Those were the days when Rhythm & Sound was founded in the late 90s to mid-2000s with the fusion of Dub and Techno. Since the demise of the Burial Mix label, this form of DubOf course, there are minimal techno productions that are released under the label “Dub“, but these are always techno rhythms that are Dub-principles. At Rhythm & Sound it was the other way round: Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald played clear - albeit minimalist - reggae beats and mixed them in a reduced, repetitive and dark way like minimal techno. I really liked that at the time. The hypnotic, almost metaphysical power of the music impressed me deeply. Ten years later, Michael Fiedler, also known as Jah Schulz, came on the scene and devoted himself to the stylistic legacy of techno.Dub. Initially more oriented towards Steppers, but then deeper, more minimal, more consistent. The two LPs "Dub Over Science” and “Dub Showcase” gave a clear foretaste of what Michael Fiedler is now doing under the pseudonym Ghost Dubs with his current album “Damaged” (Pressure) presented. Lemmi already asked in his commentary whether this can really still be classified under the general term 'music' or whether it is not more of a test tone for bass speakers. Hehe, that is somehow a brilliantly fitting question, because Michael's Dubs are so incredibly minimalistic, so incredibly bass-heavy, so incredibly slow motion that he is actually entering a border area of music. He seems to be more concerned with the total experience of pure, abstract sound than with making us hear a piece of music in the classical sense. The incredible mastering by Stefan Betke also contributes to this, giving the sound a gigantic presence. The noise and vinyl crackling established by Rhythm & Sound are also indispensable, as is this dull underwater sound. These are exactly the ingredients needed to conjure up this deep, cottony and warm atmosphere. But atmosphere is not everything, because the most important ingredient of "Damaged" is undoubtedly the ever-present (at least latently) offbeat, which places these "test sounds" briefly but clearly in the genre of Dub Even if purists and “Dub Connoisseurs” like Lemmi turn up their noses a little, I have to admit that “Damaged” is something like the essence of Dub embodied. The distillate of 50 years of bass music. Just a touch less and it wouldn't be Dub more, but probably a test tone for bass speakers.
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3 Responses to “Ghost Dubs: Damaged“
High René!
I interpret this to mean that my observation at least made you smile. I am always very happy when my sometimes slightly provocative comments contribute to the amusement.
I probably wouldn't have listened to the album again, but your enthusiasm for this record has made me curious again.
We still often have a common intersection in which our taste, for Dub and music in general. But my enthusiasm for Rhythm and Sound was never as great as it was for you and many others that I knew and know. And in a way you compared “Damaged” to it. That alone explains why I’m not as enthusiastic as you and probably many others. But as I said, I had to listen to it again and yes, I admit, I can’t completely escape a certain magic. It often has a mystical groove and if you can find the time to relax and surrender to the bass gravity waves without any sense of time, you can have a good time without noticing the time.
I think time is not a good invention and therefore probably does not exist in the universe, or rather is "initial" and infinite. That sounds logical to me, although I cannot see any logic in it, let alone explain it. Our brains are limited and therefore we can only think to a limited extent. That is certainly true for me. I apologize if I offend someone who can think without limits. However, the limits for the perception of music and thus also of DubMusic individually phase-shifted. Your horizon goes beyond mine, so that this minimalism does not reach your limits or only comes “close” to it. But wait, I am sure that I will soon be able to show here again that my horizon for DubMusic is almost limitless ;-) I only have "weaknesses" when it comes to minimalism, although I would like to point out the exceptions there too.
In short (what is that?), I would say that I do not allow myself to call this album “UnDubI just don't have enough patience to just relax and get involved in it, but I'm at the point where I have a feeling that I might be missing out on something.
Now I could press “rewind” and start again from the beginning and ask whether it is only the essence of 50 years of bass music or whether it is also the essence of 50 years Dubmusic could be.
I would say, “that’s what you always ask yourself in the end” ………… lemmi
I must admit that I had my first Dub-Steps not with the classic Dub-albums and the usual suspects like King Ruby, Lee Scratch Perry, Scientist etc. My musical roots lie in the electronic area. Techno, Drum & Bass, House, Chill Out etc. were my first intensive contact with music. But even then I liked to think outside the box and I think my first "real" Dub-Album was “surprise” Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor with “No Protection”. And of course I was and am a big fan of Rhythm and Sound. Only much later (also with the help of this blog) did I turn to the classic Dub approached and befriended.
It is all the nicer when an album comes around the corner that is very similar to my first Dub-experiences, namely those from the electronic field. And just as I "Dub Over Science” and “Dub Showcase” (I would like to have the former on record again), I also feel very close to “Ghost Dub“ immediately at home.
It goes deep, deeper, deepest here and that brings the vibe that I like so much. For me, a really cool album that I can celebrate more than a current Dub Album that again recalls the sound of the Godfather of Dub Whether this is a classic Dub Album is, I do not know for my little understanding of Dub Music that I like, definitely.
Ghost Dubs is a relevance. It has led me to build a pair of subwoofers for a broader and more immersive experience.