This 1988 album by dub founder King Tubby compiles sharp dubplates honed for sound clash purposes.
This album features sound clash recordings produced by King Tubby in his own studio, and is heavily influenced by the aggressive mixing and on-the-job sound production of the early days of digital reggae.
From the very beginning, the echoes and reverberations surge forth relentlessly, the extremely heavy low frequencies, and the snares and hi-hats that momentarily appear and then disappear. All of this demonstrates King Tubby's use of the mixer as an instrument, aiming to overwhelm his opponents in sound clash situations. The voices of Sugar Minott and Johnny Osbourne float in the air rather than project forward, and the sound image changes constantly with the operation of the faders. Despite the advances in digitalization in the late '80s, the album exudes a violent force rather than a cold one, likely a result of the sensibility cultivated in Waterhouse's studio. This extremely practical album clearly conveys the true essence of the dubplate as a "weapon," capturing the moment when sound system culture and recording art came together.
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10 TRACKS:
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1)
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King Everald - Kill Ole Pan
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2)
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Johnny Osbourne - Line Up
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3)
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Trevor Levy - Nah Run From Clash
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4)
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Banana Man - Take A Lick
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5)
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Michael Bitas - Die Yu Die
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6)
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Gregory Isaacs - The Ruler
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7)
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Little John - Fade Away
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8)
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Sugar Minott - Play Me
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9)
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Conroy Smith - Original Sound
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10)
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Pad Anthony - Charge Dem
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