Dub For Dummies

Few genres, like dub, have had such a long-lasting and far-reaching influence on the world of rock, while also boasting an independent trajectory of its own, complete with figureheads, subgenres, splits and internal developments. Entire movements, from post-punk to trip-hop to a great deal of electronic music, would simply be unthinkable without dub's influence creeping in under various guises. What's more, to ignore dub is to miss out on a rich tradition of musicians and “engineers” who threw open new worlds of slow-motion visions, often detached from the more strictly religious substrate typical of its reggae roots, and which dedicated studies have shown to boost intuition and concentration, as well as (obviously) having a soothing effect on the psyche.

Few genres, moreover, trace back to a genesis as precise and historically reconstructable as dub, however blurred by a certain mythological haze.

In the beginning there was reggae, then, and after that came the remix. In a context that's not too hard to imagine, all things considered: a handful of stoners locked up in a recording studio somewhere in Jamaica, at a time when nobody suspected anything yet (around 1967), recycling pre-recorded rhythms in creative ways by stretching their echoes and reverbs at will. At first with the aim of guaranteeing original arrangements for reggae productions, which then became so trendy that a good portion of singles began to feature a corresponding "version" on the b-side (just think of Keith Hudson's records), once the smoke of Jah cleared enough for these chosen few to glimpse the specific potential of this style. Let's narrow down the legendary element here, though, and give names and faces to these chosen ones: Osbourne "King Tubby" Ruddock is the man commonly credited as responsible for the earliest developments of dub as a genre in its own right. Owner of a highly sophisticated studio, Tubby became, already in the very early Seventies, the "king" of Kingston to whom a growing number of musicians turned to benefit from his special treatments. Soon a true Tubby-ist school would emerge, whose students would in turn become genuine authorities of the genre: Prince Jammy, Scientist and Errol Thompson, among others, all names that would help elevate dub — and above all the figure of the sound engineer — within the reggae context.

From there on, the genre took many unexpected paths, or found ways to slip subtly into others: from Lee "Scratch" Perry's loose trips, to its influence on global dancehall, from its more spiritual drifts to its reincarnation in the West, particularly in Thatcherite England with Mark Stewart and On-U Sound first, and then trip-hop and ambient-techno. The gospel of dub keeps pulsing. As a style, as a state of mind, as a way of living and seeing reality. In slow-motion.

(The following brief list, far from claiming to be exhaustive, humbly aims to offer an overview of the genre's geographic and chronological developments, attempting to select those records that are significant both historically and according to the writer's own personal judgement and passion)

Lee “Scratch” Perry & The Upsetters – Super Ape (1976, Island)

Telling the story of the eccentric Lee Perry and his vast discography is a task that must necessarily be left for another chapter. Part of The Upsetters collective since the late Sixties, Lee "Scratch" Perry has delivered what is probably the most substantial and innovation-packed dub output of all, including a highly personal approach to the genre — not only for being among the first founding fathers to write proper "songs," complete with vocals and structure, but also for channeling his emotions and private anecdotes directly through the machines, making his records unquestionably the most fascinating of the genre's first era. "Super Ape" represents, in many respects, the peak of his career: recorded at the legendary Black Ark Studio, the album succeeds in recreating an incredibly dense jungle, thanks above all to the complex rhythmic layering and the dialogue with the basslines — which for once share the foreground equally with the percussion — and to samples of reggae classics constantly faded in and out. The psychedelic effect is at its maximum, but unlike other, more daring Perry productions (just think of the gorgeous "Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Cornbread" and "The Return Of Pipecock Jackxson"), the listening experience here remains consistently enjoyable, always smooth and liquid in true roots style — credit also due to a top-tier band (Boris Gardiner on bass, Skullying on congas, Mickey Benbow on percussion, Chinna on guitar). Practically every track is a piece of history, with "Croaking Lizard" and "Dread Lion" among the genre's most refined classics. If, without false modesty, Lee Perry likes to have himself photographed wearing a king's crown, there's probably a good reason for it.

Scientist – Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampire (1981, Greensleeves)

Among King Tubby's protégés, Overton Brown, aka Scientist, is undoubtedly the most gifted and original producer. His records push echo and distortion to even more extreme levels than the already high standard set by his contemporaries, in order to make the sound "as alien as possible," like music made to communicate with Martians. Monstrous references abound, especially in the central part of his discography, in what amounts to an almost grotesque saga of close encounters of the fifth kind, which on "Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampire" become even more outlandish given that, as legend has it, it was recorded at King Tubby's studio at the exact stroke of midnight on Friday the 13th. "Scientist Rids The World" is in many ways Scientist's most accomplished record (perhaps alongside the slightly earlier "Scientist Meets The Space Invaders"), combining a handful of greasy, powerful basslines and comic-horror vocals straight out of a night of the living dead (as one of the titles itself suggests) with downright masterful mixing work. Probably the most fun trip of them all.

Dub Syndicate – Tunes From The Missing Channel (1984, On-U Sound)

One of the most important side ventures under the On-U Sound banner — the British "dub" label par excellence — Dub Syndicate is the most "acid" creation of guru Adrian Sherwood and drummer Style Scott (of Roots Radics, a collaborator of both Perry and Bill Laswell, and founder of Lion & Roots). Formed in the late Seventies and technically still active, Dub Syndicate were perhaps the first to fully explore dub's more "electro-ambient" dimension, already sketched out by Creation Rebel. The albums "One Way System" and "The Pouning System", billed as "ambience in dub," stylistically coined this form, which however only reaches full maturity on this very "Tunes From The Missing Channel". While preserving the typically chilled mood, on "Tunes" the rhythm section is radically stripped down and the spaces feel even wider, letting in a varied array of "alien" elements that enrich a trip painted in shades of grass green and metallic grey: the raga of "Ravi Shankar", abrasive guitars and synths, drumming ("Over Board"), exasperated echoes ("Forever More") and relaxed roots-style evocations ("Jolly"). "Tunes From The Missing Channel" is the ideal meeting point between the tribal sensibilities developed in parallel by African Head Charge and the heavily industrial vein explored under the Missing Brazilians name on the no less landmark "War Zone".

A record that works on multiple levels and that will please the most varied of tastes.

Augustus Pablo – East Of The River Nile (1978, Message)

The most famous image of Augustus Pablo, which is also the cover of this record, shows the musician crouched over his melodica, immersed in a natural landscape, as if by the banks of a river (the Nile of the title?). The deep spirituality of this musician from St. Andrew is one of the few known facts about this mysterious figure, whose semi-hermetic life and worldview are contained almost exclusively within his music.

Augustus Pablo's is a personal take on instrumental reggae that somehow evokes a sense of mystical purity, of participation in and immersion into the eternal cycles of the natural elements — an effect that, thanks also to the complete absence of vocals, allows the music to move within a kind of timelessness.

Every track says everything about itself within the first three seconds, between amplified basslines and melancholic melodica or keyboard phrases. Yet at the same time it says nothing, dragging itself along in a constantly circular motion that could potentially go on forever, with no twists and no worldly concerns. Simply flowing.

Linton Kwesi Johnson – Forces Of Victory (1979, Island)

Linton Kwesi Johnson is often cited as one of only two living poets ever published by Penguin Classics. His has been a life of battles against every possible form of racism, spent at the helm of various organizations, and as the author of biting verses born from a unique blend of beat poetry and left-wing militancy. "Forces Of Victory" is the manifesto of his dub-poetry, an instantly recognizable style built on a minimal yet forceful dub-reggae framework and a half-sung, half-spoken delivery that emphasizes the "rounded" spelling of Jamaican English, foreshadowing a kind of rap ante-litteram. Activism, stories of oppression, and philosophy intertwine in a cultured, elegant form that forces the listener to keep both feet firmly on the ground and, as such, stands as a true one-off in the history of dub, whose nuances it has significantly altered. It has also changed plenty of lives along the way.

