Boomshots

Tag: Dub

  • HEAR THIS: “Super Hi-Fi Plays Nirvana”(Full Album Stream) PREMIERE

    HEAR THIS: “Super Hi-Fi Plays Nirvana”
    (Full Album Stream) PREMIERE

    Grunge In Dub With Nuff Trombone

    Back when Ezra Gale—the bassist for undergound Brooklyn ensemble Super Hi-Fi—was in college, another band he played in opened for Nirvana. Now, 25 years after the Seattle trio’s classic Nevermind, he and Super Hi-Fi decided to put a very different spin on Kurt Cobain’s songbook. Super Hi-Fi Plays Nirvana will be released tomorrow on Gale’s boutique label Very Special Recordings via digital and cassette only. The throwback format is not just about retro cool, it’s also highly affordable, allowing for creative freedom and experimentation. “I hate cover versions that just sound like the original,” says Gale. “So with Nirvana, it seemed interesting to make something new out of something so familiar.” With Jon Lipscomb on guitar, Madhu Siddappa on drums, and trombonist Rick Parker dueling with Curtis Fowlkes, Robert Stringer and Alex Asher on 2nd trombone, Super Hi-Fi recorded instrumental versions of six Nirvana tunes (including Shocking Blue’s “Love Buzz” and LeadBelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” both signature Nirvana covers) plus one original cut, entitled “Space Needle.” The sound is even more of a departure than Little Roy’s beloved reggae version of “Lithium.” Instead of Cobain’s guitar shrieks and Grohl’s chest-pounding drums, Super Hi-Fi (who describe themselves as “Brooklyn’s premiere two trombone dub experience”) serve up woozy horns, and heavy dub mixes courtesty of Nicola Stemmer, Victor Rice, Doctor Sub, and Prince Polo. Having a hard time imaging it? Well fortunately, you don’t have to. Boomshots is proud to premiere the full album right now. Audio After The Jump…
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  • WATCH THIS: Lee “Scratch” Perry “Jungle Safari” Live in NYC

    WATCH THIS: Lee “Scratch” Perry “Jungle Safari” Live in NYC

    The Upsetter and Subatomic Sound Soon Touch The Road

    Our bredren Emch of Subatomic Sound just blessed us with some never-before-seen footage of Lee “Scratch” Perry performing live in NYC back on May 17, 2012. This was his first time  performing with that lineup—Emch on the beats and mix, Larry McDonald on percussion. Paul Zasky of Dubblestandart on bass. That same crew is about to roll out a U.S. tour starting tomorrow in ATL and culminating with the mother of all 4/20 jams in Denver, Colorado—the mile high state. Video After The Jump…
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  • HEAR THIS: Suns of Dub Meets Mighty Crown “The Far East Mixtape” FREE DOWNLOAD

    HEAR THIS: Suns of Dub Meets Mighty Crown “The Far East Mixtape” FREE DOWNLOAD

    Addis Pablo and Ras Jammy Buck Up The Far East Rulers Inna Dubwise Extravaganja

    “We’ve pretty much been working on this forever,” says Addis Pablo, son of melodica master Augustus Pablo and co-founder of Suns of Dub, along with Ras Jammy, who is (contrary to popular belief) no relation to King Jammy nor—despite a striking similarity of appearance—to the elder Pablo’s frequent sparring partner Hugh Mundell. The pair first met at Rockers International Record Shop and began dubbing live—with Addis on melodica and Jammy mixing tunes and crucial sound effects—at Jamaican hotspots like Kingston Dub Club. Inspiration for this mixtape struck when the Suns traveled to Japan (Land of the Rising Sun) last October and linked with Cojie, Mighty Crown’s roots/foundation specialist, and began plotting their brand-new 40-track hour-plus excursion pon the version. The sounds thereon includes self-produced instrumental tracks and dubplate specials seasoned with vocals by the likes of Chronixx, Jesse Royal, Sizzla, Luciano, Lauryn Hill, and Mr. Williamz. Suns of Dub begins a UK tour today (see the full schedule below) and will tour Europe this summer as an onstage dub production team onstage with an expanded lineup (including Jah Bammy on vocals, Carlo on binghi drums and additional instrumentation courtesy of Dub Assassin) plus a 16-track mixing board to allow unique and precise mixes at each and every show. “We try to keep it spontaneous,” says Addis, “the next thing we could add a rock guitar or a violin or a tuba.” Ras Jammy agrees that audiences should expect the unexpected. “Last year we were playing the chalice onstage and smoke up the place.” Addis adds, laughing, “Steamers!” Audio & Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • Deep Space Dub Night Marks 12th Anniversary in NYC

