Just as you were beginning to wonder about the sanity of the world…then BAM! Fresh new music lifts the spirits and serves as handy reminder that, for the most, people are cool and there are plentiful good vibes circulating. If there’s anything to stymie the endless parade of media gloom and doom it’s music. If there’s a genre of music that guarantees a smile then anything dubwise certainly fits that bill.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the electronic end of ‘dub’ (particularly genres like ‘digidub’ and ‘dub techno’) have tendency to enter rabbit holes of self-induced similarity. Great as they are, each genre’s ‘sound’ seemed to reach perfection relatively quickly from which little variation occurred. Then again, who would take on the task of improving on Deepchord, CV313, Rhythm & Sound or Basic Channel? Not to mention Lee Scratch Perry & King Tubby…..
"It’s great to see a label charting new territory and exploring what feels like new fertile ground in dub."
With all this in mind, it’s great to see a label charting new territory and exploring what feels like new fertile ground in dub, delivering original organic sounds that meld skanking bass weight with abstract melody. It’s here we find London based Bokeh Versions and their exploration of the outer fringes of dub, through releases from ‘Voodoo Tapes‘ and ‘Jay Glass Dubs‘.
Those behind the latest Bokeh release, Seekersinternational, certainly have dub pedigree yet take things one step further here, pitching UK Lovers Rock shimmy against a kaleidoscopic cut and paste of synth boogie and radio, film and YouTube samples. It’s unashamedly British / Jamaican with hints of LA beat scene in musical reference and as the press release states, exactly “like Dennis Bovell getting behind the controls for Brainfeeder”.
"A slightly unhinged collection of colourful things that somehow fit perfectly together."
As much as this is a series of nostalgic mnemonics for anyone with a passing interest in Brit / Jamaican culture, it also serves up quirky oddball pop in “Ifuwantme”, “CherylLinn” and “OvergirlX“, as well as dreamscape beauty in “DinnerScene” and “StillUgly!“.
Further highlights can be found in the numerous mini skits dotted throughout the release whilst the visually onomatopoeic cover art, courtesy of Mystery Forms, sums things up perfectly – a slightly unhinged collection of colourful things that somehow fit perfectly together. Wicked city sunshine Red Stripe slurping music!
LoversDedicationStation is out now, grab a vinyl copy of the album from Bokeh Versions Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. LoversDedication
2. WakeUp!Dub
3. CloserDub
4. ForkedTongues
5. SaturdayNiteDrive
6. IfUWantMe
7. StillUgly!
8. CherylLinn
9. ShowtimeBaby
10. OverGirlX
11. StillYuhDub
12. MeetMeAfter
13. DinnerScene
Discover more about Seekersinternational and Bokeh Versions on Inverted Audio.