Track Breakdown | John Browns Body – Kings & Queens In Dub
By Scott Bernstein Apr 9, 2015 • 2:10 pm PDT
In April 2013 John Brown’s Body released the studio album Kings And Queens, going on to top the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. Earlier this week the reggae outfit released their first full length dub album, Kings And Queens In Dub, featuring a reworking of every track on their last LP. Helmed by JBB saxophonist Drew Sayers along with Easy Star Records founders Lem Oppenheimer and Eric Smith, an impressive lineup of producers were called upon to give Kings And Queens the dub treatment. Sayers brought in the likes of 10 Ft. Ganja Plant’s Dubfader, Easy Star All-Stars’ Michael G, The Black Seeds’ Lord Echo, Dennis Bovell, Ticklah and Yesking, among others, to create the set of dub recordings.
[Photo by Heather Ainsworth]
Sayers shared background of how each of the new mixes on Kings And Queens In Dub came together. Read on for Sayers’ in depth and detailed review of all 12 newly produced tracks.
1. People In The Light Dub
“Step Inside,” the original vocal version of this song, was the lead single from our last album and a fan favorite. Therefore, it was important to us that we work with someone who really knows our sound and approach. Dubfader has been working with JBB since the beginning and is an integral part of this release with three mixes overall. Just in terms of his skills as an engineer, he knows how to craft incredible tones in the studio and is meticulous about the sound of the drum and bass which is clear on this mix. Those instruments get featured heavily throughout this album, as should any proper nod to the classic dub masters. That sums up the way I feel about this project and about us as a group: a deep respect for the founding artists as students of this music, but knowing that also means we need to forge ahead with our own identity and respect ourselves in the process.
2. Give Up The Ghost Dub
This song gives us the opportunity to feature another side of our guitarist and vocalist Jay “Double Tiger” Spaker. He has had a huge impact on our live show for years and is definitely one of the most talented people I know. He has a deep understanding and respect for reggae music and has been exploring that through his songwriting and as a producer in his own right for a very long time. This was definitely a challenging track to dub as it has a non-traditional feel and that bit of rock/metal influence that makes [frontman] Elliot’s [Martin] songwriting unique. The whole mix builds so nicely towards the steppers feel that drops near the end of the song. I also like that he lets you hear the drum machine that was on the original song but a bit farther back in the mix. It’s near the beginning of the song during the horn interlude, after the first chorus. I believe that drum machine sound was at the crux of Elliot’s original when he was writing it.
3. Worldwide Dub
As I mentioned before, we feel very lucky to have longtime friend and collaborator Craig Welsch (Dubfader) be an integral part of this release. Not only did he produce two of our earliest records, All Time and Among Them, he was also behind our more recent EP JBB In Dub. I think he has a unique and deep understanding of our music and the playing styles of each individual in the band, and that translates really clearly in the mixes he contributed. With “Worldwide Dub,” he goes right to the core of this song, which is the bass line on the verse. I say it often, but I really believe Elliot writes some of the best bass lines in modern reggae and Craig highlights that here, along with the deep pocket drummer Tommy Benedetti and bassist Nate Edgar have. Just like the classic dub mixes we love by the likes of King Tubby or Scientist, it reveals a whole new way of hearing the song you might not have known existed before.
4. Sound And Fury Dub
We have worked with Dubmatix for some time now. He was featured strongly on our EP Re-Amplify, and was responsible for crafting our live version of ”The Gold.” We loved his mix of that song so much that we changed the arrangement and feel so that it reflected his style. We were so grateful to have him on this album -this is the first of two mixes he contributed. JP (Jon Petronzio), our keys player, laid down some Vox organ on the original and that gets highlighted on this mix. I also love the treatment on the hi-hats. I get pumped up every time I listen to this because Dubmatix really hit it out of the park and we couldn’t be happier with his contribution to this album.
5. Seneca Dub
The third of three mixes by Dubfader, this song really highlights our bass player Nate’s feel -this is a love song and at a pretty slow tempo, so to be able to keep that pocket wide and lay back on the beat without slowing down or making it feel too lazy is amazing. The washy reverb on the cross stick really makes this mix for me, that’s something Dubfader has always been able to perfect.
6. Fracture Dub
This is the second of two mixes by Dubmatix. He definitely has a very modern approach -some of the warped effects and delays he uses are really unique to his sound. I love what he does with the horns on this track, they play a crucial role on the interlude and bridge, as well as the backgrounds during the verse. They come to the forefront on this mix and I couldn’t be happier about that, I was really proud of the lines I wrote for this one so it’s cool to hear them upfront and center.
7. Pulsing Dub
Easy Star founders Lem and Eric introduced us to Yesking and from the very first track I heard, I became a huge fan of his music and production style. We were keen on working with him because he seems to be cut from the same cloth as JBB, taking a really modern approach with fierce originality, but a deep and clear connection to the roots of this music. I love what he gets out of the drum and bass on this track and he lets the bass line speak as the melody of the song. Elliot has always been able to write heavy bass lines that can speak like a melody. As a saxophone player myself, I will selfishly state that the washed out horn breakdown before the steppers outro is one of my favorite moments on the whole album.
8. My Guiding Dub
We have developed a special relationship with Lord Echo and his band The Black Seeds. JBB had the distinct opportunity to do a nationwide tour with them in their home country New Zealand, which was a transformative experience for all of us. Not only was traveling across both islands amazing, but we were blown away by the band night in and night out. They really inspired us to improve as a band. They also came to the U.S. and did a coast-to-coast tour with us, so we have become great friends. They also happen to be one of our favorite bands on the scene and are signed to Easy Star Records. When I approached Mike (Mike Fabulous, A.K.A. Lord Echo) about this project, I knew right off the bat he would offer something completely unique, and that is exactly what he did here. This is not a traditional dub track at all –the original vocal is present throughout the song. Not only that, he stripped away the harmony vocals so you are getting a clear depiction of Elliot’s melody and lyrics. This song is drenched in that classic tape sound of the Roland Space Echo, which is an effect you can here all over this album. I also think some of the drops he did on this track are the most unique on the whole record. He achieves that classic dub sound but you are always surprised by where he is pulling sounds in and out of the mix.
9. Land Of Plenty Dub
Victor [Axelrod, A.K.A. Ticklah] was one of the very first people we approached for this album. It’s a natural fit when you look at his long history with our label Easy Star Records, but I think back to seeing him play keys with Antibalas, which had a big impact on me. He added so much to that group with his improvisations and compositional sense, and when I started to dig in to his productions I quickly realized he is one of my favorite all-around musicians. He brought something really special and unique with “Land Of Plenty Dub” -achieving that balance between using classic dub techniques and tones but applied in a way you’ve never heard before. I think he is one of the most original voices of this music.
10. Gallows Pole Dub
It can’t be overstated how important Dennis Bovell is to us as an artist. He is without a doubt one of our favorite musicians of all time and one of the most important influences on the sound of John Brown’s Body. Having him on this record is beyond belief for us. Enjoy his signature washy hi-hats and guitar chops drenched in reverb and delay and his treatment of the horns. There is a moment near the end of the song that is my favorite moment on the whole album, he pulls everything out of the mix with the exception of the hi-hat. He lets it ride for a few bars solo, and drops the track back in with a horn blast. Masterful.
11. Sweet Undertow Dub
It’s a distinct honor to have Michael G on this album, the musical mind behind all of the Easy Star All-Stars releases on Easy Star. He can be credited with helping to build the label that we have called home for many years. He, along with Lem and Eric, have supported this band over the past decade and are a big reason why we are still playing music today. I really love what he does with this one, another down-tempo song that provides a lot of space for experimentation. His approach is definitely steeped in classic dub techniques.
12. Paint The Sky Dub
Nate Silas Richardson is a former member of JBB who had a huge impact on the band’s sound and live show. He remains a close friend of ours, and along with Dubfader, is a member of 10 Ft. Ganja Plant. We brought him in to play guitar on several tracks for Kings And Queens including this one (“Searchlight”). He was actually responsible for adding the final touches that transformed it from being a good song into a great one. He wrote the guitar riff that rides through the original track. That’s why I felt it would be a perfect fit to have him do this dub mix. Like “Starver,” this is a very progressive song that came out of Elliot’s love of modern electronic music and his desire to bring new sounds into the genre. When I first heard Nate’s mix, I was blown away by the intro, it’s an entirely different tempo and feel than the actual song. When the real groove drops it has that satisfying feeling of disorientation that you would get listening to Tony Allen play drums with Fela Kuti. You think the beat is flipped, but it’s really just you the listener having your brain twisted by the placement of the drums. That’s one of my favorite feelings in music.
