Dr. Ring Ding ADD

Review

Album Review: Dr. Ring Ding & Dreadsquad - Dig It All

12/12/2014

Dig It All - calling all digital immigrants and natives!

Album Review: Dr. Ring Ding & Dreadsquad - Dig It All

Ready for a trip back in time? Dr. Ring Ding and Dreadsquad take us at least 25 years into the past with their new album Dig It All. The mission is hidden in the title: we are hitting audio-ground in an era that hyped on the possibilities of advancing computer technology, the digital in many ways replacing analogue recordings. Readily avail- and affordable, the result of this rapid development was a massive flood of digital dancehall output. Not all of it good, because suddenly the monopoly of the professional recording studios was broken - everyone with a PC and a halfway understanding of some essential programs could build a riddim and let artists sing on it. Still, the gems of these pioneering days show an almost primal force, driving beats with a bass so heavy it would make the glasses shake on the tables and simple but strong melodies that required elaborate skills to ride them (back then, there was no gewgaw like auto-tune and stuff).

This is where the album ties up to: it can be seen as a tribute to the eighties and nineties, picking up many of its characteristics and bringing us the unmistakeable flavour of artificial Casio handclaps, keyboarded Yamaha "Heys" and all kind of synthies. To make this as authentic as possible, the artists used original classics such as the Roland Space Echo, the Casio MT100 or the Coron DS-08 Drum Synth; sound quality, however, is a reflection of our modern standards.

The 14 tracks are genuine new material (Dreadsquad was obviously in his element here), and some of them are so wanted that they seeped through to other releases already. Shubeen for instance, this opening homage to every ramshackle little bar or music corner, comes on a riddim that can be heard on Perfect's Once Upon A Time as well. And Don't Waste My Time is delivered on the masterpiece that underlies Skarra Mucci's Greater Than Great.

In case Creation rings a bell, you might well have Ease Up, President Botha (Yellowman) in mind. The melody of the song almost seems like a remake, but then again this extensive recycling is part and parcel of dancehall culture and digs up long lost treasures. And aren't we digging it all here?

Lyricwise, the Doctor infuses us with a) humour, b) wisdom and c) the bragging & boasting so typical for this genre. Remedy A is reflected in tracks such as Ugly Gal, Sweet Like Candy or especially Animal Party - honestly, a song that can make me laugh out loud in the crowded bus on a cold, grey and rainy Monday morning is serious dope! Think Positive is a prime example of remedy B: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, but an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." Word! Dancehall clash culture is honoured in prescription C, as in Come Test, Your Sound Is Done or Soundbway Warning: "Dibidibi soundbway sittin at di corner, count fi him dubplate, watch him weep and moan..." Or he simply combines all three: check Hurry Up Fi Wait, a hilarious piece that is so funny because it is so true - you will certainly be able to relate.

Richard A. Jung a.k.a. Dr. Ring Ding is one of the few German artists who can sing in Jamaican Patois without making me flinch – his style is authentic and likeable. This fact and his dulcet voice make it a pleasure to listen to him as he shares big and small stories with us. Just be careful not to overdose: even though every song is a great experience on its own, the combined force of 53 digital minutes is a bit overwhelming. Where is my acoustic guitar?

Joking aside, this album is an important contribution to broaden the spectrum of present releases, so let's take that trip. To put it in the creator's words: Dig It All - calling all digital immigrants and natives!