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Drumming Is A Language: African Head Charge’s psychedelic Africa sound anthologized in new box set
02.05.2020
08:48 am
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Behold the premiere of “Peace and Happiness,” a previously unreleased track from Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi, one of On-U Sound’s upcoming spate of releases by African Head Charge on vinyl. African Head Charge is the long-running collaboration between master Nyabinghi percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah and maverick UK dub producer Adrian Sherwood. Some of the trippiest dub you’ll ever encounter.

Comprised of music originally released between 1990 and 2011, Drumming Is A Language, a 5 CD box set including material from these same releases alongside Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi—an album of unreleased music and rarities dating from the early 90s that were rescued from decaying tapes—will be released on March 6.

This new series picks up the story in 1990 with the album that is widely regarded as their masterpiece, Songs Of Praise. It’s been expanded to a double album with a whole raft of bonus tracks, as has 1993’s In Pursuit Of Shashamane Land.

2005’s Vision Of A Psychedelic Africa and 2011’s Voodoo Of The Godsent are pressed to vinyl for the first time, both as double LP sets, and as a companion piece to the Return Of The Crocodile LP of early rarities, Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghicompiles alternate mixes and dubs from 1990 -1993. Each vinyl LP comes with a double-sided 24” x 12” poster containing an exclusive new interview with Bonjo in 5 parts alongside rare photos.


In recent years African Head Charge have returned to the live stage with a line-up featuring original African Head Charge participants.
 

 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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02.05.2020
08:48 am
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‘Here Comes the Warm Dreads’: Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & Adrian Sherwood meet Brian Eno uptown
11.29.2019
12:04 pm
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Lee Perry and Adrian Sherwood by Kishi Yamamoto
 
When Rainford, the collaboration between dub legends Lee “Scratch” Perry and On-U Sound’s Adrian Sherwood came out earlier this year, the reviews were stellar, but I will admit to being a bit skeptical.  A five star MOJO review asserted “Rainford is a late-career answer to 1978’s Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Corn Bread and beyond all reasonable expectation, fully its equal.” 

Really? The unequivocal statement above bites off an awful lot, of course, but damn if that album wasn’t—beyond all reasonable expectation—really amazing.

Next from the Perry and Sherwood team-up comes Heavy Rain, the dub version of Rainford. The press release, echoing the MOJO reviewer claims “If Rainford is 2019’s Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Corn Bread then Heavy Rain is its Super Ape,” but this time I was less skeptical. The two greatest dub producers alive, plus the talents of the great Jamaican master trombonist Vin Gordon and another fellow known for his prowess in the studio, Brian Eno? 

The track that features Eno’s contribution is a radical reworking of “Makumba Rock” one of Rainford‘s highlights. Here titled “Here Come the Warm Dreads,” it’s my understanding that Eno only worked on the right channel of the mix. It’s super trippy, almost disorienting. TURN IT UP LOUD. And smoke a joint, would you? Don’t waste it!

Heavy Rain is released on black vinyl, silver vinyl, CD as well as available for download and streaming on December 6th via On-U Sound.
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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11.29.2019
12:04 pm
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Dub Gabriel opens a new chapter in dub with ‘Raggabass Resistance’

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The dub virus has now spread out from its late-‘60s Jamaican origins on into the 21st century via modern roots, dubstep and virtually all other electronic beat music. Producer Dub Gabriel’s new album, Raggabass Resistance offers some compelling coordinates towards the only place dub has truly gone—forward.

Gabe’s first two albums, 2003’s Ascend and 2005’s Bass Jihad, saw him ground himself as a producer in the multi-tempo global-Southern dub vision established by folks like legendary multi-instrumental producer-naut Bill Laswell. But while Laswell stretched out his compositions in an ethereal jazz-influenced way, Gabe maintained a more compact aesthetic that reflected the edgy grit of the post-punk/second-wave hip-hop era during which he came up.

