With the landslide of emails,
shares and media streams of new music, it’s becoming harder and
harder to scratch the surface of music releases. So this list of no
particular order is quite frankly a selection of releases that either
impressed me or I repeatedly played on the commute to and from the
day job.
Back
in March the was a bit of a buzz about this album, with many saying
the Orb were back to their best. Although I really liked the
predecessor COW (Chill Out World) I could see from the off why this
album would have universal appeal.
2)
Gaudi – 100 Years of Theremin (The Dub Chapter)
Alongside
a selection of heavyweight dub pioneers, the Theremin maestro
celebrated the invention of this eerie electronic instrument by
cementing a union with dub reggae.
Quite
simply a lovely acoustic album from this American folktronica
duo, which is inspired by the natural world and aimed at encouraging
growth in the hearts and minds of the listeners.
After
many years Matt re-kindles this concept and dives deep into healing
ambient textures, with touches of 70’s inspired prog rock guitar
and gentle piano.
A
selection of tracks from the classically trained vocalist/multi-instrumentalist, that spans celtic folk, electronica and pop. At
times almost mirroring her idols Dead Can
Dance. The album is produced by Youth, who compared her vocal capabilities to Lisa
Gerrard.
After
a number of years concentrating on progressive house, Nick Brennan
returned to the folds of downtempo where he initially made his name.
At times darker than it’s predecessors but still balanced with
moments of light.
This
was the second Erothyme release that I purchased after a long hiatus
on my behalf. With three exceptionally strong tracks this album
ignited my interest in those albums I’d missed.
Not
having heard his latest release I can only go on the two releases of
this year I have heard. This edges it ever so slightly for me.
However, if you like Andrew’s brand of ambient soundscapes, field
recordings and laid back piano then they all fit the bill.
Eguana
has churned out a good number of releases this year without lapsing
on quality. Quite frankly I could have included any one of them. This
album steered away from the space themes of it’s recent
predecessors, with the focus placed on nature before moving to more
mythical and fantasy themes of his following release.
Once
again fusing tribal rhythms and world music with ambient soundscapes
and ethereal vocals. Additionally featuring some re-mixes from Seb’s
other projects such as Hibernation and Biotone.
Additionally
...
Richard
Norris – Music For Healing (The Complete Long Form Series)
Richard followed on from his Abstractions albums with a series of 12
twenty minute ambient pieces, released weekly and aimed for
relaxation or an accompaniment to practises such as yoga. Which
is now available in a more
compact version both digitally and on CD. There’s
nothing really catchy about these releases they just suitably serve
their purpose.
I
first came across the Orb among the shelves of a record store. It
wasn’t an underground store that specialised in the latest imported
12’s, just a regular high street chain. The title of the item
caught my attention ‘The huge ever pulsating brain that rules from
the centre of the ultraworld’ I surveyed the listening booths and
decided I wouldn’t bother queuing as with a title like this it must
be good. I wasn’t wrong and for a few years I was bagging their
audio and visual output, as well as enjoying them live at
Glastonbury. Over the years I’ve dipped in and out of their
releases and seen them perform on numerous occasions. There seemed to
be a buzz about their album ‘Abolition
of the royal familia’ and although I really liked ‘Chill Out
World’ I could see why many were saying they were back to their
best.
Now
this release is a compilation of Orb re-mixes that for the most part
have been released on various formats over the years, packaged into
one handy playable album. Now like any artists who have been around
this long they have their die-hard fans, who will already be eagerly
awaiting their pre-order to be shipping to their doormats. So this
review is aimed at those like myself, who like the Orb rather than the Orbsessed fanatics.
Now
I’ve had this sat on my harddrive for a few months, and I have
spent a fair amount of time comparing this collection to the
originals I didn’t know, that I could source. I found it a mixed
bag there’s artists
we all know such as Coldcut and System 7 where the re-mixes are great
alternatives. Obvious links to fans such as Youth & Gaudi,
Killing Joke and the Transit Kings. Some were completely new
introductions to me,as in the case of OMFO’s ‘Sirtaki on Mars’,
which is a great piece of Russian chill out in it’s own merit and I
loved the result. Whereas with the Gyuto Monks of Tibet’s ‘Legend
of the Yogi’ I far preferred the original, but never-the-less was glad of the
introduction. But all in all this is a collection that you can easily
play through, with some great tracks and if you so desire a good reference point to
explore further.
