Paraphrasing the Soul Sonic Force and sorting through today`s releases for tunes that could have graced Alfredo Fiorito & Leo Mas’ Amnesia dance-floor…

Earth Angel’s eponymous LP was one of my favourite albums of 2023, where The Crooked Man, aka Parrot, simmered down 40 years plus of production experience into a super stripped mix of street soul and bass heavy soundsystem dynamics. He then did something very similar with Lady Blackbird, as Athletes Of God, to cover Randy Crawford’s Don’t Wanna Be Normal. Creating an outsider anthem in the process.

Other veteran producers who did serious “leftfield” stints in the echo chamber included the always essential Dennis Bovell. Practically the inventor of the post-punk dub, Dennis added his terrific twist to Tyler Pope’s Jump In The Fire. Jamaican  dub legend Scientist showcased his significant skills on Multi Culti co-founder, Dreems’ Watchamacallit Machine. A big fan of Scientist, The Grid’s Richard Norris gave reign to his love of reggae and dub with a new project, called Oracle Sound. Volume One was full of future classics. Birthday Dub is an absolutely brilliant piece of groovy drum circle business. Volume Two is due to drop early next year.

Two of Andrew Weatherall’s former close collaborators also got busy with barmy levels of reverb and delay. David Harrow’s Rare Earth Technology set – especially cuts like Canyon Sound and Forwards Backwards – really deserved a vinyl pressing, while A Love From Outer Space’s Sean Johnston delivered some dynamite dubs, that hankered after the early `90s magic that Weatherall made with Hugo Nicolson. Both on his own, as Hardway Bros., or in partnership with Duncan Gray, meeting Monkton Uptown, Sean produced brilliant, spaced-out, ecstatic versions of Watson & Cole’s Just A Daydream Away and Electric Blue Vision’s Other Skies. Duncan also teamed up with Andrew’s brother, Ian, as Sons Of Slough, for a radical dubwise rework of Primal Scream’s Running Out Of Time. More superior, stoned, druggy chuggers were collected on Rude Audio & Dan Wainwright’s Psychedelic Science. 

Puli put out a fantastic 45 on Animals Dancing’s new offshoot, Constant Delay. Black Bones’ cracking On-U Sound / African Head Charge-esque Konstant Kollision was on regular rotation at Ban Ban Ton Ton, a file for now, while awaiting the vinyl from fresh Dublin-based label, Mystic Arts. The On-U crew themselves enthusiastically deconstructed Panda Bear & Sonic Boom’s Reset. Benedikt Frey boldly, bravely covered Joy Division. Brighton’s Richie Phoe tested FatCat Records’ new lathe with a seismic shake of Jennifer Touch’s Shot Shot.

The Idjut Boys’ Conrad McConnell manhandled the desk for several live dub “disco” workouts. My favourite was his take on Gratts’ Jour De Fete. Other outstanding uptempo offerings were Gaudi’s dubplate of BCUC’s Thonga Lami, and Trance Vision Steppers’ reissued Reaction Dub. Craig Bratley & Amy Douglas’ No In Between was another reissue that rocked.

There was marvellous, mellower gear from Doof and Persian, both on Mysticisms. Cousin was a name that kept cropping up – quite rightly – throughout 2023. Hoodie X James K’s Scorpio was like My Bloody Valentine meet Smith & Mighty. Echo shredded shoegaze. Picking Tea Leaves & Chasing Butterflies, from the long-player, Prism, found The Orb returning to their joker smoker roots.

Finally, there was some reggae proper that was ripe for a Balearic dancefloor crossover. Kulture Blak & Ras Alla’s On My Path, for example, recalled Earl 16’s collaborations with Leftfield. Avantroots’ World Crisis, featured venerated vocalist Linval Thompson, and mixes that ranged from techno, to drug chug, to sunset / sunrise serenade. The Disciples took on Ennio Morricone’s For A Few Dollars More. Legowelt put a superb vocoder spin on Pampidoo’s Synthesizer Voice. Aisha’s much-loved, oft-sampled, The Creator, resurfaced on a 7, and then a 12.

Mellow stuff to follow soon…

Track-list

Part One
Craig Bratley & Amy Douglas – No In Between – Magic Feet
Oracle Sound – Stronger Together – Group Mind
Earth Angel – No Big Thing – Foundation Music
Puli – Mr Steinburger Lives Upstairs – Constant Delay
Avantroots – World Crisis – Avantroots
David Harrow – Forwards Backwards – David Harrow
Athletes Of God – Don`t Wanna Be Normal – Foundation Music
Dreems – Here Comes The New Prophet (Scientist Mix) – Pinchy & Friends
Black Bones – Konstant Kollision – Mystic Arts
Watson & Odin – Daydream In Dub (Hardway Bros) – Shades Of Sound
Oracle Sound – Birthday Dub – Group Mind
Disciples – For A Few Dollars More – Covert Dubs
Tyler Pope – Jump In The Fire (Dennis Bovell Mix) – Interference Pattern
Gratts – Jour De Fete (Conrad McConnell Mix) – Be Strong Be Free
BCUC – Thonga Lami (Gaudi Mix) – On The Corner
Trance Vision Steppers – ReAction Dub – Mysticisms
Kulture Blak & Ras Alla – On My Path – Studiostarline