Cyclone 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: UK favourites Dub Pistols are back with the second release in their Version excursion series. The original is a great cover an Edie Brickell classic which brings this outfit's usual blend of ska, 2-tone and dub to the fore. The drums are mid-tempo and have a real swagger while the sub-bass adds serious weight, gentle wood block hits and rim shots pepper the mix and the lovely vocal from Prince Fatty regular Shniece brings seductive and smoky soul. On their 'What I Am Manasseh Dub' things get more laden with echo and reverb and mixing desk effects twist the low ends into perfect stoner territory.

Review: 21st Century steppers Dub Pistols present their nextmost radical step forward, in the form of a biohazardous 7" re-rubbing 'I Predict A Riot' by English indie rock Kaiser Chiefs. With the dub foursome alleging that they used to play the song during soundchecks "for a bit of fun", the group have now come together, finally, for a shocking dub rendition after it especially popped off pre-show at the Mucky Weekender festival. The gang also welcome neo-dub producer Nick Manasseh for a wickedly weighty version on the B.

Review: One of many new dub renditions of classic pop songs by contemporary four-piece collective Dub Pistols, this 7" version of New Order's 'Blue Monday', the best-selling song of all time, again emerges from Mary Jane mists as a floaty memory of the era-defining song. First released in 2021 via Cyclone Records, this reissue recalls the fact that Dub Pistols consider the third Monday of every January to be 'Blue Monday'. The liner notes say: "this is the time of year when we're all cold, broke and riddled with guilt that our New Year's resolutions to get fit, drink less alcohol, and be a better human being have fallen by the wayside." The Dubmatix remix is no less effervescent, but comes backed by warlike horns. Again, all proceeds for this record go to the charity Tonic Music for Mental Health.

Review: The proverbial 'Soundboy Killa' is an enduring trope in soundsystem culture at large, referring to the apparently inherent enmity and villainy of the turntablist. Said to have originated in the days of system clashes, the assassin in question presumably refers to the opposing MC, whose barraging verbiage may pack enough semiotic punch to K.O. the opposition through mere utterances alone. Here Natty Campbell and the Freestylers pay tribute to the theme as progeny of the 90s big beat scene; having come up in the age of Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, the supergroup first faced off in a whirl of tricky dub and armour-plated cold cuttage, dispatching two honorary tracks in the style of each artists' respective greatest scene-hitters: Dub Pistols' 'Cyclone' and Freestylers' 'Roughneck'. Now 'Soundboy Killa' and 'Jump On It' in turn hear a remix from Allergies and Guadi & Don Letts, the latter of which is especially experimental in its use of a peaky, 2-step shuffle.