When
I reviewed the original album I wasn’t really feeling it. Not to
say it was this album itself, but dub music in general. I couldn’t
fault the production it was more a case of having listened to dub b-sides of 7” reggae from 1979, I wasn’t finding much in
the genre that sounded fresh and inspiring in recent years. However,
having attend the live show after penning that review and that
impressed me far more.
So
considering the wealth of talent brought into to add their touch to the
tracks and already catching the promo of Pitch Blacks take on ‘The
Gods Must Be Crazy’ (which was my personal favourite from the
album). Alongside the fact I’ve found myself enjoying some new dub
releases of late I decided to give this a go.
With
30 years of experience in producing dub and chill out as well as
historically working alongside Youth, Alex Paterson’s the Orb seems
a natural choice to start proceedings. Fresh off the back of their
popular new album ‘The Abolition of the Royal Familia’ is the
Orb’s Uraniborg Castle in the Sky mix of ‘Four Horsemen’. The
intro sounds very much like the incidental music from the original
Star Trek while the main body is carried along by a tribal beat,
running the gauntlet of sound fx such as telephone dials, vocal
reggae stabs, space launch commentary, vocoder and other samples with
the ease and grace of an Olympic sprinter.
Record
enthusiasts will be pleased to hear this will be released on 12”
vinyl with Pitch Blacks remix on the flipside this autumn.
Following
on is the Alsan Afro Tribal Dub of the title track ‘Astronaut
Alchemist’. San Francisco’s Jef Stott is a multi-instrumentalist
who has studied under some of the masters of Arabic instruments. He
now teaches as well writing, producing and remixing for the likes of
Azam Ali, Stellamara, Natacha Atlas and more and is regarded as one
of the instigators of the global bass scene. The intro here fuses
ethereal vocals and a sample that I’d hazard a guess is David
Childress of Ancient Aliens over the rising volume of dub. Samples
aside the piece is a nice catchy piece of dub with effective rolling
tribal drums.
New
Zealand’s electro-dub pioneers Pitch Black brew up a bass heavy
concoction of samples, reverb and sound fx to tempt the taste buds
with their Hubristic Prayerformance Mix of ‘The Gods Must Be
Crazy’. Whilst simultaneously stamping their individual brand of
dub, that they have honed and crafted since the late nineties both in
the studio and with electric festival appearances and shows
worldwide. As well as having been selected to tantalise the ears of fans
with the first promotional video of this album.
West Coast producer Eartha Harris
weaves a musical tapestry of dub inspired global dance music under
the name Living Light with four albums under her belt, compilation
appearances for Desert Trax, Merkaba Music, Sofa Beats and of course
LSD as well as touring coast to coast and appearing at festivals
across the Americas and Europe. Her remix for Bluetech’s
‘Geometries in Dub’ proved to be extremely popular over the
streaming sites. Here she ups the pace somewhat with her version of
‘Black Crow Dub’ and juxtaposes between tribal flutes and driving
electro dub to brighten up the dance floors.
Athenian
bass player, dub, electro and psychedelic producer Vlastur, has
amassed a healthy following of reggae fans and regularly graces
psychedelic festivals with his live band in mainland Europe. Whilst
representing the Mediterranean on ‘Bass Weapon’ ft N.Yiakoumis,
he firmly places the traditional Jamaican reggae keys at the
forefront of the piece. Paired with occasional horn accompaniment and
short breaks of dub fx. The overall result of his work basks you in
sunshine vibes from start to finish.
