Review: We shall never apologise for our love for the work of Steve O'Sullivan. His contributions to the world of dub techno are second to none. They are also mad consistent both in style and quality which means they never age. Here he steps up to Lempuyang with his Blue Channel alias alongside Jonas Schachner aka Another Channel for more silky smooth fusions of authentic dub culture and Maurizo-style techno deepness. Watery synths, hissing hi-hats with long trails and dub musings all colour these dynamic grooves. They're cavernous and immersive and frankly irresistible and the sort of tracks that need to be played loud in a dark space. In that context, you'll never want them to end.
Review: Matthieu Chedid and Seu Jorge's long-running collaboration reaches a new peak with this latest release. A-side, the track 'Parioca' brings together the duo's signature stylesiChedid's French flair and Jorge's Brazilian rhythms, resulting in a seamless fusion of groove and melody that invites listeners into a warm, joyful world where their distinct musical identities meet. The B-side's dub mix of 'Parioca' takes things in a deeper direction, layering hypnotic rhythms and atmospheric textures that open up the track, creating an expansive, dubby atmosphere. It's a perfect companion to the original, showing the depth and versatility of their musical partnership, which continues to evolve after more than a decade of collaboration.
Joseph Cotton & Earl Heptones - "Misty Morning" (4:00)
Room In The Sky All Stars - "Smoking Horn" (feat Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton) (4:21)
Review: The latest from the Joe Gibbs label features a powerful roots rockers reinterpretation of The Sensations' classic rocksteady tune 'Everyday Is Like a Holiday.' The new version from Ruddy Thomas brings a different kind of energy while honouring the soulful essence of the original. It's packed with plenty of mad mixing desk effects and endless echo while warm vocals and deep basslines lock in a steady, hypnotic rhythm. On the B-side, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals deliver 'Holiday Style' which has happy horns and melodies that sparkle in the hot summer sun. Real roots authenticity and dub mastery make this another vital 7".
Timeless digital roots and dub from The Disciples here featuring the late Jamaican singer Creation Stepper, who i most famously well known for his iconic 70s roots reggae classics. This release includes a fresh take on Stepper's 1978 track, 'Kill Nebuchadnezzar' and it is paired with another vocal gem, 'Ozone Layer,' plus two powerful dub versions. Originally mixed and produced by Russ D in The Disciples' studio in 1991, this music finally saw the light of day in 2011 on the Disciples Vintage label where it quickly sold out. Now back on a great sounding 12", this is a must for roots and dub heads.
Review: UK favourites Dub Pistols are back with the second release in their Version excursion series. The original is a great cover an Edie Brickell classic which brings this outfit's usual blend of ska, 2-tone and dub to the fore. The drums are mid-tempo and have a real swagger while the sub-bass adds serious weight, gentle wood block hits and rim shots pepper the mix and the lovely vocal from Prince Fatty regular Shniece brings seductive and smoky soul. On their 'What I Am Manasseh Dub' things get more laden with echo and reverb and mixing desk effects twist the low ends into perfect stoner territory.
Review: The connection between ZamZam and Feel Free Hi Fi was sparked by Bristolian Neek out in Portland and lead to an immediate bond forged over a shared sound and DIY ethos. Inspired by early digi-era dancehall and UK dub, the duo crafts a sound here that honours tradition while venturing into bold, idiosyncratic territory. It comes on their own Digital Sting label and opens with 'Voyageur' which is a mix of cinematic atmospherics with haunting synths that evoke wild and mythic landscapes. 'Underground' pays tribute to the spirit of DIY underground music and captures the struggle to preserve both nature and the essence of basement gigs in today's shifting cultural landscape.
Review: Ghost Dubs aka. Michael Fiedler returns to pile on the Pressure. Following recent acclaim-gatherer Damaged, this extension of the LP further serves to distend the dub, surveying and excavating fossil-rich terrains of soiled bass and coarse texture. Six reconstructed dub reformations, only two tracks, ';Chemical Version' and 'Wired Version', were previously available digitally; both introduce the record as warped yet unassuming undercuts, ripe for the meditating-to. 'Thin Dub' dissolves the mood into an echo-drenched texture; the track is marked by an up-down, contradistinct set of tuned impacts. 'Dub Craft', meanwhile, snatches the crown for most subby tune of the year.
Review: A rare gem from the golden age of early reggae, this 1970 cut by Justin Hinds was originally released on a Duke Reid 7". It gets a welcome reissue here but still has plenty of lo-fi aesthetics, vinyl crackle and dusty sound that keeps it authentic rather than overly polished. Hinds' soulful vocal delivery and signature rhythm style shine as they capture the spirit of the era with subtle flair. On the flip side, a slinky, instrumental organ version by Gus McIntyre adds serious depth and makes this an irresistible double-sider or cracking up nice and loud through some towering speaker stacks.
