Dennis Bovell: Decibel: More Cuts and Dubs 1976-1983 2LP
01. The Grunwick Affair
02. Harmoniser Dub
03. Dominion Dub
04. Rowing 12" Version
05. Zombie Zones
06. Zion Dub
07. Higher Ranking
08. Ranking High
09. Scientific
10. Shi-cago
11. None Jah Jah Children (Melodica Version)
12. Uganda Crisis
13. Ah Fi Wi Dis
14. Entebbe
15. Blood Ah Go Run
16. Dub'er
Information
If any one individual can be credited with being the catalyst for English reggae and dub, then Dennis Bovell is that man. From the mid seventies onwards he has been at the centre of the English reggae scene. Pressure Sounds has gathered sixteen of his must have rare dubs and instrumentals as well as a couple of outstanding vocal tracks on to one album.
'Decibel' brings some of his heaviest productions out for the first time since their original release in the mid-seventies. 'Rama' and 'More Cuts' were Dennis' labels in the seventies and he produced many dub plates and specials that have never been heard outside of the Soundsystem. Several of these 'Dubs' will be on 'Decibel'. At the same time he was both producing and playing bass in the band Matumbi. He also produced the national number one 'Silly Games' by Janet Kay.
Dennis Bovell went on to become a much sort after producer to work with outside the reggae genre and produced both first albums by The Slits and Pop Group. In more recent times he worked with Edwyn Collins on his hit single 'Never known A Girls Like You Before', both producing and playing bass on it. He's always managed to be in a unique position as both a producer outside of the reggae genre and a driving force within it. He still fronts The Dub Band who back LKJ in the studio and live as one of the biggest attractions in reggae music.
The music in 'Decibel' is very much attached to Dennis' early output with the emphasis on his 'out there' dub productions. Musicians from Matumbi, Aswad and the Jamaican drummer 'Style' Scott from the Dub Syndicate all appear on the album. 'Zombie Zones', taken from the rare album 'Audio Active' (where the Japanese band got their name from), is as 'thundering' as anything ever released in the UK.
'The Grunwick Affair' kicks the album off with a full horn section and is as good as anything produced in Jamaica from the same period. 'Harmoniser Dub' with Angus Gaye from Aswad on drums and Dennis playing driving rhythm on 'Bass' is a killa. |
