MASSIVE ATTACK

MASSIVE ATTACK
PROTECTION (1994)
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Bristol's Massive Attack released a classic with their first album, Blue Lines, but only those who were paying careful attention noticed; soon, they were overshadowed by the likes of Tricky and Portishead, who were colleagues. But not so after the release of Protection, which sported a massive hit and was just as critically acclaimed as their first album. (The hit was the title track, for which Everything but the Girl's Tracy Thorn lent her divine pipes--a move that made the act's name, and also presaged EBTG's move to the dance floor.) Eschewing the showmanship of their scene mates, Massive prefer subtler soundscapes and using a diverse range of vocalists (including Horace Andy, Nicolette, and Tricky) who give them a number of flavors and moods with which to work. Protection is an understated album with a rich palette; it reveals more of itself on repeated listens, growing better--and deeper--each time.

1. Protection
2. Karmacoma
3. Three
4. Weather Storm
5. Spying Glass
6. Better Things
7. Euro Child
8. Sly
9. Heat Miser
10. Light My Fire (Live)

NO PROTECTION (1995)
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This is the studio work of London's prodigious dub godfather, Mad Professor, who takes Massive Attack's Protection album as raw material to create a completely new experience. Bits are added, dropped out, accentuated, run through sonic effects, drenched in reverb, turned inside out until the songs disappear and in their place emerge reborn textural soundscapes. No Protection gives a sort of discursive aural commentary on Protection's original songs, pointing out all the obscured details--the minutest percussive rings and beeps, the most mesmerizing bass loops.

1. Protection (Radiation Ruling the Nation)
2. Karmacoma (Bumper Ball Dub)
3. Three (Trinity Dub)
4. Weather Storm (Cool Monsoon)
5. Sly (Eternal Feed Back)
6. Better Things (Moving Dub)
7. Spying Glass (I Spy)
8. Heat Miser (Backward Sucking)

EZ3KIEL

EZ3KIEL
EQUALIZE IT (1999)
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Those expecting this debut album from French band EZ3KIEL to sound like 2007's Naphtaline or 2008's Battlefield are in for quite a disappointment. Equalize It displays a band that plays with influences ranging from trip-hop to dub, drum'n'bass and electronica yet still infusing it with a "je-ne-sais-quoi" coming from the harder-edged indie music and industrial rock. Of course, the defining element, the basis on which everything is constructed is dub but not jamaican dub as this has more to do with countrymates Le Peuple de l'Herbe or Renegade Soundwave. So, indeed, Equalize It is nothing more than the embryonic development of EZ3KIEL's music but it's still pretty good and, if you're looking for something else than what they were able to put out later, it's damn entertaining.

1. Only 1 nation
2. In bass 2
3. lo dalca
4. No cure 4 me
5. Equalize it
6. In bass 2
Bonus Tracks
7. Alienation
8. Irie

DAVID GOULD

DAVID GOULD
FEAST OF THE PASSOVER (2009)
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The Reggae master from Adonai in Dub returns to Tzadik with another fascinating program of Jewish music-Reggae style. Feast of the Passover is a collection of songs commonly sung during the Passover seder. Beautifully recorded in Boston, Ithaca, and Jamaica it features a fabulous band of David's longtime associates as well as the critically acclaimed Romanian saxophonist Yuri Yunakov and the legendary Leonard "Sparrow" Dillon (of the Ethiopians) and the Silvertones on vocals. Incredibly varied and spiritually inspired music connecting the Rasta and Jewish traditions through the miracle of music, this is the perfect background to anyone's 21st century seder.

1. Divine Order
2. Bread Of Affliction
3. Four Questions
4. Ten Plagues
5. Hallelujah
6. Jah Is Mighty
7. Who Knows One?
8. Goats Milk
9. May The Prophet Arise
10. Once We Were Slaves
11. Peace
12. Next Year In Jerusalem

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
R.A.F.I. (2000)
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On R.A.F.I., the Asian Dub Foundation further refines their sound, honing their blend of miscellaneous styles — ragga, jungle, dub, rock, hip-hop, rap — to a consistent aesthetic characterizing each of the songs and the album as a whole. Yet with this newfound consistency, part of the experimental ideology that fueled their breakthrough album, Rafi's Revenge, has been polished in favor of the evolved sound. If this album is less daring with its application of influence, it also benefits from this very lack of daringness by staying true to a common sound: fractured drum'n'bass rhythms, deep dub basslines, dancehall reggae rapping, revolutionary ideology, and rock accessibility. This album won't lead anyone to call them the next Rage Against the Machine, but it will satisfy anyone with a hunger for the group's truly patented sound.

