Mato: Scary Dub

What did my cloudy eyes have to see? Hasn't there lately Colleague Wynands fobbed off Mato's new album with a ridiculous 3 stars and thus probably not only triggered gasping in me? This wonderful, new release "Scary Dub"(Styx Records) by the French miracle whirlpool Thomas Blanchot, who under his pseudonym Mato 1A-Reggae, -Dub, -Hip Hop and various remixes produced? So the man who came to terms with his Dub-Version of Daft Punk's "Homework“Into the collective Dub-Burned into memory? Yes, dear readers ... I can understand your outrage at this incredible misjudgment very well! I spontaneously give out a round of smelling salts or valerian drops (as needed) for everyone whose blood pressure is going crazy.

A paralysis later you have to say that Mato's Dub actually nothing for the original Dubheads is. There is not the pleasant one Dub- Intoxication - you know it: When the knees become weak and buckle easily; when the head involuntarily begins to nod to the rhythm and the acoustic world consists of a hypnotic, endlessly repetitive bassline and slow, heavy hits on the drums - and with Echo & Hall & other effects arsenal into the psychedelic dreamland where time leads then only consists of slowness. At least that's how it feels with me - let me know if you suspect a need for medical action.

No, Mato is more of a concept artist, storyteller, comic artist who translates 2 to 3-minute stories into acoustic gems. Or even the classical music or the soundtrack and everything perfectly produced & mixed - not for the big dance sound system, of course, but for the well-kept home system. Even the otherwise picky-critical reviewer doesn't find anything to complain about, which is a sensation in itself. However, in his new work, Mato has dealt with film music again; this time a bit narrower with the horror movie genre. There is practically everything represented that has rank and name - from Dracula, Frankenstein to Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers to Fox Mulder and Dana Scully; we don't want to forget the great white shark and the thing from the swamp either. An album full of “Scary Dubs “just.

Each track is a comic in itself; the film melodies are immediately recognizable, the matching sound effects sensational: an eerie organ, screeching women, Christopher Lee's voice - "I am Dracula" is the best Dub-Entertainment:

Or how about that Dub-Version of the "Jaws" theme, i.e. the "great white shark"? The slowly swelling, then nervous, panic-spreading strings ... the memory of the late 70s is immediately there again:

I still have one: Michael Myers goes reggae in “Halloween Dub“… Uh… scaaary !!!

So this time Mato is making music for the SciFi / Horror / Splatter-Movie fans and of course for the children in the Dubheads. It's casual entertainment, light fare, well presented ... and I love it. I actually throw myself away every time I say the “Jaws Dub“Listen - and the album is currently playing in an endless loop!

That makes a total of easily 4 stars, colleague Wynands ... oh well, I'll add another half a star: The X-Files are currently running in Dub - "The truth is out there". Sooo scaaary !!!