Island Dubs

Released

Outside the reggae world, the dub album remains something of a novelty which is a shame because when it’s done well as in this case, it can produce killer results. Here, UK producer Andy Meecham serves up dub and dub instrumental versions of his excellent Island Boogie album, a shimmering, club-friendly disco/west coast rock/krautrock/psychedelia synthesis from 2024. Island Dubs is a genuinely high-level listening experience, superbly produced, pristinely programmed, with every musical part - the clean, chiming leads, hefty, pulsing bass, squiggly, slippery leads, thin synthetic flutes and chirping analogue synth sequences - all expertly placed in the mix, and with a rich sheen and depth to every track. Meecham reshapes, re-edits and remixes to reach the beating heart of his rhythm tracks, then applies all sorts of echos, delays, phasers, reverbs and studio trickery, re-tuning the album into a dub-disco sonic feast for the headphones.

Harold Heath