Review: "Inokasira Rangers" translates from the Japanese to mean "Park Rangers". Living up to the name, this band's dub and rocksteady versions are like natural conservation efforts. Re-rendering their chosen songs in bobbing dub, Nirvana's grunge roll 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is first revitalised, transformed into a sustainable form: "jello, hello, how low" becomes a relatively spooky perennation of Hammond, while Krist Novoselic's accompanying basslines become chop guitar, emblematic of the rocksteady movement. Meanwhile, Kool & The Gang's 'Summer Madness' is lent an eerier, dream-strung dub version, with an underwater wah effect providing an extra tchotchke on the windowsill of history.
Review: Tokyo's Inokasira Rangers have been crafting lo-fi reggae since the 1990s, yet remained a rather hidden gem outside Japan. Their release 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' finally changed that when it dropped initially back in 2023 and sold out in quick time so now gets reissued. The A-side reimagines Frankie Valli's classic with a laid-back reggae twist while the B-side takes on Crystal Waters' '90s dance anthem with surprising charm. Infused with a subtle Shibuya-kei flair, both covers feel fresh yet timeless. The Waters rendition, in particular, sounds like a forgotten folk tune-so natural it's hard to believe it wasn't always this way. A breezy, nostalgic delight from a band overdue for global recognition.
Review: Japan's best covers outfit, Inokasira Rangers, once again scores another knockout in dub. This time the instrumental group have procured a jaunty Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong ballad and a Glen Campbell re-blend respectively. Both songs have been lent a warm, clear-cut rocksteady flavour, substituting trademark vocal lines for instrumental renderings (both originals contain bittersweet legatos and leaping intervals, and deal in themes of gratitude and nostalgia, making it an extra challenge for the Hammond and electric piano to replicate them). But the task is nonetheless won, and pristine clarity achieved!
Review: Rocksteady revivalists Inosikira Rangers have built a long and successful career out of unlikely cover versions, delivering killer reggae style interpretations of everything from 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Anarchy In The UK' and 'Creep', to 'Born Slippy', 'Like a Virgin' and 'Happy'. Here, two of their most popular and potent covers are brought together for the first time on one "45". On side A they handle New Order's 'Blue Monday', re-casting it as a Hammond-heavy slab instrumental rocksteady, with Bernard Sumner's vocals being replaced by extended organ solos. Over on the flip, they slow down and skank out Kraftwerk's 'Autobahn', throwing in nods to krautrock and a dash of robotic vocoder to keep things fresh.
Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - "Wooly Bully" (2:26)
Review: Across four artists and four versions, Original Gravity present 'Woolly Bully', a woollen repackaging of the longtime Sam Sham & The Pharoahs classic. Laid down in 1964, this terpsichorean prancer kept to a 12-bar blues progression, and made for the first American record to sell a million copies during the storied British Invasion. Its mixture of skiffly British rock and Mexican-American conjunto was an intentional blend, and a succesful one at that. Its enduring impact is now felt in these rollicking cover versions from Junior Dell, Donnoya Drake, Luchito & Nestor Alvarez and Curtis Baker, all roomy, costume vintage retrofits of the original. Listen closely to the lyrics for strange talk of a mythical creature: the original song's lyrics were so strange that some radio stations banned it for fear of popular befuddlement.
Review: System warmongers Moonshine Recordings brew their own methanol murder beats, this time enlisting master home brewer King DuBear and toaster/taster Junior Dread for an apocalyptic system smasher, of epidemic proportions. In characteristic throaty baritone, 'Keep The Faith' hears Dread caution his fellow youngers against folly - "stay away from they food and the lies dem a spread" - while snares and noir bubbles come ensnared in intense, pop-out reverb. The dub goes surprisingly in on Dread's vocals, hamming them up with extra preamp body.
Review: American label Deep Bow makes a notable vinyl debut with this heavyweight 10" featuring King Stanley and Prince Jamo, both voicing over a thunderous riddim crafted by producer Dub Sev?. This roots-driven slab stars with King Stanley's passionate cries over sleek drums with shiny digital synths and neat guitar licks. It stays true to the deep, meditative spirit of sound system culture and becomes much more roomy and spaced out in the hands of Dub Seva. Prince Jamo's 'Joke' has a cleaner vocal and some natty keys, and also gets dubbed out by Dub Seva. A strong introduction from Deep Bow that showcases talent from both sides of the Atlantic.
