Matthieu Beck / Suede Dubs

In 2022, French musician Matthieu Beck released his album, “Here Alone”, on Growing Bin. The record gaining a rave Ban Ban Ton Ton review, care of Secret Soul Society’s Cal Gibson. Beck has now singled out the track “Suede”, commissioned a couple of cracking remixes and pressed them onto a super limited, bespoke 45. The original was a sun stroked, tropical skank, with pan pipe-coloured keys countering a pretty, “Moments In Love”-esque piano melody. Time Capsule’s Kay Suzuki’s take is a dub that stretches things out, isolating each element and giving them more space to breathe. Adding the odd elegant echo and effect, while in the song’s second half focusing on more the percussion, rattling around in reverb, and the tune’s lovers rock syn-drum pops. Fellow Frenchmen, the Parisian pair Froid Dub, then deliver something a tad darker. Slowing the tempo to a crawl and bringing some dangerous digidub bass pressure. Filters feeding back, ringing, sonically spiralling, while the OG is just a ghost glimpsed within. 

Caramel 3000 / Super Tempa / Hell Yeah

Brussels based, Italian producer Caramel 3000 has a new slo-mo LP, titled “Super Tempa”, ready for Hell Yeah. The set is a sorta dalliance with dub, but its more pitched down house, or cosmic disco, than reggae related. The more way out it gets, the more interesting it is, and tracks such as “Lente Virtus” are subject to tons of trippy, spinning siren effects. Like someone hitting the fire alarm in a submarine. “Acqua Tofana” rides a rhythm of rapid, rattling, echoed bongos and congas. A tribal tumbling of chiming keys and treated voices. Broken by bursts of buzzing bass frequencies, and sudden explosions of a strange, sorta romantic chanson melody. Fans of Froid Dub and Pinchy & Friends should definitely take a listen. 

Ronnie Davis / Sun Is Shining / Gorgon Records

This a slow, heavy, and totally essential shot at the Bob Marley classic, “Sun Is Shining”. Marley first recorded the track, with The Wailers, in 1971. Produced by Lee Perry, the song appeared on the album “Soul Revolution Part II”, on Perry’s label, Upsetter. The Ronnie Davis take was committed to tape later in the 70s, but until now remained unreleased. Instead King, back then Prince, Jammy cut a crazy, wild dub, christened “Jammys A Shine”, which is widely considered to be a benchmark of the dub genre / technique. This dub itself only surfaced on a relatively obscure compilation LP, in 79, called “Fatman Dub Contest”, which pit Jammy against Crucial Bunny. I paid a pretty penny for vinyl copy. The new 7” is flipped by a fresh, authentically vintage sounding version from Prince Fatty, where the London-based producer expertly drops Ronnie and the track’s moody organ motif in and out of a dread whirl of delay and reverb drenched rattle and ricochet. 

Manu Dibango X Don Letts X Gaudi / Reggae Makossa

Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango recorded and released the song “Soul Makossa” in 1972. Initially in a limited pressing, it was picked up and championed by David Mancuso. I think it may have been one of the releases that encouraged the legendary New York DJ to create his pioneering record pool. The song has since been subject to countless covers – Afrique, Lafayette Afro Rock Band, Pino Presti …* – and the vocal refrain was famously borrowed by Michael Jackson. Dibango himself revisited the tune in 1980, cutting a version, “Reggae Makossa” for his 1980 LP, “Gone Clear”, which has become a firm favourite in select “Balearic” circles. As part of a larger project, backed by Dibango’s estate, Don Letts and Gaudi have given the track a bumping, bouncing, modern, chugging bass-heavy remix. Making the most of the bass riff and backing vocals, with syn-drums popping, groovy rhythm guitar breakdowns and funky Clavinet keys. 

