Sound mystical? It is. It's no coincidence that Rastafarian consciousness is intrinsically linked to some of the most inspired dub projects. And it's no accident that one of dub's greatest works was the product of collaboration between the Jamaican sound engineer most people credit with inventing the sub-genre, and a musical prodigy who would frequently credit His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie as producer on his records.
King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976) saw multi-instrumentalist Augustus Pablo, born Horace Swaby, enlist dub pioneer and studio wizard King Tubby to deconstruct his project. Together they transformed a dozen source tracks firmly rooted in Jamaican reggae into something altogether more international in flavour. Through moody minor-key diversions and danceable excursions into pared down rhythm tracks, Pablo's trademark "Far East" sound creates a mysterious, exotic vibe.
Pablo, who himself pioneered the use of school music room staple the melodica as a serious instrument, here also employs clavinet, piano and organ. His star rhythm section of bassmen Robbie Shakespeare and Aston Barrett, and drummer Carlton Barrett, lock down the pulsing, hypnotic flow while horns stab bright shards of sounds into the mix and guitarist Earl "China" Smith deftly accents the off beat.
But the real star here is Tubby. When you consider the octopus-arms nature of hands-on mixing at the time, it's scarcely credible that such nuanced manipulation was possible. A rare vocal line leaps into the foreground then just as quickly retreats, leaving a retinal shadow in its place. Snare drums snap, divide into a hundred pieces then collect together. Everywhere, tail ends of echoing chords snake around like a chain on a dog let loose. There is never a dull moment.
