Artist: DubRaJah
Title: Ethnic Profound
Released: March 2013
Genre: Roots Dub
Artist Country: Russia
Label: Angel Dust Records
Catalog Number: adr-010
License: CC BY-NC-ND
Sergey Gabbasov is a Russian social anthropologist specializing in the Himalayan region. Under the moniker DubRaJah, he releases recordings in the genre he describes as “Roots Dub”.
Some artists have been criticized for their attempts at fusing African and Asian styles into western dance music (for example, Toby Marks aka Banco de Gaia). Some critics feel the editing and manipulation of recordings of native cultures to fit within to constraints of EDM styles is disrespectful of the original cultures, or is an attempt to homogenize other cultures within a western perspective.
Gabbasov attempts to avoid much of this criticism by using using a process that has a different feel to that of other artists. Instead of manipulating the recordings to fit into the dub style, he seems to be using the native recordings to find a form of dub that fits them. This gives this collection of seven tracks the feeling of being rooted in their native cultures, with bass and drum lines pulsing beneath, and occasional samples or extra reverb or echo layered on top for additional affect.
The overall listening experience of these recordings is quite different from other dub styles. While the listener is still encourage to dance by the dub beats, I still found myself heavily involved in the source materials and feeling an appreciation for the native cultures from which they were derived. This makes Ethnic Profound a much more pleasurable experience than other recordings that only engage you on one level. This is a recording that stands up to repeated listens, as each time you will find something new and different to focus your attention on.
DubRaJah: Ethnic Profound
Free
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