Juno Recommends Dub Best of 2019

Review: Way back in 1998 when Massive Attack's career-defining "Mezzanine" was first released, legendary dub technician Mad Professor cooked up some radical reworking. They now get their first official release alongside dubs of two tracks that never actually made it onto the album - Metal Banshee: a dub version of "Superpredators" which was a cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Metal Postcard", and "Wire", which was actually recorded for the film "Welcome to Sarajevo". Wild effects, plenty of knob twiddling and oodles of reverb define this freaky late night collection and mark another essential release in the catalogue of the already legendary Mad Professor.

Review: The mighty Soundway Records label head Miles Cleret and DJ/collector Jeremy Spellacey turn their expert digging and curatorial skills to the Soca Dub & Electronic Calypso sounds of 1979 to 1998 on this bumper new triple pack. The 17 tracks touch on obscurities, instrumentals and dubs, vocal edits and all manner of roots, boogie, reggae, house, soul and disco gems. It makes for a never less than heart swelling collection that bring immediate sunshine to even the most rainy, cold days in the north of England. Highlights are plentiful, but our picks of the bunch are Bill Campbell's "Body Beat" which does exactly what it says on the tin, Adonijah's disco stomper ("It's Alright") and Levi John's "Soca", a lo-fi oddity with brilliantly loose drum work.

Review: Undefined is a duo made up of Sahara on keys, bass and programming, and Ohkuma on drums, and word has it that they have roots in Japanese dub. They've already collaborated with dBridge, amongst others, and this new single locks you deep into their world with rim shots and drum fills ringing out into cavernous dub drums. The addition of Rider Shafique's tender, introspective vocals make it a truly standout track. Move quick on this as it's limited to 600 copies worldwide, with no digital, no repress, and a slick screen printed sleeve.

Review: Emotional Rescue serve up a balmy curveball cut perfect for the summer months. Glen Ricks "I've Been Waiting For You" was originally released back in 1983 on the highly collectible Seraff label and recently reissued by the label (ERC081). Here, as an accompanying release to that boogie version is a 1990 digital rework for the Xterminator label. With a distinctive swung riddim and smoothly incorporated dubbed out chords, Ricks' vocal channels the most soulful Jamaican deliveries, sealing the deal on this evergreen jam that sounds great in original and version forms. DJ Duckcomb steps up with a tender "Digimix" that retains the dusty crunch of the original with just a little extra bite in the beats.

Review: Running Back Incantations was created as a series of non-dancefloor releases and its fifth edition came from Austrian producer Daniel Meuzard aka Feater earlier this year. The "Socialo Bianco" LP utilised the EMS Synthi AKS, which he painstakingly recorded entirely by hand and straight on to tape. The track lifted from the LP entitled "Time Million" has already received remixes by legends such as Ricardo Villalobos and Pepe Bradock on the first volume of reworks, followed by current scene heroes Pangaea and Krystal Klear on the second. On this third volume, Jamaican dub/reggae drummer with a Jah given gift for music, Blood Shanti takes over the whole release and serves up four perspectives. Feel the pure elation of the "Main Mix", followed by three jamdown versions: "Dub #2" works those delays and echoes to full effect in true old school style, while "Dub #3" veers into similar sonic territory as legendary dub producer Adrian Sherwood.

Review: ZamZam 72 comes from one of our favorite producers for the last few years, the elusive Andy Mac. Known in particular for his "Diving Bird" series, a buy-on-sight trilogy of 12"s on Bristol's Idle Hands, the idiosyncratic producer also has releases on No Corner (in collaboration with Ossia), and the seminal Punch Drunk label. His unique style of chopped, techy, warm, pastoralist dubwise had us from the first, and the tunes he sent us flew through our A&R gauntlet with ease. His are records we return to again and again, revealing more subtlety with each listen, free from genre or tempo constraints.

Review: Heavy Rain is a dub companion to the Rainford album. It sees legendary knob-twiddlers The Upsetters and co-producer Adrian Sherwood take apart the original tapes and rebuild them in radical fashion with a wide range of unpredictable guests including Brian Eno and Vin Gordon. The mood is relaxed and thoughtful throughout, with all sorts of studio trickery, sci-fi effects, immersive echo and drifting horn leads sinking you deep into the dub. This album showcases the musicality of the Rainford album in all its glory and makes you ride the rhythms from start to finish. To seal the deal, Scratch and Sherwood originals "Dreams Come True" and "Above And Beyond" are also included.

Review: It's been four years since Fat Freddy's Drop's "Ten Feet Tall" and the ongoing remix series that joins the dots between the New Zealand outfit and the best beat makers in Berlin. Winnie & Somow are house and reggae aficionados who straddle that divide on a remix that has a rumbling bottom end and super silky lead vocal from Joe Dukie. As much as it makes you want to move, it also tugs at the heartstrings. LoYoTo then layer in endless reverb to their remake, which is invitingly cavernous and dubbed out as they rework Dukie's vocal into something more detached and blissed out.

Review: If you know your roots, then you know that Dubkasm have long been at the heart of the genre from their base in Bristol. They've landed on key outlets like ZamZam, Peng! Sound and their eponymous label and now they showcase some tunes that bridge the gap between the generations. Opener "Discipline" is a forward marching cut with a fully saturated bassline and glistening synths that take you well into the future. The super wet, echo drenched "Lights On Mix" is for late night wig outs, before "The Key" comes on strong with warrior leads and tripped out gem "Version" closes things out.