wayne&wax

linkthink re: hip-hop, reggae, the US, jamaica, and anything else wayne wants to wax on

11.16.2005

dubble dub

cross-posted to the riddim method



as a likkle promotion for my appearance tonight at "heavy dread," i thought i'd finally get around to rendering the mix from the last time i guested at brynmore's and burning babylon's wicked weekly.

wayne&wax, "dubble dub" (35 minutes, 33 mb)

i call the mix "dubble dub" because i'm playing a bunch of dub tunes (from across the dub spectrum, and a few from beyond) and treating them as a dub producer treats individual tracks in a mix, applying plenty of echo/delay and reverb and working with layers of sound as layers of sound. i also apply some digital-age tricknology, cutting and looping fragments of tunes and often time-stretching tracks to maintain a steady tempo for much of the mix. because the tunes are already dub tunes, many of them brimming with effects and edits, i'm essentially doubling-up on the dub - thus, "dubble dub." (a phrase which barrington levy, thankfully, almost said, which makes for a nice little intro.)

in terms of song selection, my idea was to try to represent the dub tradition in some breadth and depth. so i drew ecumenically from across the spectrum: early, classic dub/DJ experiments; later, dread-ful dub; 80s digi-dub; heavy UK dub mutations; european minimal techno dub; new york illbient dub; and a few tracks that aren't dub at all but get the dub treatment, mashed up with dubby loops and echoing along with that lovely ol' 3:2 jamaican/caribbean/west-african polyrhythm that dub consistently brings out of even the most foursquare music.

the sequence is guided by musical matches and mashes. for example, the vintage drum machine running through lee perry's "dub revolution," mad prof's "boombox," and shuggie otis's "aht uh mi hed" (i've always wondered whether that's an attempt at patois) provides a nice audible thread, among others, with which to weave these seemingly disparate tracks together. in other cases, it's just a matter of time or tone. overall, i try to maintain a good vibe - a proper meds, seen? - while keeping the music and the mood flowing. mostly, i just enjoy the echoes: across beats and bars, land and ocean.

here's the tracklist:

barrington levy, raw raw, dami d, wasp - intro
we - caya's kids
lee "scratch" perry - dub revolution
mad professor - boombox
shuggie otis - aht uh mi hed
pole - silberfisch
jan jelinek - tendency
lou donaldson - ode to billie joe
wayne&wax - odes to billie joe
ernest ranglin - surfin'
tapper zukie - man ah warrior
ansel collins - nuclear weapon
big joe - glitter not gold
dennis alcapone - DJ choice
andy capp - poppy show
brentford all-stars - greedy G
burning babylon - addis red dub
timbaland - get to poppin' (instrumental)
king jammys - megabyte
peego and fatman - dry your tears
the cars - drive

* special thanks to pete murdertone for pointing me to, and sourcing, some of these truly big tunes. my next "heavy dread" mix, as performed tonight, will feature a couple of pete's own homegrown dubby versions. (hope to have that one uploaded with less of a lag).

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

all that and andy capp!!!
nice one man, but especially wicked is the mix of ernie ranglin...that would be a hit on wax man, for real!
Pete

2:48 PM  
Blogger wayne&wax said...

thanks, pete! glad you dig.

your tunes went over well last night, btw. that casio joint is HUGE.

10:43 PM  
Blogger tim andren said...

What up brotha. Wanted to let you know I posted a small review here:
LINK

2:46 PM  
Blogger wayne&wax said...

appreciate the forward, andren.

nice collection of mixes over at your site. happy to warrant inclusion.

keep 'em coming.

6:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Wayne,

Just wanted to say thanks for the incredible Dubble Dub mix. My girlfriend and I have just come back from a holiday in Spain where that burned cd may well have saved our lives. Driving around the winding Andalucian mountain roads is pretty hair raising at the best of times, especially with the agression and speed at which the average Spanish driver follows you two inches from your back bumper. Add to that some thick fog and wet roads, you can imagine that the cd playlist choice was fairly essential for maintaining our cool and making it home in one piece. Dubble Dub worked a treat and the Cars'drive' finale is inspired.

The Dem Bow mix was a banger as well. I only discovered reggaton last year on a lenghly trip around South America and its is possible the best mix i have heard on that tip.. historically on point, great selection of tunes and minus any queso.

I am intrigued though, do you record your mixes live off the decks or do you programme it all into the computer and then work it out ? Also any plans to DJ in london ?

cheers
Will

10:48 AM  
Blogger wayne&wax said...

hey will,

many thanks for the kind words. i'm glad the mix came through inna pinch! seriously, it's always great to hear how one's music works its way into other people's lives. hearing these stories just adds further texture to the sounds.

i'm not sure that there's no queso on the dembow mix, but that's part of reggaeton's appeal, i think.

as for mixing technique, i do it all on my laptop, using ableton live. often i'll pre-arrange the tracks in terms of sequencing and general segue-type stuff and then i'll perform my way through it in realtime, often using a midi controller for knob-twisting, clip triggering, etc.

love to play in london sometime. no imminent plans to hop the pond, though.

all best,
wayne

11:24 AM  

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