Review: After more than 15 years of musical activism, self-produced releases and collaborative projects, Jamble Records delivers its first official vinyl release, and it marks the overdue return of DJ legend Lone Ranger. This track is a true rub-a-dub gem in the classic 80s tradition, driven by an energetic tempo and powered by Lone Ranger's sharp, socially conscious lyrics. With a message that calls out the mounting pressures of an increasingly capitalist world, the release taps into the defining spirit of resistance of classic Jamaican sound system culture. It's a great debut vinyl that draws together roots heritage and a message that still resonates today.
Review: This is a mad decent debut release from veteran musical assistant Meroe "G," also known as Record Shop Roy. This original composition, 'Can't Pay Won't Pay,' was penned by A.G. Marshall and the package also features the legendary Big Youth who delivers the powerful 'Sufferers Cry' vocal in a single striking take- he manages to capture raw emotion with seemingly effortless ease. Next to him, the track boasts an impressive lineup of talent including drums from Horseman, Steven Wright aka Marley on guitar, keys from Henry Holder, saxman Richard Doswell and David Fullwood on trumpet with Paul Kelly adding percussion next to Meroe "G" on vocals and bass. This is a deep, rootsy package crafted with care and spirit that demands to be pumped loud through your best amps.
Review: South Africa-born, United States-based Brendon Weller is one of dub techno's finest modern day practitioners. he has been endlessly exploring the form for years but never falls short of fresh ideas. Here he offers up his latest 12" on EchoLTD. It begins with 'Rescue Me' which is smoky, deep and atmospheric with rattling hits and chords submerging you way beneath the surface.A'YassQueen' then taps into an orignal dub ethos with rumbling bass and heady harmonica sounds floating amongst wispy pads. 'Scorching' stays fully horizontal and is a vast empty space with patient bass and drums and 'How Love Is Your Deep' ends with another heady exploration of empty space and slow motion rhythm.
Review: New York's incomparable edit king, and a hugely prolific one at that, Danny Krivit aka Mr K returns with some elongated reworks of a couple of Stevie Wonder's most timeless tunes. First up is his version of 'Master Blaster' which was originally the sound of Stevie paying tribute to Bob Marley. In his hands, it has a big intro and drums ready to rock. Flip it over and you will find 'I Was Made To Love Her' which has big r&b overtones and the sort of breakdowns that really build a vibe in the club. Adding in lashings of signature soul and you have two more steamy and effective tributes from the one and only Mr K.
Review: Night Owls return with a second wave of 7"s, delivering a fresh take on two classics by Aaron Neville under the featherlight sway of infamous record producer Allen Touissant. Reimagining 'Hercules' alongside 'Tell It Like It Is', the duo once again poke at the seams of the cine-funk sound, enlisting powerhouse collaborators - Alex Desert & The Lions, and vocalist Asdru Sierra - on both sides of this blistering 45. The B especially brims with a busty bonhomie on 'Tell It Like It Is', rewiring the OG song's current flows to a throughput of smooth reggae and cumbia.
Review: Richard Norris loves a series. The former Grid man and noted psychedelic music afficionado has umpteen on the go at present, including ones dedicated to meditative ambient sounds ('Music For Healing') and modular experiments ('Abstractions'). Then there's his dub-wise and 'outernational' music series, Oracle Sound, which here reaches its fourth - and possibly strongest - instalment. Highlights are plentiful, from the languid and woozy head-nod of opener 'Connected Dub' and the intoxicating, flute-sporting musical mystery of 'Earthsea Dub', to the up-beat dancefloor dub of 'Maximum Dub', and the sub-heavy, near dub techno pulse of John Carter hook-up 'Ceefax'. That one also comes accompanied by alternative takes by both Norris and Carter.
Review: After a long a post-COVID quest to repurpose his music as a vessel for healing, Richard Norris (The Grid, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve) tops up the fourth edition of his oracular, thinking-man's-dub Oracle Sound series. Volume 4 describes its the nine dub versions as "outernational, widescreen versions", and if by widescreen Norris means the stereo field, then this is realised with abundant clarity on the outset that is 'Connected Dub', on which ample effects riffle across a club-readied plod, as a knowing gravel-voice suggests a paternal spirit guide keeping watch over the reels. 'Earthsea Dub' continues, nodding to Ursula Le Guin's fictive planet through sloshing water FX and ticklish 808s, while the three closing 'Ceefax' bits take teletext retro-nostalgia headspaces to the extreme. Jon Carter's Guest Mix is a special closing freakout, one that could convey itself well even over copper wire, never mind the now ubiquitous fibre-optic.
