Review: Composer, sound designer, musician, artist. Vienna-based Ulrich Troyer has a number of strings to his bow, all of which have played into a world-building process deeply rooted in dub and sound system culture. Releases on the likes of Deep Midi Musik are a good reference point for newcomers. Here, though, we're in less structured and formalised places, with two pieces - well, one and a bit - of abstraction waiting for you to get lost in. 'Track 1' certainly comes with the kind of low reverberations and effects that call to mind huge speaker stacks in smoke-filled places. But it's also kind of deconstructed journey, it harmonises distorted beats and rhythms with beautiful melodic motifs in a way that's as innovative and beguiling as it is instantly pleasing. Flip it to find something we won't even bother trying to define, a celebration of the remnants of that opening arrangement, perhaps.
Haunted By Your Love (Call Sender dub version) (3:17)
Review: Get your lugs around this, the first single from Leo Vidal & The Rayvelles, and you will soon be keen to know more. 'Haunted By Your Love' is a modern take on the West Coast oldies sound from Leo Vidal, a 70s soul singer from rural Virginia who brings his East Coast harmonies to croon about lost love. The Rayvelles is the duo of Fergal McBride and Tuck Nelson and are the creative force behind Echo Ray Studios in London, a space that channels the soul of Motown into contemporary music. Backing vocals are provided by Cassandra Dali and Marietta Smith while the flip has a remix by Call Sender who layers in some inviting dub weight.
Review: The Vivian Jackson label has locked in this crucial reissue of a roots classic from Yabby U, a late Jamaican artist and producer who released it originally back in 1977. 'Chant Down Babylon' is a warm one with lazy and rolling drums and natty acoustic guitar riffs with Jah worshiping vocals and Babylon yearnings that unfurl up top with a real smoothness. On the flip, you will find the 'Chant Dub Mix' which removes the vocal chantings and allows the hats to hiss and the snares to take off like UFOs while the fleshy low end is couched in oodles of reverb.
Review: These two powerhouses of pioneering dub meet up for the second time on this fantastic reissue by Burning Sounds originally released in 1978. The mostly instrumental album shows the duo helping to define the dub sound for the next generation of producers. Thanks to the inspirations and usage of Studio One, the sound is quintessential dub, like in the 'Garvey Dub' and title song 'Guerilla Dub'. They've not fully abandoned the traditional roots as you can hear in 'Malcolm X Dub' and 'Martin Luther Dub' though, turning them into more of remixes than original tracks. This album is a must for any 70s and 80s dub afficionado.
Review: Clash, first released in 1977, was one of a series of definitive reggae albums to highlight the eminence of the soundclash, in which two reggae or dancehall crews rig up opposing soundsystems in a face-to-face musical standoff. Fashioning this album after the competitive form, Dillinger's sparring partner in this case is 'Trinity' aka Wade Brammer, who was active during the 1970s and 80s. Trinity as Dillinger is best known for deejaying over reggae and dancehall numbers; Clash albums became very popular at the tail-end of the 1970s and into the next decade, with singers and deejays alike competing for status, track by track.
Girl I Want To Dub You (feat Cornell Campbell) (2:16)
Dub My World (feat Johnny Clarke) (3:27)
African Roots In Dub (feat Johnny Clarke) (3:08)
Pure Dubbing (feat Horace Andy) (4:28)
Straight To Phil Pratt Head (feat David Isaacs) (2:45)
Mining (feat Delroy Wilson) (2:30)
Dub Too Much (feat Delroy Wilson) (2:51)
Step It Up In Dub (feat Barry Brown) (3:55)
In The Morning (feat Tinga Stewart) (2:53)
Stop (feat Delroy Wilson) (3:26)
Lingering (feat Delroy Wilson) (2:33)
Blessed Dub (feat David Issacs & Dillinger) (2:29)
Review: One person who surely never dubbed too much was the prolific and pioneering King Tubby, but that hasn't stopped Patate Records from putting together a third volume of his work with that sub-title. All of the 12 tracks on this release are classic, rare and/or unreleased and they were ll produced by the man himself in the late 70s during the gold age of the genre. Rodguel Sinclair aka Blackbeard is the producer of the material and his backing band The Ring Craft Posse, which included noted reggae heads like Sly & Robbie, Family Man and Carlton Barrett, all feature next to some of the era's finest vocalists - Delroy Wilson, Horace Andy and Johnny Clarke amongst them. Basically, this is as authentic and essential a collection of 70s reggae as you can get.
