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PATO BANTON
DUBROOM MP3 ARTIST REVIEW
During his decades-long career, Pato Banton voiced for UB40 and many other UK based famous acts. His sense of humor, his usual focus on social and spiritual topics, he combines everything in an undeniable special and personal style that has -in the mean time- lifted up the souls of millions of listeners and viewers of energetic concerts. Check out this remarkable talent!
DAN MAN - BLAZE THE DUBWISE
DUBROOM NET LABEL RELEASE
Striking a match, a bubbling sound, laughing, horns (played by the UK based Fire Face Music collective) dropping in. Dan Man telling us to listen to the versatile sound of "Blaze the Dubwise" as he guides us through this rub a dub style riddim. Fire and water, some intelligence and a lot of blazing effects. Yes, it's about -let's say- Original Ireness which is so much better than original slackness. Keep the fire blazing, hotter than hot.
As the track progresses you'll hear sliding guitars and sweet synths on top of a pumping drum and bass line, everything mixed into an Ire Dubwise. This is not the kind of fire the wicked shall catch, this is the kind of fire that goes bubbling through the water before it brings what it can bring. The kind of fire that requires intelligence, before it delivers the niceness it can deliver.
Please do not re-publish the actual music, because unlike Dubroom releases before 2014, this release is © Messian Dread/Dubroom.
RIGHT-CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TRACK IN MP3 FORMAT (320 KBPS)
This posting is part of a twelve day presentation series (August 10-21 2014) of the album "Messian Dread Presents A Heavyweight Dubwise Selection Without Objection". When you read this after August 22, 2014, CLICK HERE and get the whole album in several formats.
DENNIS ALCAPONE - DUB THE DUB YOU DUBWISE
DUBROOM NET LABEL RELEASE
The track opens as if it were a normal Reggae tune: full horns and skank section (recorded at Ariwa studio) playing the introduction, a drum roll, Dennis Alcapone drops in and starts to chant. Then, the echo machine is turned on and the track stops, gets a rewind and starts again. This time, it's heavy Dub as the horn section turns into a sharp razor and Dennis Alcapone runs through all sides of the echo chamber.
It's the opening of the track as well as the album. Indeed, heavyweight dubwise with a very clear message running through in the same time. The drums and instruments are at times completely transformed into what sounds like a Steel Drum, while Dennis Alcapone jumps in and out delivering words for meditation.
Please do not re-publish the actual music, because unlike Dubroom releases before 2014, this release is © Messian Dread/Dubroom.
RIGHT-CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TRACK IN MP3 FORMAT (320 KBPS)
This posting is part of a twelve day presentation series (August 10-21 2014) of the album "Messian Dread Presents A Heavyweight Dubwise Selection Without Objection". When you read this after August 22, 2014, CLICK HERE and get the whole album in several formats.
DON GOLIATH PRESENTS REGGAE & DUB ACAPELLAS
STUDIO DUBROOM SOFTWARE AND SOUNDWARE REVIEW
When you go to the various websites where the online (DUB) Reggae artists/producers upload their material, it will not take too long before you stumble upon a tune that has one of these well known jingles from Mikey Dread's albums, or Prince Far I, or Jah Thomas. Just three, you know. But "everyone" knows them and even though non-commercial releases will usually not be objected, using such vocal samples is not really a sign of dignity.
Producing your own (DUB) Reggae and releasing it in a legal way: let's call it the Dignity Combination.
Sure, there were times when it was simply not possible for your average online Dub producer to obtain vocal material in a legal way and not get bankrupt. Even stronger, there simply was no vocal material available for use in your own productions until more recently, when DUB DROPS released their excellent "SOUND SYSTEM VOCALS" featuring Dennis Alcapone and Horseman. Three releases, all three reviewed in the Dubroom and used in the productions of the studio that is attached to this website.
And now there is the line of Reggae & Dub Acapellas by Don Goliath.
Or, to be more specific, presented by Don Goliath, who also contributed vocally.
When you've never heard of Don Goliath, and you're looking at names like Horseman and Dennis Alcapone as an alternative option, you can make the enormous mistake of overlooking this line of Reggae Vocal sample releases. A mistake which can easily be overcome, though, by continuing to read this (first) review.
Let's carry on dropping names, just to make some points:
All six names have, like Dennis Alcapone and Horseman, legendary status. U Roy can be considered the founding father of DJ-ing, not just in Reggae but in every style of music including Hip-Hop. Lone Ranger has been voicing for Studio One, the starting point of too many careers to mention. Dillinger had a world hit with "Cokane In My Brain", Trinity voiced the classic "Jesus Dread". Before Kojak chanted as a DJ, his got a name as part of the duo Kojak and Liza. Prince Jazzbo features on classic albums from Black Ark and has many essential productions on his own name. And that's just a little name dropping to set the tone.
The tone of Roots Reggae as authentic as authentic can be.
Yes, you've guessed it. Don Goliath's series has all six of these famous vocalists included. Among much more, that is.
Read on.
MESSIAN DREAD - HIS IMPERIAL DUBWISE (EXTENDED) | OFFICIAL
VIDEO
DUBROOM VIDEO RELEASE
WWW, August 8 2014 - This is the official video for the extended version
of His Imperial Dubwise. The video was produced August 7/8 2014, the music a few
months earlier.
The track can be downloaded for free at: http://messiandread.dubroom.org/sounds-trax-197.htm
Available: High Quality MP3 and CD Quality Wave Audio
Now, perhaps you are interested in not just the music but the other contents
of the audio (and video) as well. A very good thing indeed.
Please read on.
This video -as well as the audio- contains historical footage that has -perhaps
unfortunately- lost not one ounce in relevance. It contains a message for all,
but since this was taken from a speech in front of world wide evangelists there
is an extra dimension for those (that claim to be) Born Again Christians and yet
can only come with negative statements concerning His Imperial Majesty Haile
Selassie I Of Ethiopia.
Here are some questions, adressed in the music and even stronger in the video:
Why is it that your average Christian can only say about the Emperor, that he
"is not God"? Could it be the propaganda machine of the
"Christian Industry" that tries to keep it's customers -the faithfull-
far away from the Freedom Sounds called Reggae Music and the knowledge about the
Ethiopian Connection in the Bible? Could it be the result of a form of racism
that claims how there is a "Judeo-Christian Civilization" in what the
Rastaman and many others have rightly identified as Babylon System? Could it be,
that a true "Judeo-Christian" Civilization has existed almost from the
day our Lord was crucified and rose again?
Where Ethiopia is mentioned almost at the first page of the Bible and in many
passages afterwards, a pattern arises that can not be ignored by serious
scholars of the Holy Scriptures.
Moses' wife was Ethiopian and Jah punished the racists who protested against
that marriage.
The first official representant of any government that heard and accepted the
Gospel of Jesus Christ was the Ethiopian Noble Man, who brought back the gospel
to a country that was already serving the Most High through the knowledge of
King Solomon.
Talking about a real "Judeo-Christian Civilization"!
And so, this video is many things.
First and foremost, this is a wake up call for all born again Christians who
think that they are serving God when they denegrate Haile Selassie. Where only
portions of Billy Graham's introduction of Haile Selassie to an audience of
world-wide evangelists back in 1966 is used, listening to the whole speech
(without music) would definitely break down that wall of ignorance even more.
In the same time, this is a wake-up call for those that think Rastafari and
Christian livity do not go together or worse: must fight each other. You know
who you are, warriors in what is definitely not the good fight even though you
might think you are fighting the good fight.
Equally, this video is a livication (rather than a deadication) to all people of
all colour who do fight the good fight. The fight against racial injustice, the
spiritual fight against spiritual wickedness in high places.
A livication to Billy Graham, who back in 1966 introduced Haile Selassie as
"Chief of State who can greet us in the Name of Jesus Christ". In a
time where in his own "christian" country apartheid and "christianity"
was seen as similar, Billy Graham pointed to a different direction. Check this
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsciFWj-REg
Comments (more than) welcome!
AISHA WITH MAD PROFESSOR - JAH VENGEANCE
PLUS DUB
DUBROOM SINGLE REVIEW
Yes, this is a re-make of the Yabby You classic. And what a remake it is! Just like Yabby You, sister Aisha is known to have her spirituality well connected with her musical output, both on stage and in the studio. Just like Yabby You, Mad Professor knows how to capture this spiritual determination on the tape machine or whatever it is they use nowadays in the legendary Ariwa studio.
The classic riddim has not lost one inch or ounce in this 2014 remake. It's arguably stronger, and definitely more contemporary which has it's advantages. As Aisha sings the oh so important lyrics in a way that demands an ear, the music is more than illustrative of the words. It's the riddim itself, sure, but it's the sound of Ariwa as well. A sound that is driven to the fullness in the accompanying Dub, mixed by the Mad Professor.
For a Dub Head like yours truly, the choice between a the Vocal or the Dub version is more often than not, well, just not a choice. It's about the Dub and too much lyrics can become like too much gunshots in a bad western movie anyway. Not with his one, though. It's not just the fact that ones who like Aisha (and who doesn't) will gladly pick up her latest tune simply because it has been too long. No, it's also the fact that in itself, this single stands so strong in it's message, the words are so serious where you hear that yes it's a good singer but there's something more. Yes, much more.
