The Roots Makers got me before with their eponymous debut – an instrumental plus related Dub-Album - quite happy. Colleague Helmut Philipps even included the Roots Makers in his top 5 of 2021, which I can understand only too well. Everything was right there, and if the constantly nagging reviewer had anything to complain about, it would have been the lack of vocals or vocal snippets. So classic Dub stop, if you want to put it that way.
Now it is the case that we in the dubblog.de usually don't review EPs or singles and limit ourselves to albums. But here, as an exception, I would like to focus on an EP - if you don't take it so precisely, you could from the "Dubbers” EP (self-published) and the associated vocal counter part, the “Summer lovers“-EP, conjure up an 8 track album. Both releases are of the highest quality - and if you already have such a vocal template, you can use the Dub-Range actually nothing can go wrong:
And indeed, the Dubs are the best in the classic Roots area that I've heard in a long time. Everything is right there: nice mix, fine effects, bass lines that can be hummed along and the vocal sprinkles create the connection to the vocal versions. Do I hear someone say Roots Radics? But yes, the comparison is more than permissible, the vibe even reminds me slightly of Bunny Wailer's fine "Rock'n'Groove” album, I can also hear the classic 80's lovers rock and a little Aswad backing vocals.
So everything good? But yeah - an album... err... an EP that I can't refuse 5 stars for.
5 replies to “Roots Makers: Dubvia EP"
"Do I hear someone say Roots Radics?"
What does "say" mean here gtk ?! ….. If I were still sitting somewhere in the back row, like I used to at school, so that the teacher doesn’t disturb me during my private conversations, I would exceptionally ask to speak, gesticulating wildly and snapping my fingers loudly. And then I would ruuuuufäääähn ROOTS RADICS all over the schoolyard and far beyond!!! ( Long live the theatrics ). And I can also 100% “support” your comparison with “Rocking Groove” by Bunny Wailer.
This applies above all and especially to “Make Them Dub It', I think. Unfortunately, I noticed something during the second or third sound check, which makes my soup pretty bad. By the others Dubs on the disc the stylistic device of a bass fart was used, even if not quite as crass as on the Mad Professor. It doesn't matter, if it's grooved I have nothing against an occasional, but above all odorless bass fart. (BassFurz is a quote from gtk and if anyone finds it as funny as I do, give the inventor of the term a laugh). I actually think the ep is great too, but I just want to express my aversion to these miserable beeping noises again. Unfortunately, that also often went against the grain with Roberto Sanchez. You were only mentioned here in “Make Them Dub It" but that's exactly why I'm so "sad". For me this is actually the most outstanding riddim resp. Dub and of all things this beautiful one DubThey smeared the experience with “bullshit”. Sorry if I put it so harshly, but it really pisses me off. How can you. They didn't come up with that themselves!?
I become a "lateral thinker" and only smell conspiracies everywhere. Certainly some devid getter manager had it spit on afterwards so that no one would notice Dub much better than devid getter music.
And if the Roots Makers are responsible for that and maybe even think it's a good thing, I have to finally ask the question ......
Do you have a beep?! …………………………… Lemmy
hahaha... I celebrate your comments, lemmi!
These "beeps" are syndrums (or samples of them), sort of like predecessors of e-drums, like Simmons etc. Mostly known by Sly Dunbar, who used them massively in the late 70's and early 80's. In the disco music of the time, they were just as indispensable. I myself had once bought one… second-hand, and it had even more to offer than this “piuuuh” and its variants, it could also say “wawawawa” and “wou-wou-wou”. But that's only marginally. I think the syndrum is a nice reminiscence of old times, but I don't want it to be used in album length anymore.
Yes gtk, the good Sly Dunbar. For me, he is not infallible either. I of course least of all, but I once saw in a snippet of film how he programmed a drum computer with some riddim and when he noticed that his musician colleague frowned slightly, he asked him to at least get involved with it. I would have loved to have jumped on the TV and slapped the thing out of Sly Dunbar's hand and told him that if you first have to learn to find something good, then it's no good. Music is intuitive ( if I may lean out of the window again ) and programming is something for it - fuzzies. Sly Dunbar - one of the best drummers in the world - programs a drum computer. This belongs on my list of the most horrifying experiences.
Simmons drums don't produce the best for me either DubFeeling. Exceptions, however, confirm the rule. It's a pity that I can't imagine exactly what "wawawawa" and "wou-wou-wou" means, but I can't shake the feeling that it's much, much better than this "piuuuh".
Variable sound and sound effects on the "SnareZeit" I find fantastic and are in Dub for me the salt in the soup. But you can also “get it wrong” when eating and use something perverse like fennel instead of salt.
(I think there are also people who would take offense at the word "deviant" because it was probably also used by the Nazis, but I would also be only too happy to say to such people that one then almost entirely no longer allowed to speak German, because even the Nazis (unfortunately) also spoke German. I mean these "good people" who even want to take Tom and Jerry out of the program because it's supposed to be too brutal).
(Please don't overrate it. I'm still on cloud nine today and feel as if I've slept in the KabaDose again / Maybe everything is different from what I perceive here, but that's how it is, my perception. Yesterday I heard the "Natty Dread" by Bob Marley And The Wailers again and asked myself right away when I heard the first tune "Lively Up Yourself" when in the last 7 years a tune like this had come out that even came close to as much music in the blood. Even the saxophone is great there).
"Roots Rocking to The Roots Reggae" ………………. lemmi
I may be wrong, but the album still has nothing to do with Roots Makers - Karigan meets DM Kahn & Organiks. Only the album in question was positively mentioned by Helmut Philipps in the 2021 charts.
Check out the Roots Makers (aka Karigan & DM Kahn & Organiks) Facebook account - you can see everything there.