Killer retrospective presenting unearthed King Tubby dubs from the mid 70s. The compilation doesn't include only dub versions but also alternative vocal/dj/melodica versions of the rhythm tracks of the original songs.
Ooosh this is heavy: the lesser known but brilliant - mostly unreleased - work of King Tubby apprentice engineer-turned-prolific mixer “Prince” Philip Smart, for Bunny Lee, Yabby You, and Augustus Pablo, is spotlighted on a stack of half century old diamonds cut with signature, discrete, deft dynamic and 3D psychoacoustic nuance - check for the spangled peculiarities in ‘Official Sound’, the ruff but sweet crackle of ‘You Were Mine’, depth charge of ‘Man Free (Dub)’, cosmic Rasta skank of ‘Zion City Dub Wise’, and you’ll know the legendary steez.
''This compilation is dedicated to the memory of the late great “Prince” Philip Smart - the first apprentice of King Tubby and the first engineer at Tubby’s studio besides Tubby himself. Alongside Tubby, Philip was integral to the innovation that took place at Tubby’s studio in the mid 1970s, where the mixing of new roots reggae revolutionized the sound of Jamaican music and created styles and techniques that are still being echoed today, nearly 50 years later.
Though rarely credited on records in comparison to Tubby, Philip also mixed a lot of the paramount music produced by those close associates of Tubby’s studio such as Bunny Lee, Yabby You, and Augustus Pablo. Philip was closely tied to Pablo due to their childhood friendship and was a partner in his stylistically significant early production works. In the early years of Tubby’s studio, both men were making and cutting custom dubs there for their sound systems before starting to produce their own tunes from scratch, and Philip becoming the second chair engineer.
Several of the songs on this compilation are a selection of the aforementioned work. All of the songs here are sourced from Philip’s personal tape archive, and basically all of these mixes and versions have been scarcely if ever heard, and never released before. This double album comprises a rare and genuine glimpse into the dubplate workings of the inner circle of Tubby’s studio in the mid 1970s, where the prime players and emerging giants of reggae music production and sound system versioned, remixed and voiced rhythms for custom and exclusive cuts. Some of the cuts heard here were formerly exclusive power plays on King Tubby’s own legendary sound system, and unlike some previous issues of such material, these are genuine mixes done at the time. Some other tracks clearly exude the youthful enthusiasm of the participants. In both cases we find this collection of tracks to be truly compelling, so please enjoy this glimpse into such rare air. Rest in power Prince Philip Smart.''
fatcityvinyl
Strong contender for reggae album of the year here (in the category of vintage or reissued material) with this collection of previously unreleased, exclusive dubplates and dub experiments pulled from the personal tape archives of Philip Smart (1960 - 2014) - granting the listener a rare glimpse into the inner workings of King Tubby’s studio at the epicentre of dub.
Smart was a Jamaican studio engineer and producer who grew up in Kingston but emigrated to America by the late 1970’s, founding HC&F recording studio on Long Island which became a focal point of reggae production on the east coast. However prior to that he had served a crucial apprenticeship in Jamaica as the first of dub pioneer Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock’s handpicked protégés - who increasingly took over the actual mixing and cutting of dubs and dubplates as the 1970’s progressed, so that Tubby himself could focus on other tasks such as building amplifiers and winding transformers.
Smart had first gained valuable musical experience while still in his teens, learning to produce and mix early recordings at Randy’s studio with school chums Horace Swaby (aka Augustus Pablo) and Errol (ET) Thompson, himself a budding engineer. He also ran his own small sound system and sourcing exclusive mixes to play on it inevitably led him to King Tubby’s dub workshop at 18 Drumilly Ave. From there he began sitting in on studio sessions more and more frequently, displaying an aptitude for the job which resulted in his being given an official role by Tubby. Mixing credits, if listed at all, would typically appear under the generic house name “King Tubby’s”, regardless of who was actually at the controls on any given day - and as time went on it was rarely Ruddock himself but rather understudies like Smart, and after his departure for America later ones like Pat Kelly and Prince Jammy.
Prince Philip Smart – Dubplates & Raw Rhythm From King Tubby's Studio '73-'76
Label: Reggae Library
Format: Compilation
Released: 2025
Genre: Reggae
Style: Dub, Roots Reggae
Source: Digital
1. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Jacob Miller, Augustus Pablo - Zion City 2:27
2. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Zion City (Dubwise) 2:29
3. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Jacob Miller, Augustus Pablo - Iron Bird 2:38
4. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Jacob Miller, Augustus Pablo - Lorraine (Dubwise) 2:52
5. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Johnny Clarke - Trying Man 3:15
6. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Ken Boothe, Augustus Pablo - Is It Because I'm Black (Toasting & Dub Version) 3:32
7. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Revolution Come 3:41
8. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Man Free (Dubwise) 3:40
9. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Official Sound 2:43
10. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Fragile Rhythm 3:33
11. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Rock My Soul Dub 2:48
12. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - You Were Mine 2:47
13. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Days Of Old 2:44
14. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Dub Girl 2:48
15. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Dub Girl (Instrumental) 3:20
16. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Kid Phil Rhythm 4:03
17. Prince Phillip Smart, Hugh Mundell, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Riding On A High And Windy Day (Alternative Take) 3:38
18. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - Sit And Cry 3:10
19. Prince Phillip Smart, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo - You Were Dubbing 2:47
0 comments:
Post a Comment