Album Notes

ROIR has a storied tradition of releasing reggae & dub, with over 25 years of working with both established and unknown acts who have that unusual quality that springboards them to wider recognition. “Essential Dub” is a healthy sampling (taken from currently available ROIR releases) which showcases the diversity of the genre. Dub has been instrumental in shaping the current musical climate, helping to re-define the engineer/producer’s role in the process. Musicians as diverse as the Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Sublime, & No Doubt have been effected by Dub’s long reach as have heroes of yore: The Clash, Adrian Sherwood, The Slits, Brian Eno, & PIL to name only a handful. We bring you the future as well as the past- Heavy on the Bass- this should be felt by every sinew in your body. Perfect release for summer- will coincide w/ all the Reggae Tours & Summer Festivals

1. Oku Onuora- “Dub Out” (4:49) Taken from “Dubbin’ Away”- Along with Mutabaruka and Linton Kwesi Johnson, Oku Onuora
is pre-eminent as defining the genre "Dub Poetry".

2. Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus- “Truth and Right” (5:26) Taken from “Rastafari Dub”- Nyabinghi sound with African drums & bass. Recorded at Dynamic Sounds Studios in Jamaica.

3. Dub Trio- “Drive By Dub” (4:11) Taken from “Exploring The Dangers Of…”- "Like a Sly & Robbie of the tri-state area… a more palpable, living instrument experience akin to what, say, The Roots do with hip-hop." – NY Press

4. Bush Chemists- “East Of Jaro” (3:56) Taken from “Raw Raw Dub”- "This is dub for Dub's sake, the way King Tubby
made dub - relentless and experimental and full of trance-inducing movement and depth." – The Beat

5. Bad Brains- “Leaving Babylon” (4:10) Taken from “Bad Brains”- Legendary album from 1981, considered the definitive landmark for breaking the NYC hardcore scene.

6. Twilight Circus- “Bassie Dub I” (2:15) Taken from “Dub From The Secret Vaults”- "The heaviest original dub sounds
on the planet!" – XLR8R

7. Bill Laswell- “Space-Time Paradox” (6:18) Taken from “Version 2 Version”- Filled with thick earthy basslines, a bedrock of drums, fiery percussion, blustery guitar and atmospherics. With Jah Wobble.

8. Dr. Israel- “Sensimellia” (3:37) Taken from “Patterns Of War”- Think Massive Attack vs. Sade vs. Bob Marley.

9. Niney The Observer- “Acoustic Dub” (2:52) Taken from “Observer Attack Dub”- All of the tracks on this disc were first recorded at the original Randy's Studio and the old Joe Gibbs Studio in Jamaica 1969-1976 by legendary producer King Tubby, and are given brand-new dub treatments by Niney for this release.

10. Alpha & Omega- “Africa/Ethiopia” (3:50) Taken from “Sound System Dub”- “Pure listening pleasure for lovers of thick, languid intense dub.” – The Beat

11. Terrorists- “Anittoo” (4:11) Taken from “Forces 1977-1982”- With Lee "Scratch" Perry & Roland Alphonso! "An important punk-reggae phenomenon" – All Music Guide. “This one rocks the twin poles of reggae and roots.” – The Beat

12. Badawi- “Turbo Auto Drive” (4:05) Taken from “Bedouin Soundclash”- "He teases and mystifies in the same spirit as Lee 'Scratch' Perry" – URB “A high-powered blend of Middle Eastern and Jamaican music (dub).” – NY Post

13. Phase Selector Sound- “Jackson Park” (4:50) Taken from “Disassemble Dub”- They take the next step forward from Adrian Sherwood, Alpha & Omega, Wordsound I Powa and Zion Train. "Plenty of bubbling guitar and synth, booming bass and drums… underground and in the pocket." – The Beat

14. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant- “New Day” (4:54) Taken from “Hillside Airstrip”- An adaptation of John Brown's Body. From passionate
rootical vibes to heavy dub. "The best reggae album since the last Culture release." – BBC Radio

PLEASE PLAY LOUD!!!