Melbourne
based Auckland electronic producers Deep Fried Dub built up a cult
following in their native New Zealand. They have released on Iboga
and Dubmission Records as well as re-mixing the likes of Banco de
Gaia and their local counterparts Pitch Black, International Observer
and the Black Seeds. Whilst their re-mix of Issac Chambers
‘Krytology’ ft Dub Princess has multi-million streams across the
platforms. Their rendition of ‘Ganjaman’ starts with a vocoder
heavy intro that leads into a fusion of reggae bass, horns and
switches the beat between reggae and drum and bass with comparative
ease.
Since
the early cassette releases Banco de Gaia went on to release on
the legendary Planet Dog and Beyond Records Ambient Dub compilations.
Easily accessible in the high street stores and widely received on
the festival scene his brand of cinematic global electronica has
acquired it’s place in musical history. Here he provides an eerie
atmospheric countdown with his version ‘Empress of the Tarot’
that builds into a rocket of sequential loops, before settling down
after the crescendo into ambient dub with harmonious waves.
Seb
Taylor’s Kaya Project has made a name in their fusions of organic
ethnic instruments, exceptional ethereal vocalists and electronica, as
well as many side projects ranging from trance to techno, breaks and
of course dub. Once more an act that appears on festival stages
across the globe. Also tackling ‘Black Crow Dub’ Seb fuses tribal
chill with the deep bass notes of reggae and flurries of psy-breaks.
Balearic
Funk/Chill Out band the Egg are another familiar face of the festival
scene. The Toscodisco re-mix of their single ‘Walking Away’ was
mashed up with the vocal of David Guetta’s ‘Love Don’t Let Me
Go’ reaching No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. For their part they
went to extra lengths on ‘Good Summer’ and drafted additional
musicians into the studio, reconstructing the original into a
cinematic orchestral number, that provides a laid back chill out
atmosphere and completing the piece with some funky horns.
Lawrence
Harvey otherwise known as Kuba has formed a sound that bridges the
gap between beach bar chill out, psy-chill, dub and eastern
instrumentation. With 8 albums under his belt and another near
completion, alongside festival and gig appearances with a live backing band, he has plenty of admirers. He provides atmospheric
synths peppered with tribal elements alongside flurries of drum and
bass in ‘Empress of the Tarot’ whilst adding slower passages with
touches of glitch.
Once
again representing the west coast of the U.S. The Bombay Dub
Orchestra whose fusion of Indian Classical music and Dub brought them
critical acclaim when they emerged in the late 90’s with
appearances at film festivals across the world. Recording in various
locations across the world utilising local musicians and mastering
from reggae legends Sly and Robbie. Their input with the
international spice station mix of ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’ on
this release continues in that vein with a soundclash of cinematic
Indian instruments and organ drenched reggae vibes. Offering a vastly
different perspective than Pitch Black.
Hailing
from the Netherlands Uncle Fester on Acid’s ‘No Sense Unfiltered’
his deconstruction and reconstructed version of Pitch Black’s
‘Filtered Senses’ sent a shock wave through the social media
sites and was released by Dubmission Records. He takes the original
production of ‘Bass Weapon’ and applies the brakes, his technique
molding a slow motion squelchy piece of dub.
Mindspring
Music label head honcho Onium is an up and coming young producer of
dub techno, chill out and psy-bass from Dallas, Texas. Also providing
another version of ‘Bass Weapon’ where the results of his
production work, delivers an electronic dub style, that’s not a
million miles away from his peers Pitch Black.
Cape
Town’s Sadhu Sensi draws his influences from a myriad of tempos and
styles from ambient and dub, to techno and trance and more in
between. Fusing elements of organic instruments with the electronic, with album releases on Iboga records and festival appearances, he’s
slowly but surely establishing himself as a contender on the scene.
Providing a deeply atmospheric and spacey take than his predecessors
on the original production of ‘Black Crow Dub’.
Australian
Gus Till has worked with an abundance of musical stars from Manu
Dibango to U2 as well as being part of Michael Hutchinson’s (INXS)
Maxi-Q project. Re-locating to London he was the in-house engineer
for Youth’s Butterfly Records and is probably best known in later
years as one half of Zen Lemonade alongside Supercozi. Although,
appearing under his progressive trance pseudonym BUS on ‘Good
Summer’ his stamp on the piece chugs along in an electro dub
fashion with occasional atmospheric breaks.