Sayers shared background of how each of the new mixes on Kings And Queens In Dub came together. Read on for Sayers’ in depth and detailed review of all 12 newly produced tracks.
1. People In The Light Dub
“Step Inside,” the original vocal version of this song, was the lead single from our last album and a fan favorite. Therefore, it was important to us that we work with someone who really knows our sound and approach. Dubfader has been working with JBB since the beginning and is an integral part of this release with three mixes overall. Just in terms of his skills as an engineer, he knows how to craft incredible tones in the studio and is meticulous about the sound of the drum and bass which is clear on this mix. Those instruments get featured heavily throughout this album, as should any proper nod to the classic dub masters. That sums up the way I feel about this project and about us as a group: a deep respect for the founding artists as students of this music, but knowing that also means we need to forge ahead with our own identity and respect ourselves in the process.
2. Give Up The Ghost Dub
This song gives us the opportunity to feature another side of our guitarist and vocalist Jay “Double Tiger” Spaker. He has had a huge impact on our live show for years and is definitely one of the most talented people I know. He has a deep understanding and respect for reggae music and has been exploring that through his songwriting and as a producer in his own right for a very long time. This was definitely a challenging track to dub as it has a non-traditional feel and that bit of rock/metal influence that makes [frontman] Elliot’s [Martin] songwriting unique. The whole mix builds so nicely towards the steppers feel that drops near the end of the song. I also like that he lets you hear the drum machine that was on the original song but a bit farther back in the mix. It’s near the beginning of the song during the horn interlude, after the first chorus. I believe that drum machine sound was at the crux of Elliot’s original when he was writing it.
3. Worldwide Dub
As I mentioned before, we feel very lucky to have longtime friend and collaborator Craig Welsch (Dubfader) be an integral part of this release. Not only did he produce two of our earliest records, All Time and Among Them, he was also behind our more recent EP JBB In Dub. I think he has a unique and deep understanding of our music and the playing styles of each individual in the band, and that translates really clearly in the mixes he contributed. With “Worldwide Dub,” he goes right to the core of this song, which is the bass line on the verse. I say it often, but I really believe Elliot writes some of the best bass lines in modern reggae and Craig highlights that here, along with the deep pocket drummer Tommy Benedetti and bassist Nate Edgar have. Just like the classic dub mixes we love by the likes of King Tubby or Scientist, it reveals a whole new way of hearing the song you might not have known existed before.
4. Sound And Fury Dub
We have worked with Dubmatix for some time now. He was featured strongly on our EP Re-Amplify, and was responsible for crafting our live version of ”The Gold.” We loved his mix of that song so much that we changed the arrangement and feel so that it reflected his style. We were so grateful to have him on this album -this is the first of two mixes he contributed. JP (Jon Petronzio), our keys player, laid down some Vox organ on the original and that gets highlighted on this mix. I also love the treatment on the hi-hats. I get pumped up every time I listen to this because Dubmatix really hit it out of the park and we couldn’t be happier with his contribution to this album.
5. Seneca Dub
The third of three mixes by Dubfader, this song really highlights our bass player Nate’s feel -this is a love song and at a pretty slow tempo, so to be able to keep that pocket wide and lay back on the beat without slowing down or making it feel too lazy is amazing. The washy reverb on the cross stick really makes this mix for me, that’s something Dubfader has always been able to perfect.
6. Fracture Dub
This is the second of two mixes by Dubmatix. He definitely has a very modern approach -some of the warped effects and delays he uses are really unique to his sound. I love what he does with the horns on this track, they play a crucial role on the interlude and bridge, as well as the backgrounds during the verse. They come to the forefront on this mix and I couldn’t be happier about that, I was really proud of the lines I wrote for this one so it’s cool to hear them upfront and center.