By the time he self-released his third album, Anarchy and Alchemy, in 2008, Gabe had started honing in on an electronically infused reggae framework that both anticipated the breakout of dubstep and introduced his consistent use of modern dubwise MCs like Jahdan Blakkamore, Juakali and Dr. Israel, all of whom also appear on Raggabass Resistance.

Drenched in analogue warmth and released both digitally and on heavy vinyl, Raggabass‘s nine tracks comprise Gabe’s most focused manifesto on what eclectic roots- dub music can sound like in the digital age.

Between the driving rhythm and compelling dub-poetry of “Is This Revolution” featuring The Spaceape…

 
…the quasi-Andalusian one-drop vibes of “Draw the Line” featuring Dr. Israel and Gogol Bordello MC Pedro Erazo…

 
…and the heavily psychedelic “Live and Luv,” which features old-school MC U-Roy and bass by Bauhaus’s David J…

 
…you know you’re getting into some eclectic territory here.

But cuts like the rocksteady-infused “Nearly There” featuring veteran Brixton UK rhymer Brother Culture…

 
…and the mega-rootsy “Silent Warrior” featuring new-school singer/MC P.J. Higgins

 
…find Gabriel showing ultimate respect for the dubwise tradition as he seeks to launch it deep into this new century.

And as the product of a successful Kickstarter campaign, the beautifully designed Raggabass Resistance also serves as yet more proof of the kind of quality package artists can offer up in a crowdfunding situation.

Raggabass Resistance is available in various formats via Destroy All Concepts, Juno, Beatport, and the other usual venues…

Posted by Ron Nachmann
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04.16.2013
10:49 pm
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‘Put away stupidness’: Dub legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry gives advice to Lil’ Wayne

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As a filmmaker who’s shot documentaries on both Lil’ Wayne and Lee “Scratch” Perry, Adam Bhala Lough thought it a good idea to cross wires a bit and let the eccentric 76-year-old dub master bestow a bit of mellow wisdom upon the drank-sippin’ 30-year-old rap supastar.
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Rubber Dubber: Lee “Scratch” Perry action figure
Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Classic dub album Blackboard Jungle
Surreal Lee “Scratch” Perry beer commercials

Posted by Ron Nachmann
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05.12.2012
02:27 pm
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Grace Jones: the ‘Hurricane’ returns
09.05.2011
12:17 pm
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With the east coast of America still recovering from the effects of Irene, it seems like today’s American release of Grace Jones’ album Hurricane could not have come at a more inopportune moment. But as the album was originally released in Europe in 2008 the question remains - why did it take three years for Hurricane to get an American release in the first place? Was it label hassles? Jones hassles? Or a renewed interest in the lady’s work post-Gaga?

Either way it’s still a good day for Jones fans, even the ones who already own Hurricane. The American release comes with a dub-remix album imaginatively titled Hurricane Dub, which is also being released in its own right in other territories. Hurricane Dub is highly recommended, not just for the Jones-heads out there, but for connoisseurs of dub in general. It’s excellent. In fact it’s maybe even better than the original album, and yes I know saying that is kind of sacrilegious.

It’s a dub remix album in the true sense of the term, using just the original tracks and a shit ton of spaced out fx, mixed and processed by producer Ivor Guest (is that his real name?!). Like the dub mixes of her work from the 80s, Hurricane Dub brings the classic rimshot-heavy sound of the Compass Point All Stars to the fore, and positively drips authentic stoner atmosphere. I was actually surprised at how good this album is, and I do count myself among the hardcore Grace Jones faithful. Strangely enough though, there’s very little of this album appearing online. I hope her label are ensuring this reaches as many ears as possible! So, while you will have already seen the fantastic and terrifying video for “Corporate Cannibal”, here’s the only readily available video clip from Hurricane Dub available online:

Grace Jones - “Well Well Well Dub”
 

 
Hurricane and Hurricane Dub are available to buy here.

