REVIEW: TASSILLI PLAYERS - Tribute/ABASSI ALL STARS - In This Time (Lush Records)

This vinyl is the second ten inch release coming from the Lush Records label. The Swedish Lush Records highlights the kind of roots and dub music which is most commonly known as UK roots. Previous releases features Jah Warrior, Tena Stelin and Alpha & Omega to mention a few. Their last output was Kenny Knots and The Bush Chemist's "Up There" which did very well and was heard on many of the top roots sound systems over Europe. For this release Lush Records has linked up with Neil Perch from Zion Train after witnessing one of Zion Train's live shows in Gothenburg last year. Neil Perch's positive response to Lush Records interest of releasing material from his stable has lead to the follwing vinyl featuring the Tassilli Players and the Abassi All Stars.

The Tassilli Players are a floating pool of musicians strongly linked to the Zion Train crew. Through over ten years they've released four albums on the Universal Egg label. The music is dub which at times takes a more experimental and diverse path than expected but still rooted in the reggae dub tradition. "Tribute" is like all of Tassilli Players other work a instrumental dub tune. The hornplayers does a good job providing a melody that serves as chorus and blows the chords instead of a usual guitar or piano. At times there's a phaser effect on the horns when they play the chorus melody which in my opion isn't really needed. Apart from the horns there's a twisted moog sound and sampled drumloops coming in at times adding their flavour to the mix. If there weren't for the horns playing I would easily take this for a Zion Train tune mainly because of the way the drums and the bass sounds which reminds me of early Zion Train works.

Soundclip - Tassilli Players - Tribute

Also Abassi All Stars are linked to Zion Train due to the fact that they're the brainchild of Neil Perch of Zion Train who's the producer as well. Abassi All Stars music is more sound system minded than other musical projects coming from the Zion Train crew. Through the short time they've been active releasing material they've done so with singers like Kenny Knots, Rasheda and Earl 16 as well as with other less known names in the dub circuit. One of these is Junior Kigwa (once known as Ranking Diddy) who's a upcoming singer located in Germany. Although it's not stated on the vinyl "In This Time" features Junior Kigwa on vocals. "In This Time" is clearly the stronger tune among the two on the vinyl. Junior Kigwa sings of perilous times over a steppers rhythm with flowing bassline and blip blop skanks which takes a few listenings before you really get into it. Again the use of horns is very much in the mix as are samples but more sparse which in this case are speeded up nyahbinghi drums entering in the later part of the tune. Both of the tunes are folllowed by dub versions on each side.

Soundclip - Abassi All Stars - In This Time

Apart from this release Tassilli Players have Universal Egg's first ever download only album in the pipeline due for release sometime in 2006 which will be entitled "The Ages of The Earth in Dub". Abassi All Stars also got more works coming this year and for Lush Records their next release will be another ten inch featuring veteran reggae singer Prince Allah with "Gather Round". Produced and remixed by Jah Warrior exclusively for Lush Records.

Rootsy Collins 29/3-06

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