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DVDfever.co.uk – Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub Orchestra: Chinese Dub CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
30 Hertz Records
- Released: February 2009
- Rating: 10/10
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
Clashing cultures wonderful.
Maverick music maker John Wardle aka Jah Wobble spent July and August 2008 bringing the UK a feast of his groundbreaking show Chinese Dub.
Some might draw comparisons with Damien Albarns high profile project Monkey: Journey To The West.
Not having seen either show, its impossible to make comparisons.
The legendary bassist, one-time member of PiL, is married to Chinese born Guzheng and harp player Zi Lan Liao, so this is probably influenced by her.
According to sources, Chinese Dub was a visual and aural spectacular and so is this album, on his own label 30 Hertz. Check30hertzrecords.com/chinesedub
We mustnt forget at this point that this music was intended to accompany a visual performance, but out of context, it still makes a great listen. Also on board are the delightful vocals of Chinese singers Wang Jingqi and Gu Yinji who both add the indigenous timbre of the Orient. His boys John, (Glockenspiel and Dai Hu) and Charlie (on Gao Hu) are also in on the act, making it a real family affair. They play on Dragon And Phoenix.
Only somebody of Wobbles quality could pull this off. He retains the regions sensibilities (Cantonese melodies principally) adding his unique dub ethos. This is probably best featured on L1 Dub. His thumping basslines blend brilliantly of this sprightly jaunt. He was also keen to capture the strands of the Yunnan, Mongolian and Tibetan folk styles, which hes fond of. Its execution is brilliantly performed by the other seven musicians including Zi Lan Liao.
Amongst the many highlights are the funky dub reggae of Dragon And Phoenix Dub, the hauntingly beautiful L1 Dub with Clive Bells stunning flute work, though its Gu Yinjis Mongolian vocal that steals the show on Walking The Horse.
Its incredible the genius effect a drone can have, which covers the entirety of the first three tracks, texturised by various instruments.
The Verdict: Simply brilliant.
Radio: Hear tracks soon onwrexhamfm.com Weblink:30hertzrecords.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Space
2. Silence
3. Walking The Horse
4. Solitude
5. L1 Dub
6. Happy Tibetan Girl
7. Kang Ding Love Song
8. Dragon And Phoenix Dub
9. L1
10. Horse Mountain Song
11. Yellow Mountain
12. Yellow Mountain PrototypeView the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.