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Review

Album Review: Dubblestandart - In Dub

02/17/2014

by Gardy Stein

Let's go to the beach! To the Echobeach, that is (although, judging from the cover, we might take a trip to outer space as well). This Hamburg-based label of Nicolai Beverungen, known for its high-quality output of artists such as Dubmatix, iLLBiLLY HiTECH and (most recently) Dactah Chando, beams its newest release onto the international market. For Austrian Dubblestandart it is Album #14, aptly titled In Dub. With 14 tracks plus one remix by RSD of the opening song (the release date might be more than a coincidence here, continuing the line of fourteens), the band consisting of Paul Zasky (Bass, Keys, Composition), Robbie Ost (Keys, Editing, Mastering), Ali Tersch (Drums, Percussions, Keys) and Herb Pirker (Guitar) created a solid instrumental foundation. This perceptibly handcrafted foundation guides us through the whole album, keeping the music grounded while dubbing experts went wild performing their skills on it.  

Sometimes it's just a little detail that moves a track from 'just another pleasant Dub-piece' to something extraordinary. The harmonies that invade you in Holding You Close (from 03:54), for instance. The guitar skank throughout Slow Motion. The piano line in Logics Of Liberation (starting at 01:14). Or, for me the catchiest of all, the Asiatic influences audible in Evil Burma – besides the typical sound of a huge Buddhist gong, there are these delicate notes of some sort of string instrument… a Saung maybe. It's breathtaking!

There is nothing much to be said about lyrics. Featured artists such as Marcia Griffiths or the far too early deceased Ari Up can be heard on the tracks, but in most cases their voices are used sparingly, cut into bits and pieces as befits instrumental Dub-works.

UK mastermind Adrian Sherwood himself heralds his dubbing session (that stretches over the next six tracks) with a never-heard version of Chase The Devil. "The Upsetter" Lee Scratch Perry is talking to us here, supported by a mystic female voice (at 02:43). We meet him again in the Jean-Michel-Jarre-inspired Chrome Optimism, where – in is inimitable way – he preaches "Hello! Hell is very low and heaven is very very high."

Actually, it would be spoiling your fun if I revealed every detail there is to discover. Let me just add that, apart from the chill-out-factor that is inherent in Dub music, there are pieces like I'm A Warrior or Golden Life that are extremely danceable as well.

Concerning their motivation to do what they are doing, the creators of this little audio universe state: "(…) What you hear are our versions, filtering current vibes and atmospheres of a planet on the edge. From the heart of Europe. Dub knows no color, no race, no religion. It won't support any political system or ideology. We all are one. Peace." (Dubblestandart).

Wherever you might acquaint yourself with this album, have a joyful trip. You might want to be quick to order a copy, though, because in this limited edition, only 999 CDs are sold worldwide!  

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