Category: Second opinion

It doesn't take much to make the reviewer happy; a bass-heavy, but still dynamic mix with drums from the Sledgehammer brand is enough - i.e. drums that you can not only hear, but above all feel... Drums of the powerful kind, affectionately called "skull splitters". Then a few more Dub- Effects in addition - that's really all you need for that little happiness, the ear orgasm.

Jah Myhrakle's "Who Keeps The Seals? Dub(Gold Den Arkc Recordz). So give the album five stars and you're done. Thank you for the conversation!

No way - I like to dig out the acoustic magnifying glass and take a look behind the scenes; such a classic Dub doesn't suddenly appear out of nowhere. This also applies to Jah Myhrakle, on whose vocal album "He Who Keeps The Seals' the one to be discussed Dub-Release based.

Mr. Myhrakle himself likes to use funny spellings and puts out one album after the other - all with more or less beautiful cover artwork. He prays down his sometimes difficult to understand, probably profound texts mercilessly and emotionlessly, come what may. If you now feel reminded of Vaughn Benjamin aka Akae Beka, you are right: we are dealing with a clone here. Or with a cross between Akae Beka and Jah Rubal - that's probably the best way to describe it. And the same applies there as there: Less would have been more, because maximum output is not synonymous with maximum quality.

Back to Dub, back to Who Keeps The Seals Dub“. As stated above, the dynamic acoustics are delightful; the Dub Effects are well done, even if they are mostly placed pointlessly. If you go a little deeper and pick apart the structures of the tracks, you unfortunately can't get past the irrelevant, uninspired basslines - a big shortcoming in the Dub-Universe where the true hooks are mostly found in the basslines. Taking all the pros and cons into account, the bottom line is - despite the mediocre source material - an album with hammer dynamics: by no means bad, but 5-star material must be able to offer more.

What did my cloudy eyes have to see? Hasn't there lately Colleague Wynands fobbed off Mato's new album with a ridiculous 3 stars and thus probably not only triggered gasping in me? This wonderful, new release "Scary Dub"(Styx Records) by the French miracle whirlpool Thomas Blanchot, who under his pseudonym Mato 1A-Reggae, -Dub, -Hip Hop and various remixes produced? So the man who came to terms with his Dub-Version of Daft Punk's "Homework“Into the collective Dub-Burned into memory? Yes, dear readers ... I can understand your outrage at this incredible misjudgment very well! I spontaneously give out a round of smelling salts or valerian drops (as needed) for everyone whose blood pressure is going crazy.

A paralysis later you have to say that Mato's Dub actually nothing for the original Dubheads is. There is not the pleasant one Dub- Intoxication - you know it: When the knees become weak and buckle easily; when the head involuntarily begins to nod to the rhythm and the acoustic world consists of a hypnotic, endlessly repetitive bassline and slow, heavy hits on the drums - and with Echo & Hall & other effects arsenal into the psychedelic dreamland where time leads then only consists of slowness. At least that's how it feels with me - let me know if you suspect a need for medical action.

No, Mato is more of a concept artist, storyteller, comic artist who translates 2 to 3-minute stories into acoustic gems. Or even the classical music or the soundtrack and everything perfectly produced & mixed - not for the big dance sound system, of course, but for the well-kept home system. Even the otherwise picky-critical reviewer doesn't find anything to complain about, which is a sensation in itself. However, in his new work, Mato has dealt with film music again; this time a bit narrower with the horror movie genre. There is practically everything represented that has rank and name - from Dracula, Frankenstein to Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers to Fox Mulder and Dana Scully; we don't want to forget the great white shark and the thing from the swamp either. An album full of “Scary Dubs “just.

Each track is a comic in itself; the film melodies are immediately recognizable, the matching sound effects sensational: an eerie organ, screeching women, Christopher Lee's voice - "I am Dracula" is the best Dub-Entertainment:

Or how about that Dub-Version of the "Jaws" theme, i.e. the "great white shark"? The slowly swelling, then nervous, panic-spreading strings ... the memory of the late 70s is immediately there again:

I still have one: Michael Myers goes reggae in “Halloween Dub“… Uh… scaaary !!!

So this time Mato is making music for the SciFi / Horror / Splatter-Movie fans and of course for the children in the Dubheads. It's casual entertainment, light fare, well presented ... and I love it. I actually throw myself away every time I say the “Jaws Dub“Listen - and the album is currently playing in an endless loop!

That makes a total of easily 4 stars, colleague Wynands ... oh well, I'll add another half a star: The X-Files are currently running in Dub - "The truth is out there". Sooo scaaary !!!

Aldubb is everyone's favorite. His “Planets of Dub“-Albums won the hearts of the proudest Dub-Critic; - and as far as I'm concerned, since the publication of his epic “A Timescale of Creation - Symphony No. 1 in Dub minor ”the title of nobility“ Al von und zu Dubb ". With his new album "Mesozoic valley“(One Drop Music) he dedicates himself again to the prehistoric times of our planet (the“ Planet of Dub“-Albums obviously belong in this series thematically, as I have just noticed). But while the symphony was a "great" work in the truest sense of the word, "Mesozoic Valley" (One Drop) comes as a purely digital production, so to speak as a laptopDub, therefore downright modest. But as soon as the first track starts, the humility is over. The bass blows in your face and your earlobes flutter in the wind. This is hardcore stuff for the sound system. Get out there and have fun - that's how it feels to me. My Dubblog colleague gtkritz criticizes a lack of hooklines and a lack of conciseness, which he is absolutely right about, but from my point of view this is not so important here. Why not just take a dip in the bass and feel good? Why not switch off system 2 nonchalantly and let system 1 have fun? I would say: click on “Mesozoic Valley” (streaming is the right form of consumption for the album) and turn it up really loud. Anyone who then says: "No, I lack complexity and the reflection of the conditions of our existence", I refer to the "Timescale of Creation".