7. Pulsing Dub
Easy Star founders Lem and Eric introduced us to Yesking and from the very first track I heard, I became a huge fan of his music and production style. We were keen on working with him because he seems to be cut from the same cloth as JBB, taking a really modern approach with fierce originality, but a deep and clear connection to the roots of this music. I love what he gets out of the drum and bass on this track and he lets the bass line speak as the melody of the song. Elliot has always been able to write heavy bass lines that can speak like a melody. As a saxophone player myself, I will selfishly state that the washed out horn breakdown before the steppers outro is one of my favorite moments on the whole album.
8. My Guiding Dub
We have developed a special relationship with Lord Echo and his band The Black Seeds. JBB had the distinct opportunity to do a nationwide tour with them in their home country New Zealand, which was a transformative experience for all of us. Not only was traveling across both islands amazing, but we were blown away by the band night in and night out. They really inspired us to improve as a band. They also came to the U.S. and did a coast-to-coast tour with us, so we have become great friends. They also happen to be one of our favorite bands on the scene and are signed to Easy Star Records. When I approached Mike (Mike Fabulous, A.K.A. Lord Echo) about this project, I knew right off the bat he would offer something completely unique, and that is exactly what he did here. This is not a traditional dub track at all –the original vocal is present throughout the song. Not only that, he stripped away the harmony vocals so you are getting a clear depiction of Elliot’s melody and lyrics. This song is drenched in that classic tape sound of the Roland Space Echo, which is an effect you can here all over this album. I also think some of the drops he did on this track are the most unique on the whole record. He achieves that classic dub sound but you are always surprised by where he is pulling sounds in and out of the mix.
9. Land Of Plenty Dub
Victor [Axelrod, A.K.A. Ticklah] was one of the very first people we approached for this album. It’s a natural fit when you look at his long history with our label Easy Star Records, but I think back to seeing him play keys with Antibalas, which had a big impact on me. He added so much to that group with his improvisations and compositional sense, and when I started to dig in to his productions I quickly realized he is one of my favorite all-around musicians. He brought something really special and unique with “Land Of Plenty Dub” -achieving that balance between using classic dub techniques and tones but applied in a way you’ve never heard before. I think he is one of the most original voices of this music.
10. Gallows Pole Dub
It can’t be overstated how important Dennis Bovell is to us as an artist. He is without a doubt one of our favorite musicians of all time and one of the most important influences on the sound of John Brown’s Body. Having him on this record is beyond belief for us. Enjoy his signature washy hi-hats and guitar chops drenched in reverb and delay and his treatment of the horns. There is a moment near the end of the song that is my favorite moment on the whole album, he pulls everything out of the mix with the exception of the hi-hat. He lets it ride for a few bars solo, and drops the track back in with a horn blast. Masterful.
11. Sweet Undertow Dub
It’s a distinct honor to have Michael G on this album, the musical mind behind all of the Easy Star All-Stars releases on Easy Star. He can be credited with helping to build the label that we have called home for many years. He, along with Lem and Eric, have supported this band over the past decade and are a big reason why we are still playing music today. I really love what he does with this one, another down-tempo song that provides a lot of space for experimentation. His approach is definitely steeped in classic dub techniques.
12. Paint The Sky Dub
Nate Silas Richardson is a former member of JBB who had a huge impact on the band’s sound and live show. He remains a close friend of ours, and along with Dubfader, is a member of 10 Ft. Ganja Plant. We brought him in to play guitar on several tracks for Kings And Queens including this one (“Searchlight”). He was actually responsible for adding the final touches that transformed it from being a good song into a great one. He wrote the guitar riff that rides through the original track. That’s why I felt it would be a perfect fit to have him do this dub mix. Like “Starver,” this is a very progressive song that came out of Elliot’s love of modern electronic music and his desire to bring new sounds into the genre. When I first heard Nate’s mix, I was blown away by the intro, it’s an entirely different tempo and feel than the actual song. When the real groove drops it has that satisfying feeling of disorientation that you would get listening to Tony Allen play drums with Fela Kuti. You think the beat is flipped, but it’s really just you the listener having your brain twisted by the placement of the drums. That’s one of my favorite feelings in music.