Perhaps that is the reason why the Dub version is so outstanding as well. This is definitely not just a B-side or however you want to call the Dub versions in their digital releases. This is a more than crucial Dub, it's almost like the Mad Professor knew that with such a vocal version you kind of need all you have in your studio to give it at least a balanced counter-weight.
Almost? Of course he knew.
Get the single at ITUNES or even better, get the two tracks free or for just 1 USD at EMUSIC. And check out the vocal at Ariwa's Youtube page.
ANNOUNCING THE FIRST FULL LENGTH MESSIAN DREAD ALBUM SINCE ALMOST A DECADE
DUBROOM IN-SITE # 34
Announcing the first full-length Messian Dread album since almost a decade
In a recent personal musical update, a mention was made concerning efforts to release a physical CD with full Artwork. At the time of that update, the CD was going through an approval process. It's current status is that tomorrow or the day after a proof-copy will be sent to the Dubroom for review. When everything is found to be in order, the CD will be available from AMAZON.com for a reasonable price. The disc will have four bonus tracks and will last a full 70 minutes. When everything goes the way it preferably will, the CD should be available sometime next month.
The disc will be the CD version of an album that will be released for free download from August 10 to 21, so that is in a few days time. Every day, another track will be made available for free download. The free download album contains twelve tracks, the CD has a bonus tracks. The CD will come in true full quality CD audio taken directly from the master files and will include full Artwork. It is, however, a service for those people that like to have a physical CD of this first full-length Messian Dread album since almost a decade.
The album has the rather theatrical but nevertheless quite truthful title "Messian Dread Presents A Heavyweight Dubwise Selection Without Objection". All the tracks on the album are original Dubroom riddims, and they feature a whole host of excellent to even legendary vocalists like U Roy, Prince Jazzbo, Papa Kojak, Seamus, Ras Khaleel and others.
Here is the Front Cover (click to enlarge):
TRACKS:
1. Dennis Alcapone - Dub The Dub You Dubwise (4:15)
2. Dan Man - Blaze The Dubwise (3:41)
3. Dillinger - Dwell In Love And Dubwise (3:45)
4. Trinity - Light Of This Dubwise (3:55)
5. Kojak - Prevailment Of Dubwise (3:43)
6. Messian Dread - Loving Dubwise (3:46)
7. Prince Jazzbo - Rastafari Dubwise (3:29)
8. Seamus - Babylon Dubwise (5:15)
9. U Roy - Mash Down Satan Dubwise (4:00)
10. Horseman and Dan Man - Robber Dubwise (3:39)
11. Messian Dread - Crazy But Dubwise (3:43)
12. Lone Ranger - Rock And Come in Dubwise (3:48)
BONUS TRACKS:
13. Messian Dread - His
Imperial Dubwise (4:03)
14: Dennis Alcapone - Dub To
Be Conscious (3:54)
15. Horseman and Dillinger -
Dangerous And Dubwise (4:16)
16. Dillinger - Dwell In Love
And Dubwise (Ext.) (5:26)
All tracks have been created between May and June of this year, after obtaining several vocal licenses and a lot of work in the Dubroom studio. They are all original Dubroom riddims and productions. Everything is created and mixed in the Dubroom studio although some loops with Horns and Percussion were used, and of course the vocals. These vocalists obviously deserve respect, in this case respect in the form of the best the Dubroom can produce at the moment. Those interested in these more technical aspects should read this article and visit studio.dubroom.org or dubroom.yuku.com on a regular basis as more information is added.
Dubroom music available at more websites
With the increase in number of releases comes the increase of websites from where you can download Dubroom music. Where the music was previously available at SOUNDCLICK.com, ICOMPOSITIONS.com, LAST.fm, VERSIONIST.net and REVERBNATION.com this has been expanded to AMAZON.com and MYSPACE.com. In a way, you can add You Tube to this list as well, given the fact that already two full length tracks have been release in the form of official videos.
Just a few more things
The Dubroom was and is founded in 1997 to promote (DUB) Reggae and Consciousness. Everything reviewed, published and even released should be seen as an act of promotion of (DUB) Reggae and/or Consciousness as you can find it more or less described throughout the entire Dubroom network of website, blogs and message boards. This doesn't mean that our releases are to be seen as promotional material in the sense of "free to copy and paste for my own promotion".
MP3/Wav releases before 2014 are released under Creative Commons Copyright, but not the material released since around April/May of this year 2014.
