Dub charts

Review: Bim Sherman and Sound Iration came together for this one in 1989 on WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. Since then it has become a cult classic that will cost a few quid on the second-hand market. But it's not easy to find and so now comes a reissue by Partial. It features two of the three tunes that were on the original with identical artwork. In original form, 'Dream' is a blissed-out bit of sun-kissed electronic reggae. The drums are crisp, Bim's vocals are clean and the organ chords suck you in deep. 'Dream' (version part 3) is a subtle rework that brings out different leads.

Review: Tracking right back to the very earliest days of Alpha & Omega, 'Pure And Clean' first emerged on their debut album King & Queen back in 1989. It's the kind of evergreen, dubwise steppers which could just as easily have been put out last year on ZamZam Sounds, but this is in fact a repress of the reissue Partial put out back in 2013. You get the original album cut on its own side of 7", plus of course an additional excursion on the flip to take you deeper into the sound. This is musical meditation at its finest, and given how quickly past copies have flown out, you won't want to get too comfortable until it's home and safely spinning on the platter.

Review: The Bush Chemists rebased they know long out of print fifth studio album 'Dub Fire Blazing' in 2001. Head up by Dougie Wardrop, it is a chunky and rugged fusion of macho traditional reggae with plenty of sleek, fresh and future facing digital dub tones that still sound avant guard today. The heavy bass of these tunes will of course always connect and this ten track affair might well be the best work the crew ever put out. 'Long Time I No Smoke' is the headline making tune here that will appear to those who like the sounds of Iration Steppas.

Review: A remarkably simple yet effective new dub reissue of one of Nick Manasseh & Scruff's earliest dub records under the name Sound Iration, 'Sound Iration In Dub', released in 1989 and which set the precedent for the UK dub scene for years to come. Wholly electronically produced, and manifesting as an early example of dubtronica or steppers, we're presented with a muted style that has enjoyed a popular resurgence among new dub pushers of late. The chirpier 'Free 1' and 'Revelation Dub' are highlights.

Review: The Disciples and Boomshackalaka Sound Systems 'Mission of Dubs' comes from the early 90s and is an in-demand and seriously heavyweight instrumental in a Jah Shaka style. Now it is reissued on a strictly limited 10" as three different but equally deadly versions. 'Mission Of Dub' comes on strong with its warrior leads and swaggering drums all overlaid with dreamy little keys. 'Dub Ammumission' is more dark and driving, with crashing hits to wake you from your reverie. 'Missions Dub" (part 3)' closes out with a straight up dancefloor assault.

Review: There will always be a place for politically charged records, but lines like "The government man bring the working man down to his knees/It's time to take a stand against the government man" seem particularly relevant right now. It's the lead cry on the a-side of this new 7" from eight-piece band Christel & The Goldmaster AllStars who have a bold two piece horn section driving along this fusion of ska, reggae and rock which was first recorded in 1998 and has recently been unearthed. The flipside version has sci-fi studio effects and warped synths layered in for extra trippiness.

Review: The Disciples' Russ Bell-Brown has just dropped a great collection of instrumentals on the Experiments LP on Thank You and now Partial serve up a couple of remixes of the group's 'Sabotage' and 'Steppers Nah Sleep' tune. The a-side features 'Sabotage' (Destruction mix), an absolute thriller with oodles of echo and reverb, head-mashing cosmic sounds and alluring kick patterns. It's the same with the deeper, even more heady flipside. These are more highly regarded sounds from this well-respected dub outfit.

Review: This classic set from the one and only The Rootsman takes us back to 1999 but has been newly edited and reimagined for this release on Partial. It was originally released on the Third Eye Music Label in 1999 and still hits hard today. There are jungle overtones to the opener 'We Come Rough' which brings the energy to kick off before things sink into a much more heady and psyched-out dub on 'Exodus'. 'To The Foundation' has a jazzy broken beat energy to it and 'Murder On The Orient Express' brings prance percussion and laid-back rhythms. 'Berber Bashment' is the standout on the B-side with its weird and wonderful vocal effects.

Review: Partial Records has always been partial (sorry) to traditional roots that come with blazing horns and stepping rhythms. Here we get more of just that from Restless Mashaits who features Boom Horns on a couple of crucial new cuts. 'Rasta The First' has some pretty steamy sax lines to kick off with over tight and propulsive rhythms, then "First Dub' is a more watery and aqueous version. 'Restless Mashaits' takes a slower, more snaking and seductive approach before a dub version rounds out with digi-synths and crashing hits for some more physical action.

Review: A heavyweight slab of UK roots and dub, originally released on the Jah Warrior label in 1997 and which now hears a welcome reissue via Partial Records. Presented in a showcase style, with each vocal followed by the dub counterpart, One Of These Days was produced by Jah Warrior and mixed by Dougie Wardrop in London. Clean but oppressively weighty in the sub-200-hertz range, every vocal and version here slaps harder than a frozen fish round the dome, but as evidenced by the top end, Warrior sees this as no excuse not to work in endearingly cute flute, Melodica and sci-fi motifs, to which the delays are applied liberally in almost every case. Prime your ears for snappy SFX-laden snake-rattlers such as 'One Of These Days', amid headier, heavier cuts like 'Pollution Dub'.

Review: Nick Manasseh and Jeremy The Equalizer pillage their vast vaults for a bunch of rare dubs here that date all the way back to 1998. The spaced out and heady originals 'Next Step' and 'Next Dub', are backed by two further gems in 'The Ark' and 'Conspiracy Dub'. These two have The Equalizer on production and date from a few years later in the early 90s. All four of these solid saes are perfectly designed to be played loud and proud of proper sound systems. This is their first time on vinyl.