RhoDeo 1147 Roots

Hello, we're still on that island with a huge place in the global music catalogue, Jamaica. A production hothouse and they say the Weed makes you slow and lazy-go figure. Without the ganja driven reggae music Jamaica would have remained a Caribbean backwater and dare i say would never have given us Bolt, the fastest man in the world.

There's been plenty of Laswell on this site but between all his recording and producing he's found time to enjoy reggae, enough to take on the task to deliver 2 mix albums. With the Dub Massive series Bill Laswell gets access to the deep reggae catalog of the Trojan label and grabs his favorite dubs for, as the liner notes put it, "enhancing." Just as he did with Miles Davis on Panthalassa and Bob Marley on Dreams of Freedom, Laswell respects his source while remixing, and brews up a concoction the original parties would most likely approve.

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Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter One is slightly tentative and pulls punches. The only time this chapter deserves a stunned "wow man" is when Laswell really twists the knobs and makes the Upsetters' "Lover's Skank" sound like the intro to the Who's "Eminence Front." Otherwise, he's only twisting things a bit, making everything sound thicker, and adding trippy segues to make this a journey instead of a collection of tracks. A steep learning curve results in the segues and flow are much better on Chapter Two, but the general arc of disc 1 is just fine, and ending with the earthy spiritualism of Ras Michael is a smooth move from a guy who obviously knows his Trojan. Hearing Ras Michael chanting in the distance as your Laswell-supplied lunar cruiser drives across the moon dunes sets the stage perfectly for the more ambitious Chapter Two.

VA - Trojan Dub Massive Chapter One (flac 401mb)

01 Sly And The Revolutionaries – Cocaine 4:11
02 Sly And The Revolutionaries – Herb 4:12
03 The Mafia All Stars And King Tubby – Don't Think About Me (I'm Alright) (Version) 3:09
04 King Tubby And The Aggrovators – Blood Dunza Version 3:28
05 Tapper Zukie – Man A Warrior 4:10
06 Gregory Isaacs' All Stars – Leggo Beast 3:34
07 Sly And Robbie – Roots Man Dub 2:37
08 Sly And The Revolutionaries – Acapulco Gold 3:53
09 The Crystalites – Concentration Ver. 3 3:16
10 The Upsetters – Lover's Shank (Spanglers Clap) 3:51
11 Sly And Robbie – Jah Jah Children Dub 3:55
12 Sly And Robbie – Negre Africa Dub 2:49
13 The Prince Jammy And Aggrovators – Out Of Order 5:48
14 Scientist – Miss Know It All 3:23
15 Prince Jammy – Fist Of Fury 3:07
16 The Roots Radics Band – The Alien Aborts 3:13
17 The Aggrovators – Stop The Dubbing 2:30
18 Ras Michel And The Sons Of Negus – Keep Cool Babylon 3:01


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Right from the get-go, it's apparent that Chapter Two of Bill Laswell's Trojan remix project is going to be a darker, freakier journey than Chapter One. Lee "Scratch" Perry's growl welcomes listeners to the more serpentine world of Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two, and with the extra echo and soundscape-widening producer/remixer/what-have-you Bill Laswell lays on the track, the chill Perry usually induces just got thicker. Not ridiculously thick, though. Just as he did with Miles Davis on Panthalassa and Bob Marley on Dreams of Freedom, Laswell respects his source while remixing, and brews up a concoction the original parties would most likely approve. Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two keeps the slink and spirit of the original Trojan dub cuts intact while adding cistern-sized reverb, quirky folds and filters, and nocturnal segues that make this more of a journey than a collection of tracks. He's also done a great job disappearing behind the music, letting Trojan be Trojan and only "placing" and "enhancing" the music according to the booklet. Save the segues and a few slick tricks that call out the release's post-2000 origins, you could be fooled into thinking this is an original Trojan release if you only had a boombox around. Headphones or an excellent sound system along with a back-pocket familiarity with the tracks are required to catch the bulk of Laswell's input, but that's what makes Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two a success. The bottomless vaults of Trojan are filled with some of the tastiest dub known to man, and cheesy tampering is out of the question. Laswell knows this and simply offers what could be considered a DJ set with a bit of tweaking. It's superb tweaking, and maybe just a little too humble for laptop kids and left-field lovers. For everyone else, Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two is a lazy delight with the mighty Trojan catalog in tasteful, contemporary dressing.

VA - Trojan Dub Massive Chapter Two (flac 377mb)

01 The Upsetters – Drum Rock 3:59
02 Scientist – Scientest (Stalog 17) 3:28
03 Augustus Pablo – Java 2:55
04 Augustus Pablo – Bedroom Mazurka Version 2:28
05 The Observer And King Tubby – Youth Man 4:05
06 Rupie Edwards – Buckshot Dub 3:45
07 Horace Andy And The Aggrovators – A Noisy Place 2:26
08 Prince Jammy – Throne Of Blood 3:08
09 Sly & Robbie – Stepping Out 2:47
10 The Upsetters – Washroom Skank 4:05
11 The Observer And King Tubby – Dubbing With The Observer 4:24
12 The Revolutionaries – Freedom Dub 2:14
13 Jah Thomas And The Roots Radics – King Tubby's Gold Dub 3:28
14 Roots Radics Band – The Death Of Mr. Spock 3:59
15 King Tubby – King Tubby's Badness Dub 4:18
16 Prince Jammy – Shaolin Temple 2:52
17 Roots Radics – Flash Gordon Meets Luke Skywalker 3:36
18 Ras Michel & The Sons Of Negus – Rastaman Chant 2:37


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