If Domino Saints prove anything, it’s that a lot of sound can come from just a few people. The duo, comprised of singer Giselle Ojeda and percussionist David Leal, infuse their dance music with contemporary trends and vintage textures that span several cultures. Nothing is off limits in this melting pot. Expect anything from time-honored Latin traditions like bomba and plena to island music like reggae and dancehall, old school funk and soul and new school reggaeton.
Domino Saints’ Puerto Rican heritage is never more apparent than in their single, “Buenos Dias San Juan,” which won a Billboard World Songwriting Contest award and was featured as an iTunes single of the week. The song opens with guitars that nod to Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft” and a burping horn section that leads into a raw bomba groove. Sung in Spanish, the lyrics may be obscured to Gringos, but the message comes through loud and clear—standing still is not an option. On the subversive, darker funk track “Machiavelic,” Ojeda sings, “I’ve got a plan to take over the world / I’m gonna do it with music.” Let’s hope Domino Saints follow though on the threat.
In my ideal world, everyone would have access to a vinyl press in their own backyard. Cutting discs would be as easy as ripping a CD. Until that happens, I will be digging in the OurStage archives each month to bestow artists upon you whose music I would love to hear on vinyl. This month, the unique sounds of Sidecar Agogo and the laid back rhythms of the Chris DaSilva Band have caught my ear.
2009 has been a big year for British punk legendsThe Slits. In addition to being the 30th anniversary of the release of their landmark debut album Cut on Island Records, this Tuesday marks the band’s release of Trapped Animal on Narnack Records—their first full-length release in 25 years. This new record features the 2005 reformed Slits lineup, with original Slits Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt along with newcomers Anna Schulte, Adele Wilson and Hollie Cook (daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook).
"Trapped Animal" is scheduled for an October 20th release
The Slits have never been able to limit themselves to one genre of music, and Trapped Animal is no exception. The first few tracks are a hectic dance party, with the enthusiastic call and response vocals and punctuating horns of “Ask Ma,” the dancehall riddims of “Lazy Slam,” the hand drums and electronic dance beats of “Pay Rent” and the punk fury of “Reject.” From there—with the exception of the decidedly experimental bent of title track “Trapped Animal”— the album seems to be an exercise in reggae: “Partner From Hell” and “Babylon” are pure dub, while “Cry Baby” is more of a lovers rock ballad and “Reggae Gypsy” incorporates Eastern European melodies and instruments.
First single “Ask Ma” is a great ambassador for the rest of the album. The song typifies the album’s delicate balance of sounding polished and modern without compromising the wild, unpredictable quality The Slits’ music has always had: The Slits sing in their classic back and forth vocal style over distorted synthesizers, electronic drums and a tight horn section create a slinky, almost dangerous beat that would sound at home on an M.I.A. album.
Another standout is the title track “Trapped Animal.” The lyrics deal with how the world’s modern conveniences have actually trapped people. The sharp tempo changes and layers of screaming and shouting over vocals that alternate between frantic and calm give the impression of a caged animal trying to free itself. Looking at life in a different cage, is the song “Peer Pressure.” While the track might not be the most exciting song on the album, it is probably one of the most authentic songs ever written on the topic: The lyrics address the pressure young girls have heaped upon them by friends, parents, teachers and society and the feelings of depression, anxiety and alienation these pressures can cause. The song ends with the statement, “I want more out of life than to just survive. ”
Through changing band members and trends, The Slits have remained steadfastly themselves. While the band embraces modernity on Trapped Animal, a clear line can be drawn between their new release and Cut. Not to say that they are rehashing old material. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Slits managed to create a new and innovative record while still retaining the tongue-in-cheek wit and in-your-face genre bending sound that their fans fell in love with. Calling Trapped Animal a “reunion record” cheapens what is definitely one of the best albums released this year. Hopefully, fans won’t have to wait another 25 years for the next one.
Close your eyes and picture yourself in 1969. You might see yourself at a party where a copy of Abbey Road was making its debut on the turntable, but I want you to imagine yourself standing on a packed street in a Kingston, Jamaica neighborhood, attending one of the infamous sound system parties hosted by Osbourne Ruddock.
Most attendees know Ruddock as King Tubby—father of the Home Town Hi-Fi Sound System and host of the loudest, most popular party in town. Tubby drops a freshly pressed dubplate on the turntable and the instrumental rhythm from your favorite reggae song is morphed into something entirely new — with reverb, sound effects and a thumping bass line amplified to its peak. The all familiar vocals have been stripped, leaving behind ample breathing room for a rising deejay like U-Roy to step up to the microphone and construct a new song with his sweet vocal stylings. This is known as “dub” and judging by the enthusiastic reaction of the sweaty Kingston crowd, Tubby just helped open the door for a new style of creating music.
King Tubby
Sound systems always played a heavy role in spreading music throughout Jamaican neighborhoods. There were mobile street parties where the speakers, turntables and equipment would all be setup and removed by the aid of a truck. In just a few minutes, a rather unassuming street would fill with throngs of people dancing to the freshest rhythms being recorded. Certain parties flourished over others due to louder amplifiers and newest 45rpm tracks—some having been recorded and pressed that afternoon then hand delivered to the selector of the party. King Tubby was immensely popular due to his renowned sound system so, as a result, his new experiments with reggae dub versions could be instantly played to the masses, bringing him immediate feedback as he helped father a new genre of music.
