REGGAE, MY STORY (3)

Dubroom Online, Edition June 17 2009

"REGGAE, MY STORY (3)" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, June 17 2009 - Unlike most people, it was not Bob Marley through which I got my first Reggae injection. In fact, it took me a long time before I would even start to overstand just what Bob Marley was up to.

When I started to enjoy the music, just after discovering it in the early 1980's, I was struggling against my strong Christian upbringing which had -as I saw it back then- deprived me from so much.

I was in my early teens and definitely not ready to accept the fact that the Creator did not need no building so to speak, so I figured that I was basically dumped in this creation, a creation created by a Creator Who simply did not want me to be who I am, even though He was said to have created me.

This whole -rather crazy- idea was totally chanted down in the years I was about to live, and discover Reggae.

And Rasta.

One Love, Give Thanks,
Messian Dread (Dubroom Webmaster)

The above column is the personal opinnion of the Webmaster and does not neccesarily reflect the contents of the Dubroom Website and/or Message Boards and/or Weblogs.

ITEMS FOR THIS EDITION:

DREAD AT THE CONTROLS PART FIVE: DJ STYLE (DUBROOM PODCAST REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - In the one-before-the-last episode of the Dread At The Controls Podcast, Mikey Dread takes us to the Jamaican DJ's of the 1970's, and explains all about the culture that brought us the Sound Systems and Dub Plates and all the rest.

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DON CARLOS - PROPHECY (DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - In the year 1987, Rub a Dub Music was still very much the style of the time, even though we already had the Sleng Teng revolution.

Six outstanding discomixes, sung by one of the most heartical Reggae singers of all time. Another Don Carlos showcase album you simply can't refuse even though the album seems to be out of print.

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DON CARLOS - PROPHECY

DON CARLOS - PROPHECY
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW

WWW, June 2009 - In the year 1987, Rub a Dub Music was still very much the style of the time, even though we already had the Sleng Teng revolution.

Six outstanding discomixes, sung by one of the most heartical Reggae singers of all time. Another Don Carlos showcase album you simply can't refuse even though the album seems to be out of print.

Prophecy contains a number of truly heartfelt titles. Crucial Situation, Prophecy, and the more than penetrating Jah Hear My Plea are reasons alone to try and purchase this album, if you can still find it.

The message is crucial, and the way Don Carlos sings the message makes it impossible to not be touched in one way or another. Especially the fact that there's some DUB niceness in the second part of each track (after all, it's a showcase album) enhances the vibe of the tunes significantly.

Originally, the vinyl album was released in 1987. That was a time wherein Rub a Dub was slowly being replaced with ragga/dancehall as the popular music in Jamaica. Nothing of that on this one, though. This is played by a band, mixed crucially and of course accompanied by the great voice of one of the original singers of Black Uhuru.

There's a thing, though...

Indeed, the album seems to be out of print and that means you got to look for it. If you're living in the US, though, you can get the MP3's of this document of Rub a Dub niceness for a few cents.

REGGAE, MY STORY (2)

Dubroom Online, Edition June 16 2009

"REGGAE, MY STORY (2)" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, June 16 2009 - After being caught by Reggae Music, and especially DUB, I've never heard any music that even came close to the power of the Reggae Drum and Bass Lines.

It was in the early 1980's, and I remember recording a short Reggae Show on Dutch Radio that was aired every wednesday.

On top of that, Reggae was extremely populair among the "Punk" and "New Wave" audience and so Reggae Music was played a lot on the radio.

Obviously, a lot of Rub a Dub music was played, so this brought me further into discovering Reggae Music discovering new techniques for mixing.

And no, I did not make a type there...

One Love, Give Thanks,
Messian Dread (Dubroom Webmaster)

The above column is the personal opinnion of the Webmaster and does not neccesarily reflect the contents of the Dubroom Website and/or Message Boards and/or Weblogs.

ITEMS FOR THIS EDITION:

DREAD AT THE CONTROLS PART FOUR: HEARTBREAKER (DUBROOM PODCAST REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - Entitled "Heartbreaker", we would have loved to be the title of this podcast to be less appropriate. It's sad to hear Mikey Dread presenting us yet another hour of crucial Reggae Music, knowing that he's left us way too soon.

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DON CARLOS AND GOLD - PLANTATION (DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - Originally, the vinyl album had 6 extended tunes, but the CD version goes to no less than ten long, great Rub a Dub discomixes from the 1980's.

Sure, it's a rare album and that means it cost a thing on the second hand market.

Not for nothing, though.

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DON CARLOS AND GOLD - PLANTATION

DON CARLOS AND GOLD - PLANTATION
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW

WWW, June 2009 - Originally, the vinyl album had 6 extended tunes, but the CD version goes to no less than ten long, great Rub a Dub discomixes from the 1980's.

Sure, it's a rare album and that means it cost a thing on the second hand market.

Not for nothing, though.

Don Carlos was one of the original members of the vocal group Black Uhuru, before Michael Rose and others took over and put the name of Black Uhuru on the World Wide Reggae Map. The Don's voice sounds in no way similar to that of Michael Rose, however.

Don Carlos is surely one of the sweetest singers in Reggae. His melodies contain many licks and hooks which are extremely difficult to do for a vocalist. He is extremely talented, which shows on the album in a very special way.

It doesn't matter whether the Don sings a lovers lyrics or a conscious meditation, every time he opens his mouth in front of the studio microphone, he makes something special of the tune. This shows on this album, where he sings over some really crucial riddims and everything is mixed almost perfect.

Most of the ten tunes are sung by Don Carlos, and all of them are followed by a crucial DUB. Noteworthy titles include the Abyssinians' "Declaration Of Rights", and the title track of course.

Definitely worth a listen, definitely worth considering as a purchase even though you might have to go to a second hand store or whatever.

REGGAE, MY STORY (1)

Dubroom Online, Edition June 15 2009

"REGGAE, MY STORY (1)" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, June 15 2009 - There are many reasons why people get hooked on Reggae. For me, it was undoubtedly the vibe of the drum and the bass.

I remember it clearly: it was Linton Kwesie Johnson's Five Nights Of Bleeding, a track from his first album called "Dread, Beat and Blood".

The track starts by LKJ saying the word "madness", followed by a short bass lick, then it repeats. When the music goes full, he chants his poem and then we get a piece of impressive Dub.

I remember what it did to me. Mystically, I knew that I was waiting for this vibe and had searched for it in other forms of music. I know, it sounds a bit crazy, but these are really the best words to describe the experience.

In the decades after that event, I have never been able to find any other music that could speak to my soul like Reggae and especially DUB do now for so many decades.

One Love, Give Thanks,
Messian Dread (Dubroom Webmaster)

The above column is the personal opinnion of the Webmaster and does not neccesarily reflect the contents of the Dubroom Website and/or Message Boards and/or Weblogs.

ITEMS FOR THIS EDITION:

TWILIGHT CIRCUS (DUBROOM MP3 REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - Based in the Netherlands, Canadian born Ryan Moore's DUB project Twilight Circus has a unique sound both live and in the studio. Whether he records vocalists like Michael Rose or "simply" has a DUB Session, for some ultra chilled out DUB vibes Twilight Circus is the right address.

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THE MIGHTY THREE'S - AFRICAL SHALL STRETCH FORTH HER HANDS (DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - This album contains eight more than superb titles from this relatively unknown Jamaican vocal harmony group.

And that's not all: they all come with a more than outstanding DUB counterpart, in an all-killer-no-filler kind of quality.

"Africa Shall Stretch Forth Her Hands": Highly Recommended!

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THE MIGHTY THREE'S - AFRICA SHALL STRETCH FORTH HER HANDS

THE MIGHTY THREE'S - AFRICA SHALL STRETCH FORTH HER HANDS
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW

WWW, June 2009 - This album contains eight more than superb titles from this relatively unknown Jamaican vocal harmony group.

And that's not all: they all come with a more than outstanding DUB counterpart, in an all-killer-no-filler kind of quality.

"Africa Shall Stretch Forth Her Hands": Highly Recommended!

Noel "Bunny" Brown was already a veteran in the late 1970's, when the tunes on this album were released. He had been recording since the early 1960's, and had released a tune called "Bachelor Boy" under the name of "Noel and the Wild Cats".

He founded The Mighty Three's (aka Mighty 3) with Carlton Gregory and Bernard Brown, of which we find the main work on this album. It's a superb album in every aspect you can think of: the production, the music, the mixing, the singing.

