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Lee Groves: Dance a Dub

How much I loved the sound of Rockers Hi Fi, Dreadzone, Groove Corp., More Rockers, and other progressives Dub-Bands that made dance music in the 1990s and Dub fused into an exciting new sound. A sound that doesn't just have dance beats Dub-Ingredients provided. No, it was a complete reinvention that synthesized wonderfully complex beats with reggae basslines and offbeats. Break beat, industrial, drum and bass, indietronic, ambient and yes, house and techno also influenced this sound. Those were the times! At that time I wrote cockily about the “future of Dub". Well, far from it. The sound evaporated over the years and from the old warriors only Dreadzone is left with mediocre releases. But luckily there is Echo Beach's brilliant back catalog and luckily there is Lee Groves. The former contains the matching tunes and the latter has the dance /Dub-Groove the 90s soaked up with breast milk. If you bring both together, you get: "dance a Dub“(Echo Beach) - a glorious renaissance of what was once so progressive Dub-Sounds. Lee Groves just knows how to do tunes from the Dub pistols, Dubblestandart, the Dub Syndicate, and many others, to make the original sound like they were recorded in Birmingham in 1995. For this purpose, Mr. Groves has vigorously remodeled the templates, overdubbed, provided with a good shot of kinetic energy and mixed powerfully. I think it's perfect. Which is not surprising, by the way, because Lee Groves is a rock-hard music professional. He started out programming sound cards for the hottest synthesizers of the early 90s, sounds that are prominently found in pieces by Vangelis or the Pet Shop Boys. Then he founded PuSH-Records - among others with Spencer Graham from Dreadzone (!). In his career as a producer, big names followed one another: Depeche Mode, Marilyn Manson, Janet Jackson, Craig David, Goldfrapp, Beck, Britney Spears, Black Eyed Peas and even Janet Jackson. And now, to crown his career: Dance a Dub!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

6 replies to “Lee Groves: Dance a Dub"

I like the album very much - well-produced and with the highest sound quality, but unfortunately almost all the tracks are structured according to the same scheme: They start out rootsy and after 2 or 3 minutes seamlessly transition into a dance track. This is undoubtedly done very well, but it got a little bored over time. And yet the time was ripe for a good "Hook, line & sinker" album - let's see if it works.

Yes, as I know myself, at the end of the day the disc is on my shelves at home and is sometimes put on "occasionally in the private sector".
As an old DreadZone fan, when I read the review (this time, for once, first in the Riddim), I literally gasped out of sheer anticipation. 99% of that kind of thing always backfires. For me, too, it comes down to disappointment at first. There is not a single version here that I do not already have in at least ONE other version much better in my "archive". This is certainly also due to the fact that all these versions of DubTopHeads ala Adrian Sherwood, Umberto Echo, AlDubb, Dubvisionist and all the others
DubProducers "around the world" already several timesdubbed and who are "most likely" much better off than a "rock-hard music professional" who already has his ears with something like Depeche Mode, Marilyn Manson, Janet Jackson, Craig David, Goldfrapp, Beck, Britney Spears, Black Eyed Peas " messed up ". (I still find Depeche Mode quite acceptable, I have to admit). All the others certainly also have their raison d'être but as DubNerd, I can really "stand over it" if that's right ;-)
In addition, he can be as “rock hard” as “as he wants”, the ultra-tough business of Dub and reggae music he has so far "skillfully" eluded himself by producing pop music.
It's not that bad, but that's why it can Dub ? That's not enough for my taste right away. Maybe I'll get used to it if I throw that part back in at home. Especially with the "sound" in the 2nd half or as gtkriz says, in the minutes after the first 2-3, I don't really get along very well. I just don't like this hyperactive clattering with the drums. Exceptions confirm the rule and so “Pump Up The Volume” works really well for me in this version too. But for me it doesn't quite get to the “original” (?) By Marrs either. I've been celebrating that from then until now. But this version here also cuts a lot for me.
But I also think that there is absolutely no reference to the version by Marrs, but a completely different cover of “Pump Up The Volume” is meant. But I really wanted to bring this old version of Marrs into the "game".
Rockers HighFi never grabbed me back then. My euphoric gasp came from the names DreadZone and Groove Corporation. The fusion of reggaeDub and techno is something of a trademark of DreadZone for me. Even I would not have had the slightest objection if that was a strong branch on the big one DubWould have become a tree.
I had to look at the DreadZone “Rare Dubs “but I have not regretted it, especially under the techno aspect. I can't and won't do anything against DreadZone Rules !!! ( mostly ). Groove Corporation has the name “Groove” rightly in his / her name. Rockers Hifi have not become the best known for nothing, because (as far as I can tell) they most likely served the hype of the time, which even reached far into the mainstream. But I don't want to make it really bad now either.
Normally Echo Beach doesn’t sell a CD and if there is one, I’ll be there despite all the “shortcomings”. If not, who cares ?! ……………

As long as ………………………. lemmi

I can only join the canon of the previous commentators ... somehow quite good the album, but ...! I suppose that it will not do too many revolutions with me either and its existence is more on the "shelf" ... is not the first of its kind and will not be the last.
At the moment I'm more in the backflash of the 90s Dubs and celebrate the showcase-style disc by Russ D aka The Disciples "A Vault Full Of Roots" (https://russdisciples.bandcamp.com/album/a-vault-full-of-roots) completely off, although admittedly certain sounds come across as a bit dusty or even old-fashioned ...
The work grooves, is down-to-earth, good reggaeDub and has really good conscious lyrics. Especially the songs and DubVersions of "Breaking Away", "Glad You Gone" & "Love King Selassie" stand out and stick in the ear canals and convolutions of the brain and turn out to be real catchy tunes that reverberate in a positive and relaxing way even hours after consumption keep spinning. What I really like when sound inspires and evolves in my own universe ... is sure to work well in a dance over a fat sound system.

I still remember “Prowling Lion” - THE Dub- 90s anthem from the Disciples. I thought it was great back then. Unfortunately, Russ hasn't evolved since then, so it's probably a good idea to hear the old material. Unfortunately, the album you mentioned is not in the stream - and somehow I haven't been able to bring myself to spend £ 10 for it so far. After your plea, however, I will go into myself again.

Reply

It's been a few years since I last bought a CD, but when I read the review in RIDDIM for “Dance A DUB“I read the cinema in my head (old times, memories ...) and for a few days the CD has been in the changer and is heard at least once a day. I can also agree with the previous comments, especially towards the end everything becomes a bit too monotonous for me. BUT: It's just a wonderful time travel.

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