Dilated Choonz: dub

something specials

The Mighty Alboy — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:06:00 +0100

Suspicious Stench – “Ghost Town”

V quick post while I have 5 mins

Came across this the other day and it’s been straining the speakers in me car ever since- a dubstep rework of Ghost Town by the Specials.

The nice fellas from Suspicious Stench have also kindly made available a free album (linked below) with further fatness:

“as even arseholes like us can be nice, we think everyone should follow this trend, so therefore by downoading this album you are legally obliging to do one random act of kindness for someone today.”

Bless.

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Rewind and come again

The Mighty Alboy — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Original Rockers- “Sexy Selector”

We’ve had this one before at DC (see link below from Squeaker), but it’s just so good, it’ll certainly stand a re-up.

It was originally released in 1993, and posted here in 2007 when it was a nice blast from the past

Since then, the whole dubstep thing has blown up, and it sounds like it could’ve been made this week.

(or as the Double K may well point out- it sounds better than almost anything that was released this week, or indeed the last few years)

Sit back, spark up & enjoy…

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Junior Byles Style

The Mighty Alboy — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:15:00 +0100

Junior Byles- “Pretty Fe True/Pretty Dub”

A beaut of a tune from the man Kerrie “Junior” Byles (also known as “King Chubby”, apparently).

Junior Byles was Bob Marley’s successor in receiving the production talents of Lee Perry, and a bunch of other top ranking producers. He had a string of solo hits thanks to his sweet vocal tones and many buckets of talent, but Byles sadly suffered from a depressive condition. He was badly effected by the death of Haile Selassie in 1975, and his depression grew worse resulting in a huge decline in fortunes, numerous personal set backs and very little recording output over the next ten years.

He has recovered enough to put out some work in more recent years, but his output in the early-mid seventies stands as testament to the talent of the man, and all that could have been.

buy junior byles recordings at juno ::

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Weatherall version

The Mighty Alboy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:27:00 +0000

st.etienne – “only love can break your heart” (andy weatherall mix in two halves)

Here’s that weatherall remix

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1990 "Dub"-style Pop Cover Versions [1]

The Double K — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:32:00 +0000

Saint Etienne – Only Love Can Break Your Heart

For some strange reason I got a real urge to hear this track over the weekend – it’s been a long time, and so I dug out my dusty old copy of Foxbase Alpha to give it a whirl. I’d totally forgotten what a total gem the LP is – a completely of-its-time innovative mix of girlie indie pop, dub, house and ambient flavours that still sounds great today. This Neil Young cover version isn’t the only highlight – the completely feel-good Nothing Can Stop Us and deep house of Stoned To Say The Least also stand out for me.

I don’t know any of their later stuff at all – and a quick look at Discogs shows they have kept themselves plenty busy over the years. I did hear 2005’s Tales From Turnpike House a year or so ago, but it didn’t do it for me at all.

Still, after unearthing Foxbase Alpha I might have a dig round some of their older stuff to see if there are a few more gems to be found.

It seems they have a brand-new Greatest Hits box-set out London Conversations – you can get it at the links below.

Buy London Conversations :: 2 CDs for under £9
Buy London Conversations Enhanced :: 2 CDs + DVD for under £15
Official Saint Etienne Site ::

1990 "Dub"-style Pop Cover Versions [2]

The Double K — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:11:00 +0000

Beats International – Dub Be Good To Me

Hearing Only Love Can Break Your Heart again reminded me of this track, which also falls into the very specific genre of “Dub” style pop cover versions from 1990. As far as I can think (and I haven’t thought very hard at all about this!) these may even be the only two tracks in existence that fit the genre. If you can think of any others then leave a comment to let me know. Obviously there are hundreds of “proper” reggae dub cover versions about, but I’m thinking more of this dub-in-the-loosest-possible-sense-of-the-term-early-90s-pop type of cover version.

Anyway, this cover of The SOS Band’s Just Be Good To Me is from the time when Norman Cook was simply an ex-Housemartin dabbling with dance music, a good few years before he emerged as the fully-engorged knob Fatboy Slim. It’s not a bad track – I bought the 7” at the time.

'Me Chat 'Dem In The Bookie Shop'

P Rice — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Mad Professor & Pato Banton – King Step

Back in the early 90’s, when I was a wastrel student, there was a time when the album ‘Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton’ was never far from the record deck in the houses of myself and my friends. I hadn’t listened to it for years until a few months ago, when I discovered that the intervening years had not diminished my affections.

Some years after recording this album Pato Banton went on to top the charts with UB40, but I don’t begrudge him his later pop endeavours. As this tune quickly shows, the man can really ride a tune. What’s more, his lyrics are both conscious (‘you know that slackness is a thing I man do not respect’) and fun in a cheeky kind of way. As for the Mad Professor, he can always be relied upon to provide a heavy and spaced out rhythm track.

I’m not sure what the King Step is though. Answers on a postcard please.

