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CULTCHA Clash Outer National: Global-Community-Radio Broadcasting, Online Marketplace, Digital Zine & Subversive Propagandist Organization.
Combatting the mundanity and commodification of human existence with Art, Music, Comedy, Social-Criticism and the Promotion of Alternatives to Corporate Culture.
David Asher is an individual who puts his whole heart and soul into his music, and it shows. From his time fronting Detroit's premier reggae / rock band, The Process, to his more recent work with DAB, he's been putting out original music for over 30 years.
The first new single since 2021's self-titled DAB LP does not disappoint. From the start of the track one finds themselves immersed with infectious rhythms and positive vibrations.
David's vocal delivery is raw and soulful, lyrical content is righteous. According to Asher... "about the Creator's protection from jealous bad-minded people, vampires and back-biters." The instrumentation sounds fresh, reggae lovers will want to hear this.
Production is high quality, by Mr. Asher and Chris Lewis. the sound is full, rich and crystal clear. Played in a club, this one is sure to get some motion on the dance floor!
Get the digital release, including instrumental version, from Bandcamp.
Back with their first album in over forty years, On-U Sound's original house band, Creation Rebel is back with a vengeance.
With an album titled after former Prime Minister Theresa May's heavy-handed immigration policy, the band who originally formed to back the late Prince Far I on his European tour and went on, along with with Adrian Sherwood, to spark a punky reggae revolution in the U.K. with the developement of On-U Sound, is dread in every sense. Serious music for serious times.
Original members Crucial Tony (guitar), Charlie 'Eskimo' Fox (drums / vocals), and Mr. Magoo (percussion / vocals) come together (Keith 'Lizard' Logan, their original bassist has passed but is present in tribute, a print of his image adorns the insert) with bass player, Kenton 'Fish' Brown and keyboardist Cyrus Richards for the album. Of course, Sherwood is at the controls!
It was pressed on yellow vinyl and the A side is set off by Swiftly (The Right One) which, fittingly, features vintage vocals from Prince Far I as well as the conscious singing of Mr. Magoo. Production is crisp and the players are tight.
Stonebridge Warrior is a version, or instrumental, it's steppers type beat drives the track that treads the line between dub reggae and jazz. Quite sophisticated when juxtaposed with the groups early work.
Drummer, Eskimo Fox steps up to the mic for Under Pressure, singing, deejaying and generally nicing up the tune.
That's More Like It is a dub, the instrumentation is spacious, leaving plenty of room for Sherwood's mix-board wizardry and sound effects. The spaced-out psychedelia present in earlier work from the group, like Starship Africa, is captured on this track.
Jubilee Clock rounds out the first side on a strong note, another steppers type track with peaking bass, play it loud!
This Thinking Feeling sets off side B with pure fire, pairing posthumous Prince Far I lyrics with lyrical assassin, Daddy Freddy, who has collaborated on a few On-U releases, of late.
Another Mr. Magoo vocal track, Whatever It Takes is an uplifting one accentuated by Dean Fraser's saxaphone and trumpet by Okiel McIntyre.
The jazz infused Salutation Gardens Crown Hill Road is a dub with haunting keys and space age reverb and delay that the label has become known for.
Gaudi is the guest synth player for The People's Sound (Tribute To Daddy Vego), another heavy dub version with all of it's players in top form.
The final cut is Off The Spectrum, ending the LP in a fine style. From the tip-top to the last drop, this one is a winner.
Here's an interview from On-U Sound with the group discussing the new album.
This time around, tempos are up. Not that the group ever confined itself to down tempo rhythms before, quite the contrary, as would become evident with one listen to My Life In A Hole In The Ground, their debut LP that was released by On-U Sound in 1981. The group has had a following amongst garage / house music aficionados for decades, and on this release, a very modern, electronic sound is embraced. Simultaneously, the roots elements of African drums and chants are not left behind, and the popularity of Afro-Beat is fully taken advantage of with the inclusion of African singers & players of instruments, like King Ayisoba, Ghanaian vocalist and kologo (traditional two-stringed guitar like instrument) player on two tracks.
A Bad Attitude is the first tune and features King Ayisoba as well as vocal snippets from Noah, a P.M.A. P.S.A. done the On-U Sound A.H.C. way. This one sets the energy for the album and would surely get the dance floor jumping.
Accra Electronica is another uptempo cut with a familiar bass line and clarinet by Paul Booth. It's a high energy club banger with intense percussion.
The following track, Push Me Pull You brings the BPM down to a more expected dub tempo. The mystical sounding chants that A.H.C. are known for with gliding sub bass, and more horn contributions from Booth that sound organic in contrast. The smashing snares echo like noise from another dimension. This one will be massive played on a proper sound system.
I Chant Too has what reminds me of an The Art Of Noise vibe and is another slower tune that showcases Noah's drumming skills.
Asalatua kicks the tempo back up to a house groove and features additional percussion by Emmanuel Okine (Aka Iu) and Mensah Akaa. The call and response type of chant is captivating.
I'm A Winner is another positive reinforcement in the form of an interlude with a bit of a dancehall vibe with wicked synths.
The title track is A Trip To Bolgatanga, a hypnotic groove with percussive triplets that give it a clunky feel which Doug Wimbish's bass rides along fluidly. Paul Booth's fantastic horn arrangement eases the tune out at the end.
Never Regret A Day is another track with positive affirmations chanted over a bouncy track with a funky flute.
The final tune on the album is Microdosing, which further excavates into and creates the vision of a psychedelic Africa pursued by Noah and company for many years, now.
As anyone who follows CULTCHA Clash Outer National knows, we are proponents and advocators for anything On-U Sound related or Adrian Sherwood produced, this one is no exception other than the fact that On-U records are always exceptional, to me. Buy it!
