Raw Raw Dub (Bush Chemists)

Album review

Balancing a love of roots music with digital age attitude, the Bush Chemists deliver another fine set of deep dub with that U.K. spin. The title Raw Raw Dub is a little misleading since the album has its slick side, but the Bush Chemists aren't the type to play it safe. "Speak Rocker" is a quirky bit of digi-dub that the risk-taking Mad Professor would approve of, while the smoky title track shoots wild bleeps and boops into outer space over a military beat. On the other hand, tracks like "Lift Me" and the very Augustus Pablo "Round the Dub" could be mistaken for proper Jamaican cuts, making the Bush Chemists one of the most orthodox-aware groups in the U.K.'s mutant dub movement. There's much weirder, more Lee Perry-influenced dub to be had from this new school, but the magic of the Bush Chemists is how they lean toward King Tubby's less garish and more slow-burn method of dubbing but still provide enough rubbery weirdness to thrill. Like almost everything they do, the hypnotizing Raw Raw Dub is something both the rootsman and the Orb fan can get lost in.

© David Jeffries /TiVo