These releases from Scoops label don’t need any further recommendations or words. Three great 10”, three schools of dub, three big artists mixing each other.
Russ D, Steve Vibronics and Dougie Conscious. Grab these records. Period.
Links:
Mark Wonder is one of those Jamaicans who don’t have to prove anything, having cooperating with reggae legends (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6wEU-g4ApQ), a lot of music and concerts on his account. The presented 10″ from Addis Records is a piece of great music on the highest level with a strong message and Mark’s beautiful vocals. The opening ‘Inalysis’ is an anthem to the freedom inna roots&culture style, where bass pulsates lively and the horns make it lofty, complementing this masterpiece (by the way, I haven’t been so magnetised and softened by roots for a long time). Alex Schneiter is responsible for the beautiful trumpet, additionally there is Jonah Dan on the percussion and Christine Miller in the chorus. Knowing that Russ D took care of the mastering I can freely say that the crew is built by true masters. The B side is a bit different, more lively, presenting a well-known riddim – ‘Tempo’. Mark introduces an amazing harmony that makes you feel grateful and the dub version deepens the experience. Of course, both of the tunes have a dub version.
A great release with beautiful music!
Links:
https://soundcloud.com/addisrecord/analyse-mark-wonder-preview-soon-to-be-released
Gentleman’s Dub Club crew give us new productions very often recently. At the end of August they released remixes (http://dubmassive.org/8724/gentlemans-dub-club-fourtyfour-the-remixes) and now we get a single named “Unbreakable” with an amazing Solo Banton known i.a. from collaboration with Dubkasm. The riddim created by GDC is a heavy soundsystem roller with beautiful horns and Solo Banton feels very well on it, you want to shout the chorus “Stand up!” together with GDC’s vocalist. Additionally, there is a mix and dub version from the master Russ D himself with more space, reverbs and bass. This production is an amazing gift for all fans and selectors. It’s also worth to say that the energy passed by the crew on live shows fills you with power for a long time. I experienced this on their concert on 30th of August at 8th Reggae Festival in Sosnowiec. These guys were able to move audience with their music, mainly because of apparent joy of playing. The bass coming from the stage was crushing and I also have to mention their dubmaster, who knows well what to do behind the console!
Although Nello B (Nelson Barret) isn’t a novice, I didn’t know him before I got that album. I made up that lack of knowledge quickly and with a huge surprise began to check out musical achievements of that Jamaican. He performed alongside sound systems like Cultural Warriors, Koogah, Black Messenjah, RDK, Little Lion and bands The Vibes Crew, Restless Mashaits, Mix Up Race and Positiv Band. I’ve been shocked when I saw who is responsible for the music on the album: OBF/Top Ranking Geneva, Romain Iron Dubz, Duss Disciple, Yannis Rockradiohermes Ruben – impressing top producers.
The album is opened by tune named “Keep the faya burnin” made by OBF with a dub version. That dark track proves that the French are in the best shape and Nello fills it with an amazing power using his voice. The next 4 tunes are mixed by Russ D. “No love” is a steppers with pleasant singing by Nello B, in “InI Soldier” he’s supported by Christine Miller, what with a beautiful melodica creates a very good track. “Run run run” is a solid dub. In the next tune appears a guest well known in the whole world – Brother Culture and Addis Pablo plays on melodica, the integrity sounds brilliant. Tune number 6 was created by Iron Dubz – French, who specialize in heavy dub sounds, “Full Time” in junction with Nello’s voice is a tune, which will be played on sessions all over the world. To be honest, every single track from that album deserves to be played anywhere reggae dub sounds are welcome. Nello B also refers the roots, in “Stop that Train” the winds and rhythmic section work together really good and make one of the calmest tracks on the album. “Country Life” is one of the tunes that makes your body move to the rhythm. Lyrically Nello B is excellent, for example in “Good over Evil” and his voice calms you down, even if he sings about such important things. The last regular tune is “Dance&Shout”, which has incredible power, as it’s mixed by Russ D. On the desert we have 2 dub versions, one by OBF, which I mentioned before, and the second one is “Diamonds&dub”.
Nello B lives in Switzerland. He recorded the vocals in Geneva, where Addis Records (they released that amazing album) is placed. It’s worth to hear it, for a long time I haven’t heard an album, where the voice fits every tune so well.
Name: Backyard Studio
Description:
“The original Disciples studio was started in my bedroom in `86, but a little later in the 80`s i built a small purpose made studio in the back garden, hence the name Backyard Studio, its a concrete block building measuring just about 2m x 3m floor space and 2m high, i added a small L shaped vocal area some time later. In the early days i recorded on 1/4” reel to reel 8 track tape, going into a Seck 12/8/2 mixer, using drum machine, live bass / guitar / percussion and keyboards.
There were various small upgrades over the years until in the early 90`s i started using a hardware sequencer, a Roland MC50, and got into the whole midi sequencing thing, i used sound modules like a Roland U220, an Akai S950 sampler, Alesis HR16 drum machine and various other bits, i used to stripe a timecode from the sequencer onto the 1/4″ tape and use the tape for voicing and some live played instruments. In `95 i bought my first computer system, it was a Soundscape unit and could record 8 tracks but only had 4 outputs, this was sync`d to my sequencer, by this time i was working on a Soundcraft Studio 24/8/2 mixer. In the later part of the 90`s i went fully over to recording on computer, i use Cubase as my DAW, at around the same time i had changed my studio desk to an Allen & Heath GS3000, i also started to get into plugin use, i had read some articles in studio magazine SOS (Sound On Sound) about UAD dsp cards and decided to go that route, with thier emulations of vintage gear it took my interest.
