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I Kong meets JahWahZoo: Zoo to the Dub

What used to be marveled at as a curiosity is now a matter of course: roots reggae and Dub have found their home in all corners of the world. This is also the case in the Chinese Sichuan province, where the seven-piece combo JahWahZoo got together to play surprisingly authentic-sounding reggae. her debut soon"zoo party“ and his Dub-Counterpart "Zoo Dubby" were produced on site by Nick Manasseh - which certainly allows conclusions to be drawn about the musical ability of the band.

The second album was - no less amazingly - a collaboration with I Kong, the veteran of the Jamaican Kong family, not unknown in the reggae universe, with Chinese roots. "Zoo to the Roots“ was released in 2020 and can be heard because of the successful tunes: Roots to the core, made in Chengdun.

In good old tradition is now (finally) the corresponding Dub-Album released: "Zoo to the Dub“ – due to a lack of Mandarin knowledge, I not only have to fit the name of the label, but also the other details about the production. Research suggests that Skunga Kong - son of I Kong - was at the mixing desk; one or the other reader may know more precisely and share it here. Ultimately, what counts is what is found in our auditory canals; and that is finely mixed Dub, which is based on solid, hand-made riddims.

There are two recommendations for this - one, to fully commit to “Zoo to the Dub“ to let in and to the Dubs to please; the other recommendation would be to revisit the I Kong oeuvre - the vocal release 'Zoo to the Roots' offers a fitting start.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

6 responses to “I Kong meets JahWahZoo: Zoo to the Dub"

I'm not a fan of I Kong from the very beginning. Found his vocals too loud in relation to the music on most recordings. Of course, that wasn't his fault, it was the fault of all those who were responsible for the recording. Then came an album that wasn't rated or reviewed quite as well in the riddim for reasons that I don't understand. Pass It On!!! Rarely in the last 20 years have I heard a singer who conveys as much feeling as I Kong does on this disc. And then it starts with a world hit. I find the combination with Judie Mowett really top class, but I find a lot of good things on the album and with "Light after Darkness" I tear up tears of joy when I Kong finally recognizes after all his suffering that JAH lives / lifes and Reign ! All in all, however, the disc is particularly carried by the charisma of I Kong. The band plays alone but is heard a bit slack over long distances.
And that's how I feel now, unfortunately, with “Zoo to the Dub“. First I heard the Dubs and didn't get beyond a "quite nice". The riddims sound very ordinary and arbitrary again. Solid ( international ) standard reggae art. No "Jamaica boom" far and wide. With the vocal versions, I Kong gives me a lot more power. Then there is this video with Nick Manasseh! I admit, I've only skimmed through it so far and the "quick nick" comes across to me more as a consultant than he does properly at the mixing desk Dubwould contribute effects. And even if he's the DubMixer was, I have to say, it sounds to me a lot more like papa's well-behaved son, who probably also thinks too many crazy ones DubEffects would falsify the music too much. Well, Nick Manasseh produced the album anyway and it's actually quite nice. But being nice isn't enough for me. I want Teflon ZincFence and more of it.
I think it was Claas who would like to have discussed something by Jah Wobble again. I think of it because Jah Wobble already had at least one collaboration with the Chinese. "Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub orchestra" !!! Yes, the lemmi stops at nothing ;-) I really like the disc too. But I admit, I haven't heard them for a long time. I also remembered that there is occasionally something like singing and that's really only for the really tough ones. Chinese singing is really brutal for my, after all, western ears.
Yes, I'm sorry but I can find these Dubs just too ordinary here.
Now I'm curious to see if my long-awaited new (?) Dubdisc by Nick Manasseh and The Equalizer "Shining" (the title alone promises tingling excitement, even if it's primarily about "Sun Is Shining") was deposited in my mailbox.

DUB IT !!! …………………………… Lemmy

"I'm not a fan of I Kong from the very beginning."

I do, Lemmy. So I just want to point out that Leslie Kong's nephew can already be heard on the Lee Scratch Perry single "Bushweed Corntrash" along with Third World singer William 'Bunny Rugs' Clarke as the duo Bunny (or Bonnie) & Ricky (Storm). was.
What a lot of people probably don't know: Errol Kong aka I Kong made his first recordings as Ricky (Storm).

I definitely think the seven are worth mentioning Dubversions of his debut album The Way It Is, first found on the 2006 VP reissue.
https://songwhip.com/ikong/the-way-it-is

All right RasVei!

"The Way It Is" is even on my shelf at home. "Of course" without them Dubversions. I really haven't heard them in forever. But I can still vaguely remember “Sinner Man”. I've always liked the tune the best. And with them Dubhe is also my top favorite. The whole riddim is at it's best, the effects are very distinctive and that "numbed trumpet" plays a very charming melody. But the saxophone on "The Way It Is" is played and used in such a way that it expresses the full magic. There is nothing obtrusively exaggerated.
And maybe just to show how high the level is in reggae and Dub you mention "bushweed corntrash". The DubTune still blows my mind the same way it did the first time. Something like that only happens with the Real Jamaicans.

Cheers ………………. lemmi

Hahaha!

Well, there I gave another one for the best. "Shinig" by Equalizer and Nick Manasseh was released as a CD in 1996 !!! Now I get the vinyl version where about only half the Dubtunes on it. That's something I "love" more than anything. It feels like stepping one leg completely into a brimming slurry tanker.
Now I have to hang it down and let it drain …………….. lemmi

Ok, my pants are dry again and the manure is shaken off.
I have a vague idea where my constant confusion comes from, but before everyone thinks what nonsense lemmi writes, I have to make it clear that nothing is missing from the vinyl edition of "Shining". There are all 11 DubTunes included. Now I'm skeptical again whether the groove isn't too thin for everything to fit on it. I can't change it I once picked up somewhere that skepticism is a form of intelligence. And I'm very skeptical ;-)

So long ……………… .. lemmi

Oh yes ……. off topic end!

Briefly about “Bushweed Corntrash
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC0exUjXPhc)
Credits on the 7” label go to Ricky Storm aka I Kong, responsible for the Dub of course on "Scratch".

"The Way It Is" was recorded at Harry J Studio & Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio. Geoffrey Chung, Jerome Francisque, Lee Perry, Phillip Zadie & Sylvan Morris are named as engineers. The long list of musicians involved reads like a who's who of Jamaican musicians. The mixing engineer was Geoffrey Chung, which is why the typical Black Ark sound unfortunately falls short. Still, "The Way It Is" remains a classic worth mentioning.

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