The Dub Trees 'Celtic Vedic' Review

Artist: Dub Trees

Title: Celtic Vedic

Label: Liquid Sound Design

Released: 10^th June

The Dub Tree's are a collective of dub producers and musicians with Youth at the helm and this latest release draws on Celtic and Hindu fusions featuring a host of collaborators such as Jah Wobble (P.I.L./Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart), Matt Black (Coldcut), Micheal Wadada (Suns of Arqa) and Shridevi Keshavan (Gods Robots).

The album commences with the Distant Green Shore Dub of 'Return to the River Ganges' and LSD fans will remember the Ozora mix was featured on their compilation 'Dakini Mother Tongue' last year. This take is a lighter version with more emphasis on the bansuri flute, pipes and harp. Around halfway through the Tablas come to life and everything comes together to great effect. The Ambrosirius Dub of 'Mediolana' begins in a haunting beautiful fashion before the drums kick in admist tribal chants and sampled monologue are introduced alongside Carnatic vocals. While the Fiery Pharaoh Mix of 'Indika Keltika' is a knees up fusion of Celtic fiddle that springs off the bansuri flutes, harmonium and dub fx.

The Pagan Dub of 'Voyage of Pytheas' places the emphasis on the vocals of folk singer Lisa Knapp (imagine Delirium in Dub). The Demnoriax King of the Lower World Dub of 'King of the Fairies' is another fiddle fuelled Irish Jig this time fused with more of a bubbling dub. The album draws to a close with Aeduan Odyessy Mix of Deer Hunter which has more of a house sound than dub reggae complimenting the Celtic/Hindu thread of the release.

To summarise I think this is a bit of a marmite album as apart from the last track and the two fiddle numbers the pieces (including the ones I haven't mentioned) are very similar. That said, if it grabs you then you're not going to stray into territories that don't appeal and the standard of musicianship and production with those on board speaks for itself.

Reviewed by Woodzee.

Links

https://liquidsounddesign.bandcamp.com/