1. Assassin
2. Change
3. Black White
4. Buzzing
5. Free Satpal Ram
6. Modern Apprentice
7. Operation Eagle Lie
8. Hypocrite
9. Naxalite
10. Loot
11. Dub Mentality
12. Culture Move
13. Real Areas For Investigation

HINT versus EZ3KIEL

HINT versus EZ3KIEL
COLLISION TOUR (2009)
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Ez3kiel loves to experiment. After a successfull tour with belgian band DAAU (accordion, sax, clarinette...), they create a new entity with the merging of their band and avant-garde/post-noise rockers of Hint for a few live shows and, now, the celebration of yet another project well done with this live album.
Of the 9 shows the bands played together, two have been recorded and filmed: St Etienne and Angers (where Hint comes from). For the audience, it was a chance to witness a unique experience as well as to catch up with Hing which hadn't tour for ten years.
Though it's clear the cinematic-dub/indie electronica of EZ3KIEL and the intelligent noise assaults of HINT are very different, the two band share enough artistry to make it works beyond expectations.
The set is, in all logic, composed of compositions from the two band's repetertoires and it's amazing to see how coherent and graceful it is. So, if you like your brain to endure the sweet tortures of this über-intelligent noise/dub/electronica mix, you're in for a real treat. Anyway, I think every music enthusiast owes it to himself to try what is one of the best releases of 2009.

1. 100% White Puzzle
2. Via Continum
3. Beautiful Old Betty
4. Wagma
5. Mr. Investigator
6. Chinatown
7. The Weeding
8. Flexible
9. Versus
10. Eyes In Axis
11. Volfoni'S Revenge
12. Firedamp

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
COMMUNITY MUSIC (2000)
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Anarchist Emma Goldman said, "if I can't dance, it's not my revolution." This sentiment lies at the core of Community Music. At the intersection of dub, punk, funk, reggae, dancehall, Bollywood, and political polemic you'll find Asian Dub Foundation. And you most certainly can dance to it. Community Music is thick with speaking Truth to Power while ADF storms the Bastille with an awe-inspiring musical ferocity and their crystalline political vision. The first half of Community Music is fierce and unrelenting in its musical influences, construction, and politics. From the thunderous opening cut, "Real Great Britain," you're left in no uncertain terms where the politics of ADF lie or how passionately they hold them. Sharp observations on the current state of capitalism, politics, and race in Britain form the focal point of the CD. The blistering exposé of police incompetence on "Officer XX" refers to the botched Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry, while set to a simple guitar and drum pattern. The stirring dub-electronic account of how second-generation immigrants to Britain have emerged both influenced and in turn influencing Cool Britannia, on "New Way, New Life," makes it one of their strongest songs to date. While on the opposite side of the same coin, "Memory War" illustrates that the immigrant communities are not a new form of British citizen, and their contributions must be included in the official histories of the island. The second half slows the pace gradually, stretching the musical genres further and encouraging dancing. "Crash" is a didactic dub reggae dance groove critique of global capitalism that blazes out in a frenzy of jungle drums and punk guitar. As an ode to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a seminal figure in the emergence of "Eastern" music to Western ears and one given a much-deserved shout-out by ADF, the piece "Taa Deem" has appeared in a slightly different version on Star Rise, a remix collection of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's material by a who's who of contemporary British Asian musicians. The shuffling dance grooves and rap of "Rebel Warrior" call to mind the Stereo MC's. A further illustration of their politics, if needed, by Assata Shakur, who is invited to give a personal account of her revolutionary beliefs, to "struggle because committed to life." Community Music ends with an expansive electronic dub coda. As "England's new voice," calling for intellectual self-defense and self- awareness ADF represents the potential future. Community Music should be in every thinking person's collection, directly between the Clash and Public Enemy.

1. Real Great Britain
2. Memory War
3. Officer XX
4. New Way New Life
5. Riddim I like
6. Collective Mode
7. Crash
8. Colour Line
9. Taa Deem
10. The Judgement
11. Truth Hides
12. Rebel Warrior
13. Commited to Life
14. Scaling New Heights
Bonus Track
15. Sawt l'Hekma (feat. Clotaire)

EZ3KIEL

EZ3KIEL
HANDLE WITH CARE (2001)
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Here's EZ3KIEL's second album, an album that will content those looking for spectacular rock/dub fusion. EZ3KIEL has, since, grown up to be one of the most mesmerizing acts of the French indie scene and it all started properly with "Handle With Care". Of their dub roots, they retained that addictive groove, that deep bass growl on which they've built an unexpected fusion which leans towards the best post-hardcore and rock influences adding a well served dose of aggression and grace.
So basically what we're having here is dub enhanced to reach new levels very few dub acts had roamed as of 2001. A must hear from a band that had yet to reach its full potential but already had more than most others.

