Reggae and Dub Mixes

I’ve uploaded a few reggae and dub DJ mixes from my archive, one from 2007 and the other from 2012. The mixes reflect the period when I was in a dubstep duo called Pure Phase and regularly DJ’d with the Biscuit Tin Sound System. When I put the 2007 mix together, I was going to see the roots reggae sound system Aba Shanti-I and I had started collecting reggae records, sampling them to make dubstep.

I was blown away the first time I saw Aba Shanti at Leicester Carnival. I remember approaching the soundsystem from across the park, being drawn in by the bass. I was thinking WHAT IS GOING ON?! He’s only got one turntable, he’s playing records but adding effects, wild sirens…. I had so many questions… Are those delays on the record? Live? What’s that thing with blue lights? (HH Tape Delay), he’s making crazy noises by hitting something that looks like a UFO?! (Synare S3X). And the Bass from those huge stacks of speakers, the music is already bass heavy and then he seems to push a button and a wall of bass fills the crowd. Sometimes there is silence between records and the loud thunk of the next record being put on, Aba is speaking and singing about Rastafari and really playing the sound system through his use of the DJ mixer / preamp.

I was already into hip hop turntablism and the live performance approaches of Hip Hop DJ’s, but I could see that with the reggae sound system it was not about mixing records together but a completely different approach to performing with records. Through going to see Aba many times and getting immersed in the music, I gradually understood more about what he is doing technically to reperform records. Over time I also understood that there was a big underground scene for reggae in the UK and my home town of Leicester was both on the map for reggae, but also Leicester based artists like Vibronics, I-Mitri and Jah Marnya are known internationally.

Over a period of about 6 years I immersed myself in reggae and dub music. Seeing selectas and sound systems like Aba Shanti, Jah Shaka, Jah Tubbys, King Earthquake, Iration Steppas, Channel One and David Rodigan. I was having as much fun on the dance floor as I was in the DJ booth with Biscuit Tin. We were putting on our own nights, going to see the roots reggae sound systems, collecting records and studying the music. Reading about the history of reggae and learning the production techniques of dub. The way that the instruments are played, the mixing techniques and the use of filters, reverbs and delays. 

The first mix includes tracks by King Tubby, Lee Perry, Max Romeo, Linval Thompson, Dillinger, Dennis Alcapone, Daweh Congo and Mr Vegas. The second mix from 2012 is roots reggae meets UK dub with tracks from Dennis Brown, Al Campbell, Sugar Minott, Kenny Knots, Rhythm and Sound and Vibronics. By 2012 Pure Phase had started producing UK Dub and we were both making the music and cutting our own dubplates to play out. The photo is of one stack of the Biscuit Tin Sound System at the United Nations of Dub Festival, Wales, UK, 2013.

More Pure Phase and Biscuit Tin Sound System on this blog.

Pure Phase Dubstep Mix for 8755

Iration Steppas Play Pure Phase Ft I-Mitri One Away Counteraction Dubplate

Pure Phase at the United Nations of Dub weekender 2013

Biscuit Tin Sound System Presents I-mitri meets Pure Phase

Pure Phase Live Dubstep set developments

Pure Phase Live setup

Pure Phase DJ Sets 2009

Pure Phase at Rubberdub, Nottingham Feb 09

Pure Phase live set and scratch record

Tags: Pure Phase, Reggae, ukdub