Roots Archives Forum

Hi all reggae lovers,

I just discovered this great tune apparently from sylvan morris:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MDN2Jg7uwQ

I couldnt find much info on this album expect all credits go to sylvan morris and some guy claiming the album is from 75? And went out on B&M

While listening to it, i was amazed at how 'reggae' and 'dub' were blending together. Not sure it makes much sense, but i found the track really kept the reggae (even funk) feeling throughout its full lenght, while at the same time incorporating many characteristics elements of roots era dub :
- emphasis on the drum'n'bass as the skeleton of the track (not THAT strong, but strong, probably what keeps the reggae feeling for me)
- substraction of different instruments (4 beats of guitar, then 4 beats of organ, etc...)
- pronounced use of reverb on drums, some delay on instruments coming in and out.
- different 'phasing' as the track goes by.

Those are my impressions after a few hearings.

I was wondering, if you could help me find more tracks retaining both those feelings or reggae and dub? Tracks that somehow show the evolution of reggae towards dub and why do you think those tracks could be a good example to show the "roots", explain creation process of dub music.

Also, if anyone could give me more info about this LP and if it's worth buying? The few copies to sell are apparently quite expensive.

I'm not sure I know what you mean with the evolution of reggae towards dub. But if you want dub tracks that have those characteristics you mention you could always check out some 70's King Tubby's or even Sylvan Morris (incredibly rare) two other dub albums for Harry J.

Well yeah waking up this morning i'm also not sure it makes much sense.. I spent hours looking through my collection without finding what i'm looking for. Which probably means I just cant really define what i'm searching.

But i still find the song amazing! I guess i'll just go with a jazzy reggae podcast. And try to dig those Morris albums some day when i got cash

Reminds me of the MEGATON DUB albums by LEE PERRY

it's funny this track sounds more like tubby than perry to me. Aren't Perry's dub usually more... furnished? I mean, less etheral like this one sounds - especially first 2 minutes.
Or are the late black ark productions, which im less familiar with, marking a shift in his way to produce dub?

That Sylvan Morris track sounds like a version of Tyrone Davis' soul classic Turning Point.

Check this album on Pressure sounds - very similar vibes :

http://www.pressure.co.uk/store/PS65/ki ... rnational/

King Tubby & The Clancy Eccles All Stars
Pressure Sounds * PS65 * 2009
Sound System International

To quote wikipedia:

Before dub, most Jamaican 45s featured an instrumental version of the main song on the flipside, which was called the "version". When Tubby was asked to produce versions of songs for sound system MCs or toasters, Tubby initially worked to remove the vocal tracks with the faders on Reid's mixing desk, but soon discovered that the various instrumental tracks could be accentuated, reworked and emphasised through the settings on the mixer and primitive early effects units. In time, Tubby began to create wholly new pieces of music by shifting the emphasis in the instrumentals, adding sounds and removing others and adding various special effects, like extreme delays, echoes, reverb and phase effects.

"Versions" probably became so popular that people started making tracks inna that stylee. They couldn't really call them Versions anymore as the new tracks weren't versions of an original track but a whole new track of its own. So they called it Dub....... Thats my guess.

I always thought Heavy Duty Dub by King Tubby is quite a nice mix of jazz and soul in a dub. It is a Harry Mudie cover of Loran's Dance from Idris Muhammad's great soul jazz album Power of Soul. Have great electric piano work. Also a lot of Keith Hudson's work has funk and jazz elements.