Freedom Sounds In Dub

Freedom Sounds in Dub is ? hands down ? one of the most crucial dub collections in the stellar Blood & Fire catalog. Presented here are 12 B-side "versions" from the Greenwich Town Freedom Sounds label in Kingston, Jamaica, recorded as well as dubbed between 1976-1979. Soul Syndicate provides an expectedly rock-solid roots backbone from which King Tubby's dubs soar to psychedelic heights seldom found even in his discography. Highlights include the proto-house rocker, "Great Stone," a tough jam of near-intimidating intensity with a reverb break that will sneak up and get you if you don't see it coming; the playful "Empty Vessel Dub"; and the natty roots staple, "Ethiopian Version." Perhaps what makes this set so appealing is Tubby's exceptionally liberal use of delay. The vocal tracks creep in and out of the mix only to fade off into an echoey haze as snare drums drip with reverb. For fans of intricate, sedimentary hip-hop production (à la Pete Rock) or the largely improvised, anything-goes techno/house of the Orb, Freedom Sounds in Dub should prove stimulating and highly enjoyable. This set, like the rougher Dub Like Dirt or the Glen Brown/Tubby collection, Termination Dub, is a prime example of '70s roots dub as a immediate predecessor to both East Coast hip-hop production and modern turntablism.