Scientist: Direct-To-Dub

Over 44 years ago I released my very first Scientist album “Heavyweight Dub Champion“ on the turntable at home – a »blind purchase«. After the first few bars I loved this album. I had never heard anything like it before. Scientist conjured up Barrington Levy’s song album “Robin Hood" one Dub-album that couldn't have been more radical at the time. Together with the dream team Henry 'Junjo' Lawes as producer, the Roots Radics and Scientist on the mixing desk, a rich, dry sound was created that had never been heard before. It just occurred to me that Scientist also appeared on the cover of the Dub Conference book. Why? Scientists contribution to the Dub In my opinion, his achievements cannot be weighed against gold, he has simply developed it radically and taken it to a new level. Many years and, as you can read, around 60.000 recordings later, Hopeton Overton Brown alias Scientist has proven that he is still one of the most influential personalities of the Dub I am all the more excited to hear something new from the grandmaster. Surrounded by vintage analogue equipment, “Scientist: Direct-To-Dub“ (Night Dreamer) in a way that recalls his early days as a sixteen-year-old with King Tubby, where it all began. For the Night Dreamer session, Scientist brought together musicians from the London reggae scene, including the rhythm section Mafia (bass) and Fluxy (drums) from The Instigators, guitarist Tony Ruffcut from Creation Rebel, singjay Donovan Kingjay, keyboardist Greg Assing from Jah Shaka and the Twinkle Brothers, and saxophonist Finn Peters. The crew was reinforced by Salvoandrea Lucifora, a trombonist from Amsterdam and head of the Dutch Zebra Street Band, as well as background singers Alyssa Harrigan and Peace Oluwatobi. For the recordings, Scientist took almost the entire studio apart and rebuilt it according to his ideas. He spent hours on the kick drum alone. The high-pass filter of the mixer was rewired and two 18-inch subwoofers were installed. Apart from Fluxy on drums, Scientist gathered all the musicians in the control room and made the whole room shake with the rich bass. This is how he immerses himself in his new album “Direct-To-Dub“ into those bygone times. For the album, six tracks were initially recorded with the top musicians. Scientist then mixed the tracks in real time, with the mix being recorded directly onto a lacquer record, from which the vinyl LPs were then pressed. The production process itself is actually a trip back to the 70s, because the rather complex lacquer cutting process was only used to produce records until the 80s. In an interview, Scientist describes this experience as “back in time”. The master at the mixer plays his “instrument” and knows exactly when to take something out of the mix or keep it, extend it or repeat it. There are thunderous brass sections with lots of reverb, snare cracks that still echo in space and time, while bass and drum kicks give you a punch in the solar plexus. We all know that Dub in the wrong hands it can become an indefinable mush, as if someone had thrown all the effects into a washing machine and hoped for the best. But under the care of a master like Scientist, you think you know when only a stream of effects flows from the speakers and when the Dub-flood is coming. Each of the six tracks is presented as an extended “disco mix”. There are four showcase-style songs and two cool Dubs. As mentioned above, vocals are provided by veteran singjay Donovan Kingjay, who has been around since the early 90s and here re-records some of his favourite songs, all written about a decade ago. "Missing You" is a gentle love song, enhanced by backing vocalists Alyssa Harrigan and Peace Oluwatobi. Originally produced by Dougie Wardrop of Conscious Sounds, "Be Thankful" is a heartfelt Rasta song, with Scientist's sound effects reflecting the lyrics' imagery of thunder, lightning and retribution. "Jailhouse" deals with the subject of crime and particularly punishment. It is a critique of the increasingly poor prison conditions which in turn increase the profits and dividends of those who run and own these overcrowded facilities. "Higher Meditation" is a classic ganja anthem, with "a whiff of an Ital spliff". Both tracks first appeared on Kingjay's 2014 album, which also features Crucial Tony and Mafia & Fluxy.

Scientist cut the new Dubs in a single live take on Night Dreamer's custom-made Neumann cutting machine straight to the record. Where others feel pressured, Scientist is in his element. Seemingly effortless and skilful, Scientist strips things back, creating galaxies of space and time between each splash of sound. The bass rumbles and is omnipresent, the organ flashes and bubbles. The brass is omnipresent, turning into distress sirens at times. Rich and sophisticated, with unexpected and unpredictable bursts of wildness and radicalism, the result is reminiscent of the heyday of Dub and the well-deserved meteoric rise of a brilliant sound engineer.