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Rating: * * * * *
According to Pressure Sounds, the record label responsible for re-issuing this long-lost dub classic after nearly 35 years, producer Jimmy Radway was sick of the music business following the release of Dub I and retreated to the country.
But what a towering, enlightening, and at times deliciously jarring, farewell it was.
Dub - a form of music that reworks existing songs in a mostly instrumental style - has a heavy loping style and is a tranquil echo chamber for those who love it.
But often, especially for non-believers, it can be waffly, repetitive, and seemingly charting a course to nowhere. Dub I has a different dynamic as it throbs and dips to fearsome depths as well as serenading and uplifting.
There are heavy horns (like the triumphant trills of Back To Africa), chattering and echoey percussion (on the version of Jamaican vocalist Leroy Smart's stunning Mother Liza), and rest assured the relentless, feelgood bass rumbles throughout the whole album (but it's at its best on opening track Black Rights).
However, on the flipside, Dub I also has the bouncy love song dub of She's Mine and This Child Of Mine Version is an airy track that skanks rather than skulks with the twang of the guitar adding an extra touch of funk to this reverberating offshoot of reggae.
An essential album to check out for roots, rock, reggae lovers, and electronic music exponents alike.
Scott Kara
