Thinking man's dub
Allan MacInnis | Vancouver | 10/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"My favorite Dub Syndicate release, ECHOMANIA, seems to be currently not available. That album has some very playful vocal stylings from Lee Perry that make it a delight -- plus a rich, complex, varied sound. This release, featuring Bim Sherman, will have to suffice as a recommendation. Dub Syndicate are one of Adrian Sherwood's projects, but of the ones I've heard (African Head Charge and New Age Steppers as well), they're the closest to the root -- speaking of roots reggae, that is. This is a textural, groovin' dub album, all the more interesting for the fact that it's recorded live (do YOU know of other LIVE dub albums? I don't). There are some chant-like background vocals and nicely textural saxophone and sitar samples -- a cool use of sampling in general. Bim Sherman's "Slummy Ghetto" has a non-sampled vocal cut, but it's a good solid reggae song. There's also a vocal sample of Jim Morrison, on "Stoned immaculate," which I thought pretty clever; repeated several times, it acts as a centrepiece for the echoing, shifting sounds the band make, again coming across as something almost chantlike, as do the sampled vocals on "No Alternative" (from ????). This is real stuff, and I recommend it highly. Note, however -- the ECD thing is nothing to get excited about; it's just a bio/interview/discography of Adrian Sherwood, with notes on the On-U sound -- no videos or anything like that, and it's the same stuff on each of the On-U releases."
Syndicate Sounding Off!
Adjua Dubb | Gaithersburg, MD United States | 08/06/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This CD merges fun, social ills, daydreaming and a whole lot more into one. What makes its so interesting are the takes and shifts of sound and the artists. Some are just dubs, but beautifully put together. Bim Sherman, Akabu singers, and Lee Perry are all on this album, Each song is textured and yes LIVE, we can hear the crowd and the sound is completly clean. Its a highly enjoyable album, Dub Syndicate offers some good roots here, not traditional sounding but more new age roots. Stand out cuts: "Slummy Ghetto" "Ravi Shavikir" "Cuss Cuss""
Point of Information
tkpk7057 | Takoma Park, MD | 05/05/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
""No Alternative" appears on the various artists compilation PAY IT ALL BACK Vol 2. For those who are not familiar with this series of sampler albums, volumes 2 and 3 are classic ON-U releases, and 1 and 5 are interesting and useful albums. (I don't know 4 and 6.) All 6 seem to be available through AMAZON. To reiterate, volume 2 has several wonderful things on it, including Bim Sherman's "Run Them Away," Eskimo Fox's "Digital," African Head Charge's "Throw Them Away," and "No Alternative.""
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1