Also read the review from gtkriz.

Paolo Baldini has been heard a lot lately. The Italian reggae and DubProducer seems to be on its way. He recently released a long player every year and was involved in numerous remix projects. It wasn't until March that Echo Beach published a retrospective of its first band, the BR Stylers. Now comes the second trick from the same house: Paolo Baldini DubFiles meets Dubblestandart, "Dub Me crazy“(Echo Beach). Vienna meets Pordenone: Dubblestandart - your own mark Dub-Producers - puts the oeuvre of the band in Baldini's hands to get out of the Dubs more Dublet s do it. I think it works pretty well. The Italian knows his trade and delivers wonderfully creatively mixed dishes Dubs off. However, you have to get the dry, somewhat brittle sound of Dublike blestandart in order to be able to properly appreciate the remixes. On.U-Sound and that Dub Greetings from Syndicate. In any case, Baldini goes to work very old school: pure mixing, no overdubbs or new beats. There Dubblestandart are known as remix enthusiasts and most of their productions have already gone through a wide variety of products Dub-Wolves were turned and chased through echo chambers (I only remember tracks like "Chrome Optimism" or "Holding you Close" for which complete remix albums exist), it should not have been easy for Paolo Baldini to find new tracks Aspects to be won. It's amazing that he managed it so well anyway. I'm excited to see who will be able to remix next.

Read those too Review by gtkritz

Alpha & Omega are also being heard again. Very different from their offspring, the veterans avoid the experiment and deliver what they have always been able to do best: Mystical steppersDubwho takes no prisoners. So also on her new album "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego“(Steppas). Here they are content with only five vocal tunes and five accompanying ones Dubs - but the latter have it all. I am always amazed when I see the two of them, or Christine alone on bass, at a sound system event. For over 30 years they have been delivering almost the same music, undaunted, steady and with devotion. That is true destiny. Dub for life. And maybe it's the love for these mystical bass sounds that makes every A&O album so animated and inspired anew.

Read those too Review by Marius

Who visites Dub Spencer & Trance Hill likes will too Dublove ment. Like the former, they come from Switzerland and make minimalist with a minimal cast Dub, hand-played and with sprawling rock-guitar excursions. Occasionally sounds like a psychedelic jazz trio - which is probably due to the fact that Dominik Zäch (guitar), Balz Muheim (drums) and Linus Meier (bass) study jazz together in Lucerne. Reggae and Dub are actually committed to the principle of strict repetition, but that's why the three don't care about their album "Dubment - Showcase & Dub Runaways“(Echo Beach) not particularly. The game is played pretty freely and experimented with courage. Strangely enough, it still sounds like it Dub. Incidentally, the album was on the market since December 2019, but is now coming out as a deluxe version from Echo Beach. Deluxe thing is that the Dubvisionist to everyone Dub created a short "fugue" that follows the original. So we always hear the originalDub, followed by a two to three minute fugue. "One Dub from Dub to do it didn't seem particularly useful to me, ”he says Dubvisionist information, “The originals should clearly be the heroes. The joints are just small corridors ”. I like the intermediate courses very much, they do Dub-Feeling that the originals sometimes miss something in the exuberance of jazz improvisation. By the way, to speak of “fugues” here and thus inevitably arouse associations with Bach's “Art of Fugue” or “Well-Tempered Clavier” is really a cool idea - even if that Dub-Fugues don't have much to do with the musical concept of a fugue. Marketing rules.

Read those too Review by Ras Vorbei

“Huh?”, I thought at first, “they recorded a 1: 1 remake of“ Aux Armes, etc ... ”, Serge Gainsbourg's all-time best seller? The album that you originally recorded in 1979? Are the two older gentlemen Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare totally crazy now? ”Well, it's true: "Dub Serge" (Tabou1) by Sly & Robbie is actually an exact remake of the 1979 original. Even the entire band (besides Sly & Robbie) is the same as it was 41 years ago: Mikey Chung, Dougie Bryan, Robby Lyn and Sticky Thompson - only Ansel Collins is missing. Insane! But the story behind it puts the work in the right light. The remake was recorded back in 2011, when Tabou1 label boss Guillaume Bougard was in the studio with Sly, Robbie and the band, all recordings for a funk album had been recorded and there was still an unused studio day available. They decided to use the remaining day for the remake of the legendary Serge Gainsbourg album: Just like that, for fun and without ambitions. In fact, the rhythm twins and their co-workers got the entire album up and running in just six hours. What an achievement! The recordings went to the archive. Bougard only remembered her when Universal Records asked him for a Sly & Robbie interview that was to be filmed for a Serge Gainsbourg documentary on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of "Aux Armes etc ...". "Why not earn some money on the anniversary," thought Bougard. After all, Sly & Robbie only received $ 1979 each for the recordings of the bestseller in 250, and not another cent in royalties. Incredible, but that's how it was back then in Jamaica. So Bougard pulled out the 2011 recordings dubpracticed it in no time (probably to keep up with the original recording speed) on an old PC and released it into the world. This is what it looks like folks: How can you give a negative review of an album with such a genesis? I don't have the heart to do it - and to be honest, it's not that bad.

Also read the review from my colleague gtkriz