kai Shek riddim get the album rolling. Other classics follow: Michael Prophets Dub-Version of "Heptones Gonna Fight", or "Rock With Me Baby", also in a Michael Prophet Dub-Version. You can't praise the album enough: buy it!

Only a little later, the recordings were on the album "Sly & Robbie Meet Bunny Lee At Dub Station" (Jamaican Recordings / Import) recorded in the Channel One studio. Bunny Lee produced and Sly and Robbie played the Rhtyhms. Most of them previously served as backings for Johnny Clarke and present Sly Dunbar's "Rockers-Style" to perfection. For the Dub-Mix has no credit on the record, but I wouldn't be surprised if Prince Jammy had been at work here.

Also a great album by Dub-Foundation: "Dennis Brown In Dub" (Heartbeat / EFA), produced by Niney The Observer. Militant observer rhythms, chased through the echo chamber by King Tubby and garnished with Dennis' vocals ... What can I say about that?

Finally, I would like to briefly mention four nice compilations with tracks from theDub point out: "Roots Of Dub Radio 2 " (Tanty Records) "A News Breed Of Dub - Issue Three " (Dubhead / EFA), "Nu Shoots Inna Roots - Dub Version Style " (Free Radical Sound / EFA) and "King size Dub - Chapter Eight " (Echo Beach / Indigo). With the exception of the last one, all albums are from England and offer exactly what you would expect from Nu Dub expected. I especially liked “Roots Of Dub Funk 2 ”, which offers more interesting tracks than“ A New Breed… ”and sounds less consumed than the“ Nu Shoots… ”, which as a vocal version has turned on my turntable so many times. King size Dub  from Hamburg's Echo Beach label sets - as usual - its own standards: “File Under Logical Dubgression ”is on the cover, making it clear that innovation and openness point the way. This often leads to related genres such as triphop, world music or pop. Also part of the party are Groove Armada, Rhythm & Sound, Noiseshaper, Tackhead - not always fresh, but happy. Happy end.

Germany's reggae impresario No. 1 knows its genre. Accurately makes use of Dr. Ring thing Always anew in the large pool of Jamaican music history, mixes what he has found with his brilliant songwriting talent and thus produces himself at the top of German ska and reggae. Also with "Dr. Ring-Ding & The Senior Allstars Meet Victor Rice (Pick Up The Pieces) " (Grover) attacks Dr. Ring thing up a nice, old reggae tradition by having one Dub-Version of his last album "Big Up" presented. GedubThe tracks by Victor Rice, producer, mixer and busy musician behind countless US ska, reggae and jazz greats such as the New York ska jazz ensemble, the Stubborn Allstars or the current formation of the Skatalites became bt. For four days and four nights the master mixed everything vigorously until an album with powerful thumping bass and endlessly reverberating echoes was created. A brave experiment, because Dub- Versions of ska pieces are not exactly the order of the day. But the experiment was a success: Even post-modern scruffy ska pieces are successful here thanks to the Dub-Wolf has been turned and now sound like a Skatalites concert on the moon. Absolutely old-school style - a work of real handcraft.

Another little one Dub-Masterpiece off the beaten track is the 2nd album of one Dub-Duo from Spain: Loud & Lone. Your album "Better Collie and Loud & Lone 1998-2001" (Oidos Sordos / Import) could almost pass as an early work by Lee Perry. Produced on a 4-track device in a tiny studio in Santander, it sounds almost as atmospheric as a Black Ark recording. The two Spanish Dub-Frickler Roberto Sanchez and Borja Juanco, like Master Lee, know how to create a fascinating sound structure with the simplest of means. They use both classic riddims and their own compositions, from which they develop pulsating, strongly syncopated rhythm tracks. Occasionally the whole thing is garnished with a little singing - which, however, would not have been absolutely necessary. The older the tracks, the more they sound like “classic” Perry productions, until finally Perry pieces actually sound like cover versions. Should this be criticized as eclecticism? No, you'd better understand the message: There is great reggae in Spain.

But there is also something new about the in other European countries Dub-Front: So is z. B. the third edition of the Hi-fidelity Dub Sessions (Guidance / EFA) published in the usual quality: deep, slow and warm. The sixth track of the sampler is particularly interesting, which is labeled “Moments in Dub“By Nick Holder - but actually a Linval Thompson Channel One production from the early 80s. Did Holder meticulously recreate the track from original samples, or what is his name doing there? Can someone explain this to me?

That one Dub- The template (originally nothing more than a “remix” of the original version) can now remix again is not new. That Alpha & Omega however theirs Dub-Track "Show Me A Purpose" several times from different Dub- Let producers remix these remixes on an (!) Album with the title "Show Me A Purpose" (Hammerbass / Import) is - although successful - really heavy. But the two also have a very "normal" Dub-Album outside: "Serious Joke" (Import). The sound is unchanged, but the rhythm has become faster, which somehow doesn't seem to really fit.