*….Babatunde Olatunji, Nairobi, Mighty Tom Cats, Sir Jablonski, Mandingas, Los Disco Dura, The Simon Kenyatta Troupe, Grupo Guerra, Toño Quirazco, Rod Hunter, Latin Xpress, Rammie MacKenzie, Bill Loko, Fania All Stars, Byron Lee, Rodney Jones, Toto Guillaume, Brent Dowe, Afrosound, Soul Village, Songhoy Blues, Antibalas, Bayete, Ravi Harris, Doc Severinsen, Enzo Avitabile…

Exotic Gardens / Afternoon Dubs / Pinchy & Friends

Aaron Coyes’ “Afternoon Dubs” picks right up from where his “Morning Dubs” left off, so that the 2 sets can be listened to as a steady, seamless, incremental increase in tempo and intensity. Track by track, Coyes twisting his dubwise dials, and hitting his effects switches with elevated frequency across the LP. Again, giving a respectful nod to Andrew Weatherall’s early 90s productions and playlists. Reaching a peak on the 8th, and final number, where a TB-303 bubbles, extravagantly echoed, over a heavy B-line. More pitched down, slo-mo prog house than Om Unit’s Sci-Fi “Acid Dub Studies”. Machines whizzing, whistling, whooping, almost chanting, in a mind-bending mix of crazy collisions that gradually grow melodically. Druggy definitely, like a flashback to Weatherall spinning in Sabresonic’s dungeon, raising reverberations of Happy Jax classics such as Dub Charge’s “Conflict Of Drums” or Four Boy One Girl Action’s “Hawaiian Death Dub”. One can only wonder where “Evening Dubs” will end up. 

Hydroponics / Beware / Partial Records

Conscious Sounds’ Dougie Wardrop used the alias The Hydroponics in the early 2000s. However, this remake of Vivian Jackson & The Prophets’ 1973 roots classic, “Beware (Jah Is Watching You)” dates from 1996.* Wardrop’s remake samples snippets of Jackson’s vocal, and also some studio (kinda cloudy) banter. Surrounding these with a seismic bass-line, melodica and sonar blips (a la The Truth’s “The Truth”). A previously unreleased dubplate mix adds fractured fanfares. Broken bits of brass blasts. 

*The original formed the basis of Big Youth’s “Lightning Flash (Weak Heart Drop)”, which just happens to be the first reggae record that, under the influence of John Lydon, Andrew Weatherall ever bought. Weatherall sampled it in one his early remixes, that of That Petrol Emotion’s “Abandon”.

Tommy McCook & The Supersonics / Second Fiddle / Treasure Isle

A jaunty, rare, rocksteady jam from saxophonist Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, one of the groups formed when The Skatalites split. Dating from 1968, and reissued on Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle, its whistling and tooting veers joyfully between calypso, sea shanty and early kids TV theme. 

Mad X, Tara & Milo Medina / Feel It / Room In The Sky

This is a bit cheesy, perhaps, but it made me smile. A rush of rave tempo-ed roots, it samples heavily from Royal House’s Second Summer Of Love call to arms, “Can U Party?” All the arms in the air stuff is here – the sirens and The Jacksons’ “Victory Tour” shout, that was also borrowed by Mr. Fingers. There are even a few acidic squiggles. 

OBF X Dubkasm / Shaku Dub / Dubquake

The title, “Shaku Dub”, no doubt refers to the traditional sounding woodwind (a Japanese shakuhachi?) that defines this cool collaboration between Bristolian duo Dubkasm and France’s O.B.F. sound system. Tricking, tumbling chimes, paradiddles and bionic brass accompanying the dance of said titular instrument. A heavier “Horns Mix” is stuffed full of freaky tape effects. 

Azizzi & Max Romero / Signs Of The Time / Recall Reality 

Jamaican singer, Azizzi Romero, son of the legendary Max, joins forces with Danish reggae band The Guiding Star Orchestra for a single titled “Signs Of The Times”. Against a proper roots backing, Romero’s lyrics, penned in our “darkest of hours” and aimed at the heads of the “devils in disguise”, protest against war and call for harmony. His dad, in a cameo, lends his support, heralded by a chorus of 4 righteous horns. A dub drops things back to the drums and the bass. Spring reverb thunder claps and shaking, shuffling, shapeshifting snares. 

Smudge All Stars / Our Lives 

Smudge All Stars are, I think, are primarily a funk outfit, that features Parliament / Funkadelic’s George Clinton. This number, though, is co-produced by Dennis Bovell and showcases the voice of Earl 16, with lyrical injections from Lee “Scratch” Perry. The track opens with smokey, psyche sorta harpsichord keys, recalling the work Martin Duffy did with Primal Scream, and Mr. 16’s smooth as silk tones always flashes me back to his collaboration with Leftfield, “Release The Pressure”. Solid and streamlined the sound, to my ears at least, recalls Adrian Sherwood’s `90s stuff for Dub Syndicate.