Easy Star All-Stars - Dubber Side of The Moon Review
Another Dub Side? Easy Star All-Stars, the same guys behind the reggae cover albums for Dark Side of The Moon, Radiohead’s Ok Computer, and Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, unveil a brand new release: Dub Side of The Moon, but remixed and reworked, and inevitably redubbed; Dubber Side of The Moon. These new tracks, redone with a more atmospheric and heavy bass quality, resonate proudly through any good pair of speakers, and you can tell instantly that these songs were meant to surround you, and pull you in. From the very start of “Speak To Me / Breathe,” it is obvious that this is a re-imagining of the classic Pink Floyd album. Synth programming and sound effects add all the more tribute to the intricacies of Pink Floyd’s masterpiece.
But all comparisons aside, was another Dub Side really necessary? As Easy Star All-Stars toured almost maniacally over the course of 2009, bringing their reggae dub music to 25 different countries across the the world, band members noticed the various styles and bass fueled sounds that have taken root in reggae, such as dubstep and the futuristic electronic elements that associate with this emerging musical phenomenon. The All-Stars responded to this new landscape of the electronic music scene by continuing to embrace and explore the heavier bass concepts of music rooted in reggae and dub. Lem Oppenheimer, of Easy Star Records, commented on this musical approach, saying that to hand over the tracks to some of the prominent electronic dub producers, "it seemed like a good way to bring some of this newly developing futurist reggae right into [the] music." Examples of this can be found in one of the most dubstep tracks of the album, “Money,” remixed by The Alchemist.
Every track has such an impressive production quality and tone that it is nearly impossible to not get lost while listening to these newly remixed dub tracks; their music, which explores many universal themes such as money, time and the descent into madness. Enjoy another engaging, space-dub extravaganza, and keep on drifting!
Rating: 9.4/10
Recommended Tracks: Speak To Me / Breathe In The Air, The Great Gig In The Sky, Money (The Alchemist Remix)
