Abassi All Stars, Dub Showcase (Universal Egg)

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One of the hardiest stalwarts of the new dub scene since the nineties has been Nick Perch, the man behind the band Zion Train, operator of the Universal Egg label and coordinator of the Abassi All Stars. As is traditional in the genre, a studio album (called "Showcase") was first assembled from various sides recorded by this studio-only band, highlighting singers including stars like Tippa Irae and Luciano, and newcomers drawn into the studio from across a vast expanse - Junior Kigwa (Rwanda), Sis Sanae (Japan) and Daddy Roots (Anguilla). In the future the band has plans to record with an ever-expanding roster of exciting new and familiar names.

All songs were written by Perch, posed with agile fingers stabbing deftly at the keyboards and twiddling the knobs on his electronic playthings, and trumpeter David Fullwood, whose seductively swaying, muted trumpet has always been a hallmark.

Now as is the custom comes its dub companion, showcasing Perch´s considerable studio skills. Irresistable, positive energy has always been a hallmark of Perch´s productions through the years and the vibe remains the same here. The instrumentalists are all top British and Jamaican players, the melodies have a kind of Ethiopian lope about them and the horns a Trenchtown jump. As with most classical dub, the singers are rendered mere bit players, mere ghosts, fragments and after-echoes remaining from the original.

Still, their spectral presence is one more colour on the palette of the producer giving his dubscapes more depth, more breadth, more life. This is one vastly entertaining seventy minutes, jam-packed with just what you expected and a few surprises, like the somberly beautiful dirge "Cities" showcasing and fiddling with some lovely violin by someone only identified as "Anne".

In one glaring lapse of judgement, however, snippets of a tirade by British nutcase, racist and conspiracy theorist David Icke are included on three tracks. Reggae, hip hop and illbient all have a predilection for conspiracy theories, sometimes ironically, sometimes dead serious. But while these artists usually sample their kooks off the radio or TV, Icke appears among "vocalists" in the liner notes. In fact, two other individuals also share their conspiracy theories with us on the record, but they remain unidentified and probably sampled. If Icke indeed was specifically invited to participate, then I´d say this all-star team let a fox into the henhouse of otherwise honourable and peaceful individuals. For it is always far more refreshing to hear a singer humbly admit that he doesn´t "have the answer to all the questions", as we do a little late in the disc.