1. Burnin' Dub
2. Strange Days
3. How Do You Sleep?
4. Handle With Care
5. Preface
6. Jah'S Hardcore
7. Alghan Evasion
8. Cut Fiction
9. Sur Le Fil
10. 1 Hausse D'Insensité
11. D*Bm*Th*Rf*Ck*R
12. Via Continum
13. Salystoar

FINLAY QUAYE

FINLAY QUAYE
VANGUARD (2000)
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Finlay Quaye's second album appears destined to be condemned to the same fate as Terence Trent D'Arby's similarly success-cheating sophomore release, long cited as a cautionary tale for any artist considering giving the people something other than what they want. And what they seem to want from Finlay is his trademark burbly lite-reggae pop, the kind of music that, for me, made his debut "Maverick A Strike" rather too much of an insubstantial thing. What reggae still remains on "Vanguard" is predominately of a darker, dubbier hue, surrounded here by stream-of-consciousness freeform lyrical association ("Broadcast", for example, degenerates into a lecture about the different kinds of beans Finlay enjoys), straightahead guitar rock (the single "Spiritualized", for example, inspired by his burgeoning friendship with that band's Jason Spaceman) and tales from the dark side of his new-found celebrity ("Chad Valley" alludes, briefly, to his time spent in rehab). Of course, the mere fact that a record fails to conform to some expected template doesn’t necessarily make it great, but there are sufficient strands waiting to be untangled on "Vanguard" to suggest that it's a greater musical triumph than we could have dared expect, even if it's not a commercial one.

1. Broadcast
2. Spiritualized
3. Emporer
4. Burning
5. Everybody Knows
6. Feeling Blue
7. When I Burn off into the Distance
8. Chad Valley
9. Calendar
10. British Air Rage
11. White Paper
12. Hey Now

...AND STILL NO HITS

...AND STILL NO HITS
NATION RECORDS: THE STORY SO FAR (1999)
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1999 compilation from one of England's late XXth Century most peculiar labels. Of course, the "big names" are here (TransGlobal Underground, Natacha Atlas, Asian Dub Foundation, Fun-Da-Mental) but the other artists are worthy of attention too. If you like ethno-techno, intelligent hip-hop and asian dub fusion, this certainly is a feast for the ears and the few rarities (mostly remixes) only serve to spice up the selection a bit.

CD 1
1. Temple Head - TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND
2. Valla Chant - NATACHA ATLAS
3. Crying Looking For You - LUNAR DRIVE
4. Clicksong - XANGBETOS
5. The Spectacle - YAM YAM
6. The Fusionist - TJ REHMI
7. E.S.Y. (Spring HeelJack Mix) - JOI
8. Change A Gonna Come - ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
9. Dog Tribe - FUN-DA-MENTAL
10. Muthaland Funk (Fun-Da-Mental mix) - PROPHETS OF DA CITY
11. Cowboys And Indians (Locigal Mix) - PERMANENT REVOLUTION
12. Big Trouble In Little Asia - HUSTLERS HC
13. Break Voucher - SCHIZOID MAN
14. Planet Capetown (Mitchells Plain Mix) - PROPHETS OF DA CITY
.

CD 2
1. International Times (Lionrock Edit) - TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND
2. Duden (Spooky Day Trip To Sousse) - NATACHA ATLAS
3. Race2War - FUN-DA-MENTAL
4. Jericho (Capa D.Dub) - ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
5. Yab Yum (Sabres Of Paradise Remix) - UZMA
6. Temple Of Hibiscus - PHLUIDE
7. Blue Bommer Dub - BLUE BOMMER
8. Aphrodite's Shoe - LOOP GURU
9. Mother India (Moody Boyz Strollin'Version) - MOTHER INDIA
10. Helicopter Kinda Girl (Baby Fox 'To The End Of The Kingdom' Mix) - AMBISONIC
11. Dopi - TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND
12. Dub Yalil - NATACHA ATLAS

BILL LASWELL & PETE NAMLOOK

BILL LASWELL & PETE NAMLOOK
PSYCHONAVIGATION (1994)
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Psychonavigation is a trip and a half. Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell have created a set of sonic hallucinogens that permeate the psyche. These sequences and atmospheres are full of experimental sounds, strange samples, and overt space music riffs. There is nothing earthly about this music. The atmospheres are inhuman. The evocations are metallic and robotic. The flow, however, is smooth and fluid. Namlook and Laswell are visiting the ultimate oxymoron — fluid metal. The answers are as mysterious as quicksilver itself. This is one of the best Namlook/Laswell collaborations. It will appeal to fans of Amani, Tales, and Dweller at the Threshold. It is essential space music.

1. Psychic and UFO Revelations in the Last Days
2. Angel Tech
3. Black Dawn

BOB MARLEY

BOB MARLEY
DREAMS OF FREEDOM:
AMBIENT TRANSLATIONS OF BOB MARLEY IN DUB (1997)
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To coincide with the electronica revolution of the late '90s, Bill Laswell remixed a number of Bob Marley records as ambient dub for the Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub album. If these songs were remixed by any other producer, the results could have been disastrous, but Laswell is one of the masters of intellectual dub — he knows what to take out and what to add, creating a spacious, cavernous mix that is provocative without being extreme. Some longtime Marley fans will balk at the very idea of the album, but the results are undeniably impressive, even if it's a little too restrained and cerebral.

1. Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)
2. No Woman No Cry
3. The Heathen
4. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)
5. Waiting In Vain
6. So Much Trouble In The World
7. Exodus
8. Burnin' And Lootin'
9. Is This Love
10. One Love (People Get Ready)
11. Midnight Ravers

TROJAN SPECIAL

S P E C I A L

DUB BOX SET (1998)
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The first of two valuable dub collections on Trojan — part of the label's bargain, three-disc box set series — this 50-track mix of trance-inducing sound effects and brutal rhythms chronicles the music during its '70s heyday. Selecting from a store of original sides by the likes of Gregory Isaacs and former Skatalite and tenor great Tommy McCook, dub originator King Tubby and protégés Scientist and Prince Jammy deliver plenty of solid version remixes, while early knob-twisters Lee Perry and "Niney" the Observer weigh in with some quality reworkings of their own. Crack-session bands the Upsetters, the Aggrovators, the Revolutionaries, and the Roots Radics all come off sounding like the real bedrock of reggae, as space-probe interjections bounce off heavy, heavy bass and drums. A quality dub primer perfect for reggae newcomers.

Disc 1
1. Marijuana - Sly & The Revolutionaries
2. Storming The Death Star - Roots Radics Band
3. Public Eyes - Gregory Isaacs
4. Love Of Jah Jah Children - The G.G. All Stars
5. A Dancing Version - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
6. Miss Know It All - Scientist
7. Rebel Dance - The Observer All Stars
8. Dubbing Sandra - The Upsetters
9. King Tubby's Conversation - King Tubby
10. Crabbit Version - King Tubby
11. White Rum - Sly & The Revolutionaries
12. Mission Impossible - Roots Radics Band
13. Leggo Beast - Gregory Isaacs
14. Dubbin' & Wailin' - Velvet Shadows
15. Rema Dub - The Observer All Stars
16. Long Time Dub - The Upsetters
17. A Version I Can Feel - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators

Disc 2
1. King Tubby's Explosion Dub - King Tubby
2. Cocaine - Sly & The Revolutionaries
3. The Death Of Mr Spock - Roots Radics Band
4. Nigger - Gregory Isaacs
5. Right Road To Dubland - The Jahlights
6. Jah, Jah Dub - The Aggrovators
7. Rasta Locks - The Observers
8. Dub Dat - The Upsetters
9. The Gorgon Of Dubs & Horns - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
10. King Tubby's Patient Dub - King Tubby
11. Black Ash - Sly & The Revolutionaries
12. The Son Of Darth Vader - Roots Radics Band
13. Slum - Gregory Isaacs
14. Do You Dub - The Aggrovators
15. Mosquito Dub - The G.G. All Stars
16. Dubbing With The Observer - The Observers
17. Rock Me In Dub - Thompson All Stars

Disc 3
1. Freedom Dub - The Upsetters
2. A Gigantic Dub - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
3. Collie - Sly & The Revolutionaries
4. Tam Tam - Gregory Isaacs
5. Turntable Dub - The Observers
6. Scientist Ganja Dub - Scientist
7. Dub On My Pillow - The Aggrovators
8. Herb - Sly & The Revolutionaries
9. The Alien Aborts - Roots Radics Band
10. Leaving - Gregory Isaacs
11. Dread Dub - Lloyds All Stars
12. Sir Niney's Rock - The Observers
13. The Big Boss Of Dubs - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
14. Dub So - The Upsetters
15. King Tubby's Badness Dub - King Tubby
16. African Dub - The Silvertones

DUB BOX SET VOLUME 2 (2000)
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From the seemingly bottomless vaults of Trojan Records comes this very fine collection of dub from the '70s: reggae's classical period and the high point of dub as a producer's art form. One in a series of limited-edition box sets, this set features 50 tracks on three discs at three-for-two pricing with attractive, no-frills packaging. The bands featured include such eminencies as the Upsetters, Soul Syndicate, the Aggrovators, and the Revolutionaries, all of them at various times the house bands for the best studios in Jamaica. The producers responsible for the dub mixes presented here are primarily the grand masters of the genre: King Tubby, Scientist, Prince Jammy, and Lee "Scratch" Perry. Highlight tracks include the seriously twisted "Casanova Dub" (by the Observer All Stars), "Strictly Dub" (one of many versions of Rupie Edwards' hugely popular "Everyday Wandering" rhythm), and King Tubby's bracingly minimalist "Dancing Version." If you only feel you need one dub collection, this one should be it.

