Hi-Fidelity Dub Sessions: Chapter 4

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My guess is that over the last few years, the 'Hi-Fidelity Dub Sessions' series has emerged from its humble beginnings to become something of a flagship for Guidance Recordings. Lacking any confirmation, my only evidence would be the precision, care and taste that is invested in each release. From the get-go, these compilations of new dub have been both dance- and head-friendly, characterized by a smoothness and suppleness unique to such collections.

The fourth chapter is allowed to be a tad more ragged at the edges, and may just be the most soulful yet. Right from the opening track, "Baby" by Reggae Disco Rockers featuring the plaintive vocals of Horace Andy, it grabs the ear and dazzles it. Horns sway like willow brances in the breeze, pianos plink rhythmically, and organs bleat. Dancehall meets the space age in the wonderful echo chamber of Richard Dorfmeister's remix of Cutty Ranks' "The Stopper". The exquisitely ethereal "lounge dub" of relative newcomers Boozoo Bajou is a thing of pure joy. The key word is here "depth" - nobody outshines anybody else, this line-up is first team all-star singers and dubbers down the bench.

One might just characterize the fourth installment of 'Hi-Fidelity Dub Sessions' as the most "Jamaican" so far, especially considering that from the outset, mostly European and North American nu dub outfits were featured. (Not that they have been banished - witness brilliant contributions by Groove Corporation, Groove Armada, Smith & Mighty, topped off with a double scoop of Tosca at the end.) Be that as it may, it is no regression back into the warm and safe embrace of Mother JA, but an exciting extrapolation on the seemingly limitless possibilities of dub reggae.