DoobieSound: Apollo Riddim

Riddim taken from the “All Kinda Riddims” album by DoobieSound, out on the excellent Dubkey label.

Some early Tricky

Two nice posts about the early Tricky on the “Unheard Music” blog. It’s from the time he made the Maxinquaye album. First post is about a Deluxe edition of the Maxinquaye album recently released. Second post is even more interesting, featuring two unreleased versions of the Aftermath tune.

And if someone would wonder who this Tricky might be:

Tricky, an original member of Massive Attack, left the band to record his own tracks with his then girlfriend, Martina Topley-Bird, who provided much of the vocals on his releases. His earliest releases sit nicely alongside Portishead’s debut, Dummy, although that album focused on the beautiful sadness in Beth Gibbons’ vocals, whereas Tricky and Martina painted a far grimmer picture, awash in druggy atmospherics and Tricky’s haunting drawl. Martina’s vocals, on the other hand, were quite beautiful and powerful, making for interesting creations when she rapped hard lyrics like those in their cover of Public Enemy’s Black Steel, or when she sang that she’d “fuck you in the ass, just for a laugh” in Abbaon Fat Track, as if it were sweet nothings to her lover, although you got the impression she may have drugged him.

If you get the picture, then imagine these grim lyrics drenched in broken beats, rich soundscapes and dark and heavy dubs. The result was one of the densest and most claustrophobic albums to emerge from the mid-‘90s trip-hop boom. Maxinquaye was a near perfect album and it’s surely a good thing it has been re-released as even today the music blasts out of your speakers, creating a total atmosphere of end-of-days paranoia.

Yabby You (1946-2010)

Vivian Jackson, better known as Yabby You (or Yabby U), died January 12 in Jamaica. He was 63. Above you can watch and listen one of his last live performances. Below you can listen to an early single of his, “Conquering Lion”. The song was recorded in 1972, mixed by King Tubby and credited to Vivian Jackson and the Ralph Brothers. The chant that starts off the song (“Be-you, yabby-yabby-you”) earned Jackson the nickname “Yabby You”, which he kept during his entire career.

“Conquering Lion” later also appeared on the album with the same title. When it was first released in 1975, the album was pressed in a run as small as 500 copies. It took another 22 years before the LP was widely heard outside of Jamaica, thanks to “Jesus Dread (1972-1977)”, a deluxe 2cd release on the Blood and Fire label. This reedit features various “versions” of the song. Today the original album is considered a classic.

Just to finish this post, there’s also a video of James Brown dancing to a dub version of Conquering Lion. Fake of course, but entertaining nevertheless. Watch the legs of James Brown and enjoy the dub to this classic Yabby You tune.

Some more Jahtari fun

Echo addicts rejoice! The never-resting Jahtari crew brings us some fun new dub projects.

First of all, the Bo Marley boys are back with their newest cassette release, the much anticipated sequel to their classic “Bo Marley vs disrupt”-LP, called “Masters Of The Universe”. Deeply exploring the groovy twilight zone between HipHop, Dub and Chiptunes goodness this detail-packed tape comes in a limited edition on yellow cassettes!

There’s also a cracking new live recording over in the tapes section from a killer Cool & Deadly night at the ultra-packed GlazArt in Paris. Standhigh Patrol at the control, w/ Pupajim on the mic, seriously testing your subwoofers.

You can also drop by the spreadshirt-shop for some new cool (and affordable) Jahtari T-Shirt, all done by hand and with lotsa vibes. And finally, coming up soon are a new Maffi-7″ (feat. Pupajim), a new compilation “Jahtarian Dubbers Vol. 2″, plus something fresh on the Jahmiga-front.

All Kinda Riddims – new Dubkey release

After the splendid All Kinda Wall vocal compilation, Dubkey Records proudly presents the All Kinda Riddims instrumental set that includes the twelve rhythms from the vocal album and ends with the Mighty Stepper rhythm and its dub version that appear on the album as bonus tracks.

Free download over at Dubkey Records.

The Way Of The Dub, vol. 6

Just returning to the end of last year for what’s already number six in Keiron B’s “Way of the dub” series. With this volume he’s weaving his way thru the ruff & rugged sounds of Shinehead, Pinch with Ruddy Lee, Cotti feat. the vocals of Kingpin, Prince Dub I on the housey tip, The Skreamer Kid bringing the sushi, the mighty King Tubby, Junior Reid and dropping out with Mr. Vegas & Jovi Rockwell vocals for Major Lazer …

Enjoy this rocking dubby mixtape!

