King Tubby

An essential find for classic dub fans, African Brothers Meet King Tubby in Dub is a collection of 12 original Jamaican B-side dub mixes, mixed by the great King Tubby at the height of his powers between 1968 and 1978. This is dub in its purest form, which means that some late comers to the style might find it somewhat disappointing. There are no Lee Perry-style sound effects here, and little in the way of weird panning effects. King Tubby's style is all about his homemade reverb and echo effects and they're in full play throughout all 12 songs, infusing the deep roots rhythms with the spacy, narcotic vibe of the best dub. Fair warning for audiophiles: the African Brothers were a minor-league band at the time, meaning that no one paid particular attention to the master tapes, and as a result, African Brothers Meet King Tubby in Dub was mastered entirely from the original Jamaican singles, some of which sound as if they'd spent the intervening decades face down on the record store floor. Hearing the scratch and hiss as just another instrument in the soundscape will be necessary for full enjoyment of this set, but the music itself is reward enough on its own. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide