The Forum is right in the town centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells, on a grass verge across the road from the upmarket shops in The Pantiles.  In fact The Forum used to be a public toilet.  Now, for those of you who have not frequented this fantastic small venue, it’s worth stating that, though the venue is small, it probably isn’t quite as small as the previous sentence may have you envisage, and on a packed night it can hold 250 people.

Gentleman’s Dub Club play a perfect mix of dub, ska, dubstep and lovers rock and live they are something very special.  The enthusiastic and excited crowd raised the roof when GDC took to the small stage.  Eight members all in white shirts and black trousers looking very dapper and ready to sweat!

Gentleman’s Dub Club was formed in Leeds in 2006 though singer, Jila, said as a local boy he used to frequent The Forum in his younger days.  Their website states there are nine members, but I only counted eight.  Accompanying Jila was a drummer, percussionist with a laptop, guitarist, horn section consisting of trumpet and saxophone, and two keyboard players, one in control of the deepest sub-bass rhythms I have heard from a live band.

There was a lively moshpit throughout the gig and plenty of movement from the Dub Club who certainly know how to make a great sound and an amazing party-like atmosphere as they fused dub reggae, dubstep, ska and lovers rock songs into one hell of a live show.

The place was dripping with condensation and sweat as the band danced as hard as the packed crowd.  At one point I thought the trumpet player was going to implode! Its great live performances like this that has helped GDC build a following all over the UK.

This was part of the Gentleman’s Dub Club High Grade UK Tour this month.  It was GDC’s first visit to Tunbridge Wells and on this show, it won’t be their last. “If the truth be told, I’m a sucker for the high grade!”

Below is a live video from Manchester 2010 to give you a flavour of how exciting GDC live!

For more information visit the Gentlemans Dub Club Myspace page.

Gentleman’s Dub Club High Grade UK Tour Dates:

3 May
Komedia, Bath

4 May
The Boiler Room, Guildford

5 May
Concorde 2, Brighton

6 May
Forum, Tunbridge Wells

8 May
Sumo, Leicester

9 May
Club Academy, Manchester

10 May
Mojo, Liverpool

12 May
Academy, Newcastle

13 May
G2, Glasgow

14 May
Leeds University, Leeds

16 May
The Duchess, York

17 May
Sheffield University, Sheffield

18 May
Rescue room, Nottingham

20 May
King’s College, London

21 May
O2, Oxford

22 May
Junction 2, Cambridge

24 May
Arts Centre, Colchester

25 May
Koko Gorlaz, Cardiff

26 May
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

27 May
Thekla, Bristol

30 May
The Joiners, Southampton

Here is the video to the 2010 single Emergency.

For more information visit The Gentleman’s Dub Club Facebook page.

Dreadzone have carved a large niche and cult following. Hit records, critical acclaim and a huge, devoted fan base are theirs, due in part to their utterly storming live shows. The 16 tracks on ‘The Good The Bad And The Dread‘ collate the many highlights of Dreadzone’s output to date.

Dreadzone deal in accessible yet credible club sounds with pop nous, referencing everyone from Woody Guthrie and Max Romeo to John Holt and classic films. They also like to wander into uncharted territory, melding Celtic, Jamaican and Asian influences to their riddims and samples, thus turning out unique, quirky gems like ‘Captain Dread’ and ‘Little Britain’. The latter track is available here in its more rare vocal incarnation, which wasn’t featured on the album Second Light (the instrumental was). Their dubwise beats and bottom end, often adorned with the unmistakably dulcet tones of Earl Sixteen are a product of the cut-and-paste magpie nature of the ever-morphing world of dance music. Other collaborators who’ve passed through the house of dread include cultural figurehead Don Letts, Melanie Blatt and Alison Goldfrapp.