    Deep Space Dub Night Marks 12th Anniversary in NYC

    Easy Star Sound System & Friends To Make NYC Debut Alongside Francois K April 6

    “Deep Space’s mission is to explore how dub has influenced so many forms of music,” says the night’s produer Erica Newell. “Not only as an aesthetic, but as an approach to producing and mixing music both in the recording studio and on the dance floor.” A Monday-night fixture at Cielo nightclub in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District for the past twelve years, Deep Space makes excellent use of Cielo’s award-winning Funkion One sound system (oft cited as the best in NYC) as it explores earthshaking frequencies of subsonic bass vibrations. Deep Space’s resident DJ Francois K was recently named “Resident Dj of the Year” by the 2015 Nightclub Awards. To mark their 12-year anniversary, Deep Space will welcome Easy Star Sound System with foundation artists Carlton Livingston, Lady Anne, and Ranking Joe pon the microphone center. Details After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry, The 2nd Chapter: “Too Much Weed, So I Get Crazy”

    Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry, The 2nd Chapter: “Too Much Weed, So I Get Crazy”

    Scratch Shares His Thoughts on Sex, Ganja, and the Illuminati

    When we last caught up with the Upsetter, he was sharing his thoughts on music—both his latest releases, and his seminal early recordings at the Black Ark. Of course, Scratch being Scratch, the conversation also veered into related topics such as Duppies, the true racial identity of God, and his everlasting battle with the Devil. Just hours before the man called by many names (including, notably, Pipecock Jaxon) take the stage at Brooklyn Bowl with Subatomic Sound System as part of the annual Dub Champions Festival, we proudly present the second installment of Reshma B‘s exclusive interview—in which the living legend/mad genius talks about what sort of girl he does not want to see in his bed—and names one in particular who would make him “vomit.” Scratch also admits that he was once addcited to marijuana, a fate that he hopes his fans will avoid. In fact, he says too music music and/or fire and/or weed in his head made him crazy. “They want to find out whether it’s me singing or the ganja singing,” he says. “It’s better when me sing. If the ganja can sing, it ah go take you to a height that you can’t come back.” The ReggaeGirlAboutTown even convinces Scratch to remove his remarkable hat and show her what’s inside. So fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a wild ride. Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry: “The Black Ark Preserve Life and It Kill”

    Reasoning with Lee “Scratch” Perry: “The Black Ark Preserve Life and It Kill”

    “I think the devil is a goat,” and other thoughts of a living legend.

    Whether you prefer to call him a madman or a genius, there’s no doubt that Lee “Scratch” Perry is a living legend. The man who gave the Wailers their “Natural Mystic” and pushed the frontiers of dub music at his Black Ark studio has never lost his creative mojo, even at the age of 78. Next week he will host his first New York art installation, followed by a live performance at Brooklyn Bowl with Subatomic Sound System as part of the annual Dub Champions Festival. In the first installment of Reshma B‘s exclusive interview with The Upsetter aka the Super Ape aka Pipecock Jaxson, he talks about two of his most recent collaborations—the Vibes EP, a collaboration with the Swiss musician Iguana, and the Back on the Controls project for which the London-based Rolling Lion team recreated all the exact recording equipment and techniques used at the Black Ark. “The Ark of the Covenant is a spirtual vibration,” scratch explains. “Ancient spirits speak… Everything is spirit. Because God is a spirit and Satan the devil also is a spirit. But Satan need competition.” In part one of the interview, find out why Scratch sprinkles white rum inside the studio before beginning a recording session. And in the second installment, discover who Scratch was taking revenge on when he built his own studio, The Black Ark, and find out how it had so many awesome powers: “It produce rain, whirlwind, hurricane, tidal wave, thunder, hailstone, earthquake, and it preserve life and it kill. It cripple, it cramp, and paralyze.” Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • Top 10 Philip Smart Selections

    Top 10 Philip Smart Selections

    Click On The Image Above To Start The Countdown

    Childhood friends with Augustus Pablo, teenage apprentice to King Tubbys, “Prince” Philip Smart would later move from Kington to New York and establish the most important reggae recording studio in the USA. The very first song produced at HC&F Studios was a crossover hit for the band Monyaka, who’d invested sweat equity into their recording time by helping to construct the Freeport, Long Island studio with their own hands. Over the years, numerous historic recording sessions went down at Smart’s soundlab that helped to spread reggae music into the American pop charts and around the world, as did his weekly radio show on WNYU FM, Get Smart! As friends, family and music lovers mourn the man—who passed away last week—what better time to take a deep dive into the music and reflect on all the works one man in his late 50s could accomplish on earth. Many of Philip Smart’s hardest selections, including Scion Sashay Success futuristic digi-dancehall cut “The Trainer,” are includied on the hard-to-find compilation Five Borough Fire, which is well worth the effort of hunting down on eBay. In one of many tributes that appeared following the tragic news, Clinton Lindsay quotes Sting International saying, Father Phil was “a man who gave so much and asked for nothing.” Make sure to tune into the next episode of the Strictly Boomshots show on RadioLily.com for a musical celebration of the man known affectionately by so many as “Father Phil.”  Click Through The Gallery Above To Start The Countdown