The French, on the other hand, is very experimental Dub-Scene. The new album "Combat Dub" (Hammerbass / Import) by Bangarang is a good example of this: tricky sound games and electronic influences intersect here with massive reggae basslines. Here NuRoots veterans like The Disciples, Zion Train or Alpha & Omega made their way over the Bangarang tracks. But Wordsound's Crooklin faction also delivered some noise tracks. It's starting to seem like you are Dub- Enthusiasts can no longer avoid the French Hammerbass label. Time for them to get proper German distribution!

In order to emphasize this demand, a hammer bass album should be discussed here: Dub Wiser, “A New Millennium of Dub" (Hammer bass / import). Unfortunately, it doesn't match the quality of the two Hammerbass releases discussed above. Dub Wiser is too much of the Mid-90s New-Dub-Sound arrests, which - with all due respect - is no longer really fun. The Turkish intro of the first track, however, is fun ...
Also from Mad Professor there is something new: a duet with Lee Perry on "Techno Dub" (Ariwa / Zomba) and one with Scientist  on "At The Sound Table With LSP" (Ariwa / Zomba). If Dub-Legenden Treffen sounds like very exciting albums, but unfortunately this is not the case in this case. Boring and uninspired is the mildest judgment I would like to announce here. What's wrong with the mad professor? Has he forgotten how good Dub works? Or is he simply lacking the ideas? In this case it is of course not helpful to invite colleagues who also suffer from a chronic lack of ideas. His remixes were more interesting Rut's DC, which is now on the Hamburg label Selected Cuts as a double CD including the remixes of Zion Train under the title: "Rhythm Collision Vol. 1 & Remix Versions " are new out.
That also applies to things in Hamburg Dub there is a lot going on, as the Hamburg producer proves Matthew Halfman with his Turtle Bay Country Club: "Dub Decade " (Iceland / Mercury). This is where the former head of the castrated philosophers gathers Dub-Versions of his productions for Patrice, Absolute Beginners, Jan Delay, Di Iries and others. Beautifully and absolutely open-minded, he demonstrates how the principle "Dub“Can be applied to different genres and that it also confidently withstands the proximity to pop. However, this does not mean that there is no reggaeDub would be heard. On the contrary: with “Castrated Dub"Or" Di Iries - Dub"He has bone-dry, minimalist neo-Dub-Tracks in their luggage that will make every mainstream record buyer look the far. The joy of experimentation, breaking genre barriers and perfect production skills result in a great one Dub-Album from Germany. Nice that there is such a thing.

The new remix album is also pretty open minded Groove Corporation from Birmingham: "G-Corp Presents Remixes From the Elephant House" (Guidance / EFA) The “Chemical Brothers des Dub“Present their remixes of tracks by Dillinger, Bob Marley, Rockers HiFi, The Congos, UB40, Luciano, Bobby Womack, Ennio Morricone and others. The typical Birmingham sound, as you know it from Rockers HiFi or Smith & Mighty, can be heard from every byte, and it is not uncommon for the pieces to be closer to the post-house dance floor than to reggae - which helps clear your ears. Again, it's fascinating to see how much that Dub leaves his home genre and exerts his influence on associated musical styles. 

And since we're at the crossover: The Berlin minimal technologists Mark Ernestus and Maurice von Oswald released their second album a few weeks ago on the Rhythm & Sound label, which brings together tracks from the past four years: "Rhythm & Sound" (Rhythm & Sound / EFA). As usual, abstract electronics merge with reggaeDub under the great principle of minimalism. Actually, the two Berliners only consistently continue what is in the Dub per se is: downright autistic monotony. But that's by no means boring. On the contrary, minimalism creates a peculiarly fascinating impression of the musical present. The noise that is intentionally placed under the tracks increases this even further, as one involuntarily perceives oneself as "hearing people". Extreme sounds for extreme listeners.

The product of the collaboration between the two bassists is similarly experimental, if not nearly as extreme YeaWobble and Bill Laswell: "Radio Axiom" (Palm / Mercury) In the broadest sense of the reggae context, the album is a great sound experiment on a low-frequency level. The bass swells violently and booming, dipping everything into a lake of warm frequencies and dark sounds, from which the bright sound of a jazz trumpet or the fine singing of African singers rises now and then. Very meditative, very relaxed and yet highly exciting. Here is the one Dub in itself: pure sound with no material reference.

He has struck again, the Hamburg Echo Beach label operator Nicolai Beverungen, and the second chapter of his "Selected Cuts from Blood & Fire" (Selected Cuts / Indigo) released. Once again it has the cream of European Dub-Remixer unleashed on the Blood and Fire-Back catalog. Luminaries like Apollo 440, Nick Manasseh, Leftfield, Zion Train or Seven Dub took the chance to give the reggae classics a good portion of club flavor and catapult them into the dance reality of the present. It is funny that in part Dubs by Scientist or King Tubbydubbt were. But works wonderfully! Also great is the Max Romeo remix by Segs Jennings (bassist for Rut's Cut) and Steve Dub (Sound architect of the Chemical Brothers) - this is where the tradition of Dub with heavy bassline and Sly Dunbar-typical militant drum style. Perhaps the highlight of the sampler. Also nice: the Black Star Liner remix of the old Prince Jammy production “Step it Up” in Bhangra style, or the work of Dub-Specialist Nick Manasseh and Leftfield. Both tried their hand at Glen Brown's Lambsbread. Interesting to hear how different two remixes of the same piece can sound. That one is especially cool Dub-Track by Jah Wobble, on which only the intro of I-Roy's "Double Warning" was sampled. A bone dry, straighter one Dub-Track. Make a nice conclusion Dubphonic with its tough flowing, heavy Dub-Remix of Linval Thompson's "Jah Jah is a Guiding Star".

The boom in neo-Dub is long gone Dub-Albums have become rarer and only a few hard-boiled people hold the position - which is an astonishing development overall, because with the increasingly popular return to roots rhythms in Jamaica, lies for Dub-Mixer perfectly suitable remix material ready. Some Jamaican producers now have the Dub discovered as a pure export product for the European and US markets, but it seems they have Dub-Mixing unlearned in the years of inactivity. Best example: "Dubbing with the Banton "(Penthouse / Import), produced by Donovan Germain. The rhythms are undoubtedly tough and the sound great - but where's the mix? What you hear here are better Buju Banton B-sides, which splash around without tension. Is even less interesting Junior Kelly's “Juvenile in Dub"(Jet Star / Import)that was produced in England - which is actually a guarantee of good Dub could apply. But far from it: “Instrumental Version” would be the more appropriate term here. The matter is different "Guidance in Dub"(Charm / Jet Star / Inport), the Dub-Album for Daweh Congos' "Guidance". Here's the old one Dub-Haudegen Gussie P hand laid. It's nice that he's still in business - but it's a shame that he hasn't learned a lot, because “Guidance in Dub" Not. Gussie's mixing style is indebted to the early 80s, unlike then, but the tracks are now digitally produced. Maybe that's why the pieces have less atmosphere than the old Roots Radics-Dubs. But that even “hand-played” tracks don't necessarily lead to a good one Dub- Perform album, Israel shows vibration with "Dub Combo "(RAS / CRS / EFA). Here you have a lot of atmosphere and good Dub-Mixes - but unfortunately the well-rehearsed backings are not exactly exciting. The basslines just don't get rolling ...

Enough with the grumbling, after all we have with you "Dub for the Modern World - featuring Static "(Charm / Jet Star / Import) also a really good, modern one Dub-Album in the program that does everything correctly: good rhythms, deep bass lines, exciting and varied mixes and interesting arrangements. Recorded in Jamaica, London and Miami, Morris "KC" White produced fresh (digital) versions of traditional riddims and had them lavishly mixed by luminaries such as Scientist, Bunny Tom Tom, the aforementioned Gussie P and others. No trace of the "secondary exploitation mentality" that has produced the albums mentioned above: "Dub for the Modern World ”is a highly independent album that addresses the dead end genre Dub can give new impulses. 

Less new impulses, but a hymn of praise to the great tradition of Dub is the sampler of the New York reggae collective "Roots Combination" (Guidance / EFA) Victor Axelrod has brought together the most interesting reggae musicians, producers and singers in New York and an astonishingly closed one Dub-Album (except two vocal tracks) created, which may be the final climax of the dying genre neo-Dub is. It's unbelievable that such perfect productions are made in New York - you'd rather expect them to be cerebral Dubs in the style of blooklyner Dub-Labels Wordsound. But no trace of it! The roots combination is mainly experienced in the bowels.

But while we're on the subject of Wordsound, "Below the Radar" (ROIR / EFA) gathers the best Wordsound-Dubs of the last few years. It shouldn't come as a surprise that reggae rhythms can not always be heard and that some tracks barely groov because of all the experiments.

Finally two real neoDub- stragglers: Disciples "presents Backyard Movements Dubwise 2001 "(Boom Shacka Lacka / Import) and Bush Chemists "Dub Fire Blazing "(Dubhead / EFA). While the Disciples don't play particularly innovative but all the more popping four-to-the-floor tunes, the Bush Chemists maneuver their way with their standard program over the length of the album. Where the disciples refer to the great time of the NeoDubs feels reminded, Deja-vus overtakes the Bush Chemists. And so these two albums once again reflect the glitz and shadows of a great genre that shouldn't die under any circumstances. You're welcome!