And not the midifiles, either. We are trying to reach out to the people of www.tempa.co.uk who release a tune "Blue Eyez" by someone called "Skream". This individual has used a midifile from midi.dubroom.org, pressed "play" on his midiplayer and added some sounds, in order to release it commercially under his own name. Throughout the years, the track has been viewed well over 150,000 times on YouTube which should at least trigger some response to the Dubroom for it is this website and it's attached studio where the musical track was originally created and released.
Anyway,
One Love,
Messian Dread
LOOP MASTERS
DUBROOM WEBSITE REVIEW
It was somewhere in the beginning of 2014, that I was browsing the Web in search for some material to use in my music. I had been kind of silent for quite some years, and one of the reasons for that was that I was kind of finished with the sounds that I had produced for some years. Finished with my virtual brass section, finished with my own vocals, and very much impressed by more recent online works from Net Labels mainly in the digital spectrum.
I have this thing with in-your-face digital Dub and other Roots Reggae. I love it, I can make hours and hours of DJ mixes carrying the sounds. I can't, however, produce it myself. It's simply not there, in my soul. At least, not at this moment. After several failed attempts which I don't even want to discuss, I felt myself kind of stuck between the stuff I produced earlier and, well, something I wasn't really sure of.
In this state of mind, I was kind of looking on the Internet for some stuff to work on, or with. Typing all kinds of key-words into the search engine, getting all kinds of websites with shady contents that might be nice for some private productions but for the rest has, let's say, legally questionable material. Sure, it would be nice to download an Acapella by let's say Luciano and be able to create a musical work with it that you can release, right? Well, forget such niceness when you use shady websites like the ones I just described.
Someone once said, in a different context: "Do as they say, not as they do". I took that principal at hand, and went on to look for a legal variety. Is it possible, to get some good quality legal vocal material, preferably of the authentic kind? This is where I discovered just why almost every website with advertisements has this banner linking to LOOPMASTERS.com.
Usually and like "everyone", I ignore banners and ads when I visit a website. The times that I've actually clicked on an ad because I was interested in the site can be counted using the fingers of one hand, and I'm online since the early 1990's. Being the "rebel" that I am, the more I see an ad the less I'm likely to click on it. The reason why I did visit the Loop Masters' website therefore had nothing to do with the publicity. The reason was simply I was looking for legal material, especially vocals, and my search engine gave me the link. The only link.
Now, a few months later, I can only conclude that Loop Masters is the one-stop for most of the most authentic and legal online source material for the production of (DUB) Reggae Music. This is not my suggestion for a slogan to use in yet another banner, it is my personal conclusion at this moment. A conclusion which I would like to share, without apology but with reasoning.
The first thing that I noticed, was a familiar name: Dubmatix. This Canadian producer is without the shadow of a doubt living up to his last name "King" when it comes to Dub and the North American continent. He knows his music, he knows his vocalists and he knows his studio. I looked further and discovered they had a sample pack with material from none other than Mad Professor. My fingers started to itch as I was clicking my mouse. However, I wasn't jumping to the "Sample Boutique" as they very pleasantly describe themselves to get Drum loops and such things.
This is when I discovered what would become source material for literally all my productions this year, both released and (yet) unreleased or even unfinished. Source material for 10's and 10's of tracks, perhaps even well over a 100. Quality source material, for prices that make you laugh. Authentic quality source material, of which the first serious online review is yet to be written. This review -and the product reviews the Dubroom already published- is only the beginning of a serious promotion campaign to right that blatant wrong.
Now, do I seriously think that Loop Masters is waiting for a Dubroom review to get customers? Absolutely not. In fact, I am convinced that they have a good running business and probably didn't even notice how the Dubroom reviewed one of it's products only days after it's release (Mad Professor's Reel to Reel Reggae Volume Two). The overwhelming major part of Loop Master's catalogue is aimed at the producer of Electronic Dance Music or EDM, so they're obviously not depending on "our kind of people" (Dub/Reggae producers).
A kind of independence that -in the case of LOOPMASTERS.com- provides quality of the highest -read: non-commercial- kind.
Let me put it in other words, more blatant. The music we love, (DUB) Reggae, is commercially not attractive. You will not score a world hit with a Dub tune. At least, not yet. There is no strict commercial interest that will drive a provider of Samples and other Soundware to offer (DUB) Reggae related material. There must be some other reason for Loop Masters to offer the things they do, and I can come up with nothing else but a pure love for Reggae.
