Dub Syndicate

This is a compilation of tracks recorded between 1990 and 1996, along with a few other choice versions of the Dub Syndicate's 20-year-plus career as one of the original live dub bands. Their most radical and experimental work was years behind them at this point (coinciding with the peak of On-U Sound boss Adrian Sherwood's production style), nevertheless they have remained a super-tight band. As nostalgic reissues of late '70s Jamaican classics continue to appear, this band (aka the Roots Radics) remains a vital link to that period. Murder Tone's tunes mostly appeared as ten-inch and twelve-inch singles originally, lending a somewhat more dance-oriented quality to the music than some of their more ponderous full-length albums of the '90s. For that purpose alone this album is recommendable. While Sherwood may not be as radical as he once was, his unequalled live mixing talents have always delivered a full, undistorted, bass-laden mix, with Syndicate leader Style Scott's post-rock drums charging forward. A couple of old fave riddims from the '80s featuring Lee Scratch Perry and Bim Sherman give new converts a hint of past glories and still sound great. Murder Tone will not reinvent your idea of dub, but it's a good listening and dancing experience.