A daring statement of what the label name DUBS ALIVE signifies, “By the Fire” (DAV010) marks an acceleration and intensification in focus from the label heads that started it all. These are dubplates that reward multiple listens both on head-nodding headphone commutes, and as powerful breakdowns on the dance floor. The remixes showcase radically divergent trajectories from some of the most distinctive sound scientists in the intelligent dub community.
The hallmark of The Spit Brothers’ sound is the deftness in their blending of styles both endemic to dub tradition and utterly foreign -- until you hear them in context, where they make perfect intuitive sense. A clandestine dub operation, “By the Fire’s” afro-beat influence is both a primary actor and yet the subtlest secret informant. Bakir’s reboot of this mix makes the dub atmospheres wax, wane and simmer by the fire, occasionally veering close enough to the flames to sizzle. The composition is alert and conscious, combining flecks of reggae with driving proto-jungle breaks and 808 snares all rushing in to fill the momentary pockets of afro- beat space.
“Lazy Left” could be he fruition of a chance meeting between Mala and G.Corp. A ghostly roots-oriented number that pulls back the sheen of modern dubstep to expose its earliest incarnation as organic and close-cropped outgrowth of late-era dub. Dubsworth’s live guitar work shimmers along with achingly filtrated synth lines, cutting their way through a hard backbeat and deep, rootsy bass.
Delicate layers of percussion by Tapa set the pace and the tone on “Single Coil,” as it builds slowly into a kind of driving, electro-organic jam session one could imagine someone like Goth Trad conducting. Every element hits in dual dimensions, bathed in sweeping effects that lean and mesh into one another. All this over a proper dub-steppers backbeat, coiled up within Dubsworth’s elastic bass line (surprisingly, not synthesized, but live bass guitar).
Nate Mars pushes the title track to shocking new reaches with his sparkling remix, an anthemic dance floor banger with multi- dynamic, growling bass lines over an ethereal rhythmic synth. In doing so, he brilliantly unleashes the potential lushness and kinetic energy that lurks deep within “By The Fire.”
Percussive surprises abound in Louisiana producer Bukkha’s remix of “Lazy Left.” Bongos, shakers and even guiros are woven together to spin the original refrains into an exotic, centrifugal force, while an echo chamber of arrangements launches the mix into the higher echelons of dub.
Barcelona-based, Venezuelan-born Pacheko picks up the pace with an energetic soca-tech interpretation of “By The Fire,” whose frenetic breakdowns and dopplered tribal sounding cries could be the strange love-child of juke and dub honeymooning in Caracas.
The most explicitly afro-beat influenced mix comes from none other than the original live dubstep band themselves: Jazzsteppa (who have both collaborated on stage with The Spit Brothers, and have their own forthcoming Dubs Alive release this summer). It’s something of a tribal house medley, where horns and whistles riff on the motifs set by the original track. Sparse and suggestive, its swirls of feedback are a tantalizing glimpse into the future directions of a label that is set to release a massive flow of music this year, from some of the most intriguing and challenging artists working in the genre.
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The Spit Brothers (est. 2005) are a live bass music collective based between San Francisco and Brooklyn. Led by producers Dubsworth and Bakir, The Spit Brothers’ sound is a harmonious blurring of the line between live and electronic music. Playing dubstep, dub, afrobeat and funk, live sets showcase their deep heavy beats with intense instrumental performances. Band members frequently consort with trumpet, bass, guitar, drums, organ, synthesizer, and melodica on stage, always embodying the essence of true performance.
The Spit Brothers have performed alongside, Caspa & Rusko, RSD, Joker, Jazzsteppa, KJ Sawka, Plastician, Kromestar, Joe Nice, DJG, Djunya, Antiserum, and many, many others.
The latest from the excellent label Duppy Gun is a showcase for RDL Shellah, an EP that rides the line between trap & dancehall. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 25, 2021