The Creation Steppers - "Born In Slavery (Kill Nebudchanezzar)" (3:04)
Albert Malawi - "Let's Get It Right" (3:20)
Little Roy - "Touch Not My Locks" (2:53)
Fred Locks & The Twelve Tribes Band - "Harmony" (dub) (4:19)
Cherry Rock & The Twelve Tribes Band - "Love" (dub) (3:24)
The Creation Steppers & The Twelve Tribes Band - "Killer" (dub) (3:21)
Albert Malawi & The Twelve Tribes Band - "Get Right" (dub) (3:38)
Little Roy & The Twelve Tribes Band - "Dread Morning" (3:33)
Review: Erroneously credited solely to Fred Locks on its 1978 release, this superb set is in fact a showcase of the work of the 12 Tribes Of Israel band in collaboration with the aforementioned artist; the collab also includes Earl 'Little Roy' Lowe, Albert Malawi, the Creation Steppers and Cherry Rock. With the 12 Tribes first forming in 1968 as a Rastafarian organisation based in Kingston, this troupe brought exceptional works of OG lovers' rock to the table, amidst a wider cultic organisation that saw each member grouped into a formation modelled on the Biblical 12 tribes of Israel. You wouldn't know it from the sense of pure relief and love that wafts from the music here: Love & Harmony is a brilliant one, carrying a universalist message of racial and spiritual unity amid an acknowledgement of tough beginnings and the necessity of lock care.
Review: For the first time, experimental saxophonist and composer Jimi Tenor finds Norweigan dance powerhouse DJ Sotofett, both teaming up for a collaboration: 'No Warranty Dubs'. Completing the trifecta is Berlin ensemble Kabukabu, the five-piece Afro-jazz-funkers whose original recordings - many of which were overseen expertly by Tenor himself - now come redistilled through a dubwise filter paper. The loose-limbed, lackadaisical energy of Kabukabu's live instrumentation merge fully with Tenor's genre-blurring composites, as Sotofett recasts fifteen tracks into rhythm-driven, bass-heavy versions. The original free jazz and Afro-influenced elements remain present, but they here serve as rawer material for layered studio treatments, channelling echo-drenched edit work and hypnotic repetition, where nothing ever rests to the point of complacency.
Review: Nkrumah Jah Thomas is a legendary voice in Jamaican music best known for his influential work as both a DJ and producer through his Midnight Rock label. He has collaborated with notable artists like Anthony Johnson, Early B, King Tubby, and Super Cat. Acid Jazz group label Roots Records, which has worked with Thomas since the late 1990s, now releases his first-ever vocal collection in the form of this album which features 12 essential tracks, including his debut hit 'Midnight Rock,' plus 'Dance Hall Connection,' and 'Dance On The Corner,' as well as his versions of 'Cool Profile' and 'Joker Smoker.' It also includes the 80s dancehall hit 'Dance Inna New York,' sampled by Nas on 'The Don.' The remastered tracks come with sleeve notes by reggae historian Tony Rounce, making it a must-have for dub and dancehall fans.
Review: With a career spanning over 50 years, Linval Thompson stands as one of the last living legends of Jamaican reggae. As a singer and producer on the renowned Thompson Sound label, Thompson has left an indelible mark on roots reggae with hits like 'I Love Marijuana,' 'Jah Jah The Conqueror,' and 'Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks.' He has also produced for major artists including Barrington Levy, Eek-A-Mouse, Johnny Osbourne, and Freddie McGregor. Known for his discretion and humility, despite owning one of the largest reggae catalogs in the world, Thompson is a cornerstone of the genre. His album, Ganja Man, features ten tracks and five dub versions. The album showcases his unmistakable voice and addresses current social issues, urging listeners to fight against corruption and embrace self-improvement. The title track, 'Ganja Man,' celebrates the plant he holds dear. The album features top reggae musicians such as Roots Radics, Jammys, Med Tone, The Ligerians, Irie Ites All Stars, Nambo Robinson, and Dean Fraser, with mixing by Roberto Sanchez and Irie Ites. Notably, singer and toaster Trinity features on the track 'Tune In.' If you don't know this man, get to know him by picking up this great album.
