"Soul Rebel in Dub“Lone Ark Riddim Force (A-Lone/Evidence) is one of those albums that you don't just listen to, but eventually just know. I've internalized many of the vocal versions from the Lone Ark universe – with Alpheus or Ras Teo – over the years anyway, and that's precisely why this feels so special.” Dub-Set so familiar. Roberto Sánchez, who has been producing countless fantastic tracks in his Santander studio for years, has almost outdone himself here. Every track is a killer – no filler – as we used to say. So many musical ideas in one place are rare – even from Roberto Sánchez. What particularly captivates me about this album is its ingenious rocksteady and early reggae aesthetic. The rhythms have the light-footed buoyancy of that golden era – but here with a rich, contemporary sound. The plucked guitar melodies are beautiful, the horns are perfectly placed, nothing is overloaded or inflated. And since Sánchez tends to be rather sparing with DubBy avoiding effects – in some parts it almost sounds like classic B-side versions – the whole thing feels very pleasantly streamlined: clear spaces, clear ideas, no effects for their own sake, but musical substance.
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Lone Ark Riddim Force: Soul Rebel in Dub
2 replies to “Lone Ark Riddim Force: Soul Rebel in Dub"
Mmm, should I or shouldn't I? We've had enough bad vibes in the comments these past few days. But I have to admit, it's too bland for me. Like a meal in a retirement home. Just don't add too much seasoning and keep the base as watery as possible. No, I don't know who's plucking, blowing, and drumming, but I'm nowhere near feeling the power and intensity of rocksteady music as it was once played in Jamaica.
Perhaps my palate has simply become too spoiled by the original dishes of yesteryear. I don't know. Maybe I'm just a connoisseur but not a gourmet. No idea! But when I listen to the old rocksteady numbers by, for example, Errol Brown, I'm a gourmet again.
And his DubMixes have significantly more punch than the "economical" ones. DubEffects” by Roberto Sanchez.
I'm trying to be a bit more careful because I don't want to be labeled a clueless reggae enthusiast. As always, I'm writing from the gut. I don't know if it really was Errol Brown who played the main role as engineer. But, in my opinion, Errol Brown was already doing much more exciting things back then. DubIt was a mixed bag. Things were really happening! I'm too tired and too old for Roberto Sanchez. I need "more and stronger kicks in my ass".
Otherwise, have fun with it! ………………. lemmi
It doesn't have to sound like Jamaican rocksteady, though it can be inspired by it. If it's too clean and sometimes too straightforward for you, you should listen to 70s and 80s ska, rocksteady, and reggae. It depends on the era, the equipment used, and who's using it—someone who's completely new. DubIt was created at a time when the genre was experiencing a boom, or by someone who had many more opportunities but was "overflowing" with good reggae and Dub Music…should actually bring back even more creativity, but yeah. Maybe it's just the way people are, the vibe, and they simply produce "clean" reggae music with less of a zeitgeist than back in the JA days, when reggae vibes were everywhere – in the air, in the food, everywhere. And social and societal circumstances had a huge impact on the music. Unlike in the Spanish countryside…
So far, I still consider Robert Sanchez one of the best and most active producers of our time. I met him briefly this year; he's very humble and irie! I have a lot of respect for his work!
SELAH!