Dub charts

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: 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: 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'.