The Mighty Three's have a way of touching you straight in the heart with Rasta chants, psalms, and meditations. From the opening vocal to the last dub, this album will keep you in a good vibe all the way.

It's just too bad, that there is so little material of this wonderful vocal harmony group. In that sense, they're like the Abyssinians who too were known for their heartfelt spiritual vocal works. Perhaps it has to be like that....

Nevertheless, there really is nothing bad to say about this album, other than the choice of sequence. Now you have to program the CD player before you can listen to the vocal and the dub of every title rather than first all the vocal tracks and then all the dubs.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH (3)

Dubroom Online, Edition June 14 2009

"FREEDOM OF SPEECH (3)" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, June 14 2009 - Freedom of Speech is actually one of the foundational rights. When it is no longer there, there is no real freedom anymore.

It's Freedom of Speech that makes sure Reggae Music can be there. It is Freedom of Speech that enables people to come together and find different, better conclusions about every topic you can think of.

Freedom of Speech, however, also has sides that many would consider "inconvenient". For example, try to criticize the commercial enterprise built on "Christianity" without actually "insulting" people.

Especially people that make their money by fleecing the flock. And so, they are among the first to talk about "hate speech" and alla dat, as some ultimate argumentation to try and steal the Jah Given freedoms that every human being has.

One Love, Give Thanks,
Messian Dread (Dubroom Webmaster)

The above column is the personal opinnion of the Webmaster and does not neccesarily reflect the contents of the Dubroom Website and/or Message Boards and/or Weblogs.

ITEMS FOR THIS EDITION:

HORTENSE ELLIS (DUBROOM MP3 REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - When she left us in October 2000, Hortense left us with an incredible legacy of heartfelt, soulfull Rockstead, Roots, Rub a Dub, et cetera. She was Best Female Jamaican Vocalist in 1964, and recorded for just about every Jamaican producer of any significance afterwards. 25 Tracks, from really ancient Rocksteady to Rub a Dub with splaching reverbs and echo's and much more, everything carrying the soulfull voice of Hortense Ellis.

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MAD PROFESSOR MEETS SCIENTIS AT THE DUB TABLE (DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW)

WWW, June 2009 - Even Lee Perry's voice drops in, when the two engineers meet at the Dub Table in Ariwa Studio's. The riddims are varied, some are mixed crucially where others might very well be filed into the "Reggae Instrumental" category. Allbeit, that not all tracks are Reggae... Indeed: It's time for a meet-up of Scientist and the Mad Professor and that means nothing is the way it seems.

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MAD PROFESSOR MEETS SCIENTIST AT THE DUB TABLE

MAD PROFESSOR MEETS SCIENTIST AT THE DUB TABLE
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW

Even Lee Perry's voice drops in, when the two engineers meet at the Dub Table in Ariwa Studio's. The riddims are varied, some are mixed crucially where others might very well be filed into the "Reggae Instrumental" category. Allbeit, that not all tracks are Reggae...

Indeed: It's time for a meet-up of Scientist and the Mad Professor and that means nothing is the way it seems.

Both Scientist and the Mad Professor need no introduction, especially not for the lovers of DUB Music.

King Tubby's protégée may never have been financially compensated for the many things he done behind the mixing board during the 1970's and onward, but that doesn't take away he did it nevertheless. The legendary Greensleeves series based on cartoon and early computer game characters, for example.

The man who started Ariwa Studio's and did his part to keep DUB Alive with his Dub Me Crazy Series keeps on producing and touring the world with his DUB act. The totality of his releases is easily counted with three or perhaps even four figures.

And so, when Scientist and the Mad Professor meet up at the Ariwa Studio's, the expectations are just very, very high. And then it might be a bit of a disappointment to discover that even though there are some precious gems on the album, a couple of riddims would rather fit in the category "Reggae Instrumentals".

Lee Perry's voice is dubbed in and out, not a thing that everyone can apprecilove as well. Sure, snippets here and there, but there are longer parts and then just before you want to skip to the next tune, it's over. Some might love it, and others won't.

A nice album for those that would consider themselves avid collectors of DUB, but it doesn't meet up with the expectations one and ones might have when they see the two names.