Coming straight out of Cologne, both of these albums on the Collision label are lovingly crafted contemporary takes on classic dub. Both albums are also from artists with a pedigree – Up, Bustle & Out where one of the original artists on Ninja Tune and this is Parisian duo Seven Dub’ third album.
Dub Club Editions says most of what you need to know about the music Seven Dub make – they play a good, if all too familiar, game of mixing dub with house and soul to create a kind of credible Zero 7. Fluctuating wildly between upbeat house and downbeat dub, the album, despite the adeptness with which it is constructed, fails to explore new territory.
Up, Bustle & Out use modern electronic production as much, if not more, than Seven Dub but somehow the album sounds far more organic. Their willingness to utilise more than just the usual array of dub instruments is what marks City Breakers apart from the crowd. The production techniques utilised make this album what it is – the use and reuse of abstract samples, and the incorporation of hip-hop and r’n’b into the mix, is what makes this album so breathtaking.
Both albums prove that dub is alive and well in 2006, but it is Up, Bustle & Out that really innovate – City Breakers is an outstanding record that marks its creators as destined for bigger things.
Released April 2006