Dreadzone originators Greg Dread and Leo Williams are respectively the drum and bass in seminal post-punk-electro-pop band Big Audio Dynamite. Dreadzone was born from the duo’s shared love for reggae, ska, dub, dancehall, hip hop, breakbeat and the burgeoning electronic music scene of the time. Dubstep, UK funky, 2-step, Jungle and the multitude of fangled sub genres have been born post-Dreadzone, and whilst it maybe a sweeping statement to claim they’ve been a direct influence on all such producers, they can definitely stake claim to a very large branch on the family tree of all things dance, quality and of black origin.

Dreadzone have released six studio albums: ‘360’, ‘Second Light’, ‘Biological Radio’, ‘Sound’, ‘Once Upon A Time’ and last year’s ‘Eye On the Horizon’.

John Peel was a big fan of the band too. He included five Dreadzone tracks in his festive fifty and chose their 360 LP as one of his top ten albums of all time. Ironically that release hasn’t been available since the closing of Alan McGee’s iconic label Creation records, to which the they were signed.

Dreadzone also DJ under the ‘Dreadzone Soundsystem’ moniker, tearing up dancefloors worldwide in a fashion that’s unmistakably their own.

Dreadzone are: Greg Dread (beats and electronics) Leo Williams (bass) MC Spee (MC), Earl 16 (vocals) Chris Compton (guitar) and Chris Oldfield (technology).

The Best Of Dreadzone: The Good, The Bad & The Dread
Tracklisting:

Zion Youth (Dreadzone Mix)
Little Britain (Vocal Version)
Ali Baba
Captain Dread (Single Edit)
Iron Shirt
Digital Mastermind
Biological Radio (Edit)
House Of Dread
Life Love & Unity (‘96 Mix)
Fight The Power (‘95)
Return Of The Dread
Gangster
I Know
The Good The Bad & The Dread
Different Planets
American Dread

For more information visit www.dreadzonedownloads.com & www.facebook.com/dreadzone

lee perry-producers

Made at the Red Bull Studio in London, the six episode series of The Producers documents the progress of a top music producer when they collaborate with an artist of their choice in the studio.

The series includes top producers like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Diplo, Mark Ronson,Jamie Reynolds of the Klaxons, Gareth Jones and the series kicked off with Sheffield beatmaster Toddla T

This episode features Diplo and Lee Perry collaborating on a track in the studio, culminating in Perry preforming with Diplo and Switch’s Major Lazer at the 2010 Notting Hill Carnival.

The Producers is a co- production between Red Bull and VBS.tv, is a six-part documentary series showcasing a selection of the most innovative and exciting producers in the world, working in the Red Bull Studio London as their creative hub.

Ari Up was only fourteen when she formed The Slits with drummer Palmolive in 1976 and in 2006 Ari Up reformed The Slits with original bass player Tessa Pollitt.

Her first full length solo album entitled Dread More Dan Dead was released in 2005. She also recorded with dub reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry’s on his 2008 album, Repentance, and performed a duet of The Yardbirds’ song Mister You’re a Better Man Than I on Mark Stewart’s 2008 album, Edit.

In 1977 The Slits supported The Clash on their White Riot Tour, and released their debut album CutReturn of the Giant Slits in 1979. The group released their second record, , in 1981.

The Slits also appeared in Derek Jarman’s 1977 film, Jubilee and Don Letts‘ 1978 Punk Rock Movie.

The Slits were original, unique and the perfect embodiment of everything punk.

Florence & The Machine @ Latitude Festival 2010 photo: ryanmasonimaging.com

The Latitude Festival is much more than a music festival with a broad range of arenas, stages and tents offering theatre, poetry, film, dance, literature and music.  But for this review I will concentrate on my Latitude Festival 2010 music highlights.

As with previous years, many festival goers and keen campers began to arrive on the Thursday, but more so this year, possibly caused by the late additions of Nigel Kennedy and Tom Jones opening the Latitude Festival with Thursday performances.  Unable to attend I can only go on what I heard.  The festival was noticeably busy and Nigel Kennedy’s set on the Lake Stage was well received whereas many were disappointed as they couldn’t get near the small Sunrise Stage, set in the middle of the woods for Tom Jones’ midnight performance; and furthermore were bemused when the set introduced songs from his new album and did not include any of his classic hits.

With seventeen stages, tents, arenas and other impromptu performances over four days it was always going to be difficult to timetable seeing everything we wanted to, even for two reviewers; and some attractions were so popular, such as the Inbetweeners press conference and screening of Four Lions followed by a Q&A with writer, director and comic genius Chris Morris that we couldn’t even get into the Film & Music Arena to review!

Of the music stages I mainly frequented just three: the Obelisk or Main Arena, the Word Arena and deep in the woods, the Sunrise Arena.

The Obelisk Stage is big and open and on Friday night was headlined by Florence & the Machine.  It was their first major festival headliner and Florence’s performance, voice and stage presence was very warmly received.  At the same time The National headlined the Word Arena.  Set under canvas, in a more confined space the music was darker, deeper and altogether more compelling.  The audience was clearly divided between pop mistress and the broody baritone vocals of Matt Berninger and the post-gothic but surprisingly upbeat sound of The National.  For me, The National won the day with a great set including songs from their new album, High Violet.

One of the highlights of the whole festival was witnessing The National perform of their current single, Bloodbuzz Ohio.  More than merely watching or listening, this was all about ‘being there’. The sound, performance and atmosphere were perfect.

Before Florence & the Machine, Empire of the Sun gave a larger than life performance on the main stage complete with dance routines and various costume changes. While the Sunrise Arena hosted a lively performance from the wonderful Tokyo Police Club who were well received by a large crowd, many of which were familiar with songs from their 2008 debut Elephant Shell and the new album, Champ. They finished the set with a seismic version of Your English Is Good.  At times Tokyo Police Club remind me of Luna, The Pixies and The Strokes.  And yes, they are that good!

On Saturday the main stage played host to the return of Belle & Sebastian, though The Word Arena won the battle of the stages with performances from Noah & The Whale, The Horrors and The XX.  I was looking forward to seeing The Horrors after missing a low key show in June.  But I have to say the sound let them down; an engineer who had too much bass vibration and not enough vocal or noisy guitar in the mix.  That said The Horrors still put in a good performance.

The problem with the full-on bass was accentuated with The XX.  One of my sons decided not to stay for The XX.  He explained afterwards that he had left early because the bass was so loud it was stopping him from breathing!

The Word Arena was too small for The XX and the crowd was heaving and not helped by a constant stream of drunken teenagers constantly pushing through and treading on my toes.  As far as I saw, The XX played to the largest crowd in the Word Arena, while the biggest crowd for the main stage goes to Mumford & Sons for their massive performance on Sunday afternoon.

The Gentleman’s Dub Club played a late midnight set on the Sunrise Stage in the woods with a great energetic dub reggae set with some good time ska pick-me-ups.  It drew a large crowd of all ages. Teenagers’ pogoing to the up-tempo ska beats while middle-aged men reminded themselves of the skinhead moonstomp, from back in the day.  A great performance, coupled with a perfect sound.  Pockets of strange smelling cigarettes kept people smiling and dancing well into the wee small hours.  Loving dub reggae as I do, Gentleman’s Dub Club was a real highlight for me and a band I must go and see again, soon.

By Sunday I was becoming weary and needed something light and easy listening.  For that, Midlake performing their 1970s flavoured laid back country rock was a perfect anecdote; and was a pleasant surprise as this was an introduction to their music.  But before them were Mumford & Sons followed by Dirty Projectors.

I can only assume Mumford & Sons were booked to play Sunday afternoon way before their success blossomed.  I knew they would attract a crowd but the main arena was solid. They played songs from their Sigh No More album and the crowd jigged and sang along.  Their contemporary brand of English folk music was appreciated as much as the cider and was loved by pretty much everyone present.

Always looking like drawing the short straw, The Big Pink played the Word Arena while all but a handful of people crammed in to watch Mumford & Sons.  They were plagued by sound and technical problems and though they were making an impressive noise, the songs appeared lifeless and empty of quality.  Something was missing, and it wasn’t just an audience!

Following the folk and cider sing-a-long of the Mumford & Sons set was never going to be easy, but could not have been more of a polar opposite than the challenging anti-pop music of Dirty Projectors.  I have to be honest the album didn’t do much for me at all on first listen and so was not given a second; and I was only here as I was at a loose end and a friend was keen to see if they could pull it off live.  And they did.  The crowd may have dwindled to about a third of Mumford & Sons but that was to be expected.  They gave a stunning performance, considering.

Dirty Projectors are an experimental rock band from based in New York and led by Dave Longstreth. The music is best described as Captain Beefheart in its complexity and multi-faceted cacophony of simultaneous rhythms.  While the guitarist and main singer Dave Longstreth showed nervous twitching mannerisms of Tom Verlaine and the deranged stares of a young David Byrne, vocals also come from the three female voices of Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass) and Haley Dekle (vocals).  The Dirty Projectors line-up is completed by bass and drums. Looking back on the weekend this performance, along with Midlake was two of the best for me as I had no expectations.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart didn’t disappoint.  I love this band.  Four young kids from New York who admit to have listened to jangly 1980’s British indie pop until they were able to perfect the sound of the debut My Bloody Valentine album.  Their set at the Sunrise Arena was another lesson in perfect pop. Three minute bubblegum pop led by thrashing buzzsaw guitars, manic drumming and sugar-coated twee vocals with boy- girl harmonies.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart mixed a couple of new tracks in with songs from their much-acclaimed self-titled debut album which appeared in many end of year ‘best albums of 2009’ lists.

They were my music highlights from the fifth Latitude Festival. I don’t have much to say about the other main stage headline acts Belle & Sebastian or Vampire Weekend.  I’ll leave that for someone else.

On reflection the festival was as good as ever if not at times too busy and soured by the constant stream of pissed teenagers that appear to have come with mummy and daddy, only to be left to wander round the music stages treading on toes and pushing through attentive crowds while their parents were probably in the literary or poetry tents sipping wine.  It was also shocking to hear while driving away from the festival that the police were investigating two charges of rape on 17 and 19 year old girls, felt not to be connected.

Each year Latitude is a success it becomes more popular.  But personally I believe the festival organisers, Festival Republic, should consider what will be lost if the best small festival in the UK outgrows that category.

Dreadzone new album, Eye On The Horizon

Dreadzone release their new studio album, Eye On The Horizon, on 26th April 2010.

Eye On The Horizon paints a familiar picture for Dreadzone fans everywhere with its well produced mix of commerical radio-friendly pop sounding  reggae and uptempo dance rhythms.  Songs like Tomorrow Never Comes & Changes stand out as possible chart-friendly UK hits, while the forthcomnig single Beyond A Rock sees Dreadzone rock out.

Eye On The Horizon includes ten new tracks. American Dread is a personal favourite, and is more akin to the sample drenched Dreadzone roots which err towards their Big Audio Dynamite rhythm section beginnings. It also includes a catchy sample that reminds me in a strange way of the floor-filling Little Britain.

Dreadzone’s original sound, enthusing dub reggae, house music, trance and pop helped them to become one of the UK’s original dance music pioneers in the early 1990’s. MCing and reggae vocals partner the mix of live guitars, electronic beats and dub bass to perfection.

Eye On The Horizon features iconic samples (notably, the legendary theme from Long Good Friday on Gangster, a spoken word piece from Woody Guthrie and Dennis Brown’s Greensleeves classic Whip Them Jah on American Dread) all of which compliment the bass and beat heavy Dreadzone style perfectly.

Live performances have always been separate from the more polished, commercial sound of Dreadzone’s studio albums.  Though I’m aware daytime radio and UK charts dictate an overproduced sound, I have always preferred the Dreadzone live experience more, where bass speakers and a sweaty, happy dancing audience will have me grinning from ear to ear.

The Dreadzone story began with Alan McGee‘s Creation Records and their first groundbreaking album 360, continuing with major waves their seminal 1995 album Second Light picking up support from John Peel (who included the album in his top ten favourite albums of all time).

The core members Greg Dread (drums), Leo Williams (bass), MC Spee, legendary Studio One vocalist Earl 16 alongside Chris Compton on guitar and Chris Oldfield on technology make up the new line up.

Dreadzone - Eye On The Horizon tracklisting:

1.TOMORROW NEVER COMES
2.FOR A REASON
3.CHANGES
4.AMERICAN DREAD
5.BEYOND A ROCK
6. GANGSTER
7. YEAH MAN
8.MY FACE
9. WALK TALL
10. JUST LET GO

For more information visit www.dreadzone.com

Jason Urick - Fussing & Fighting 12" EP

Jason Urick – Fussing And Fighting 12″ EP is a limited edition vinyl release from Thrill Jockey.

Limited to 500 copies, Fussing And Fighting EP is presented with a 10″ x 6″ high-gloss photo print hand-pasted to the EP jacket.  There are 250 white jackets and 250 black jackets.

The title track is a perfect adventure in trance minimal dub electronica. Watch the promo video for Fussing And Fighting.

Unlike Husbands’ gentle washes of ambience, the songs on Fussing & Fighting are Jason Urick’s first in a very long time to incorporate any sort of rhythmic element.

With this release Urick appears to have made a conscious effort to slowly steer away from the experiments with density that were utilised on the album Husbands, opening up his music sonically and allowing things to breathe.

As with Husbands, all three of the original tracks were recorded by Urick himself at the famous Floristree Space in Baltimore.  The fourth and final piece on Fussing & Fighting is Matthew Papich of Ecstatic Sunshine’s reworking of the title track, recorded with engineer Craig Bowen.

Jason Urick is highly regarded in the Baltimore music and arts scene, through his work in WZT Hearts at the Floristree Space where he has curated many shows and festivals. Fussing and Fighting follows his solo album debut Husbands, and finds Urick pushing his music farther forward with new experiments in rhythm and sonic space.

“Husbands is a very compelling and enjoyable listen…it’s near faultless…these four tracks are certainly worth 43 minutes of anyone’s time” (8/10) – Drowned In Sound

The original tracks on the Fussing And Fighting 12″ EP were spawned during the period just after Urick completed his work on Husbands. After not listening to little else as he finished that album, Urick dove deep into some old faves, including Pita’s Get Out and also became obsessed with videos of London reggae linchpin Jah Shaka.

The three compositions included on this 12″ are experiments in trying to combine these influences into Urick’s working methods established for Husbands – manipulating sounds and samples on his laptop, mostly recorded using its built in microphone.

Jason Urick – Fussing And Fighting 12″ is released on 19th April on Thrill Jockey.

Dreadzone played their first live date at Folkestone’s Quarterhouse; a venue I had not visited before now.  But what a great little venue it was.  With a capacity of 500 people it was no surprise Dreadzone was a sell-out.

Dreadzone were formed in 1993 and their new album, Eye on the Horizon, is their sixth studio album.  It’s fair to say their commercial popularity waned after peaking in 1996 with their only UK Top 20 hit single, Little Britain.  But live they still command a fanatic fan base and tonight the crowd were a mix of generations ranging from original ravers to teenage students; all were friendly and ready to have a good time.

In true rock n roll tradition, the band left the audience waiting after a stirring DJ set of dub-heavy underground dance tracks.  But when the four musicians took to the stage, it was well worth the wait.  The sound was good and the music was very tight – drums, samplers, guitar and bass.

I couldn’t help noticing how Greg Roberts (drums) was not using a click track.  Which, considering the amount of samples that were being used, was very impressive indeed. Add to this two vocalists, and the Dreadzone faithful were mad for it.

The music doesn’t quite fit into any one style but is best described as a mix of dub, dance, reggae, with a hint of trance and a sniff of folk.

The set list included tracks from the forthcoming album, Eye on the Horizon and a selection of live favourites from their previous 17 years, culminating of course with a great rendition of Little Britain. And tonight in Folkestone, the screeching seagull introduction seemed more apt than ever before.

If I’m being honest, I like the older tracks much more than the new material.  Those old rave dub tracks still cut the mustard!

Dreadzone may have fallen far away from the commercial radar.  But tonight showed they have a solid and loyal live following; and that quite simply is because, live they rock!

Dreadzone - New Album & UK Tour

Dreadzone have announced they will be releasing their new album Eye On The Horizon on 26th April 2010.

The new album sees Dreadzone continue to create great dub dance pop music, a style that has helped them to become celebrated as one of the UK’s original dance music pioneers , with a style that has since spawned many sub genres.

MCing and reggae vocals partner the mix of live guitars, electronic beats and dub bass to perfection. The album features iconic samples (notably, the legendary theme from Long Good Friday on Gangster, a spoken word piece from Woody Guthrie and Dennis Brown’s Greensleeves classic Whip Them Jah on American Dread) all of which compliment the bass and beat heavy Dreadzone style perfectly.

The Dreadzone story began with Alan McGee‘s Creation Records and their first groundbreaking album 360, continuing with major waves their seminal 1995 album Second Light picking up support from John Peel (who included the album in his top ten favourite albums of all time).

The top 20 hit from that album Little Britain has since gone on to acquire classic status. Five critically acclaimed albums later they are set to remind people why the Dreadzone sound is still very much a part of the musical landscape of this country.

The core members Greg Dread, original bassmaster Leo Williams, the unmistakable MC Spee, legendary Studio One vocalist Earl 16 alongside Chris Compton on guitar and Chris Oldfield on technology make up the new line up.

Dreadzone’s influence extends not only out into the current scene as one of the pioneers of dub based music in this country, but rewinding to back in the day as the rhythm section of Big Audio Dynamite in the 1980’s. Their roots are embedded in the history of West London sound clash and with a drum and bass partnership of 25 years this year Leo and Greg are still rolling strong and rocking the nation with their distinctive rhythms.

“A welcome return from the defenders of bass! Dreadzone are back with their new album ‘Eye on the Horizon’ and as usual they draw fast and shoot straight to the heart of the matter: music to move your mind and your feet”
Don Letts

Dreadzone – Eye On The Horizon track listing

1.TOMORROW NEVER COMES
2.FOR A REASON
3.CHANGES
4.AMERICAN DREAD
5.BEYOND A ROCK
6. GANGSTER
7. YEAH MAN
8.MY FACE
9. WALK TALL
10. JUST LET GO

Dreadzone UK Tour Dates

To promote the new album, Dreadzone will be playing a short UK Tour.

Fri 19 March
FOLKESTONE Quarterhouse

Sat 20 March
READING Plug n Play Studios

Fri 26 March
SOUTHAMPTON The Joiners

Sat 27 March
HITCHIN Club 85

Fri 16 April
YORK The Duchess

Thurs 22 April
SALISBURY Arts Centre

Fri 23 April
STROUD Subscription Rooms

Wed 28th April
LONDON Cargo

Fri 14 May
PONTARDAWE Arts Centre

Sat 15 May
WOLVERHAMPTON Wolves Little Civic

Sun 16 May
DERBYSHIRE Bearded Theory Festival

Thurs 20 May
TUNBRIDGE WELLS The Forum

Fri 21 May
LUTON Hat Factory

Sat 22 May
MANCHESTER Academy 3

Fri 4 June
BRIGHTON Komedia

Sun 6 June
CHELTENHAM Wychwood Festival