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Words & Images by Kevin Quinn
Dubconscious :: 10.22.05 :: The Handlebar :: Greenville, SC
Here in Greenville, SC, music takes on a different beat than it does elsewhere. Usually overlooked by the major touring acts, smaller, less-recognized bands are given more of an opportunity to rage. Last Saturday, the 22nd of October, was no exception. Rolling into town at The Handlebar was Dubconscious from Athens, GA. Whenever these boys come to town, the kids come out of the woodwork to support them. And as an extra bonus, they had the local Greenville band Tambou Fou open up for them. This proved to be an outstanding combination of bands for an incredible evening of music.
Tambou Fou :: 10.22 :: SC |
If you haven't heard of Tambou Fou yet, you will soon. They are stirring quite a buzz in upstate South Carolina as well as starting to turn some ears in Athens. This all-instrumental five-piece band consists of some of the best musicians in the area. The music is very drum-n-bass heavy considering that there are two percussionists, a drum kit, bass, and then only keyboards to offset all that low-end. With an incredibly funky foundation and soul-driving beats, Tambou Fou pushes the envelope of new music. Known for their long jams, intense pounding rhythms, and lack of down-time (they may stop twice in a set and have been known to play an hour and a half without stopping), these guys were the perfect start to the night. This evening took on a different twist with the absence of the Fou's drummer and one of the percussionists. This could have been a disheartening event, but fate always provides and this evening it was in the form of the Dub boys.
Dubconscious :: 10.22 :: SC |
Tambou Fou's set began with a very intense, winding funk intro supported in part by members of Dubconscious. It wasn't long before the beat picked up, and with it the movements of the crowd. After the first song, Tambou Fou paused briefly to thank the fellas from Dubconscious for sitting in and proclaimed the set as Dub-Fou. After about fifteen minutes of impressive drum-n-bass funk, the rest of the members of Dubconscious came on stage to play. The jam that ensued was based off one of Tambou Fou's songs, but it took off into a whole new realm of soul-piercing delight. This continued until they dropped the beat down a notch, but somehow they were able to maintain the same intensity throughout the set. For the final number, they brought up sYmple of the local Greenville hip-hop group Project Lotus. His vocal-scat was a great addition to the music. With the end of this song came the end of the set, and the crowd was primed and pumped for Dubconscious.
Scott Pridgen - Dubconscious :: 10.22 :: SC |
After a brief pause to get their heads in order, Dubconscious came out to really get things going. You would think that the mellow, laid-back dub-reggae of Dubconscious would be a stark contrast to the intensity of Tambou Fou's music, but it was almost as if no beat had been missed between bands. The set started with a very slow, melodic sound that got everyone moving in a transcendental, mystic-like state. Without wasting any time, Dubconscious moved right into a faster beat that was somehow tied to the intensity that they had provided during the Dub-Fou set. Becoming quite spacey and ethereal, the drums and percussion started to pick things up with a double-time rhythm that was in contrast to the low-key beat of the bass and guitar. The spaceyness got heavier and heavier thanks to the keyboards, from the way folks were dancing, you never would have guessed the beat was so chill if you hadn't heard the music.
The song ended as if a dream was slowly drifting away from you. As bodies and minds were afloat, the band ducked into the next song, which carried on the same expressions and slow intensity of the previous selection. As the night pushed on, the Dub boys rolled right into another of their trademark tunes. This one made you feel as if you were dancing off to some far away planet and making your way thorough an alien forest. Odd spacey sounds kept popping up as the rhythm grew and intensified. This whole concept of space reggae continued throughout a good portion of the show, which seems to be a trademark of Dubconscious.
Dubconscious with Shelly :: 10.22 :: SC |
Soon the show started to take on a funkier aspect, somewhat reminiscent of one of the jams from the previous Tambou Fou set. Dubconscious then dropped the whole thing down to the most mellow, low-key music of the evening, with the exception of the opening song. This brought on a heart-warming, spirit-lifting quality that is often not present in music of this day-and-age. Coming out of this feel-good vibe, Dub brought up their very good friend Shelley for some serious traditional-style reggae with that Dub flair that we all love so much. Shelly's voice has that wonderful quality of the soulful reggae women of the past, while introducing a style all her own. A perfect accompaniment to Dub's sound, Shelly let it go and brought a whole new feeling to the music.
Dubconscious again dropped the music way down, giving a brief break for the crowd to catch a breath. This was about the time that you would expect Dub to take a set break, but they opted instead for picking the beat back up and giving the folks who came to dance exactly what they wanted - a fast-paced and driving reggae beat to really move to. The next several songs switched back and forth between slow-moving beats and fast-paced rhythms with some of Dub's spacey qualities thrown in there as well. The spaced-out rhythms and fast music of the Dubconscious show is what came to dominate the final part of the evening. By the last song, the soulful music catapulted off into the unknown. Their final number had everyone groovin' and movin' all over the room. To my knowledge, no one left the Handlebar dissatisfied, and everyone is eagerly anticipating Dubconscious's return to the upstate.
JamBase | Greenville
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