Product Description

Aptly titled, Essential Dub will be a collector's item from the moment it hits store shelves. With a $7.98 SRLP, an 8-panel poster fold out, and over 60 minutes of music this album will be snatched up quickly. Includes Niney, Bad Brains, Dub Trio, Laswell, Twilight Circus, and 10 Ft. Ganja Plant. 14 tracks from the far reaches of Dub s spectrum. Tracks are culled from currently available ROIR releases.

Track Listing

1. Dub Out [Dub] - Oku Onuora
2. Truth and Right - Ras Michael, , Sons of Negus
3. Drive by Dub [Dub] - Dub Trio
4. East of Jaro - The Bush Chemists
5. Leaving Babylon - Bad Brains
6. Bassie Dub I [Dub] - Twilight Circus
7. Space-Time Paradox - Bill Laswell
8. Sensimellia - Dr. Israel,
9. Acoustic Dub [Dub] - Niney the Observer
10. Africa/Ethiopia - Alpha & Omega
11. Anittoo - The Terrorists
12. Turbo Auto Drive - Badawi
13. Jackson Park - Phase Selector Sound
14. New Day - 10 Ft. Ganja Plant

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37166 in Music
• Released on: 2007-06-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Review
Dub lovers since they began operations in the early 80s, New York City's ROIR label focuses on the next wave and fringe of the genre for the most part, which means their Essential Dub collection spends a lot of time off the island of Jamaica and plenty of time with friends of mega producer Bill Laswell, spliff-smoking Brits, and part-time dubbers like the Bad Brains. Even with all the genre blending and globe trotting, this 2007 sampler hangs together thanks to ROIR's commitment to all things deep and smoky. There's nothing too slick or too stylish in a Buddha Bar style, and even if the collection works great as background music, it's just as strong when it comes to active listening. The Bush Chemists and Twilight Circus show how Europeans can get especially spacy with their dub; Laswell, Badawi, and Doctor Israel display how dense and dank modern NYC dub can be. While the Bad Brains and the Terrorists present the sound of punks chilling out on the JA sound. Ras Michael and Niney the Observer offer the true Jamaican sound, while great tracks from both the Dub Trio and 10 Ft. Ganja Plant show how strong the U.S. dub scene is in 2007. While it would be easy for the veteran to complain about what's missing ROIR cuts from the Ruts D.C., Jah Works, Roots Tonic, and Lee Scratch Perry would have really earned that Essential on the cover. This teaser is meant to be the newbie's gateway drug, and on that level, it succeeds. --Amg

Review
I wasn t gonna review this, cuz compilations tend to lack the elevational continuum that can build when you sink at leisure into a single dubster s aesthetic. But after putting it on, I just couldn t argue with the way it plays as an album, despite the wide range of practitioners: Oku Onudra, Ras Michael, Dub Trio, Bush Chemists, Bad Brains, Twilight Circus, Bill Laswell, Dr. Israel, Niney, Alpha and Omega, and more. It may be a sampler disc, but whoever selected and sequenced the tracks oughta get a raise. --Metal Jazz

Customer Reviews

Superb collection of dub
Although I've been a fan of dub reggae for years, I have recently become very obsessed with obtaining as much as humanly possible. This is one of the best collections I've come across in a while! This set really shows how diverse this sub-genre can be, mixing the classic dub masters with the newer, more electronic based artists (and throwing in some Bad Brains, who are mostly known as originators of NYC hardcore/punk, but dabbled in dub reggae).

Lots of stuff on here I'd never heard of but will be hunting down the original albums if possible. If you've already got the masters covered (King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Scientist, etc.) this is the logical next step. And you cannot beat the price (Got it brand new for $6.99)!

A Collective Dub
For around 30 years, ROIR has been churning out quality genre-specific sampler collections from artists on the label. There is not the lumping together of music that can make such packages confusing and oftentimes quite frustrating.

The label also makes sure a wealth of performers are presented and this collection has 14 tracks from the same number of artists, including Bill Laswell, Bad Brains, Dub Trio and Twilight Circus. This is a nice stand alone set, since there is a fantastic flow to the dubs.

Along with quite moderate price tag, the album is "essential" for all the right reasons.

Essential Dub
Various essential dub from various artists. Vinyl allways good to have, (easier on the head.) Pick tracks, burn from various sources a mix cd. I give the vinyl verision 5 stars.