Buy the CD ::

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Dubstep Killer

The Mighty Alboy — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:52:00 +0100

Benga & Coki – “Night” (Original Mix)

As far as I can recall, we havent had any dubstep at DC before.

I’m only just starting to get my head around the dubstep sound- which is pretty much a hybrid of dancehall rhythms and dub production techniques and good old UK Garage, 2-step and grime. It’s sparse and dark and rhythmically complex- like dub and jungle/breakbeat, it features heavy and dynamic bass-drops and often plays with half-time tempos.

The scene has been growing since it emerged in London in late 1999/2000, and has now crossed-over into international scenes in NYC, Baltimore, and European techno where it has found resonances with outfits like Berlin’s Basic Channel/Hardwax records.

The track featured here Night is pure South London, coming as it does from Coulsdon boy Benga Uthman and Norwood’s Coki (from DMZ). It was out in February, and is catchy as fuck. And to check how dubstep producers can work these rhythms, check out the Geenus remix here .

So now you know what the kids are up to these days…. :)

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RIP The Dread At The Control

P Rice — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:21:00 +0100

Mikey Dread – Everybody Needs A Proper Education

Apologies for a brief interruption to the piano anthems madness, but this one is a quick dedication to Mikey Dread, who died a few days ago. Mikey Dread was the DJ for the JBC’s (the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation) weekly reggae show, which was the popular show in Jamaica in the mid-70’s and which spawned a number of jingles that have been heavily used ever since. You may think you’ve never heard one, but I bet you have.

As well as holding down his radio show Mikey Dread released a number of fine albums, and also famously teamed up with the Clash to produce some of their material, including the tune ‘Bank Robber’. My favourite Mikey Dread album is ‘African Anthems’, but this tune is taken from his ‘Dread At The Control’ album. The vocal fades into a nice long dub, featuring some lovely organ work.

Mikey Dread's website ::

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Have yourselves a spacey little christmas (1)...

The Mighty Alboy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:35:00 +0000

Yellow Magic Orchestra (The Orb Green Herbage Mix)- “Tong Poo”

Xmarse is traditionally a time of hassle and stress, so to provide you, dear DC reader, with the means of preserving a chilled-out demeanour through shopping trips, hangovers, bad presents and other seasonal stresses here are a few of the mellowest sounds around town…

Kicking off this spaced-out yuletide dubwise selection is an obscure remix by The Orb of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Tong Poo from 1993. It’s about as spacey as they come- that is, until you check selection 2…

buy tong poo at amazon ::

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Have yourselves a spacey little christmas (2)...

The Mighty Alboy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:34:00 +0000

The Orb (Mad Professor Mix) “Towers of Dub”

From a remix by the Orb, to a remix of the Orb (smooth link eh?). This Mad Professor (pictured) remix of Towers of Dub is so mellow and spaced out that it can make the listener feel a bit weird, like they were on drugs or something.

Try it on headphones for full effect- especially if you are on drugs ;)

You can get this on the “method to the madness” compilation, well worth purchasing…

Feeling that spaced out production style right now, and we’re going to keep it down on a Mad Professor tip from here on in…

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Have yourselves a spacey little christmas (3)...

The Mighty Alboy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:33:00 +0000

Mad Professor- “Fast Forward Into Dub”

Orb fans will recognise the opening vocal sample from the ambient progtastic Blue Room. It was lifted from number 5 in the Mad Professor’s seminal Dub me Crazy series- “Who knows the secrets of the master tapes?”.

The Mad Professor (aka Neil Fraser) is a digital production genius, and a hard worker to boot. He built his label- Ariwa Sounds- up from scratch and has churned out countless top flight dub productions and collaborations with all the reggae greats, and in the early nineties toured almost incessantly. Co-blogger P Rice and I once caught him playing in a pub backroom in the wilds of Devon, of all places. The soundsystem literally filled half the room- “it good to be ‘ere, inna Exeter”, said Macka B, to a room of befuddled locals- amazing!

And this is about as near to a religious tune as I generally like to get at this- or indeed any- time of the year. You got to give it to that Creator though, eh?

buy the entire Mad Professor ouvre at Ariwa Sounds ::

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Have yourselves a spacey little christmas (4)...

The Mighty Alboy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:32:00 +0000

Mad Professor – “Freedom Chant”

A deep cut from the first in the Dub Me Crazy series- just so mellow. I love the vocal drop at the end of the track- insane production from the Professor.

you can still buy all of this direct from Ariwa!!!! ::

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Have yourselves a spacey little christmas (5)...

The Mighty Alboy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:31:00 +0000

Mad Professor “soledad brothers”

And finally from my favourite release in the Mad Professor’s series: *Dub Maniacs on the Rampage.

A jump-up belter of a tune for when you get a bit pissed-up like, and fancy a bit of a dance :)

buy dub maniacs on the rampage at Amazon ::
or you can screw amazon and buy direct from the Professor at Ariwa Sounds!! :: (recommended)

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Have yourselves a spacey little christmas (6)...