Trojan Dub Boxset
My introduction to dub “riddims” came during my sophomore year in college. At that point, I had a very small vinyl collection but was broadening my horizons beyond classic rock and the punk and hardcore music I was following in high school. I had befriended a fellow dormmate who played bass in a traditional ska/rocksteady band and who was also an enthusiast of British music and subculture from the 1960s and 1970s. One evening over drinks, we ended up trading music from our collections. I forgot what I put up for stake, but in return I walked back to my room with the seminal 3 CD Trojan Dub Box Set. The 165 minutes of pure drippy dub music was too much to handle for his tastes—but turned out to be a drop in the bucket for mine.
Lee Scratch Perry
The more I learned about the history of rocksteady and reggae and their progression into dub, the more I would see images of Lee Scratch Perry and King Tubby working the controls of a mixing board in my head as I listened. With monstrous, homemade amplification and turntables playing gritty-sounding Jamaican vinyl, they would be locked deep inside a recording studio working on musical experiments. These legends became lifted to the status of scientists in my mind, tinkering with sound and creating compositions by utilizing the mixing board as its own instrument and layering new ideas where the vocal tracks used to be. These musical scientists established their own dub laboratories where countless tracks were altered and manipulated. All you had to do was follow the thumping bass behind the discreetly hidden door, with wafts of sweet flavored smoke emanating from within.
The advent of dub had a profound effect on future generations of music. The concept of “dubbing” a track carried forth into disco and dance music where 12” singles would be released with B-side instrumentals and remixes from other producers and DJs. The British second wave ska invasion from the late 1970s and the rise of punk lead bands to incorporate a dub style into their music. Groups like The Clash, Bad Brains and NY-based The Terrorists helped keep the passion of this music alive. Electronic music continued to carry the torch as many tracks ended up being released with dub remixes on the flipside.
Presently, all the vintage equipment and miles of wires and cables filling the laboratories of dub’s pioneers has been condensed down to computer programs like Pro-Tools, where music manipulation is possible with a keen ear and a few clicks of the mouse. But it’s important to relish dub music’s origins, where legends masterminded their creations in smoky rooms packed with gadgets and electronics, not realizing their contributions to the music world would help shape future musicians and genres for decades to come.
Which brings me to a new discovery from the OS archives….
The Dub Punks
Let me be the first to welcome The Dub Punks to OurStage.com. Nestled away in the nooks of Washington State, these musicians have captured the raw sound associated with the roots of dub music yet perform this feat without any dub scientists working the controls. Everything you hear is done live, making their rhythms sound fresh and crisp.
“Inspiration Dub,” the group’s stand out track so far, is a laid back onslaught of heavy bass thumping alongside a steady drum beat with short and trippy stabs of guitar and brass echoing in and out of channels. “Rain Shadow Dub” features the legendary melodica—a favorite of Augustus Pablo—being distorted, altered to create a hypnotizing effect that is all too intoxicating. The style of their dub sound is both pure and vintage, and although there execution is contemporary, I am sure it would get the nod of approval from Tubby himself.
Check out the playlist below for two powerful tracks courtesy of the Dub Punks, alongside a sampling of other OurStage musicians who are keeping the spirit of dub alive.
New York City’s The Slackers have been spreading their own unique brand of Jamaican-influenced Ska to fans around the world since 1991. The band members are also involved in a number of great side projects such as Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady Seven to Crazy Baldhead Sound System. For the past few years, The Slackers have hosted an annual “booze cruise” in NYC and, sadly, I have never been able to make it. Much to my surprise, this must-see band decided to set sail from Boston this past June! I was lucky enough to be in attendance, and I’m still recovering from this awesome show.
The Slackers (Photo: Ben Minehart)
After leaving the dock at Rowes Wharf, Destroy Babylon kicked off the show with a very innovative and contemporary Dub-Reggae sound as well as great energy. After sunset, when we were well out into the Boston Harbor, The Slackers took the stage at the stern of the boat (surprisingly, the boat managed to stay afloat despite the shear number of fans storming the stage.) After warming up with a few Slackers classics, such as the infamous sing-a-long “Married Girl” from their 1997 album Redlight, the crowd was sufficiently limber and ready to go. Front-men Vic Ruggiero and Dave Hillyard broke out some great new songs from their 2008 release Self Medication. The high energy rhythms and good vibes got the fans dancing and the boat rocking for the entire evening. The Slackers are anything but idle so chances are better than good that they’ll put on the most high energy show you will see. Check them out yourself!
In my ideal world, everyone would have access to a vinyl press in their own backyard. Cutting discs would be as easy as ripping a CD. Until that happens, I will be digging in the OurStage archives each month to bestow artists upon you whose music I would love to hear on vinyl. This month, the unique sounds of Sidecar Agogo and the laid back rhythms of the Chris DaSilva Band have caught my ear.
2009 has been a big year for British punk legends 
Close your eyes and picture yourself in 1969. You might see yourself at a party where a copy of Abbey Road was making its debut on the turntable, but I want you to imagine yourself standing on a packed street in a Kingston, Jamaica neighborhood, attending one of the infamous sound system parties hosted by Osbourne Ruddock.