Better
known for his psy-trance and progressive productions as M-Theory and
CIMI. Appearing here under his psychedelic techno moniker DM-Theory.
Where he adds a little drive to the original production, layered with
an underlying psychedelic feel on ‘Astronaut Alchemists’. I think
it’s noticeable and I have to give credit here, that this is not a
dance remix where he’s just thrown down a four by four and it
doesn’t quite sit right in parts of the track or the vocals, this
works in it’s own right.
Frankfurt
based Gabriel Le Mar has made a name for himself applying the dub
production techniques to techno-house and on occasion to chill out as
Saafi Brothers. He also lifts the pace of the piece towards a techno
direction on ‘Stars’, applying touches of the iconic 303 acid
sound to breathe new life into the piece.
My
conclusion is overall I liked it and there are plenty of remixes to
choose from on this release. The depth of producers selected range
from those who blend the organic with the electronic to the purely
electronic. Admittedly with some tracks are covered more so than
others. However, that works well to give different options of styles
and finding one that appeals to you.
Dylan
Yanez A.K.A. DF Tram is a D.J./Producer from San Francisco who has
recently relocated to Malta. His D.J. sets combine a selection of
crate digging rarities ranging fromambient, jazz and world music,
which are infused with sampled dialogue from film, documentaries,
adverts and cartoons. He goes further at times playing alongside film
clips in what he calls a Movie Mix. His first album ‘Illegal Lingo’
was released on Subatomic UK and reflected the style of his mixes
somewhat and also had a slightly different feel to the other sunset
Balearic releases of that label. Dylan has made no secret that he is
overjoyed that this release, which he produced in San Francisco was
then mastered by Youth with re-mixes from his musical hero’s the
Orb and the Irresistible Force. There are also vocal inclusions from
Coppe Sweetrice (who appeared on Illegal Lingo) and Lina Fouro, piano
from Clifford Borg and bass from Youth himself.
Now
to get to the nitty gritty what is the new album like? The opener
‘Lounge Lagarto’ begins like a TV show and quickly moves into a
dub fusion of the Middle East bazaar, which sounds like it could be
plucked from an old movie rather than a newly produced piece. The
track is over-layered with short samples of duck hunting and horse
riding, which may not appeal to some depending on your stance of the
subject matter. This is followed by the Orb’s Bravo Foxhole re-mix
of ‘Lovers Radio’, which begins beatless and very much in the
style of the early 90’s ambient dub, eventually a plodding four by
four bassline is utilised alongside a vocal sample that I imagine
relates to the bunkers used in the Vietnam war. Next up is the title
track ‘Serenitay Infinity’ a slow burner overlapped with poetry,
that you could imagine springing up in a beatnik bar of 60’s San
Francisco. ‘Eagles Shield’ takes a funky turn, filled with
samples and orchestral sounds that remind me of old movies, that is
bridged with more of a country music feel. This would fit easily
alongside releases from Coldcut or the Jurassic 5.
The
album takes another turn with ‘A Thousand Knives’, where gentle
piano leads to distorted vocals that provide a slight 80’s New
Romantic undertone, before sampled psychedelic themed dialogue and a
dubbier bassline join the throng. This is followed by ‘Body Fizz’
which again has an ambient dub feel, where the samples sound like
they have been plucked from a story not too dissimilar to Alice in
Wonderland and the vocals have an early 70’s pop feel. The album
then moves on to ‘Stellar by Starlight’ the title employed to a
movie mix, recently aired in Malta and this years Bestival in the
U.K. The piece itself is very ambient accompanied by faint harmonic
voices from Coppe which rise and fall in a gentle sleepy manner. The
mood then gets initially darker on ‘Honeycomb where a deep dark
bass gets us underway with vocal samples, before lighter tones
juxtapose and sultry half spoken vocals and vocoder voices (initially
reminiscent of Newcleus) are employed. Which are possibly a
combination of Coppe and Lina?
