These days, dubwise takes a back seat to
dancehall in the
reggae market. Go to a CD store that sells a lot of
reggae -- perhaps in Kingston, Jamaica, perhaps in the Brixton section of London -- and you'll find a lot more new
dancehall recordings than new
dub recordings. Nonetheless,
dub still has an audience, and not everyone who is recording
dub in the 21st century favors a classic '70s-type sound along the lines of
King Tubby,
U-Roy,
I-Roy,
Big Youth, or
I-Jah Man. There is also the neo-
dub movement, which
Bill Laswell has been a vital part of.
Version 2 Version: A Dub Transmission finds the veteran bassist/producer offering yet another dose of his intriguing neo-
dub experimentation. Instead of giving an exact replica of grooves from
dub's classic era, a 49-year-old
Laswell combines
dub with modern
electronica and takes it to a trippy, hypnotic, atmospheric place -- a place where the
reggae beat interacts with
ambient club/dance grooves.
Version 2 Version doesn't cater to
dub purists by any means; anyone who expects this 2004 release to sound exactly like
King Tubby circa 1971 is bound to be disappointed. But then, anyone who is familiar with
Laswell's history knows that expecting him to offer a carbon copy of old-school dubwise would be like expecting
Ornette Coleman to play
"Ornithology" exactly like
Charlie "Bird" Parker played it in the late '40s. In other words,
Laswell is known for shaking things up, which is why his vision of dubwise is experimental rather than traditional. Although not
Laswell's best or most essential
dub album,
Version 2 Version is definitely rewarding -- and it's nice to see him maintaining his free spirit at 49. ~ Alex Henderson