An Hour Of 2023 In Dub

While starting to consider the end of year lists of records, singles, albums, EPs and gigs it struck me that much of what I’ve listened to this year has been very dub oriented, the rhythms and sounds of Jamaica and its 2023 diaspora very much near the forefront of everything. As my list making began and the scribbling lengthened and grew, it seemed that a dub stop off in advance of the main event might be a good way to fill this Sunday’s slot, an hour of dubby tunes to ease into the day as the week of the shortest days and longest nights approaches. There’s loads missing that could have been included, not least the dubs of songs by JIM and Richard Norris’ Oracle Sounds album, so this isn’t definitive, it’s just a version. 

An Hour Of 2023 In Dub

• Katy J. Pearson: Willow’s Song (Richard Norris Ritual Mix)
• Rude Audio and Dan Wainwright: El Qasr Dub
• Justin Robertson’s Deadstock 33s: Lone Raver In Dub
• Sonic Boom and Panda Bear: Edge Of The Edge Dub
• Stinky Jim: Quiet Spillage (The Long Champs Remix)
• Unloved: Thrill me (Justin Robertson’s Temple Of Wonders Remix)
• Whitelands: Setting Sun (AR Kane Initiation Dub)
• Electric Blue Vision: Other Skies (Hardway Bros Meet Monkton Uptown Version)
• Dot Allison: Unchanged (Glok Remix)
• African Head Charge: I Chant Too

Katy J. Pearson’s cover of Willow’s Song came out in several new versions as part of a five disc celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Wicker Man in June. Richard Norris’ dub mix is seven minutes of peak 2023 dubiness, the bassline and Katy’s voice and that haunting horn all pushed to the fore. Richard’s Oracle Sounds Volume 1 has been one of 2023’s highlights, an album of  first rate dub sounds and rhythms. Volume 2, due out in February, can be pre- ordered here. 

Rude Audio and Dan Wainwright’s Psychedelic Science is one of 2023’s best albums, a dub centred collision of South London and North Wales with Ram Dass, David Bowie, Ken Kesey and Ken Babbs and The Grateful Dead stirred into their dub stew. 

Lone Raver In Dub is one of Justin Robertson’s from the vaults releases, out digitally as Part 4 of his Deadstock 33s Unreleased Volumes. Fast rocking dub from September 2023. 

Sonic Boom and Panda Bear’s Reset album was remixed by Adrian Sherwood in full, the 60s bubblegum pop fed through the On U Sound dub machine to fine effect. Like Oracle Sounds Volume 1 an album that really reveals itself fully on vinyl. 

Stinky Jim’s Social Awareness album came out as a follow up remix album in July, the original album remixed and dubbed out. Stinky Jim’s dub comes all the way from Auckland, New Zealand, remixed in dub  style here by Welsh wizard The Long Champs. 

Unloved’s Polychrome was a nine song album from early 23, a follow up to 2022’s The Pink Album. The remixes followed a month later with Justin Robertson’s taking the road to Scratch and Tubby, a rocking dub skank. 

Whitelands are a shoegaze band on Sonic Cathedral. In June a 10″ single with remixes by returning shoegaze/ dreampop heroes AR Kane found its way into the wild, Rudy and Alex finding acres of dub space in among the wash of guitars. 

Electric Blue Vision, Jesse Fahnestock and Emilia Harmony, put out their Other Skies EP in November, an end of year hit in certain quarters of the internet, including this one. Hardway Bros and Monkton (Sean Johnston and Duncan Gray) often pull skanking rabbits out of dub hats when remixing together. This is among the year’s best. 

Dot Allison’s Consciousology, also on Sonic Cathedral, is an indie folk/ psyche/ dreamy meeting of melody and poetic lyrics. For this remix Andy Bell in GLOK guise found the dub heart of the song, somewhere in the similar cosmos as Brendan Lynch’s 1993 remix of Paul Weller’s Kosmos.

Aftican Head Charge’s A Trip To Bolgatanga is a 2023 high spot, ten of the latest stop off points on Bonjo’s four decade voyage with Adrian Sherwood.

This Is Something

At the tail end of last year Sean Johnston released a cover of Willow’s Song, the haunting, freaked out folk song from The Wicker Man, recording as The Suummerisle Trio. It came out as a 7″ on Golden Lion Sounds, vinyl only but you can listen to it here. The Trio were/ are Sean, Duncan Grey and singer Sarah Rebecca. 

Sean’s now expanded the trio to a six piece, pulling in Andy Bell on guitar, Jo Bartlett on vocals (from It’s Jo And Danny), Kevin Sharkey (ex- Undertones and That Petrol Emotion) and Mick Somerset Ward on sax (Clock DVA, Crooked Man). On top of that line up he’s got Rico Conning in on remix duties (ex- Torch Song, the early 80s electro- ambient outfit he started with William Orbit). The resulting song is a shift on again, into late 80s/ early 90s territory with a pulsing sequencer line, a thumping, propulsive groove, spacey sound and Jo’s vocal soaring on top and the sax skronking away inside the mix, a sort of indie- dance/ disco/ acid house synthesis. The full extended mix is eight minutes, an end of the night anthem. The dub mix is a beauty too. Rico’s remix ten minutes of Balearic splendour. It came out on 12″ a couple of months ago and is now available digitally on Sean’s new label Outre- Mer- you can listen and buy here. 

Holmes And Robertson And Willow

Music is a really useful distraction at the moment, a good displacement activity. Some of it genuinely helpful, a balm of some kind (or respite from tinnitus), and some of it just allows my mind to go elsewhere for a while. Later on of course it all suddenly crashes back in unexpectedly and you’re crying while eating your tea. 

Two long mixes to take you/ me elsewhere on 23rd December. First, last month’s edition of God’s waiting Room, David Holmes’ monthly visit to NTS radio. David is a star. This month’s two hour show takes in everything from the cinematic sounds of Pierre Barouh, psychedelic folk and off kilter 60s pop to Don Cherry, African Head Charge, Daniel Avery and Chris Carter, a wealth of sounds from around the globe and at the end Sault and Group Zero. You can listen here and the tracklist is here. 

Meanwhile over at The Rotating Institute on Soho Radio Justin Robertson takes the controls for two hours of fun starting with Tangerine Dream and scooping up a chugging, shuffly, psychedelic and cosmische selection with tracks from the likes of Jezebel, Mugwump, Komodo, Pye Corner Audio, Jas Shaw, Tokyo Offshore Project and Curved Light before finishing with the latest release on Golden Lion Sounds, the label running out of The Golden Lion in Todmorden- the B-side of the forthcoming 7″ is from The Summerisle Trio, a three-piece comprised of Sean Johnston, Duncan Grey and Sarah Rebecca and their cover of Willow’s Song from The Wicker Man. 21st century psychedelic folk- it’ll make perfect sense when you hear it. Listen to Justin’s mix here. 

Willow’s Song in the film The Wicker Man was written by Paul Giovanni and played by Magnet (there’s some dispute about who sang it). Willow (Britt Ekland) sings it to Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward, the actor not the useless chief executive at Manchester United). Haunting, lilting, slightly trippy and somewhat entrancing.