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  • HEAR THIS: Mad Professor “Medusa’s Tail”

    HEAR THIS: Mad Professor “Medusa’s Tail”

    Ariwa Posse Announces “The Roots of Dubstep Tour”

    The legendary UK dub producer will be setting off to the other side of the Atlantic for a tour of the U.S. kicking off this coming Monday in Burlington Vermont. Setting up his Ariwa Sounds studio at home in 1979, the youth born Neil Fraser had an early fascination with electronics that has kept everyone fascinated with him ever since. He started in the game at a time when the UK lovers rock scene was at its peak with artists like Deborahe Glasgow (the sultry female voice heard on Shabba Ranks‘ “Champion Lover“), Kofi of Brown Sugar, and Sandra Cross. Using his innovative did numerous classic records with British microphone chanters like Macka B and Pato Banton. Not long after the Mad Professor teamed up with the Mad Genius Lee “Scratch” Perry and between the two madmen came some of sub’s most legendary works in the form of Mystic Warrior, Dub Take The Voodoo Out Of Reggae, and Fire In Dub. He remixed Massive Attack‘s second album Protection to create the sonic masterwork No Protection. Those who need to catch up on his work should check out A Rough Guide to Ariwa available via the proudly independent label’s official site. This compilation of dub tracks includes “Medusa’s Tail,” first released on Mad Professor’s 1986 album Schizophrenic. Audio & Tour Dates After The Jump…  (more…)

  • Red Bull Music Academy Takes Over NYC

    Red Bull Music Academy Takes Over NYC

    Some of music’s greatest minds in one of the world’s greatest cities

    The Red Bull Music Academy pitched up to NYC this year for their annual musical extravaganza. If you’re not familiar with the RBMA then it’s one event to note for the diary. Practically each year since 2002 they have set up shop all over the world for one month to provide a handful of fortunate students who applied for the program to learn the ins and outs of the music biz. Cities so far have ranged from Capetown-South Africa to Spain’s Madrid.

    Trust and believe that the energy drink giants (who in 2011 sold 4.6 billion cans of Red Bull) nah cut corners at all! Everyone in NYC knew the team had arrived. Taking over coolest spots in NYC for their events, advertising their entire 31-day schedule in the New York subway (and on giant walls in Williamsburg), not to mention supplying a stand of in-house newspapers filled with quality stories by some of the best journo’s in town, printed fresh to pick up every morning.

    So of course we went down to see wha gwan… Full Report Plus Videos After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Dub Scandal Rocks “Portlandia”

    Mayor Holds A Press Conference To Confession His Dirty Secret: Dub


    If you thought Ras Trent was annoying… If Andy Milonakis inna dancehall style gets on your nerves… If you’re perturbed by this French dude Bigga Ranks… Then you’ll probably appreciate this VICE essay. But if that looks way too long to read, get a load of this awkward highlight from the IFC comedy series Portlandia. Video After The Jump…
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  • Review: Scientist & Roots Radics Rock The Dub Champions Fest 2012

    Dub vets Scientist and the Roots Radics took over this year’s Dub Champion Fest—Amy Wachtel reports

    Like any respectable “creature of the night,” I got to BB Kings just before the bewitching hour of midnight, an appropriate hour for both vampires and night nurses. Deadly Dragon’s sound system filled the air with the sounds of drum, bass & dub recordings. Remembering that Scientist’s jackhammer style of mixing tends to be on the LOUD side, I uncharacteristically put in a pair of earplugs. I even carried an extra set. On the second of five nights at this year’s Dub Champion Festival, the iconic dub chemist Scientist (seen above in NYC, Fall 1988) and dub innovators the Roots Radics band blessed the stage and, joined by the great reggae and dancehall vocalist Johnny Osbourne, put on a show for the ages. Before the concert even began, the energy was palpable throughout the subterranean building as anticipation was through the roof.  This was the kind of reggae show that crossed, and then collapsed, the Time-Space continuum by bringing out veterans and old timers, alongside a more current regime of reggae aficionados and dubheads. Video and photos from the performance after the jump.

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  • WATCH THIS: Lee “Scratch” Perry Live At Dub Champions Festival 2012

    The Upsetter himself rocks the mic inna fine style at Dub Champion Fest 2012

    Perry takes the stage at this year’s Dub Champion Festival alongside the Brooklyn-based Subatomic Sound System. The Night Nurse caught up with Subatomic’s top selector papa Emch, the man behind the whole festival, for a dubwise Q&A. Video and photos after the jump. (more…)