So, what I'm reviewing here is actually not really the website LOOPMASTERS.com but rather the things you, as a producer of (DUB) Reggae music can find there. Yes, there is much more than what was already reviewed here in the Dubroom and even though eventually all interesting products will get their own review, you might not want to wait any longer after reading what you're about to read.
Get ready.
Readers and visitors will have read about "Roots Step", a very contemporary form of Roots Reggae that appeals to lovers of DubStep and other forms of contemporary digital stuff. Roots Step is a sound by Berlin based producer DON GOLIATH, who has been interviewed because of his remarkable musical works. His countless tracks feature legendary vocalists like U Roy, Trinity, Dillinger, Kojak, Lone Ranger, and Prince Jazzbo. Others feature more younger but crucial singers like Ras Khaleel, Clifton Yeates, Seamus, Kamouflage, Kontent, Masta Jay, Assante and Tallis. Or MC's like Piracy, Lion Tafari, and Jah Rooti.
Wait.
It's rather difficult not to notice that some of these names feature in more recent Dubroom productions and in case you've wondered just how it is possible for the Dubroom to produce a Dillinger track, now you know.
No, Don Goliath and I have not both been shopping at LOOPMASTERS.com. In fact, this is where I got introduced to this name, as Don Goliath is the one who provided the UK based sample boutique with 10's of acapellas he used for his own productions. Original acapellas, proven by the fact that many of the vocalists talk about the Don.
Under the name "Don Goliath - Reggae And Dub Acapellas Vol. 1-6", LOOPMASTERS.com offers full length lyrical acapellas including a license (quite important). Each volume has a number of tracks. You can buy a volume and pay less per track, or you can -like I did- pay a little more but only get the ones you want. A little nit-picking, because when you're looking at the prices you start to wonder why there is so little music found online that was created with one or more of the acapellas.
Usually, when there's not a sale you will pay around 8 Euros per track. Immediately after you make a purchase, you get "virtual cash" in your account, which is about 10-15% of the money you just spent. You can use this "virtual cash" with a next purchase. When there's a sale, you can get an acapella for as low as five euros this way. Again, this includes a legal license to use the vocal works in your own productions.
When I discovered LOOPMASTERS.com I could not believe that I had never heard any track featuring the vocal works before, in particular with prices like these. I see some non-commercial artists using acapellas from shady sites or jingles from albums that "everyone" knows, with the result that their own productions are shady and can never be seriously considered. This ridiculously cheaply priced series from Don Goliath -and other vocal releases at LOOPMASTERS.com- should put an end to that, in my opinion.
Sure, there are many who -for one reason or another- are unable to perform online payments. Still, this can not be an excuse not to pay attention to the website or the sample packs they offer. It's what I did when I first visited the website: I downloaded the free demo files from all the Reggae vocal packs at the website and some other stuff as well, like Mad Professor's Reel to Reel Reggae. In itself, this was almost the weight of a complete sample pack but that wasn't the only fun these free downloads gave me. They included a license too!
Check this quote, straight from the Loop Masters website:
The demo loops are covered by our General Licence Terms meaning you can use them in your commercial productions with no further royalty payments. If you do use them commercially we would very much appreciate you purchasing the full pack in order to help support our Artists producing the packs, more releases and free samples.
This simply means, that every online artist can -should- register at LOOPMASTERS.com, receive a free welcome pack and start downloading the demo files. It's free and gives your releases a legal foundation, which is not just relevant for obvious reasons: it is a sign of (self-) respect as well.
It did not take me too long before I wanted more than the free packs I downloaded. These free packs, however, had already brought me on a next level. Remember, I was kind of looking for material because I hadn't been producing anything for years because I was finished with my sound. I had found the source material I was looking for. This was indeed a financial investment, but even without any purchase I have done at LOOPMASTERS.com I had material for many, many tracks. Licensed material, that is.
For me, the Loop Masters boutique has provided me with just the right material to improve my sound to a next level. Something which in my idea can easily be recognized just by playing stuff I currently release and comparing it with my older stuff, like on my album "Showcase". No, I am not talking about easy-to-build tracks. In reviews I hope to publish later on the Don Goliath series, this will become very clear. I am talking about inspiring material that challenges me to go beyond what I used to do. Material that is educational, too.
I wasn't asked or paid to do this review. I wrote it because it is my work to promote (DUB) Reggae Music. Even my own productions and releases can and should be seen in that context. I think that when properly used, the material that LOOPMASTERS.com has for the average online (DUB) Reggae artist/producer can serve as a resource to improve the quality of many, many works.
When you're serious about your work, a visit to LOOPMASTERS.com is almost as obligated as having a computer in the first place.
Without apology.
One Love,
Messian Dread
August 4, 2014
