Description
Side 1
1. Eye Water (D. Bovell/N. Green)
2. Dub Guide (D.Bovell)
3. Zion Dubb (D.Bovell/L.Donaldson)
4. Top Level Dub (D.Bovell/L. Donaldson)
5. Dub Affair (D.Bovell)
Side 2
1.Physics of Dub (A. Ellis)
2. Tumbledown Dub (D.Bovell)
3. Aged Dub (D.Bovell)
4. Jah Dub Man (D.Bovell/E.Campbell)
5. Tuned Dub (D.Bovell)
His contributions to reggae are huge…his dub albums were an inspiration to the likes of Adrian Sherwood and the Mad Professor.
—The Independent (UK)
Dennis is the most important person in UK reggae…a legend.
—Adrian Sherwood
It’s not entirely hyperbole to state that reggae in the United Kingdom wouldn’t exist without Dennis Bovell…Bovell’s contributions to the genre are immeasurable.
—Afropop Worldwide
One of the most revered dub and reggae producers, Dennis Bovell has been leaving his mark on contemporary music for over 40 years. Born in Barbados, Bovell moved to south London at the age of 12 and by his late teens had started a musical trajectory that profoundly influenced Britain’s emerging roots, lovers rock, soundsystem and dub cultures. As a musician, songwriter and producer, Bovell spearheaded the seminal British reggae acts Linton Kwesi Johnson and Matumbi and was notably involved in the late 70’s UK punk/post-punk scene as the producer for The Slits, The Pop Group and Orange Juice. Dennis has also worked with Marvin Gaye, Ryuchi Sakamoto, Fela Kuti and most recently Joss Stone.
Both under his own name and the moniker “Blackbeard,” Dennis has created a striking oeuvre of dub albums (“I Wah Dub,” “Strictly Dub Wize,” “LKJ in Dub”) and has been involved with countless dub mixes and dubwise collaborations. In 2012, he released the acclaimed dub collection “Mek It Run” and in 2014, contributed dub versions of songs by Samba Toure and Tamikrest to the Glitterbeat Records compilation: “Dubs & Versions I.”
Glitterbeat Records is very proud to release Dennis Bovell’s latest dub installment, “Dub 4 Daze,” an album that deeply mines Bovell’s inspired catalog of rhythms and sounds. Dennis describes the material as: “a collection of different dub mixes I found buried in my archive, and a few newly mixed cuts, done after re-exploring some earlier recorded material. I baked some 2″ masters, transferred them to digital and mixed them using an analogue desk.”
“Dub 4 Daze” is a richly animated sonic journey that slips and slides between soulful roots (Eye Water), down-tempo brass (Top Level Dub), 3D mysticism (Jah Man Dub) and space echo abstractions (Physics of Dub). The album shows Dennis “Dubmaster” Bovell in full command of his craft, a craft he enthusiastically described for us: “for me, dub means the absolute freedom to express how well an engineer knows his equipment and the piece that’s being subjected to the treatment. Just like how the guests at Greek weddings smash the crockery…its fun to be demolishing, but re-building the track all at once, carving a different masterpiece from the same material…a must do in order to maintain my sanity level.”
The album showcases a plethora of top-flight reggae musicians including guitarist John Kpiaye (Matumbi, LKJ), drummer Jah Bunny (LKJ, Jah Shaka, Augustus Pablo) and vocalist Errol Campbell. Throughout, Bovell reveals the prowess of his own musicianship; on several tracks he both sings and plays most of the instruments himself.
Dub 4 Daze: Classic dub. Classic reggae. Classic Dennis Bovell.