Review of Zion Train Album by Dub Revolutionaries
Having never heard of the Dub Revolutionaries before, but being massively into dub, the prospect of reviewing this album along with the name of the band fills me with great anticipation and excitement. When I read how they fuse electronica with dub my excitement is fuelled further .
After sitting through CD1 however my initial enthusiasm wanes and is well and truly abated. Whereas as I was expecting a Roots Manuva Vs the Orb style 21st century foray into electronica and dub, what I actually got was coffee shop dub, dub for bankers, dub for people who like to drink in Starbucks. Not that any of it is bad, it's just difficult pinpoint to anything even remotely interesting. In fact the nearest the Dub Revolutionaries get to exciting is their remix of the Ruts' classic 'Babylon's Burning' but even this becomes irritating as it goes on way too long and subdues the fire and initial rush of excitement of the original.
Overall, very disappointing. If this is 'The Best of.' it begs the question 'how boring is their other stuff?' If you're going to have a name like the Dub Revolutionaries you should be innovative and exciting, making tripped out dub for the 21st century, not making dub for dinner parties and city boys. It's difficult to imagine King Tubby or Augustus Pablo being remotely impressed.
Scott Causer
