Oops, I didn't expect that: In the fifth year of its existence, the Evolution of DubSeries finally the turning point for digital reggae. After the previously released seven CD boxes were largely stuck in the 1970s, increases Evolution of Dub, vol. 8 (Greensleeves / VP) in the mid-1980s and stretches the bow almost into the present. "The Search for New Life" is the subtitle of the current box and thus comments on the decline of the Jamaican DubIt's almost cynical since the late 1970s. It succeeded without much effort Dub-Curators at Greensleeves / VP to fill the 28 album rereleases that have so far appeared in the Evolution series with material from the 1970s alone. The following 30 years now easily fit in a 4-CD box - at least if the evolutionary story was produced in Jamaica Dub remains limited. About the reasons why Dub fell so dramatically in popularity in Jamaica, while it became more and more popular first in England and later around the world, one can speculate. It is not uncommon to hear the explanation that the reggae sound of the digital age is not a good basis for DubLet s be: too reduced, too percussive, too fast. Let's see if there's any truth to that.
Already in year one after Sleng Teng did Prince Jammy himself demonstrated that digital rhythms and Dub do not have to be a fundamental contradiction: Computerized Dub, the first digital DubAlbum of reggae history, caused a sensation in 1986 and was therefore selected for this CD box with good reason. It contains Dubs of ten digitally produced rhythms by the pioneers of the new sound at the time: Steelie & Cleevie. The star of this album is not so much Dub-Mix rather than this unspeakable and yet ingenious 8-bit sound, which the two musicians coaxed from their cheap keyboards and formed into synthetic, beautiful reggae beats. Jahtari keeps the legacy of this sound alive to this day. On “Computerized Dub“You can hear the original.
A few years later Gussie Clarke had further developed the digital sound of reggae in his Music Works studio into a clean, polished, rather cool, but also comparatively complex sound. A member of the Music Works team was Mikey Bennet, who founded the Two Friends label together with Patrick Lindsay in the early 1990s and produced recordings for Cocoa Tea, Brian & Tony Gold, Gregory Isaacs and Shabba Ranks in the Music Works studio. The box's second album dates from this time: Voyage Into Dub, by offers the typical Music Works sound in its purest form - and thus involuntarily answers the question of why Dub No longer played a role in the digital age in Jamaica: The digital rhythms as we hear them here naturally contradict this Dub-Treatment. Instead of the open, slow, clearly structured rhythm of Roots Reggae, the digital productions tend to be characterized by overload, emphasis on percussive structures and fast polyrhythmics, which often makes them seem complicated. Also played for Dub the crucial bassline played an increasingly minor role (until it finally disappeared completely in the dancehall sound). Hence, “Voyage Into Dub“An interesting historical document, but not a good one Dub-Album.
With the next album, the box makes a big leap into the 21st century: Juke Boxx Dub from the producer shane brown. It presents among others Dub-Versions of Chuck Fenda's "Freedom of Speech", Romain Virgo's "Can't Sleep" and Morgan Heritages "Brooklyn & Jamaica". The recordings are committed to classic reggae, probably hand-played, and build on the good old foundation of drum & bass. So the perfect basis for a Dub-Reworking. And indeed: here we have the first good one DubAlbum of the box. It follows the model of the Jamaican 70ies-Dub, uses the same techniques and creates a comparable, super-classic sound. Amazingly, however, Jamaican producers still do not have any international influences Dub-Productions that could look beyond the Seventies model. Steppers, Dubstep or crossover experiments seem taboo, although they would actually be a fantastic source of inspiration.
The last album in the box really surprised me, although it is actually quite logical, the “Evolution of Dub"Series to end with: Dub Clash from Alborosie. Produced entirely analog with historical studio equipment, it connects wherever Dub started in the 1970s. It is not without reason that Alborosie dedicated the album to King Tubby and relied on classic riddims such as “Full Up”, “Bobby Babylon” or “When I Fall in Love”. An absolutely superb album - and, although I have the greatest respect for the old masters, I have to say: the best album of the whole “Evolution of Dub".
