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REVIEW: BUSH CHEMISTS - Raw Raw Dub (ROIR)

The ROIR label was, believe it or not, a cassette only label at first who released all their material on cassette. But as time caught up with them I guess they saw the advantage of putting out LP's and CD's as well. From mainly being a punk music label they now distribute reggae, dub, goth, electronica and ofcourse punk music. This is Bush Chemists second release for the ROIR (Reaching Out Internatinal Records) label. Their first was "Dub Outernational" which came out around -95.

For those who don't know Bush Chemists is the pseudonym of one of UK's top reggae and dub producers, Dougie Wardrop, who specializes in the digitalized reggae and dub style hailing from the UK. Dougie Wardrop have been active on the UK reggae scene since the late eighties and is apart from a well embloyed studio man also being the owner of record label Conscious Sounds.

The album contains fifteen tracks of pure dub in a UK style. It's hard dubwise without comprimise. For someone who's not so familiar with this kind of music can easily disregard it as monotone and boring. But for those of us who've learnt to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of the bass and drum sound accompanied by a simple melody around it have many good tracks of listening plessure in front of them. The album begins in good fashion with "New Beginning" where the short vocal parts of Pablo Diamond along with the creeping keyboard chords are the highlights.

Soundclip - Bush Chemists - New Beginning

Second is "Speaker Rocker" which is a dub version to the unreleased Kenny Knots vocal "Babylon Fall Down" which is to feature on a Jah Tubbys 10:inch in time to come. Hard steppers most probably designed for sound system use. Third we have "East of Jaro" featuring Love Grocer on horns and flute. Beautiful track which was released some time ago on Dougie's own imprint Conscious Sounds although in a different version. Frankly a lot of tunes on this album have been released before although on vinyl and in different mixes and under other names. Like "Symphony of Dub" ("Epic" on Conscious Sounds 10:inch), "Round The Dub" ("Beat Round The Bush" featuring vocals by Lutan Fyah on Conscious Sounds 10:inch), "Flying Cymball" ("Dub Symphony" on Lush Records 10:inch) and "Double Drum" ("Strings of Hope" on Conscious Sounds 10:inch). These are all good dub tunes yet the versions that feature on this CD are more raw and more sparse then the original versions. Maybe this fact gave name to the album. Second I must say that it's a good thing these tunes are now being able on CD, as well, since the large majority of people don't buy music on vinyl anymore.

Soundclip - Bush Chemists - Heartical Dub

Apart from some tracks which feels like fillers the CD got enough dubs for any dubhead to enjoy. "Oriental Style" with its hypnotic keyboard sound in the melody and "Heartical Dub", which I think sounds slightly similar to the Earl 16 classic "Children Rise", stands out as do "Lift Me" which contains vocal parts of the talented Ras Mc Bean and got a backbeat and certain vibe to it which reminds me more of the late eighties and early ninties than what's being done today.

Soundclip - Bush Chemists - Lift Me

On the album Dougie Wardrop's joined by Chazbo, upcoming dub producer and melodica player, Jonah Dan, probably Europe's most employed bongo drummer, and engineer Paul Davey on various instruments. We also hear a little vocal from Lutan Fyah, Pablo Diamond, Jonah Dan and Ras Mc Bean. Apart from the occasional one drop most of the tracks are steppers with drums and keyboard chords echoing when not a melody or vocal is taking the lead. Some with long promising intros and distorted basslines which at a proper volume level takes the listener straight into the dancehall where a sound system is pushing the bondaries of sound to the stepping crowds delight.

/Jakob Levi - 26/11-05