 

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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09.05.2011
12:17 pm
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Dub for the Dancefloor: Shockman EP ‘Shock the Sound’ released today

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Folks, the wonderful Voltage Music label has seen fit to release my EP “Shock the Sound” today under my Shockman guise.

It features remixes of two tunes of mine by the dub & bass music talents Dubmatix, Subatomic Sound System, earlyW~Rm, and Bakir from the Spit Brothers.

You can get it on Beatport, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here’s the whole thing streamed with earlyW~Rm’s excellent remix downloadable…
 

 
…and here’s a video I put together for the tune “Shock Out”…
 

 
End of plug, thanks for your indulgence…

 

Posted by Ron Nachmann
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06.28.2011
09:38 am
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David Rodigan: reggae’s unlikely veteran soldier

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It was all over for British pre-teen David Rodigan in 1962 when he saw ska crooner Millie Smalls sing the Cadillacs’ classic “My Boy Lollipop” on Ready, Steady, Go! He was in complete and utter love with Jamaican music and would collect and spin as many great reggae records as he could in a lifetime.

Over the next 48 years, Rodigan went from DJing school dances to legendary show slots on Radio London, Capital Radio, and Kiss FM, humbly championing reggae throughout the UK and getting royal respect with every visit to Jamaica. Most famously, he’s made his name as a champion in reggae sound clashes. His dapper fashion sense, professional demeanor, and historian’s aura at clashes* worldwide have made him known variously to reggae fans as “the rude gentlemen,” “the James Bond of sound,” or simply “Fadda” (father).

Below you’ll find Rodi in action at the UK Cup sound clash a couple of years ago, playing the role of selector as his assistant operators play the actual dubplates. His mastery at hyping tunes is evident…but first, for the uninitiated…

A primer on sound clash:

In the reggae world, sound clashes are events in which two to five “sound systems” or “sounds” (DJ teams) battle each other by playing tunes that garner the most audience approval.
Audiences respond best to dubplate specials—popular tunes commissioned by a sound and custom re-recorded by the original singer so that he or she can name and praise that sound. These one-of-a-kind tunes can be expensive, so the more dubplates that any sound can play at a clash, the more dedicated they’re perceived to be, and the more crowd response they get.
In regular reggae dances, when a regular record gets enough crowd roar, the DJ stops and rewinds the record, lifts the needle, and plays it again. In a clash, a dubplate gets a rewind and then usually it’s on to the next tune at a frenzied pace.
 

 
After the jump: unearthed new footage of Rodigan spinning a hectic dance in 1985 at legendary producer/sound man King Jammy’s yard on St. Lucia Road in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica…

READ ON
Posted by Ron Nachmann
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12.15.2010
10:10 pm
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Jools in Jamaica: Lost early-‘80s BBC reggae documentary hosted by founder of Squeeze

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Fresh out of his tenure with new wave stars Squeeze, 25-year-old musician Jools Holland had launched his career as a TV presenter on the BBC channel 4 show The Tube. Assigned to cover Jamaica’s music scene circa 1984, the confident Holland strode right in to Kingston and made it happen.

Expertly directed by Geoff Wonfor, Jools’s special features footage of rising stars Mutabaruka, Dennis Brown, Black Uhuru and the Wailing Souls, along with spotlights on legendary riddim section Sly & Robbie and maniac producer Lee “Scratch” Perry (who claims he “comes from the trees”).

Not satisfied with the established stars, Wonfor and Holland prove their cred by including a gritty dancehall sequence with star microphone men Yellowman, Billy Boyo, Massive Dread and Lee van Cleef. They all do well until the on-fire Eek a Mouse suddenly hits the stage in pancho and sombrero and turns the place out.

Bookended by his intro while swimming fully dressed through a hotel pool and a beautiful finale shoot in heaviest Trenchtown for his big-band/ska tune “Black Beauty,” Jools in Jamaica is a remarkably bright document of an island in its deepest post-independence economic and political depths.
 