New Age Steppers – Action Battlefield (1981, Statik / On-U Sound)

A kind of supergroup put together by Adrian Sherwood, with Bim Sherman and the unforgettable Ari Up (though its ranks would also include Neneh Cherry, Eskimo Fox, Style Scott, and even Mark Stewart), New Age Steppers ushered in the golden age of On-U Sound with a trio of albums that reflect the "punk" background of most of its members, built around a warmer, more live-sounding approach than the label's future projects would adopt. "Action Battlefield" remains, to this day, the group's gem: seven rag-electro songs with hulking basslines, clear heirs to the illuminations of the Pop Group, packed with effects and shifting moods, ranging from the evocative melancholy of "Observe Life" to the naïve little tune of "My Love", all the way to the more nervy "Problems" and, above all, "Nuclear Zulu", bearing Stewart's unmistakable touch. New Age Steppers would only resurface in 2012 with the fainter "Love Forever", featuring some posthumous vocals from Ari Up, who had by then been taken by cancer at just forty-eight. An atypical, one-of-a-kind record.

The Congos – Heart Of The Congos (1977, Black Art)

Whether and how the "Black" music of central-northern America reflects the patterns of its pre-slavery African past has long been the subject of academic debate. Without getting caught up in theoretical questions, the Congos try to (re?)unite in their music the rich reggae scene of early-Seventies Jamaica with the vocal tradition of West-Central Africa. A long discography that, despite various pauses, spans three decades, within which "Heart Of The Congos" stands as a truly special episode. First of all because of who's behind the mixing desk — Lee Perry once again, a guarantee of rich and (for the era) extremely sophisticated production. But also, and above all, thanks to ten splendid songs that shine with warmth and moved, "crossover" spirituality, with "Congoman" serving as the trio's explicit statement of intent. A record that, incidentally, came within a hair's breadth of commercial success: a contract with Island was ready to go, but was sunk by Perry over some friction with the major, and the album ended up released on his (financially) far more modest Black Art instead.

The Congos then resurfaced in 2012 for the Sun Araw and M. Geddes Gengras project "Icon Give Thank".

Mad Professor – Dub Me Crazy (1982, Ariwa)

Mad Professor, real name Neil Fraser, is among the leading names of second-generation dubbers – those who were transplanted and raised in contexts other than their place of origin (in Fraser's case, Guyana). Heavily influenced by electronics and steeped in the massive use of sampling, Mad Professor effectively created a new conception of dub, whose influence on the decade to come would prove nothing short of decisive (think of Renegade Soundwave and Wild Bunch, right down to the early Massive Attack). With its drunken, disorienting gait, "Dub Me Crazy" was the first record to throw open these new doors, and it would launch Mad Professor into the pantheon of in-demand remixers, courted both by the "founding fathers" (Lee "Scratch" Perry, Horace Andy, Sly & Robbie) and by the wider pop universe (from Sade to Massive Attack themselves).

Creation Rebel – Starship Africa (1980, 4D Rhythms)

Put together by bassists Tony Henry and Lizard alongside renowned, ever-present percussionists Eskimo Fox and Style Scott, Creation Rebel is a project that deserves attention on the strength of its credits alone. "Starship Africa", in particular, remains one of the boldest experiments ever attempted in dub territory. Breaking free of the more typically dub-reggae framework of its predecessors (namely "Dub From Creation"), the two near-suites that make up "Starship Africa" take off to explore the galaxies, taking dub for the first time into spacey, deeply abstract territory. Every element seems to follow its own geometry, decomposing into ever-shifting combinations before occasionally regrouping with the rest of the scenery into architectures that are sturdy yet elusive. Somewhere between Jarre and "kraut" leanings. High risk of trance. Handle with care.

Rhythm & Sound – w/ The Artist (2003, Burial Mix)

After a decade, the Nineties, in which dub – particularly in its more electronic guise – kept creeping into the most disparate shapes (just think of names as far apart as Orb, Jah Wobble, Basic Channel), the 2000s saw more "roots"-leaning vibrations stir back to life, thanks to the work of Deadbeat on the more techno-leaning side (listen to "Roots & Wire" and "Radio Rothko"), and of Vladislav Delay and Moritz von Oswald on the more ambient-avant side. It is Moritz von Oswald himself who oversees the Berlin-based Rhythm & Sound project, whose recipe streamlines and slows down the dub-techno formula, suspending it in a minimal, subcutaneous pulse shot through with intensely sensual basslines.

A sprawling series of singles and EPs (about thirty in all), many featuring Tikiman on vocals, released between 1996 and 2006 and gathered on four compilations, of which this "w/ The Artist" selects and remixes the best duets, intoxicating the senses, the mind and the feet.

Today's dub inevitably passes through these parts too.

Ride the wave of great music

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