Disc 1
1. Lambsbread - Sly & The Revolutionaries
2. Casanova Dub - The Observer All Stars
3. A Loving Melody - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
4. Fist Of Fury - Prince Jammy
5. Kingdom Of Dub - The Upsetters
6. War In A South African (Version) - Killerman Jarrett
7. Buck Rogers In The Black Hole - Roots Radics Band
8. Channel One Dub - Linval Thompson
9. Buckshot Dub Rupie - Edwards All Stars
10. Reform Institution - Gregory Isaacs
11. Smile Dub - Niney & The Soul Syndicate
12. Well Red - Augustus Pablo
13. Dancing Version - King Tubby
14. Young Lover - Scientist
15. Freedom Dub - The Revolutionaries
16. Jungle Fever - Truth, Fact & Correct
17. Since I Dub - The Aggrovators

Disc 2
1. Trim The Barber - King Tubby
2. Here I Come Dub - Niney & The Soul Syndicate
3. Stop The Dubbing - The Aggrovators
4. Rizla - Sly & The Revolutionaries
5. Thompson In Dub - Linval Thompson
6. Gambling - Roots Radics Band
7. Throne Of Blood - Prince Jammy
8. Doctor Seaton In The Echo Chamber - Rupie Edwards All Stars
9. Straight To Channel One Head - The Aggrovators
10. House Raid - Augustus Pablo
11. Bad Lamp - The Upsetters
12. Embarrasment - Gregory Isaacs
13. Silver Bullet - The Observer All Stars
14. This Is The Greatest Version - The Soul Syndicate
15. The Mighty Gates Of Goza - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
16. Dub I Dub - The Revolutionaries

Disc 3
1. Bus A Dub - The Upsetters
2. Soldering Version - The Aggrovators
3. Roots Man Dub - The Revolutionaries
4. Another Version - King Tubby
5. Shaolin Temple - Prince Jammy
6. So Long Dub - Niney & The Soul Syndicate
7. Long Time Version - Winston Fergus
8. Curly Dub - Winston Fergus
9. Crofs - Gregory Isaacs
10. Flash Gordon Meets Luke Skywalker - Roots Radics Band
11. Negrea Africa Dub - Linval Thompson
12. Mister D Brown Skank - The Observer All Stars
13. Tanglelocks - Groovemaster
14. Strictly Dub - Rupie Edwards
15. Scientist (Stalag 17) - Scientist
16. True Believer In Dubs - Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators
17. Acapulco Gold - Sly & The Revolutionaries

REGGAE SISTERS BOX SET (2003)
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'Reggae Sisters' is the best out of the 3 CD box sets I've got so far and here are just three very different reasons why:
1) Phyllis Dillon singing Marlena Shaw's "Woman of The Ghetto". This is rough, tough, skankin' reggae which makes this legendary female reggae singer sound like a rude boy, a la Peter Tosh. The drums are almost militaristic at the beginning and the guitar skank is like a bamboo across a dilliquent's backside. Mention is necesary for the backing vocals - soulful, wailing, melancholic and they balance the track's general toughness. Huge tune and funk/jazz/soul fans will love to surprise their friends and audiences with this rare cover of a monumental soul track.
2) Nora Dean's "Peace Begins Within". Closer to the Wailers' musical and philosophical style, this track bounces along with a spiritual robustness behind Dean's wailing, plaintive vocal "Oh me, Oh my, Cost of living got so high...but peace begins within". But it's a great message to combat the gangsterism, poverty and resulting rioting which was hitting Jamaica during the troubled Michael Mann era.
3) The Gaylettes doing "Son of A Preacher Man". Hot mama! This is Dusty Springfield's tune with rude fat bass and jumping chugging rocksteady guitar action. This exemplifies how reggae artists embraced the soul tracks being made in the States and not only made them entirely their own but injected them with a crucial vitality and robustness.
Those words 'tough' and 'robust' keep creeping up here but this isn't the entire story. A great deal of this collection is very 'poppy'. There are many, many, sometimes cheesey, love songs on here - 'Moonlight Lover' and 'Silly Wasn't I' for starters. And in these we realise what may almost be termed 'the plight' of female vocalists in this notoriously macho culture. They were so often only allowed to record songs about lovin' their man or missing their man by these often quite mysoginistic producers. Now this may seem like a negative but this whole collection is testimony to how these women still knocked out dazzling, effortlessly precise music despite these restrictions. And even if these may seem like cheesey, poppy little tunes to reggae new comers the hardened reggae fan will realise that these are super rare, vintage tracks with such great musicianship that the cheesey lyrics (often someone else's anyway) are completely secondary in the listening experience. "Perfidia" or "Emergency Call" are both among the better examples of this.
As was hinted at above, this is a great collection because of all the covers. In fact this was the reason I bought it. You can hear the following famous tracks covered and they would merit similar descriptions and praise as those above: "Fever" (heavy dub bass line), "Rescue Me" (plenty of brass, distant and haunting recording of Judy Mowatt's vocals), "Don't Let Me Down" by the Beatles being worked by Marcia Griffths, the super chilled version of "Groovin'" again by The Gaylettes and many more.
This is a fantastic collection folks, for reggae fans and those new to it, taking in so many different styles of reggae through the ages.