In early 2000`s i had the chance to upgrade my desk again, this time it was an old pro desk, a Soundcraft Sapphyre, which was previously the desk Fashion Studio used. During the 00`s i started to get a lot of outside work and it meant i had a need for a setup that allowed total recall, at the time i used to set all channels on the desk to 0, and did most of my processing ITB, and really only used the desk for its auxillery sends for mixing dubs, i used to have setup sheets to mark down anything specific for a track so i could recall at later dates. Finally in the latter part of the 00`s i decided it was unnecessary for me to have a big desk, i experimented for a while with working totally ITB and using a Behringer BCF2000 midi controller to mix, i had good reverb fx from UAD, the Bionic Dub delay vst which is controlled by a Novation Nocturn controller, and piped in some of my outboard using the soundcard i/o i used when connecting tracks to the big mixer, after a few months i felt it good enough to sell off the mixer and go totally with working the ITB box, this has facilitated the total recall neccesary for my work.
My setup now comprises Cubase 7, which i keep up to date, a UAD octo card with various plugins of which in particular i use both thier EMT plate reverbs, API Vision Channel, Pultec Eq, LA2A compressor, Roland Space Echo (for its spring reverb), EP34 Tape Echo and Studer A800 tape emulator, im still using the Bionic Dub delay tthough i contacted the maker and we currently have a revised version with added features, it will soon come on the market ! together with the virtual side i also use a number of hardware unit, for recording i have an API Lunchbox fitted with an API 550B eq, a Lindell PEX500 eq, an Elysia Xpressor (which goes on my master buss) and a Great River MPV500 mic/line pre-amp, a also have a UA 2-610 valve pre-amp and an SSL Mynx unit fitter with SSL EQ and Compressor. I also have some outboard effects like Lexicon MPX1, TC M3000, Fostex Spring Reverb and some custom special units like Tooney Roots FT1 Filter, BeniDverb and BeniDubecho.
In production i use a mixture of a number of the original sound modules i had from the old days, including Roland JV1080, Emu Vintage Keys Plus, Novation Bass Station, Roland D110 and U220, Micro Korg, Nord Rack 2X, Yamaha DX100, along with this there are VST instuments like NI Battery, Electric Keys and Hammond B4, and Trilogy Bass, i also use Cubase own Groove Agent drum module with samples that i`ve collected over the years. I play various live instruments like Guitar and Bass (occasionally !) and various percussion, i usually get live horns and lead guitar work brought in.
I still use a mixer for routing and summing, its an SSL X-desk, i mixdown to an Alesis Masterlink, and monitor through Adam P11 and Yamaha NS10`s. I run the mixdown back into Cubase via the digital connections between the Masterlink and my soundcard, i then master all my own productions using a number of UAD plugins.
UPDATE ! (24.01.2014)
“Since this piece was first written some further changes have been made at the Backyard Studio with the addition of an Allen & Heath WZ20S analogue mixer. This has replaced the use of the Behringer BCF2000 controller as the main mixer. This came about a little by accident as i was thinking one night about what would be my ideal choice of mixer, something that was based around the current setup with the BCF2000. I remembered seeing old stereo desk channels available on ebay and wondered about the possibility of getting a number of those channels and piecing a desk together, it was a bit of a dream, but when i searched ebay for stereo channels this A&H desk came up and it seemed to suit just what i wanted, but already made.
As i explained with the BCF i was mixing in to subgroups in cubase and applying dub effects to those groups. The A&H has 8 stereo channels and these are now acting as my subgroups, it has 6 aux sends for fx per channel and i currently use a combination of outboard fx and some reverb plugins routed to the desk, so i have achieved a very similar setup, sound and mix ability as with the BCF but with a little more hands on control. The desk is nicely compact and ruggedly built, but i do have some ideas of a little expansion, so will see what the near future holds!”
http://www.youtube.com/user/sargantbrown/videos
Studio homepage: https://www.facebook.com/russ.disciple
Location: a London suburb
E-mail: russdisciple@yahoo.co.uk
We invite you to a new section – Dub Studio – whose goal is to show studios in which dub sounds are created. This section is open to both amateurs and professionals – everybody can submit (via this form) and the most interesting entries will be published.
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Londyński kombinat Unit137 wydaje swoją trzecią EPkę. “Wicked Land” to ładny utwór z pięknym pochodem dęciaków nagrany przez 10-osobowy skład onlyjoe. Za remiksy odpowiedzialni są Russ D, “nasz” Radikal Guru oraz Sleepy Time Ghost. Każda z wersji utrzymana jest w swoim stylu – zresztą posłuchajcie sami:
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Wydany w 1995 roku przez Cloak And Dagger Records album w całości wyprodukowany i zmiksowany przez Russa D. Na płycie wydanej oryginalnie zarówno na CD jak i 2LP znajduje się 13 utworów utrzymanych w stricte soundsystemowym, ciężkim, mistycznym klimacie Disciples. Co ciekawe utwory zawarte na płycie to produkcje z lat 92-95, wyprodukowane specjalnie na potrzeby Boom Shaka Lacka Soundsystem.
Samo to wskazuje, że album zawiera praktycznie same killer tunes charakterystyczne dla produkcji Disciples z tamtego okresu. Czysty soundsystemowy dubplate style od samego początku, bez rozgrzewki. „Eastern Fire” na pierwszy ogień i wiemy z czym będziemy mieli do czynienia. Ciężki klimat, przytłaczający bass, finezyjne linie melodyczne, charakterystyczne partie syntezatorowe. Jednym słowem wszystko to co najlepsze u Disciples. Album zdaję się być idealnym przykładem doskonałych produkcji z kręgu elektronicznego dubu. Szczególnie dla kogoś tak rozkochanego w dubowych produkcjach z lat 90’ jak ja.
Muzyka od której z wrażenia zasycha w gardle. Klasyk.