To be honest, I am wondering to which artist or art style this “Album“ fits. No idea! But it would have to be something versatile that still shows a certain unity and a common thread. Strictly speaking, it is not a classic Dubalbum, but rather three 12″ vinyl releases containing a total of six different riddims, one on each side of the record (“The Vibe / Reggae Rub-A-Dub","Born As A Winner / Mr Officer","À mes Youths / Babylon Tremble“). And these songs can all be found on the album “MIXXTAPE“, which was released in December 2023, at that time simply without Dubversions and that's probably why it passed me by without me noticing. What is noticeable: in the digital bundle version, the tracks are arranged differently than if I were to put the three individual LPs on the turntable one after the other. The Original Bass Foundation presents a work that is experimental, brutal, energetic, psychedelic, weird, poppy, electronic, catchy, deep, groovy, technoid, punky and probably a lot more all in one piece and develops a certain pull: I want to listen to it again and again without knowing exactly why.
OBF is a sound system based in the French border area outside Geneva (Switzerland) and has been active since the noughties, especially in Geneva and the squat scene of the time. Producer and selector Rico OBF, operator G and manager Stef form the core of the crew and have slowly conquered dancehalls in Europe and then the whole world from Geneva after the squats (occupied houses) over the last two decades. I have to say that I don't like everything that is said about the in-house Dubquake Records label. However, over the years I have really taken a few EPs and singles to heart (worth mentioning “Do me right","Katibim"Or"Heavyweight SoundHowever, a lot of it is too electronic, too brutal or too straight forward stepper-like for me with driving “four-on-the-floor” beats throughout. Personally, I prefer it in the roots reggae style or more acoustic. Nevertheless, I am very impressed with this album and absolutely love the synthesizer sounds, beats and synth basslines used. In particular, the Dub-Versions are simply brilliant and not conventional, but bold and sometimes quite experimentally mixed and provided with effects.
The “Born As A Winner” riddim is simple, basically a piano lick, spiced up with a unison bass, offbeat and a rhythmic electronic bubbling (as if a thick sauce was simmering). In the meantime, a monophonic synth melody sounds. Two different vocal versions, one more party-like by Rider Shafique, one more conscious-rasta-like by Mikey General. Then the “Dub as a Winner”, with lots of reverb, faded in and faded out tracks, delay, filter rotation, stops. Very exciting and intelligent, I like Dub-Versions of this kind. "À mes Youths" after that is a hard (but logical?) change, especially in terms of the sound of the synthesizers. A driving stepper beat whips this instrumental forward, almost as if there was an apocalyptic rider behind it, hard and somehow electronically distorted, to finally close the circle again with the initially gentle synth carpet. The version of it "À mes Anciens" is then a first highlight. Rico OBF drags out the riddim and creates an oppressive mood full of inner restlessness that you don't want to escape but surrender to, and what he does with the knobs and dials on the mixer and the effects devices, I would love to experience live. At times it's just noise and vibration, great. He is brave, dares to do something and, in my opinion, wins all along the line because he really surprises the listeners and demands a lot from them. But for me, it only goes so far to the limit that I stay with it. It never becomes too much for me. With the outrageously poppy and dancehall-like beginning of "The Vibe" there is another break that is initially irritating, but immediately takes you along and makes you completely forget the certain heaviness from before. Curve scratched. Surprisingly, I find myself really feeling this electronic bassline. After that, the "Mr Officer" riddim becomes thematically militant and the sound gets harder again. Listen to these consistently very good, meaningful and interesting mixes and effect passages for yourself. I was torn and yet ultimately fascinated and kept coming back to this album and I am sure that this sound polarizes rather than unites. Rico knows his craft down to the last detail and delivers above-average and exceptional work here. It can only get a "very good"! And yet the fifth star is half missing!
2 Responses to “OBF: XX Series Bundle”
Since I don't expect there to be many comments on the album, I'm sorry that I can't share your enthusiasm for this album, Philipp. The "Dub as a winner” I can still follow quite well, as the bias line reminds me of so many good versions from Jamaica. The first thing that comes to mind is “African Landing” by Dub Syndicate. But there is probably a lot more.
The whole approach to sound and effects and the sound of riddim guitar and keyboard, as well as the way they fade in and out, is just what I like. Despite the computer-drum bass that I Dub Syndicate, which Dub I can put up with that now and then, especially when the bias line is as good as it is here.
But that's honestly it. As you yourself write so beautifully, you're not sure whether the drastic switch to the synthesizer sound is really logical. All I can say is that I've always lacked the intelligence to find anything logical about this synthesizer sound. For me, this synth sound is precisely the reason why I can't get on with OBF 99% of the time. There are exceptions everywhere and at all times. One of those big exceptions for me is "The Grooooooooooove (!)" with Nazamba, but they've never managed to do anything like that before or since (mind you, for my taste). Not even with Nazamba. "The Hills" on the A-side is in no way inferior, though.
It is too electronic for me too. Although electronic does not necessarily have to be an exclusion criterion. Electronics can certainly grab me too, but here it sounds too much like electronics. Electricians are more responsible for the rougher wiring, whereas electronics engineers have to work much more delicately so that the fine functions in the service of the Dubsciences can also be carried out effectively.
I am not feeling any better with this OBF project than you are with so many other OBF sound materials that have been released so far.
"Too electronic, too brutal or too straight forward stepper-like with driving "four-on-the-floor" beats all the time." But I find the sound of the synthesizer really bad! For me, this sound clearly highlights what OBF seems to be all about.
"experimental, brutal, energetic, psychedelic, weird, poppy, electronic, catchy, deep, groovy, technoid, punky and probably a lot more..."
If it were ingredients for a meal, you might suspect that it was perhaps a little over-seasoned. I always taste the "pop note" too much. I almost always have the feeling that OBF is deliberately targeting the younger generations, who grew up with a much more artificial (not artistic) sound and therefore have little problem with this shrill (for me unbearable) "synthy noise".
It's like palm oil in chocolate. If you don't know any different, you still seem to like eating it. But if you've been used to high-quality cocoa butter since early childhood, palm oil is the ultimate emetic. It wasn't actually intended for our food. It was supposed to be cheap "organic" crude oil for our cars, if I'm not mistaken. Now they have so much of the stuff that they give it to us to eat. And because of this, not only the orangutans in Indonesia have been almost completely wiped out without the slightest consideration (!). How bad and evil are we damn humans?!?
Well, most of us are more victims than perpetrators ………………..
Well, there's nothing wrong with targeting a young audience. Life goes on, after all. Even if everything is becoming more and more minimalist and artificial. Even our "intelligence" is supposed to become artificial. Long live art!!!
Kind regards ………………… lemmi
Nonsense! lemmi!!!
After checking the facts, I have to correct myself. "African Landing" has nothing to do with it. "Higher Than High" from "Fear Of A Green Planet" is much more accurate! (I had suspected something like that and checked again)
And it is definitely better if you don't change your wording in the middle of a sentence.
"I almost always have the feeling that OBF is consciously targeting the younger generations, who grew up with a much more artificial (not more artistic) sound and therefore have little problem with this shrill (for me unbearable) "synthy noise."
If I had written “have” instead of “get by”, everything would have been fine.