The
album continues once again with Beatnik like poetry, distorted fx,
old Arcade game sounds and half sung vocals on ‘Broken’. While
‘Dawn is Breaking’ another slow burner which begins with lush
analogue sounding synths and vocal dialogue samples, the track builds
into something reminiscent of classic Tangerine Dream before calming
once more. The final track of the album is the Irresistible Force
re-mix of ‘Sandcastles’, a haunting piece of synthesized ambience
which once again initially has a somewhat retro feel to it (in this
case Berlin School) before the beat comes in and it morphs into a
dubbier affair.
To
summarise I’ve always found Dylan’s mixes to be a creative
journey and this album reflects that more so than ‘Illegal Lingo’
the change of label may also open his productions to a whole new
audience. Admittedly with it’s wider palette of sounds it may not
appeal to those who strictly love the dub reggae but it’s
definitely dubby and definitely psychedelic. I for one would
certainly bag this for my collection.
Review
by Woodzee
This
album is available to pre-order via Liquid Sound Designs bandcamp
page
The
Suns of Arqa have been producing their blend of Indian classical
instrumentation and Rastafarian Niyabinghi drumming under mainstay
Michael Wadada and a prolific number of guest artists from around the
diaspora since 1979.
This
latest offering produced by Youth who has also roped in Raja Ram on flute and
the Orb to step behind the mixing desk and add their years of
production experience to enhance the release.
The
opening track 'Mother Tounge' begins slowly with a mish-mash of
chopped up SOA clips and samples which are soon accompanied by a
powerful rolling beat providing a whirling dervish of psychedelic
dub. This is followed by 'Sadrayama' which for the first couple of
minutes is a more laid back affair. However, once the drums kick so
does the squelch which works in perfect balance with the sitar
sounds.
Bird
song and spoken samples are the introduction to 'Erasmus Dub' a laid
back piece of dub jam-packed with reverb, samples and scratches. Soft
female vocal samples and fx are blended with bamboo flutes and song
in 'The Fool Ascends' which although still dub ditches the reggae elements in
favour of a more ambient chill feel.
'Discordian
Dawn' begins with a cello like intro integrated with sequenced
synth's before bamboo flutes and tribal drumming which are dubbed out
in appropriate places stream through the main body of the track.
There's an elongated piece of poetic dialogue nestled over distorted
and dubbed out SOA with 'The Truth Lies Therein' before the vocal song and rolling drums are
implemented along with trance like synth's.
The
closing track is Youth's Dub mix of 'Pablos Lament' plucked from SOA's last e.p. and for me it's a gem. Traditional reggae vibes
and harmonica are fused with SOA vocal hooks and reggae vocal samples
in this dub-fest. There's also plenty of twists, turns brakes and
turns of speed within the piece to maintain your interest.
If
hearing the Suns of Arqa put through the array of fx and reverb and echo chambers of
the dub laboratory appeals to you, then you can't really go wrong
with the men behind the desk on this release.
Once again the promoters selected a fantastic line up of artists and dj’s. I began my night in the chill-out room to see the Egg. I didn’t really know too much about them only really being familiar with their VeniceBeach track. I’d assumed it was one man rather than a band and their fusion of chill out and shoegaze was pleasant enough.
Next on my agenda was Gaudi and a few people mentioned to me later that they didn’t like the sound quality of the alternative room. For me that wasn’t the problem it was the layout. To get to the chill out room from the main room you had to go through the alternative room. This naturally meant that you were constantly jostled as you danced and I was half relieved when the set finished with a Bob Marley classic.
Next up was System 7 in the main room and luckily managing to get up to the front I could really notice how many sounds are actually created from Steve Hillage’s guitar through fx on the laptop. For me this really was the high point of the night even though it meant missing the Orb and overlapping on Banco De Gaia (who unfortunately I missed completely).
By the time Logic Bomb were on in the main room I felt like chilling out and caught the end of Lemon Tree a lovely blend of chill out with additional tribal percussion from Sean Spindrift after which the main room was the only option for more full-on psy-trance.
