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Dub (Revolution Review

Dub Revolution, July 2001

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!

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