Disc 1
1. If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) - Cynthia Richards
2. Gypsy Man - Marcia Griffiths
3. Come And Get Some - Barbara Jones
4. Make Me Yours - Phyllis Dillon
5. Hurt So Good - Susan Cadogan
6. Groovin - The Gaylettes
7. Peace Begins Within - Nora Dean
8. Love Was All I Had - Phyllis Dillon
9. I Can't Help It Darling - Barbara Jones
10. Silly Wasn't I - Sharon Forrester
11. Fever - Susan Cadogan
12. Here Comes That Feeling (aka That Lonely Feeling) - The Gaylettes
13. Don't Stay Away - Phyllis Dillon
14. Walk Through This World - Barbara Jones
15. Aily I - Cynthia Richards
16. Angel Of The Morning - Joya Landis
17. In The Ghetto - Susan Cadogan

Disc 2
1. Son Of A Preacher Man - The Gaylettes
2. Don't Let Me Down - Marcia Griffiths
3. Leave It In The Hands Of Love - Phyllis Dillon
4. Kansas City - Joya Landis
5. Really Now - The Dreamletts
6. Woman A Come - Marguerita
7. I Let You Go Boy - Dawn Penn
8. It's You I Love - The Webber Sisters
9. A Thing Of The Past - Phyllis Dillon
10. I Shall Sing - Judy Mowatt
11. Moonlight Lover - Joya Landis
12. Hard Life - Merlene Webber
13. Why Did You Lie? - Dawn Penn
14. She Kept On Talking - Judy Mowatt
15. Band Of Gold - Marcia Griffiths
16. Why Should I - Rita Marley & The Soulettes

Disc 3
1. Nice And Easy - Susan Cadogan
2. Travelling - Debra Keese & The Black Five
3. Children At Play - Marcia Griffiths
4. Woman Of The Ghetto - Phyllis Dillon
5. Congratulations - Susan Cadogan
6. Emergency Call - Judy Mowatt
7. Pied Piper - Marcia Griffiths & Bob Andy
8. Rescue Me - Judy Mowatt
9. Bring It Up - The Soulettes
10. The Right Track - Phyllis Dillon
11. Take A Chance (On Me) - The Gaylettes
12. To The Other Woman - Hortense Ellis
13. That's How Strong My Love Is - The Gaylettes
14. Perfidia - Phyllis Dillon
15. Stand By Your Man - Merlene Webber
16. My Island - Paulette Williams
17. When Will I See You Again - Marcia Griffiths

AUTOMATON

AUTOMATON
DUB TERROR EXHAUST (1994)
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There's no doubt that the psychedelic grooves of dub have been best explored by Jamaican legends like King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry, but in the mid- to late-'90s, American bassist/producer Bill Laswell was easily the genre's most prolific proponent. With Automaton, a group that also features Blind Idiot God's Gabe Katz, DJ Spooky, and iconic reggae drummer Sly Dunbar, Laswell put forth one of his strongest dub efforts to date. "Astral Altar (The Gateway of Legba)" opens the album with a bit of atmospheric ambience that dissolves into a typically mind-altering, bottom-heavy dub groove. The album's best track, "Asiyah Dub (Blinding the Starry Eyes of God," works Indian tabla into the heady mix, creating a trance-inducing sense of spaciness that caresses your mind like a milk bath. One of the more effective experimental dub records of the '90s, Dub Terror Exhaust is also notable for being Laswell's first collaboration with then-unknown DJ Spooky (a.k.a. the Alchemist), who creates a promising mixture of spacey ambience and delicious futuristic funk on "The Terran Invasion of Alpha Centauri Year 2794."

1. Astral Altar - The Gateway Of Legba
2. Asiyah Dub - Blinding The Starry Eyes Of God
3. The Terran Invasion Of Alpha Centaurai Year 2794
4. The Black Meat - Deconstruction Of The Bebel-Tower Of Reason

EZ3KIEL

EZ3KIEL
BARB4RY (2003)
320 KBPS

This is clearly a band with style and pulling power: not only are they artistically very smooth (there is more than an aesthetic nod and wink here to bands like Massive Attack and Leftfield, who also intersperse production-intense hip hop and reggae rhythms with simple classical melodies and instrumental interludes), but artists including Black Sifichi make a guest appearance.
There is no doubt that this is a project put together with consummate professionalism and for the most part it impresses. It’s full of deep, bassy, funk (Another); chocolatey vocals from a soft-spoken MC; achingly beautiful slices of dub, flavoured with clarinet (3 Rue Monplaisir) and sexy shuffling grooves (Phantom Land sang by the silky voiced Angelique Wilkie), but not every track makes the desired impact. Versus for instance works as an enumeration of all the ills in the history of our corrupt world civilisations: ‘cataclysm; BSE; barbary; bombs; torpedoes; nuclear; traffic jams; Zyklon B; Napalm; vicious; debris; gluttony; refugee camps,’ you get the idea. This is then counterpointed by a list of all the positive vibes that exist to combat the bad- such as ‘lullaby meditation peace caress’- reeled off by a calming female voice. At one point I am almost convinced that she name checks ‘hammy poetry’ within that role call, but on subsequent listenings I think it may be ‘harmony’. Anyway, I don’t mean to be churlish; I mean where would we be without some sincerely meant ideological fervour?
At times EZ3Kiel vibrate with all the energy of a tightly coiled spring (as on the dark and brooding industrial ObSsd) and it would be a shame not to catch a flicker of it.

