The Groove Thief

In a dancehall clearly inspired by 2 Many DJs, High Time Sound, DontCallMeJunior & Flash It Up Sound [more tunes here] have united forces to produce their “2 Many Selectaz Vol. 1” mixtape. Heavy on the hits, Capleton is mashed up with The Jackson 5, Anthony B is set atop Queen, Elephant Man meets Crookers, plus lots of strong uptempo riddims, all alongside productions from other modern dub/reggae heroes like J-Star, Krak In Dub, and MAFFI. Lots of rock, digital reggae, and dancehall madness are crammed into this hour long mix, and the best part is many of these productions are available for free download from the artists’ Soundcloud accounts. Hopefully this series will continue soon!

Aram Scaram / Citizen Sound is a passionate dub advocate, mixing and producing some wicked tunes.  I was tipped off about the track “Seasons Change,” which is a smooth slightly digital upbeat summer-time reggae jam with Melodic & Jahdan Blakkamoore, but the true gem here is the fresh beast-of-a-reggae-and-dub-mix* Sucka For The High Grade which just magically appeared on Mixcloud.  The mix starts heavy, gets a little funky, meanders through Mungo’s Hi FI territory, basses up, and then ends on some classic vibes.  Great stuff, as are the latest two riddims “Sound Man” and “I Know A Little Sound.”  Much more on Soundcloud.

*props go to compound modifiers for their ongoing support of over-hyphenation in music reviews

Alpha Steppa may officially be out of control.  The dub-technician, currently residing in Korea, continues to release huge huge steppers dub/reggae tunes.  I really try not to multi-post on artists, preferring to continue the hunt for the most elusive and awesome music out there, but in the last month several new tracks, dubs, and a full hour-long mix have surfaced, all of which are well-produced and intelligently-designed enough to deserve their own write-up.  Alpha Steppa Japan Tour 2012 Promo Mix is a swirling assault of echo and bass, that perfect balance of slow and fast that makes steppers so appealing, full of original tracks, remixes, and other worthy heavy bass tracks.  ”Highest Grade” (Original & Dub) continue the collaborative effort with Flex Zagazzow that began with “Alpha Steppa Sound,” while another collaboration, with Addis Pablo takes the future-past vibe of Steppas Records to a whole new level.

Columbia’s M.A.K.U SoundSystem bring a whole different approach and set of influences to the traditional sound system concept: a tapping drum quickly falls into thick funky psych-rock as Makumbala begins.  Layered horns ride a pounding afro-influenced groove, then chanting voices and soulful solos emerge, combining to create complex multi-layered music.  This band isn’t afraid to jump into jazzy chaos or digital spaciness, always emerging into a tight rhythm.  A few tracks slow it waaaay down, which turns the focus to the well sung vocals, but in the end this is all about taking the afro-funk tradition and stretching it across the musical spectrum.

Sudaka Sound System mix a fusion of influences to produce a unique South American sound.  Hailing from Chile, their tracks predominately have a dub/reggae vibe and production aesthetic, however hip-hop and folk emerge as well throughout their latest album Soundbwoy’s Attack.  Comparisons to Manu Chao or Systema Solar are only natural, due to both language and style, but Sudaka bring their own passion - whether frantic on tracks like “Conecta Tu Mente” and “Yo Como Tu” or more reserved on “Cielo” and the opener “Pascualama,” which has also received the remix treatment from Krak In Dub as reviewed last month.  This is a strong showing, showing that reggae and sound system culture are alive and vibrant truly around the world.

The late Mickey Simpson is a relatively obscure reggae artist, but this absolute monster of a live acoustic recording ought to do a lot to change his public perception.  ”Don’t Cry” was Simpson’s biggest hit, and this touching, mournful live rendition lends maximum poignancy to the lyrics about sadness, poverty, and governmental failure within Jamaica.  For artist information, Reggae Spotlights provides a nice biography, and while the audio alone here is fantastic the video also shows some great vintage footage of both Simpson and Jamaica.  Much respect to 7FT Soundsystem for featuring this track on one of their recent mixes.  I’m featuring a fresh mashup/remix of this track atop a fierce dissonant riddim from Fira on my latest DJ mix, which should be out soon!

South Africa’s 7FT Soundsystem take the digital-dub ethos and meld it into something truly magical.  Their mantra of “reggae for robots + dub for droids” doesn’t quite do justice to their excellent blend of well-crafted riddims, dubplates, and remixes - though this would tear it up in C3PO & RJD2’s favorite cantina.  A prime example is their most recent mix, Live on the High Grade Show, which features only their riddims in a smooth-and-sublimely crafted upbeat jaunt through all facets of the digital dancehall.  Seriously, this is some impressive stuff - and I listen to a fair bit of dub/reggae as you might have noticed by now if you are a regular reader.  Some other fresh 7FT goodies are included as well: an excellent U-Roy refix and another mixtape.

Dub Iration Sound System represent the Mexican dub scene well.  Here’s a strong mix, The Lost Books of Dub: Chapter One - a bit interestingly up on Bandcamp - which features some stellar tracks.  An-Ten-Nae remixing Soom T, Brother Culture, Alpha & Omega, Mungo’s Hi Fi with Soom T, and Digitaldubs (who helped make the Dub Echoes soundtrack so immense) are featured alongside solid tracks from lesser-known artists who are no less dubby.  This is dub with an electronic focus, rather than being deep and explorative, so take advantage of the free download on this one and get yourself some quality music: