If you choose DubWhen I read lerone, I inevitably associate “the tenderest temptation since it »Dubolade« gives”. We know that Switzerland has more to offer than safes, banks, francs, mountains, cheese, hash browns, watches and Swiss army knives - to name just a few clichés Dubheads at least since Hazer Baba, Dubment and above all Dub Spencer & Trance Hill. Now another delicate one comes from the Swiss capital Bern Dub-Temptation with the beautiful name “Dublerone”. A project that, according to the information text, gives us “the finest handcrafted Swiss chocolate dub music” presented. With this formulation, the two Bernese multi-instrumentalists Voni Rollins (sax, keys, Dub FX, Mix & Editing) and David Boumi (Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Compositions) have set the bar pretty high. Already the title of the album “Dub For Kailash“ (PhaPha Records) piqued my interest and raised my expectations. This mountain has fascinated me for more than half of my life. The Kailash in the Trans-Himalayas, meaning “precious snow jewel,” is considered the holiest mountain for Tibetans and Hindus. Buddhists and Bön also revere him equally. This is the headwaters of the four largest rivers of the Indian subcontinent. To this day, the mountain has not been climbed out of respect for its religious significance. Although Reinhold Messner was granted the first ascent permit in 1985, he fortunately decided not to carry it out out of consideration.
But back to this wonderful album, which with a total playing time of 27 minutes is unfortunately a bit short for my taste. To be honest, I had never heard of it until a few days ago Dublerone belongs. But already the title track and opener “Dub For Kailash” offers everything that Dub-Heart desires. The sound of a prayer bell and monk chants is followed by a fat, rolling bass, a rich brass section, delicate sounds of a whirring tanpura, which then lead into a really groovy rock guitar solo. In general, the sound effects throughout the album are well thought out and used effectively. The second track on the album, “Oblingada”, conveys a completely different mood. Everything here sounds more like bossa nova and, thanks to the brass section backed by strings, is reminiscent of the soulful, funky acid jazz of the late 80s. Also “Badman & Robadub“ impresses with a powerful bass and drum foundation on which the guest musicians Marco Wäspi on the trumpet and Maro Widmer on the trombone can really let off steam before a few jazzy guitar runs make their way. “Just Bees and Dub and Flowers” is reminiscent of Wes Montgomery with its gentle guitar runs, before a jazzy, oblique saxophone moves into the foreground in waves. I particularly like “Dub For Kailash”, the tracks move more and more into jazzy territory and the Blue Notes gain the upper hand. The usual reggae and Dub-Patterns are preserved.
All in all, an extremely entertaining album from the duo Dublerone presented here with his colleagues. I wouldn't be surprised if David Boumi, Voni Rollins and the other musicians involved were also graduates of the Lucerne University of Music. No matter, what is much more important is that, as usual, we are offered a very fine, high-quality product from Switzerland, which is also available on vinyl as a special treat.
4 replies to "Dublerone: Dub For Kailash”
Oh dear,
I was very skeptical when I read the review. A lot was written about jazz and brass instruments and what made the reviewer ( high RasVorbei ;-) ) so positively ecstatic gave me a real fear ;-), of too much intellectual music that is more for the head than for the heart or .made for the legs. Well, of course I still had to listen to the first one DubI was really excited about the tune! The wind instruments are used in a very confident manner. Like spherical elves in a gaseous state, they lay over the powerful riddim and create a really fat musical experience in the “interplay” with tanpura and guitar. For me a perfect one Dub of the very finest! But unfortunately it will already be in the second DubTune a little “weird” for me. The riddim actually grabs me, but the wind instruments (in this case it's probably the trombone) play too much for me, like “Max Gregor and his radio orchestra”. There is a very “nice” one at the beginning of the second half DubPart, which, however, very quickly turns back into “inconsequential”. At least for my taste. “Bossanova” describes it quite well, although I have to google what “Bossanova” actually means. But the sound of the word suits me ;-)
Let’s talk about “BadMan and Robadub“! Rrrrrrrrrrrrright!!! Drums and bass lay a solid foundation after going through everything again
Digging through layers of earth to the core of the matter. The effects on the snare top it off. The bass line has “eggs” (if I may quote Olli Kahn here) and the guitar plays a few crisp melodies together with the bass. Also one Dub for my all-time best list.
Well, now it's good with the GoodVibes! From now on we will complain!!!
Overall, I like them DubTunes here are too bider, or too “down-to-earth”. Dear jazz friends, I know the truth sometimes hurts, but compared to the reggae rhythm, jazz is like a drop of homeopathy in the Pacific. You have to really believe in it for it to have any effect at all ;-) …..
Now that doesn't mean that I like all the others DubTunes are bad but hopefully it explains why I only have two DubTunes I'm really excited and the rest of it flows past me like a Swiss mountain stream. Which can be very romantic. With JazzTunes I simply miss the driver or the driving force that, at least metaphorically, tears down the walls of Babylon, bulldozes them and transforms them into “good green stuff” forever.
I would love to know what kind of jazz records Sir Coxsone Dodd and Lee Perry had, who - as has often been reported - were big jazz fans. Maybe that's exactly why they invented reggae, because jazz doesn't have or didn't have enough power.
Just one ! Thank you for the very insightful information about Reinhold Messner, Ras Vorbei. I think it's really great of him that he didn't climb the Most Holy Mountain. This has increased my reputation even further!!! (Even if he peels an egg on it).
So long ………………… .. lemmi
hi lemmi,
let's start with the big King Tubby. He is said to have had a very large jazz collection that filled an entire room. All the great ska artists started with jazz, including Don Drummond. Ska, in turn, developed from jazz. Not to mention, the genre of jazz originated in the African American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has its roots in blues and ragtime. So it's all black music that has one foot in Africa. One thing is clear, as with reggae, there are countless varieties and styles.
I like this mix Dub,Reggae and Jazz very good. This is not only due to the jazz influences, but also to the virtuosity and sophisticated arrangements with which the protagonists of Dublerone go to work. Everything fits into a wonderful whole.
Oh well, lemmi, as we know: It's all a matter of taste, said the monkey as he bit into the soap. ;-)))))
Oh, I almost forgot. The old, unique and legendary Krautrockers Popol Vuh around mastermind Florian Fricke - known from many Werner Herzog films - have released a wonderful film document about the Kailash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id6mS3ocyNE
Hehe, high RasOver!
I hope you don't interpret me as snotty or defiant. But I would love to tell the monkey that there are better and tastier things to eat than soap ;-)
But what do you want to do, if he likes the soap, I have to accept that……. (There are even people who eat fennel, which for me is very close to the taste of expired (!) soap).
UB 40 has also described their music as “Jazz Dub Reggae” and when it really was, I thought it was absolutely great. But that was probably mainly because I didn't notice any jazz there ;-)
And that's definitely how you can tell that I don't have a plan for jazz. I can't manage to fight my way through this. I can only do that with reggae, because - mind you for me - even the worst tune is still quite enjoyable or let's say audible ;-)
Well, I can't resist saying this now:
If jazz had remained “black”, I might have found my favorites after all. And I would write exactly the same thing about blues and all originally black music. It's horrible what the whites have done or "used" with the blues. I mean Tom Waits for example. A colleague of mine firmly says that it's blues. He has no interest in John Lee Hooker. Well, I still really like Tom Waits and my colleagues.
Sorry about the “black and white thing” but I still can’t completely ignore it or “keep it quiet”.
Cheers …………………. lemmi
Really one of the best and most imaginative albums I've heard in a long time. Exactly my taste. Many thanks for the recommendation.