Senior Allstars 'Verbalized And Dubbed' CD

In 2010 when the album „The Senior Allstars In Dub“ was released, it was the first time that this instrumental band gave compositions of theirs into the hands of others for remixes – curious to see what various dub producers would do with their material. The results not only excited the band tremendously but were enthusiastically received by their listeners and fans. No doubt: this called for continuation. And yet, once again The Senior Allstars do not break away from their path of continuous change and challenges: until this very day, every new album of the band came into being very differently. On their last album, „What Next?“ (2012), the quartet created a unique and original kind of collectively and improvised dub when each member – equipped with mixing devices and effects – steered his input self-sufficiently and live. The surprise now: vocals!

Isn’t this somewhat inconsistent for a band whose trademark it is to worship the beauty of instrumental sounds in the tradition of the Jamaican studio bands from the early era of reggae and ska? And doesn’t dub – this highly suggestive mixing technique – equal the art of reduction, even subtraction? Why vocals then? Vocals not inserted as fragments (like they are every so often in dub), but granting the music here true song-like character unheard before from the Senior Allstars. Why vocals? The reason is simple: because it works. And because it sounds great and beautiful.

Even if six of the eight songs might sound familiar and can be found on the earlier albums „Red Leaf“, „Come Around,“ and „Hazard,” „Verbalized And Dubbed“ is not at all a second infusion or act of mere recycling. Instead of a number of plush up-beat remixes, the listener is offered some real surplus value with all new interpretations and classic premium dub that lifts the material to whole new levels.

The result is as glamorous as the different characters who participated in the project. In other words: The Senior Allstars supplied the boot and rowing crew for the adventurous journey, others took over the roles of captain, shipmaster, and pilot.

In some cases, the band cooperated with dub-mixers and vocalists, just as in the case of Brukky and Crazy Baldhead who recorded their opening track „Just Another Youth“ (a song marked by its alluring understatement) in New York. Or with Victor Rice, a longstanding friend of the band, who went into the studio in São Paulo with the Angola-born Pitshu. Dubmatix und Ammoye met in Toronto. Sometimes greater disctances had to be bridged: for the collaboration between Sarah Winton (Manchester) and Dubvisionist (Hannover) for instance who also provided the ambience for Longfingah’s vocals. Tokunbo recorded her part for „I Dare You“ in Berlin, Umberto Echo did his mixing work in Munich. Dr. Ring-Ding, former front figure of the Senior Allstars, joined forces with Dubolik in Zagreb and marched as proudly as releaxed through the dancehall on „Come Back Alive.“ King Django from New Jersey did not waste time nor space: he sang and remixed his track „It's A New Day“ completely own his own.

All this resulting not only in eight wonderful vocal tracks, but in as many unique stand-alone dub versions to be found on the second part of the album. This is where, in the old masters tradition, all buttons were pressed and the sound spaces were reshaped anew. Aside from all the appealing contrasts between the vocal- and dub versions, the allure and attraction of this album comes form the fact that it allows for experiencing progression in music without disenchanting it despite all insights it offers into the production of sounds.

Tracklist:
1 Just another youth
2 I dare you
3 Come back alive
4 Fire red hot
5 Resistance
6 Vamo
7 It's a new day
8 Step into the light
9 Dub another youth
10 I dare you dub
11 Dub back alive
12 Fire dub
13 Resistance dub
14 Vamonos dub
15 It's a new dub
16 Dub into the light