 
After the jump, catch the rest of the doc…
 

READ ON
Posted by Ron Nachmann
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09.24.2010
06:10 pm
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Reggae in Mourning: R.I.P. Sugar Minott

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Heartbreaking news has come out of the death at 54 yesterday of the well-loved reggae singer, songwriter, producer and promoter Lincoln Barrington “Sugar” Minott. Born and raised in the ghetto in Kingston, Jamaica, Minott spent his teen years in the city’s sound system scene and recording for Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s legendary Studio One label. The albums he released at this time, like Live Loving, Ghetto-ology and Roots Lovers—along with singles like “Herbman Hustling” and “Rub a Dub Sound Style”—laid the groundwork for the gritty, soulful dancehall sound that reggae would work into for the next 20 years.

Minott was best known for breaking with Jamaica’s soul-singer tradition, which saw many crooners brandishing a refined style that aped American artists. Sugar was sweet, but not slick. Minott would eventually leave Studio One to start his Black Roots label and Youthman Promotion sound system in order to help out young singers also coming out in Kingston’s ghettos. He’s responsible for early recording or performances of legends like Ranking Joe, Barry Brown, Tenor Saw, Little John, Tony Tuff, Barrington Levy, Horace Andy, Nitty Gritty, Junior Reid, Yami Bolo, Daddy Freddy and Garnett Silk.

You’ll see evidence of his popularity below, as Minott can’t get through his first tune at his first Reggae Sunsplash in 1983 without the crowd demanding he pull up and bring it again.
 

 
But you got the best of Sugar in his element, singing with the youths in the dancehall—or in this case, Maxfield Park in Kingston, where his Youthman Promotions sound regularly performed:
 

READ ON
Posted by Ron Nachmann
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07.11.2010
11:57 am
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Tomorrow’s Edge: The Future Roots Sound of Africa Hitech

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It’s always heartening to see electronic music veterans ably take on new genres and make them sing. One case in point is the UK duo Africa Hitech comprises producer Mark Pritchard and producer/vocalist Steve White (a.k.a. Steve Spacek). Pritchard helped shape the sound of British techno in the early ‘90s in his groups Global Communications and Jedi Knights, while White made waves in the early ‘00s with his avant-soulful warbling and knob-twiddling for the glitchy trio Spacek.

Both have been busy with lots of projects, but Africa Hitech bears special attention. The pair’s just-released debut EP Hitecherous weaves between lurching lovers dub, whomping dubstep, whizzing dancehall, and neurotic garage—all stripped down to their powerful rhythmic essences. Recommended new sounds.
 

 

 
Get: Africa Hitech - Hitecherous [CD-EP]

 

Posted by Ron Nachmann
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07.06.2010
12:24 am
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Land of Look Behind: Live from Planet Jamaica

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When Bob Marley’s family called on the legendary singer’s childhood friend Alan Greenberg to film his funeral in 1982, it’s worth wondering whether Greenberg knew that he’d end up widening the scope to make one of the iconic films about Jamaica.

Shot by Werner Herzog associate Joerg Schmidt-Reitwein, Land of Look Behind seems to almost float across the island, touching down in both impoverished rural badland areas and the crowded setting of Kingston for the superstar’s stately final rites. Backed by the Kerry Leimer’s unlikely ambient score and featuring performers like Gregory Isaacs and Mutabaruka, Land… is a rich document of the places, faces, and voices of a Jamaica coming to terms with its lagging economy and post-colonial future.

Former Cabaret Voltaire member Richard H. Kirk sampled many bits of the film’s various monologues to populate In Dub: Chant to Jah and Live in the Earth, the electro-dub albums he made in his Sandoz guise.
 

 

 
Get: Land of Look Behind [DVD]
 
Download: K. Leimer’s score for Land of Look Behind [MP3]
 
Get: Sandoz in Dub - Chant to Jah [CD]

 

Posted by Ron Nachmann
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06.16.2010
01:54 am
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