“Dub Souljah” is the first 12 on Sotofett’s new label, Resonance Of Dub. Those of us in Japan were lucky enough to pick up promos of the inaugural 7 last November, when the Norwegian DJ / producer was handing them out while on tour. Here, the sleeve bears the legend “Dub blew my mind the first time I heard it, and that explosion is still ringing in my ears”, and his passion, understanding and talent for the technique / genre really shows. The release consists of 3 songs, collaborations between Ghanan musician Ekow Alabi Savage aka Ekowmania and Finnish genius, Jimi Tenor. All now remixed by Sotofett.  

The title track boasts a roots vocal, proclaiming music as a weapon of peace. Massed brass blasts, tumbling urgent Nyabinghi percussion and a brilliant, energetic B-line help to support this message. Effectively an old school Jamaican extended “discomix”, the second half announces itself by dropping the sax and trombone into echo. Snares are stuttered, the rhythm guitar ripples, there are colossal cymbal crashes, plus the odd syn-drum pop. A super stripped back “Ultradub” then subjects the track to metallic filtering and phasing, while time-stretching the vocals. The textures now more dub techno, broken by mixing desk splashes, computer / arcade game effects and bursts of bleeps. 

Deliberately ruff and raw around the edges, “Afrolistic Rock&Roll”, while not exactly dub or reggae, is definitely informed by both. Its growls and chants, and musical melting pot – as it throws in funk and a screaming (target) electric axe solo – had me, personally, thinking of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s fantastic sessions with Mouse On Mars. 

Finally, “Kuusikasi Funk” is a cracking cut of crazy cowbell-led Afro jazz, full of honking horns and whistling woodwinds. Wicked strong, it could easily strut its stuff alongside the recently reissued Cedric Brooks holy grail, “United Africa”.  

Dubwise Vinyl have copies up for pre-order.