Dub Spencer and Trance Hill - William S Burroughs In Dub (Echo
Beach)
CD/DL
Out Now
The four-piece live band from Switzerland blend the Beatnik poet and
Post-Modernist author with electronic dub beats.
William S Burroughs was considered to be "one
of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative
artists of the 20th century". The
writer of 18 novels, which included The Naked Lunch, also 'appeared' on the
cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and has provided his voice to
many recordings including tracks by John Cale, Kurt Cobain and The Disposable
Heroes Of Hiphoprisy. So, it is probably
from those recordings that Dub Spencer and Trance Hill have concocted this new
collection.
Deep reggae grooves and heavy basslines form the perfect
accompaniment to Burroughs’ voice. So
perfect, and so beautifully blended. In
fact that you’d be forgiven for thinking that he actually recorded in the
studio with the band. The idea of sound
bytes and clips over music isn’t new, and groups like the wonderful Public
Service Broadcasting have encapsulated the theory wonderfully but, Dub Spencer
and Trance Hill seem to really put their stamp on this sound.
Guitars are subtle, and additions of keyboards gliding to and fro
make easy but interesting listening.
Opener Burroughs Called The Law is low-key and fascinating and sets the
pace and style for the whole album.
Inviting you in as the dubbed out voice quotes and quips. The tracks themselves would be entirely
listenable as instrumentals but the voice adds a certain extra interest to the
fifteen blistering tracks included.
Not a seat-of-their-pants project either, the blessing of the
Williams S Burroughs Foundation was obtained with whom they worked
closely. Not everything is of a reggae
orientation either, there are dubbed out ambient pieces and even hints of
Spaghetti Westerns tucked away for good measure. An overall feel of psychedelic dub throughout
making haunting yet magical compositions.
William S Burroughs In Dub is a triumph of modern day dub and stands
shoulder to shoulder with today’s greats like Adrian Sherwood whose influence
here is obvious. It’s addictive, it’s ingenious
and most of all it’s a great album.
Listen to it and be impressed.
8.5/10
Links
Published on Louder Than War 19/04/14 - here
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