African Head Charge

God is great, but this clip is greater :-)

Till the next time …

We thought this was the appropriate tune to wish you all a happy new year. It’s a tune for the “beyond” categories, non-dub (but to keep the dubheads satisfied it has some nice effects in the second part of the tune). Oh well, it’s simply a great song. Played by one of our favorite (belgian) musicians, Rudy Trouvé. What more can we wish. Till the next time you come around …

On-U Sound announcements

Quoting Adrian Sherwood from the official AMS & On-U Sound myspace page. Some things to wet your appetite:

Released in January (at long last) is AFRICAN HEADCHARGE … “ViSION OF A PSYCHEDELIC AFRICA” onucd distributed via Cargo uk, available now>>> Also available Jan,2010 is IAN KING -”PANIC GRASS AND FEVER FEW”. this is an ONU Production released on the Fledg’ling record label. This is a unique English folk album and we are very proud of it>>> Due for imminent release is … “DUBSETTER” by LEE”Scratch”PERRY and ADRIAN SHERWOOD.This is a new Dub album from The Upsetter and myself and it will be on vinyl and cd (late March)… “THE MIGHTY UPSETTER” will also be made available on vinyl at the same time>>> Just completed and mastered is an album by singer/songwriter/artist JEB LOY NICHOLS -”LONG TIME TRAVELLER” this is truly wonderful and features live rhythms recorded during last summer and classic re modelled ONU/Radics/Dub Syndicate rhythms>>> DUE ( long overdue, soon come) is “THE ROYAL VARIETY SHOW” (the best of..) DUB SYNDICATE a double cd of pure gems>>> Currently in production and scheduled for release hopefully before the summer is, “DUB … NO FRONTIERS” this is a true epic . It is a fresh and original 16 track double vinyl/cd release of all women vocalists from around the world , all singing in non English it is a labor of love and is becoming one of my proudest productions it features vocals in Chinese,German,Arabic,Eritrean,Italian,Polish,Samoan,French, Japanese,Russian and more in progress.>>> “Suck on this planet of noise” Currently in production and well underway is “LET THE ROBOTS MELT” – ONUSOUNDSYSTEM featuring Primal Scream w.Lee Perry,Dennis Bovel,Pempy,John McClure,Carl Barat,Mark Stewart,Deeder Zaman,New Age Steppers and more,a truly wonderful sheet of noise “Listen up real close now”>>> Also currently in production for a 2010 release is a new NEW AGE STEPPERS album (the first for 25 years !) Recordings were done in Jamaica last year and hopefully it will be finished soon>>> also well underway is, “CRISPY HORNS MEET ROOTS RADICS AND DUB SYNDICATE” a classic new dub/horns album>>> Also work is well underway on GHETTO PRIEST – “SACRED GROUND” this is the Onu follow up to “Vulture Culture” the debut Priest album from a few seasons back.GP returns on ONU with a slamming new set ! >>> And also DEEDER ZAMAN brand new album from the original Asian Dub Foundation front man. and also SKIP “Little Axe”McDONALD a brand new authentic collision of Blues meets Dub live rhythms with Style Scott and the crew with Skip on Dobro in true Blues National style this is well underway and sounding “proper” >>> Also in our studio (and their own) LSK is working on new tracks BROTHER CULTURE has voiced new tracks and also my daughter DENISE SHERWOOD is producing herself {and sometimes with dad and other “family”} check her on her myspace >>> DECEMBER 2010 MARKS 30 YEARS SINCE THE RELEASE OF the 7′ single “FADE AWAY” by NEW AGE STEPPERS cw “Learn a Language” by LONDON UNDERGROUND – However early 1981 saw ONU SOUND’s first album releases, so we are planning to put on events all round the world throughout 2011 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the label. we will also issue a box set with music dvds , a book and many other goodies so hopefully after such a long wait,for those intersted there will be lots of things to buy (or copy) and lots of live shows to catch. Also a new Adrian Sherwood album will be released 2011 >>> Thanks for all the positive messages and its good to make contact with so many old and new friends
Best wishes
Adrian

Nizetch looks back at 2009

French dub webzine Nizetch looks back at 2009 in an original way. Instead of boring us with words, they have simply chosen three albums for each month. This way, with a simple click, you get some of the best dub albums of the year. With a total of 36 albums (and more that are not mentioned) that makes 2009 once again a very fine dub year and proves that dub is just as alive and well as ever.

Take a look back.

Then afterwards have a listen at their outernational heavyweight dub radio show.