Prince Buster with Determinations - "Ten Steps Ahead" (3:58)
Determinations - "Two Steps Back" (3:44)
Review: Rock A Shaka continue to wring out their apparently exclusive tenancy of Prince Buster's so far unissued reggae and rocksteady works, this time dropping a fresh 7" one with the instrumentalist Determinations on dubbing duties, 'Ten Steps Ahead'. Buster's final recording before he died initially went by the name 'One Step Beyond', and it has here been renamed in requiem, perhaps to differentiate it from the repopularised Madness cover. Lodged behind the vault door for years, you can be sure that Rock A Shaka thanked their lucky stars when they re-found it: "why must I suffer so much on this land?" Buster's voice is unusually lonesome and spectral, revealing in the late artist a rarely obviated forlornness.
Review: Michael Prophet is a distinctive reggae vocalist with an emotive falsetto and conscious lyrics. Emerging in the late 1970s from Kingston, he rose to prominence working with legendary producer Yabby You, delivering hits that addressed social injustice, spirituality and inner strength. 'Know The Right' by Michael Prophet is one of those roots reggae gems that blends signature conscious lyrics with a smooth, hypnotic groove. His signature falsetto carries a message of wisdom and discernment that urges us to surround ourselves with positive influences. The rhythm section is tight and laid-back and on the flip is a dub for mellow moods and reflective moments.
Review: Stop us if you've heard this one before. Lee "Scratch" Perry walks into a Quasi Dub Development recording session somewhere in New York. He begins to freestyle in that surrealist, escapist, hallucinogenic kind of way we still love him for, and the results eventually make their way onto 2014's record, Little Twister. The rest, as they say, is history. Or maybe not quite. Four years after the world lost Perry's enigmatic poetry and pioneering contributions to dub, Pingipung, the label that carried that aforementioned LP, unearths the tape of one track from the collection the bosses clearly feel deserves more attention. 'Let's Communicate' is as intoxicating now as it was back then. Then contemporary UK dub don Elijah Minnelli steps up to deliver an alternative version that stands up on its own. No mean feat.
Review: Spanish label Base Lee Music has tapped up hometown hero Roberto Sanchez for this great new rockers roots single. 'Words Of My Mouth' really has it all - the smooth flowing bassline that undulates and rumbles with cavernous warmth, the acoustic guitar plucks up top to hint at the old school reggae sound and a vocal that is pure and soulful. The Message band come through with a dub version on the flip that layers in tons of echo and reverb and gets those snaking hi-hats hissing as they melt away to nothing.
Stand High Patrol & Susan Cadogan - "Fever" (4:34)
Stand High Patrol - "39 C" (dub) (4:16)
Review: French (digi)-dub trio Stand High Patrol share two new cuts on their very own label, helping develop what it means to record a "dub cover". Harking back to Kingston, Jamaica, 1974, this triumphant dub triumvirate home in on a much-loved dub reggae cover, recorded by Lee "Scratch" Perry and national vocal icon Susan Cadogan, of Little Willie John's 'Fever', in turn a cover of Peggy Lee's 1958 hit original. With this record, the interpretive transmission chain is manifold: now Stand High Patrol offer their own cover, a rather measured take, in which bubbly basses and cold, static, unstressed Rhodeses hover above the vocal mix. The instrumental version, '39 -C Dub' is equally frigid but still moving, haunting.
Review: Originally released in 1977, 'Deliver Me From My Enemies' is one of those roots reggae tunes that became something of a cornerstone of the gene from the visionary Vivian "Yabby You" Jackson. It is the title track of his third album and was recorded at Channel One Studio with mixing by the great King Tubby so was as real and authentic as it gets. It is a short and sweet sound that mixes up spiritual vocals with haunting production marked by Yabby You's signature mystical sound of minor-key melodies, deep bass and evocative horns. drumming. Backed by top session musicians, it reflects Jackson's deep Rastafarian beliefs and critiques of social injustice and marked a crucial release in the evolution of conscious reggae.
Review: Appearing here for the very first time on 7", this track from Vivian Jackson, aka Yabby You, was originally released as the title cut off the Jah Jah Way LP back in 1980. It was later pressed on a 12" by Yabby You some 20 years after its initial release and is one of those heavy, fat-bottomed dub cuts that demands to be played loud from a towering speaker stack while the sun is blazing. The bassline does most of the heavy lifting with dusty tambourines and passionate vocals adding the soul. The dub version on the flip gets some serious mixing desk treatment and tons of echo for even more mind-melting brilliance.
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