1. Kika
2. Versus
3. Another
4. 3 Rue Montplaisir
5. Phantom Land
6. Tôt Ou Tard
7. Obssd
8. Barb4ry
9. Thought
10. Sûrement
11. Coaxial

PRAXIS

PRAXIS
PROFANATION:

PREPARATION FOR A COMING DARKNESS (2008)
320 KBPS

Given the dynamic history of the band's previous work, "Profanation" will surprise even the most devoted Laswell and Buckethead fans. That being said, this record takes a wide range of vocalists, instrumentalists, and genres of music and (in typical Laswellian fashsion) integrates them into a coheisive satisfying whole. Some of the stand out pieces are "Furies" (Iggy Pop), "Sulfer & Cheese" (Serj Tankian), "Ruined" (w/ Ruins drummer Tatsuya Yoshida), & "Babylon Blackout" (Otomo Yoshihide). There also seems to be some common themes running throughout the lyrics (and the cover art). Check it out for yourself and make the connection. My only real compliant is that Bootsy is not anywhere on the album...Now that is a real shame.

1. Caution
2. Worship
3. Ancient World
4. Furies
5.Galaxies
6. Sulfur and Cheese
7. Larynx
8. Revelations Part 2
9. Ruined
10. Garbage God's
11. Babylon Blackout
12. Endtime

BIM SHERMAN

BIM SHERMAN
IT MUST BE A DREAM (1997)
320 KBPS

The phrase "couldn't leave well enough alone" comes to mind when listening to this remix album of material from Miracle. A large part of what made the original album so great was its airy acoustic Indian touch, and inexplicably, someone comes up with the bright idea of dumping that sound in favor of a more modern, Western one, with heavy bass, digital effects, and sampled dance beats. While this actually works on a few tracks, the "Europeanization" of the songs ruins most. The best of these new versions are the ones that utilize subtle beats and effects -- quiet, unobtrusive changes that blend well with the placid nature of the original tunes. "My Woman," "Just Can't Stand It," and "Over the Rainbow," for instance, each add just a subtle bass line, drum, or echo. However, several of the remaining songs are dominated by dance/techno/drum & bass/trip-hop beats that overpower the vocals and drain any impact of the originals. The "Solid As a Rock" remix actually made the UK charts, but it is one of the worst cuts on It Must Be a Dream, and I doubt that the people that made that version popular were reggae fans.

1. My Woman [Groove Corporation Mix]
2. Just Can't Stand It [Youth Mix]
3. Can I Be Free From Crying [The Underwolves Mix]
4. Missing You [Tim Simenon Mix]
5. Lovers Leap [Skip McDonald Mix]
6. Simple Life [Adrian Sherwood Mix]
7. Solid As a Rock [Steve Osborne Mix]
8. It Must Be a Dream [Mr. Scruff Mix]
9. Bewildered [Steve Osborne Mix]
10. Over the Rainbow [Coco & The Bean Mix]
11. Golden Locks [Alon Adiri Mix]

Bonus Cd
Contributions
1. Lighthouse/Dreamers [w/ Singers & Players]
2. Free the Marijuana {w/ Audioactive]
3. Man Next Door [w/ Strange Parcels]
4. Over the Rainbow [Alan Adiri Mix]

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
FACTS AND FICTION (1995)
320 KBPS

Asian Dub Foundation's album debut finds the band with their chops fully intact, even at this early date. Dr. Das' rapping flow is speedy and intricate, though continually inflected in the same ways (very reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha). The production and programming, by Steve Chandrasonic and Dr. Das, is the real highlight here, incorporating traditional Indian percussion and instruments, but constantly name-checking contemporary dance styles like bhangra and ragga jungle. The haunting vocals that open "Rebel Warrior" make it a highlight, while Chandra's deep drum programs provide continual thrills.

1. Witness
2. PKNB
3. Jericho
4. Rebel Warrior
5. Journey
6. Strong Culture
7. TH9
8. Tu Meri
9. Debris
10. Box
11. Thacid 9 [Dub Version]
12. Return to Jericho [Dub Version]

MATERIAL

MATERIAL
HALLUCINATION ENGINE (1994)
320 KBPS

By the mid-'90s, Material was simply another word for Bill Laswell, so as Laswell's fascination with ambient mysticism grew, so did Material's tendencies in that direction. After 1991's dark and reggae-inflected The Third Power, Hallucination Engine's long, spacy jams aren't exactly a dramatic departure, but the combination of Wayne Shorter and various North African elements is certainly interesting. In fact, the array of guest musicians is more diverse than ever: Trilok Gurtu, Jonas Hellborg, Zakir Hussain, Bootsy Collins — the list goes on and on and even includes William Burroughs (who intones a hilarious list of "Words of Advice" over a churning mid-tempo funk groove). In his ambient mode, Laswell has been accused of turning too little music into too much track length, and there's some justice to those criticisms; here, "Black Light" and the unbelievably well-named "Eternal Drift" both plod along for far too long with far too little development. But that William Burroughs track kicks in just as you're about to fall asleep, and it's followed immediately by a very funky and very jazzy remix of "Cucumber Slumber." "The Hidden Garden/Naima" proposes an interesting juxtaposition of Arabic pop song and modal jazz, with dramatic and beautiful results, while "Shadows of Paradise" brings the album to a close with a gentle whimper, not a bang.

1. Black Light
2. Mantra
3. Ruins (Submutation Dub)
4. Eternal Drift
5. Words Of Advice
6. Cucumber Slumber (Fluxus Mix)
7. The Hidden Garden/Naima
8. Shadows Of Paradise

D.A.A.U.

D.A.A.U.
TUB GURNARD GOODNESS (2004)
320 KBPS

Genre is so passé. Antwerp twerps Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung (DAAU) join big boys Radiohead, TV on the Radio and others in taxing music taxonomists with kitchen sink audio alchemy. DAAU grew up under the auspices of Belgian brethren dEUS and Moondog Jr. (Zita Swoon), but musical comparisons to their early stage superiors are futile. Album opener ‘My Goodness! Poetry’ is a Klezmer incarnation of Apocalyptica covering The Fiery Furnaces covering Camille Saint-Saëns. My goodness! It’s free verse until ‘Raw Like Milk’, which finally resembles common song structure with melody and repetition and all that. But as you settle into its accelerated Mogwai build, you become intoxicated by their tipsy gypsy Mozart mash. Amidst so many musical deviations, the ‘2 + 2 = 5′ cover adds up to an unimaginative conceit to tune in Radiohead fans, a broad band dial that connects for me.
For all this deliberate musical dissociation, DAAU frequently get off to familiar phrases from film scores. But it’s probably too late to discover new lines in the mathematically limited world of music, anyway, and DAAU’s puree-set blender reduces their disparate influences to whispered hints of cinnamon and turmeric. Despite spicy metaphors, the album’s texture underperforms its writing. The songs’ energy and complexity require more than the sparse chamber instrumentation supplies. The album’s strongest track - ‘Even More Lost Souls’ (following ‘Lost Souls’ and ‘More Lost Souls’ from previous albums) - triumphs because of the soulful expression enabled by its simplicity and melancholy pace. The mournful drone remains tensely pre-orgasmic to the end.
Excepting the dub-percussion reggae track, ‘A Funny Little Feeling’, DAAU’s latest rocks through contemporary classical music but sounds like neither style. Blame the instrument selection: violin, accordion, cello, and clarinet. They’ve settled a bit since 2001’s Life Transmission, which made use of more styles than tracks. Still, after nine years and six albums, DAAU refuse to forge a signature style - but everything they serve is guaranteed fresh.

1. My Goodness
2. Off The Record
3. Is This It?
4. Raw Like Milk
5. Guts
6. Of R*D*H*D
7. A Funny Little Feeling
8. Catfish Blues
9. A Shortcut To The Edge
10. Even More Lost Souls
11. In My Midnight Skies
12. Two Fast Dreams

DUB WAR

DUB WAR
WRONG SIDE OF BEAUTIFUL (1996)
224 KBPS

Dub War are one of the most original bands I have ever heard. Whereas most bands nowadays are doing the nu-metal thing, which is getting so boring, these guys are blending together rock, metal and hardcore with reggae, soul and dub to sublime effect. If you're an open minded music fan, you really have to give this a listen. You won't have anything like it.

1. Control
2. Armchair Thriller
3. Greedee
4. Baseball Bat
5. One Chill
6. Enemy Maker
7. Million Dollar Love
8. Silencer
9. Cry Dignity
10. Can't Stop
11. Prisoner
12. Love Is
13. Mission
14. Universal Jam
Rightside of Beautiful bonus remix disc
1. One Chill (Aphrodite mix)
2. Million Dollar Love (Dj Rap mix)
3. Armchair (Dub War version)
4. Nar Say A Ting (Rottsman dub mix)
5. Prisoner (Nico dub mix)
6. Million Dollar Love (Unguided Lights mix)