Dub Me Tender Vol 1 and 2 Out Now
'Dub Me Tender' is 14 tracks of deep 70s style dub remixes by Dubulah himself of tracks from the first two Dub Colossus albums. Packed full of blazing horns, spooky organ and rock solid rhythms the original Ethio-jazz tracks are stripped back and loaded with weighty dub-heavy grooves.
Dub Colossus is the vision of Nick Page - aka Dubulah. Dubulah first travelled to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa in 2006 to collaborate with musicians and explore traditional Azmari styles, 60s Ethiopian pop, Ethiojazz and 70s Jamaican dub reggae. There he came across some amazingly talented artists and Dub Colossus was born. When their first set, 'A Town Called Addis', was released back in 2008 it was hailed as one of the most inventive fusion albums of the year, with its blend of contemporary and traditional Ethiopian styles, jazz and dub reggae. This was followed by an even more varied and sophisticated album, 'Addis Through The Looking Glass', that moves the experiment on - with the Ethiopian contingent playing a greater role in the proceedings.
Kaleidophonica
Kaleidophonica is the follow-up to Spiro's much-praised Real World album Lightbox, but it's different, says mandolin-player Alex Vann because "we've pushed the ideas and the systems music further". Jane Harbour, Spiro's violinist, argues that "we've taken the most intricate bits of Lightbox and taken the whole mesh to a higher level.
Dub Me Tender Vol 1 + 2
Following the critical success of Dub Colossus' second album, "Addis Through the Looking Glass" (March 2011), and two fantastic shows at WOMAD Charlton Park, Dubulah has now made a dub-heavy album, reworking existing Dub Colossus album tracks plus four previously unreleased tracks.
Portico Quartet
Portico Quartet have expanded to embrace new sonic territories. Drawing on the inspiration of electronica, ambient, classical and dance music as they take their strange, beautiful, cinematic, future music to exciting new vistas where the inspiration of Burial, Mount Kimbie and Flying Lotus rubs shoulders with the textures of Arve Henriksen and Bon Iver and echoes of Steve Reich and Max Richter.
Foxlight
For his third solo album - Foxlight - the acclaimed singer Iarla O Lionaird delivers an impassioned and sublime set of personal songs, combining the twin urges to write more new material and yet also work with an intriguing set of collaborators.
In Trance
If JuJu's chemistry was evident on their acclaimed 2007 debut Soul Science and its equally praised follow up Tell No Lies, it is almost palpable here. In Trance is precisely that: an album that sees Adams' Les Paul goldtop vying and blending with Camara's keening bittersweet vocals and fiery ritti playing, and embracing dub reggae and avant-garde jazz en route.
Addis Through The Looking Glass
"The aim", says Nick Page, the musician and producer best-known as Dubulah, also founding member of Transglobal Underground and Syriana, "is to constantly surprise." The new Dub Colossus album, Addis Through The Looking Glass, does just that. It's a new departure in the band's remarkable history. Dubulah first travelled to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa in 2006 to collaborate with musicians and explore traditional Azmari styles, 60s Ethiopian pop, Ethiojazz and 70s Jamaican Dub Reggae.
Laru Beya
Encouraged by a songwriter mother with a gorgeous voice and by his widely admired local troubadour father, the young Aurelio made his own guitars from cans and fishing line. Music and songs were the only entertainment in a place with no electricity and little contact with the outside world, and it is these songs that shaped him as an artist and inspired the pieces on Laru Beya.
Tande-La
The Creole Choir of Cuba are called 'Desandann' in their home country which means 'descendants' and with the songs on their forthcoming album 'Tande-La' (a title which translates as 'listen') they tell the stories of their Haitian ancestors who were brought to Cuba to work in near slave conditions on the sugar and coffee plantations.
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