The Mighty Alboy — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:30:00 +0000

Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor “Spying Glass (I Spy)”

After the dub me crazy series in the late eighties and early nineties, the Professor started to get remix work with big-time commercial outfits, culminating in the full album remix of Massive Attack’s Protection. It was hard to choose which of the tracks to pick, but this one edged it- lush and beautiful production, ambient but with bounce. A fine way to end this festive earful.

If you dont have this record in your collection, youre missing out. If you have, and you havent played it for a while, it’s well worth digging out and dusting off. And if you need just one more present for the person who has everything, then maybe this is it…

Seasons greetings from DC :)

buy "no protection" at Amazon ::

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Not so Ambient Dub

The Double K — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 10:48:00 +0000

Higher Intelligence Agency – Ketamine Entity

So rather than talking about how weird and scary a tune Ketamine Entity is why don’t we just have it up here and all have a listen?

I’d completely forgotten the Andrew Eldritch-style vocal chant MESSAGE FROM A HIGHER INTELLIGENCE that kicks in about half way through. Whose idea was that?

In fact listening to it now it doesn’t sound half as crazy as it used to somehow, perhaps because the development of electronic music over time has made us more used to weird noises, or perhaps familiarity breeds contempt and I just know what’s coming… or perhaps I’m just not nearly as stoned as I was back in 1992 ;o)

Now this IS ambient dub...

Tommy Squeaker — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 21:29:00 +0000

Original Rockers – Sexy Selector

I first heard this on Ambient Dub volume 1 which I’m pretty sure was owned by the Double K and released way back in 1992. It’s really the only tune on the album that merits the description “ambient dub”; the rest were a pretty mixed bag, from the dreary Banco de Gaia outings to the downright unsettling “Strawberry” by Mimoid (featuring manicly chirpy “okay let’s do it” sample over sinister synth washes). I did have a soft spot for the Higher Intelligence Agency, but can’t remember much about their tune on this album. “Ketamine Entity” doesn’t suggest that it’ll be all that mellow though. The Ambient Dub series went on, with the odd good track – vol 4 features White Darkness by Sandoz which I was also crazy for at the time. Sandoz – aka Richard H Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire fame – has got to be worth a post or two sometime.

Back to the Original Rockers; Sexy Selector really does stand the test of time in every way. They’re a Birmingham duo, Glyn Bush and Dick Whittingham (later joined by MC Farda P) and are still producing, although I’ve no idea of the quality of their recent output – would be pleased to hear from anyone who has. For me, their crowning moment will always be this – the warm chords, the deep, deep bass and that irresistibly simple vocal lick. I think I used to know where the rhythm sample’s from but it escapes me now. Come on all y’all reggae experts out there…

Buy the Richard Dorfmeister Different Drummer Selection... :: ...on which the Rockers Hi-Fi version of this tune appears

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More from Sly & Robbie

The Double K — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:01:00 +0100

Black Uhuru – Youth

So I was thinking… if Sly & Robbie have been involved with over 200,000 songs, as Wikipedia thinks they have, then surely we could have a few more of them here on Dilated Choonz?

This track comes from The Dub Factor, which has Sly & Robbie providing the rhythm section and which is one of my favourite Dub LPs from back in the day. I haven’t played it for years and listening to it now has brought on flashbacks of being really very very intensely stoned!

It’s hard to pick a single track from the album to post here – this one is great but then so are all the others. The problem is that The Dub Factor isn’t about individual tracks – it really makes most sense as a complete album: the tracks run seamlessly one into another, the change of tempo and sound at the track boundaries serving to startle the listener occasionally from stoned reverie, perhaps prompting a random sentence or two to compatriots slumped around the room who mutter their assent (or confusion!) before settling back into the next groove…

Buy The Dub Factor :: It's less than £6 - what are you waiting for?!?

Sounds of the Summertime

The Double K — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:43:00 +0100

Mad Professor captures Pato Banton – Gwarn! (Go On)

With predictions of the hottest day in London since records began coming this Wednesday it’s definitely time to dust off some summer listening… and the LP that this track comes from was a perennial summer favourite of mine for quite a few years.

Back in 1985, almost ten years before Pato Banton’s chart success with pop-reggae hits Bubbling Hot and Baby Come Back, deep in the heart of Peckham, he was captured in some sort of tardis-like box (as pictured on the record sleeve here) by the Mad Professor and supplied with a microphone, and this is the result.

Throughout the LP Pato’s funny, cheeky lyrics are complimented by the funny, cheeky production of the Mad Professor. This one is a kind of motivational song that, if something needs doing, encourages you to just Gwarn! and do it – this is just the kind of advice everyone needs if anything’s ever gonna get done in weather like this.

Another track in Memory of Przemek

The Double K — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 09:52:00 +0000

Dub Syndicate – “Hey Ho”

Rael has suggested this tune should be added to those in honour of Przemek, whose funeral was last month.

“Timeless energy, close to me
with love from rael”