Review: Spanish dub maestro Roberto Sanchez first met Channel One artist and all right reggae legend Linval Thompson 15 years ago. In the time since, the pair have collaborated on numerous projects, though nothing as ambitious as this. It sees Sanchez provide an authentically dusty, deep and rhythm-focused dub translation of Thompson's 1978 album I Love Marijuana - a set that, despite King Tubby handling production duties - had never been fully re-worked in. Largely working with the original master tapes, Sanchez has delivered a dub re-imagining that sounds like a long-lost King Tubby or Lee 'Scratch' Perry production - all weighty low-end 'riddims', effects aplenty and echoing organ, guitars and vocals.
Review: Prince Lincoln Thompson was a Jamaican singer and songwriter, and was for a time the leader of the reggae group The Royal Rasses. Several albums in the 1970s and 1980s came among his greats, blending roots reggae, soul and even jazz influences. Thompson's 1980 LP Natural Wild was a hit enough, but it's its shadow self in the form of God Sent Dub that really captures our interest. At first, this dub version of the former LP was only issued that same year, as a limited edition run of 300 copies on a blank label with no credits. Inevitably, this lent it "rare collectors item" credo and resale shark-worthy venerability, but that of course wouldn't have been possible if it didn't also house a quality, unique take on dub. Made up of remixes only of songs from Natural Wild, Thompson is unafraid of swung tempos beyond the usual straight plod, 'My Generation Dub' being a case in point. Otherwise, the producer flaunts his delay mastery on select instruments only, and cuts like 'Spaceship Dub' obvously recall the cosmic visions of international artists contemporary to Thompson, such as Tradition.
Review: After Prince Lincoln Thompson and the Royal Rasses Band recorded the Experience album in 1979, they did the honourable thing and followed up with its dub counterpart, Harder Na Rass. Originally released on Warrior Records in the UK, it's everything you want from a roots-adjacent dub album, mixed by none other than Prince Jammy in the mighty King Tubby's studio. The sound is outstanding, with the percussion especially cutting through the mix and the musicality remaining intact despite the focus on dubwise versioning. Dub devotees take heed, this album has got everything you want, freshly remastered and cut nice and loud.
Review: Mille Plateaux and Raster hero Andreas Tilliander meets Fire! Orchestra's Goran Kajfes somewhere deep - and we mean DEEP - in the jazz cosmos. The farthest reaches of a universe far, far away, but one that still seems to understand how joyful vast can sound when pierced by the haunting yet strangely alluring sound of brass. But simply defining this as jazz misses a point, then throws us well beyond the pale. In Cmin would be nothing without the electronic tricks and gadgetry that first made us feel as though we'd space-walked off the edge of the known galaxy, out past the Milky Way's stardust. Echoes, tape delays, things that add mood and timbre without necessarily shouting their presence. There's magic at work here. And, contrary to the 21st Century's obsession with under-the-hood, not knowing the how is the reason why you want this.
Review: The unstoppable Bokeh Versions welcome the new year with some forward looking digi-dub gold. This one comes from Nottingham based sound sculptor TNT, who has never put out a vinyl record until now. An artist who has been pursuing a solo career since his Earthquake collective went south in 2002, he has stayed relatively low key while putting out various dub plates. The best of them from 2006 to 2018 are now collected here with production by Aba Shanti making each one pop. This album tells the story of a fine chapter in UK dub history, so don't miss out.
Ancient Atoll (feat Reinhilde Gamper, Martin Mallaun & Flip Philipp)
Latemar (feat Reinhilde Gamper & Martin Mallaun - bonus tracks)
Brennerautobahn (feat Taka Noda)
Echoes (part I)
Echoes (part II)
Tranist Tribe (feat Didi Kern)
Latemar (reprise)
Review: Ulrich Troyer's Transit Tribe is a stunning nine-track ambient dub album that showcases his two-decade-long journey through diverse soundscapes. The album elegantly blends avant-garde, techno and field recordings, all underpinned by the warm, atmospheric aesthetics of futurist dub. Featuring a stellar lineup of collaborators from around the globe, including Mamadou Diabate, Reinhilde Gamper and British poet Roger Robinson, the album infuses a rich tapestry of soundsiranging from electric sax and zither to cello and flute. Each track is an exploration of rhythm and texture, with organic drums and deep basslines creating a fluid listening experience that transports the listener. Troyer'S ability to manipulate sound, crafting immersive layers of delay, reverb and echo that invite listeners to lose themselves in the music. From the melodic bounce of 'Latzfonser Kreuz' to the emotive vibes of 'Lago di Garda', Transit Tribe stands as a testament to Troyer's artistry and the collaborative spirit of modern music, evoking the essence of African Head Charge and other pioneering dub influences.
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