Temple Gong 2024
https://dmme.net/dabtronic-i-blinked-mezcakuba/
A couple of deeply danceable cuts from Detroit master of rhythm-and-cruise.
Although there’s not been a lot of music from David Asher since "Dub World" by THE PROCESS and "D.A.B." by the band bearing his name saw the light of day, the Michigander has never stopped dabbling with rhythms, and DABTRONIC, his superficially pop-oriented project, is a testament to the restlessness of creative spirituality. A couple of singles that introduce this endeavor, “I Blinked” and “Mezcakuba” demonstrate two not-too-divergent aspects of what it’s all about, the latter going for soulful elation and the former for admiration of the precious, yet both of them exploring mighty grooves with a great focus on mood and detail.
DABTRONIC –
I Blinked
Featuring a couple of British singers, the steaming youngster Janique James and the late post-punk pioneer Mark Stewart, “I Blinked” is just one song – approached from eight different angles to expose the finesse of its instrumental track and the ethereal allure of its topline tune. There’s a riveting riff to serve as an axis for the mellifluous “Dabtronic Mix” before “Dabtronic Dub” engages the simmering beats and blistering brass in an insistent aural swirl – equally slow but much sexier – and before the voiceless presentation of the same unfolds into a stunningly mesmeric panorama of the new act’s possibilities. Those prospects shine on the facets the “On.U Sound” mixes – with and without the warblers whose more in-your-face roles are swapped here – add to the palette, yet they’re narrowed down on “UFOA Remix” where low frequencies come out to crawl around, and on the pair of the Alien Levi mixes of the piece, one with the murmuring Rex Joswig on board, where the song’s creepy elements try to replace its melodic core.
DABTRONIC –
Mezcakuba
While all these variants dance around a four-minute mark, “Mezcakuba” that preceded them in chronological terms offers “Misled Convoy Peripheral Nervous System Remix” as an extended version of the single’s primary cut. This almost twice as long, cinematic and highly percussive experiment takes under a glitterball what in its original form is a raga-tinged electronic jive with a snippet of folk vocalese drenched in cavernous sonics, and in “On.U Sound Out The Box Mix” is given economic, if tasty, daubs of guitar and spoken word. The results of such methods feel liturgically anchored to the very history of David Asher’s chosen genre, but the restrained rapture on display might be uniquely his own.
With his new project’s full-length album on the horizon, these two numbers signal a start of something genuinely exciting.
***** / ****
The Process - Weapons Of Mass Percussion (2024 Remaster).DAB (David Asher Band) - War Profiteers.Dabtronic ft. Janique James & Mark Stewart - I Blinked.Selecta J-Cut
This one is long overdue, it's been a rather hectic year and I had put writing on the back burner (apologies, David) and things kind of snowballed out of control so I failed to get back to it until now. I figured that I could cover all three David Asher related releases in a year end wrap-up (better late than never, right?)
David had reached out to me several years ago to review his band, The Process's album from 2016, titled Who Is This Mad Band? which was right up my alley and led me to start the CULTCHA Clash Outer National "digital zine." The follow-up dub version of the album, Dub World was subsequently reviewed. David also joined me for the first official Duburbia Podcast (see link below). We have since had a long distance friendship rooted in a mutual fandom of producer Adrian Sherwood (who Asher has worked with on several projects) and the On-U Sound label. (If you haven't already, check out the On-U Sound Sunday Roast hosted monthly by David).\
The Process - Weapons Of Mass Percussion Remaster
Beginning with the remaster of Weapons Of Mass Percussion, which was originally released in 2006. Conceptually, the album deals with the politics of the time (post 9/11), including sound bites and samples of the media, manufacturing consent for the disastrous wars that came as a result of the attacks on that day. Musically, the sound is reminiscent of the futurist funk-dub of Tackhead and at times not too dissimilar from On-U Sound mainstays, Dub Syndicate, at other times dabbling in the electronic territory of drum & bass, such as in the title track. Overall, it's a heavy, dubbed-out, reggae rocker with traces Asher's distinct vocal stylings, peppered with George Bush or other talking heads from the media. It compels the listener to open their eyes and think outside of the establishment's narrative.
The album may have been recorded nearly 20 years ago, but the subject matter is still relevant, and the re-master sounds superb! Check it out at Bandcamp:
https://theprocess77.bandcamp.com/album/weapons-of-mass-percussion-2024-remaster
