Album Review: Dreadzone - Dubwiser Volume Two

Dreadzone have been hawking their fine electronica/dub mix since bringing together former members of Big Audio Dynamite for their Creation Records debut, 360º, in 1993, and following it up with John Peel favourite, Second Light, which contained the bonafide hit single 'Little Britain'. Dubwiser Volume One, was released in 2019 as a sampler of the associated artists around the Dreadzone core who record for their Dubwiser label – Earl 16, Professor Skank, Sub Mantra, etc. and you wouldn’t get very far into something like Louchie Lou & Michie One’s ‘Firing’ before you’d have to get up and throw some sort of shape.

The collective describe Volume Two as striking “a darker contrast with the sunnier aspects of Volume One” and, while I can kind of see what they mean, we must first of all nominate the bright, shiny, and brilliant collaboration with Emily Capell, ‘Dread Town’, for summer anthem status. It bounds in and infects everyone listening with an irrepressible case of grinitis as Capell dances over the skank and deep bass backing. If it was any more London, it would be a red double-decker with a big clock tower sticking out the top offering you a gammy pint of Guinness. Listen to it once. Put it on again. Then put it on again. Don't believe me? Here you go.

Capell is good value on the rolling ‘Bombs To The Beatles’ - she rhymes 'Maltesers' with 'Jesus' over bluesy guitar, a rubbery bass, and a set of congas - and the fantastically slinky, horn-driven ‘Flamingo’ too. Megative’s space/dub/drumnbass opener ‘Sightsee MC’ covers the mighty Big Audio Dynamite and completes the loop by featuring the unmistakable voice of Rebel Dread hero Don Letts, while adding a spectacular, speaker-testing beat drop - remind me to check with a young person to see if that's still the correct term - not long after kick-off. Bazil advises us to ‘Take the dREaD Pill’ on a groove so deep it’s probably nearly in Australia, and Professor Skank proves that his PhD was awarded by a reputable university with 'For The Money' and 'Meaning Of Love'. This collection is even considerate enough to finish up with ‘Serenity’, wherein Sub Mantra, who already earned an approving nod for'The Captain', offers a bit of chill-out respite for those of us who’ve been up dancing since the record started.

However you get your jollies as the weather hopefully improves, whether you’re sitting in an easy chair, smoking a pipe of the good stuff, or optimistically driving with the top down, this is the compilation that should be coming out of your speakers.