REVIEW: Various Artists, DubMission2 The Remixes (Qwango/Island)
- Malcolm O'Neill
While both dub and ambient tend to rely on studio technology and a fair amount of repetition, the end results can be substantially different. The ethereal sounds of ambient attempt to paint sonic landscapes to soothe the soul but dub is usually something more of a physical adventure.
Originating in the 60/70s from the low-tech studios of Jamaica, early dub (Lee Scratch Perry and Scientist to name two of the heavier hitters) would strip a track down to its basic rhythm and then add back guitar, horns, and vocal sounds with lots of echo, phasing and left/right speaker hopping. Modern technology has made life a little easier for new dub artists (such as the excellent The Mad Professor) and 50% of dub now originates from worldwide sources outside of Jamaica.
Showing the evident influences of the old hands and current flavours of techno, DubMission2 contains examples of the new Dub generation remixing tracks by established reggae artists such as Gregory Issacs, Black Uhuru, Sly & Robbie, and Burning Spear. Although the compilation might appear to be stocked with filler (you get two versions of "Boof'n'Baff...", two versions of "Night Nurse", and two versions of "Demolition City"), this is to afford you the opportunity to compare dub's various styles and some of its occasional dramatic contrasts.
Thievery Sound Systems version of "Boof'n'Baff...", which starts with the emphasis on drum and bass before really taking off, wins out over the two versions by Fila Brazillia. Brazillia's first remix takes a traditional stance with a few sound effects thrown in for good measure, but the techno-rich second remix is disappointingly too much like a Trenchtown Alex Patterson. "Demolition City" reworkings are trad-Dub (Smith and Mighty) versus crazy Dub (Graveyard City), with the latter maintaining lots of action over, above, and beyond the basic rhythm. "Night Nurse" two different treatments come from the laid back style of Kruder and Dorfmeister and Cottonbelly's asian-influenced and provocative remix that features some really great bass. "Rockers HiFi" starts and finishs with twittering birds (environmental dub) and sandwhiches dance beats in between. But the track's electronic bass was etched without feeling. In contrast, SubDub use great bass lines with trad-Dub sounds (sharp guitars/echo/vocal) here, but things with some awful, whining electronic sounds (upholding The Mad Professor thesis of knowing where and when to use sound effects). Best of all was Ion Loops "Ion Storm" with it's solid nix of dub and drum and bass. The vocals were almost conventional but the sounds were wild, weird and wonderful making you want to hear more from this team.
As a good intro to modern dub that may make you want to delve into its past, then this will serve you purposes. As the now deceased dub poet Michael Smith said "Give me little dub music right here so tonite."
