It's a family affair, because music is also in the blood of the brothers Adam and Jordan Chini. But first, back to the beginning, where it all began. The Chini family immigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1920s. Ed Chini, Adam and Jordan's grandfather, earned his living as a young boy playing accordion on Chicago radio stations. After the family moved to California, Ed, who became increasingly enthusiastic about jazz, became an accordionist in the band “The Four Sharps”. Ed's son Robert Chini followed in his father's footsteps, learning drums at an early age and later becoming a songwriter for Motown. In the 1970s, Robert had the same manager as Muhammad Ali and almost got his big break when he sent one of his songs to Quincy Jones, who was considered for Michael Jackson's Off The Wall sessions. Unfortunately, the song just barely made it into the selection. Out of several hundred songs submitted, it ended up between 10th and 15th place. It's a shame, but just over is over.
Adam was born in 1985 and got his first drum kit at the age of five. His younger brother Jordan was born six years later in 1991. Jordan also got his first instrument, a guitar, at the age of six. Since Robert Chini, the father of the two boys, had taken a job as an artist supervisor at Carvin Audio, there were regularly new home recording devices around the house to try out. From an early age, Jordan Chini was making crazy electronic music in his room, like the ones Aphex Twin and Autechre were making.
Despite the six-year age difference, Adam and Jordan have always been close and played in the same bands together. In the meantime they went their separate ways musically. Jordan Chini has become a multi-instrumentalist and music producer under the name “Boy Dude: Cassette For You“ released an album in which he fuses lo-fi songwriting and psychedelia with the aesthetics of experimental funk and soul.
Under his new alter ego “Count Dubula” (dubula = Zulu expression for shoot, fire) he published two months ago “The Rise of Count Dubbeehive(CQQL Records). It cannot be ruled out that Jordan recorded the album alone. Since he has always worked a lot with sound techniques, it can be assumed that Jordan disappeared into the studio armed with an array of guitars, basses, drum machines and vintage synthesizers and got to work. For me, “The Rise of Count Dubula” pure listening pleasure. Every song has its own melody, the keyboards waft long and wide through the air Dub-Effects are not exaggerated, the bass rolls slowly and sluggishly, but always with pressure. The keyboard sound is often a bit pompous, almost theatrical. It’s wonderful how the theremin wails in the track “Born Again”. Musically, the whole album also reminds me of Jack Arnold B-movies from the 50s (The Incredible Story of Mister C.; Terror Creeps Through the Night; Tarantula etc.). Here too, some of the cheapest effects are available, such as: B. in “Black Lung” a good morning cough from a chain smoker brand “Last Greetings from Davos” or a big cough after a hit from the hookah. But I like the whole concept as it is: entertaining, dubbig, fuzzy, emotional, trippy, dreamy, or... make up your mind.
In summary: “The Rise of Count Dubula” by Count Dubula is an American Dub-Reggae project from Los Angeles, California, created by music producer and composer Jordan Chini in traditional Dub-style was recorded, recorded and mixed. Using analog delay, spring reverb and a Big Knob filter, the recordings were sent through a Tascam 388 eight-channel mixer/tape machine and then mixed using an improvised approach. I really like the idea of the cassette cover. The album and layout were influenced by Jordan Chini digging up some of his father's (Robert Chini - former songwriter for Motown Records) recordings, i.e. a cassette, from the late 70s, which in turn inspired Jordan to experiment in a similar way. The result is impressive.
3 replies to “Count Dubula: The Rise Of…Count Dubula"
“For me, The Rise of Count Dubula “pure listening pleasure.”
As well ! ………………… The first comments were made about this two months ago. However, it was primarily about the cassettes.
The review made my whole “misery” clear to me again. The lists (!) with exceptionally good ones DubMusic have now become so long and extensive that these are very beautiful Dubdates have almost been forgotten by me again. They're on my list and I think they're really good, but I don't feel like I've heard them more than three times so far. The new releases from last weekend alone contain a lot of very good material that I can no longer comment on in detail.
The riddims that serve as the basis here are – for my taste – extremely charming. And I would like to pick out a few of the adjectives offered. “Entertaining, dubbig, emotional, trippy and dreamy.” Everything is true and much more! The only thing I can't do much with is "unsharp", which is probably because I don't understand it as it could be meant. I think the hi-hat on “Born Again” is a little to much too sharp-edged. It's not nearly as bad as some “TubbyDubHighPassDistortionFilterSound” but I don’t really like it that way. Still, I like it Dub I really like it because it also reminds me of the atmosphere of the old Jack Arnold films and also a little of Edgar Wallace thanks to the keyboard and theremin.
It was a time when there wasn't nearly as much sensationalism as it became more frequent and annoying afterward. I admit it, I also like “Spider Man” and “DeadPool”, but these extremely exaggerated computer animations have usually really annoyed me since “The Matrix”. It feels like no action film today can do without such completely silly effects, where someone gets hit and then flies at least 20 meters horizontally (!) through the room or through the air in a physically abnormal and impossible way. When it comes to comics and Lord of the Rings, I can still turn a blind eye because they are completely unrealistic fantasies anyway, but when it comes to Bond and many other action films, it gets on my scrotum... Was there anything else?
Oh yes, “The Rise of Count.” Dubula”! Overall, I especially like the type of reverb on the snare. I think this is perfect!!!
Again, it's probably the analog effects devices that give me this pleasant, warm feeling that makes me want to float Dubcreate feeling.
These are – even for my taste – very sophisticated and beyond any doubt Dubs or DubMusic that is not only characterized by the confident use of the effects, but especially also by the - also for my taste - very groovy riddims and, last but not least, by the talent of the musician (generic term for musicians). also for musicians).
The extensive information about the history and the background to the creation of this data is also very interesting.
It's good that there was this review. That's why I have the very good one DubWe'll be able to enjoy music again today and definitely (hopefully) not for the last time.
Cheers ……………. lemmi
Unfortunately, this album is a bit too short. Maybe I'm wrong, but the bass line on Born Again sounds like Aston Barrett's unique bass line on Natural Mystic by Bob Marley & the Wailers. Another nice recommendation that is really worth listening to.
Yeah man
It sounds like Aston Barrett's “Natural Mystic” – BassLine. It's not the same but it makes the same good feeling, because it's the right timing for a magic BassLine. For me, the whole album sounds like BassLines from Jamaica. In some Case(s) I can also hear Flabba' Holt…..