In Dub

iTunes Review

Subtitled “The Lost Mixes From King Tubby’s Studio” In Dub features ten incredibly rare dub cuts of tracks that Barrington Levy cut early in his career. Levy first burst onto the scene in the late ‘70s as a singer whose approach blended the classic, soul-inflected sound of singers like Pat Kelly and Horace Andy with a lightning fast delivery that appealed to audiences familiar with the rapid-fire patter of Jamaican DJs. Though Levy’s early sessions were recorded by producer Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes, the cuts featured on In Dub were sent across town to King Tubby’s legendary Waterhouse studio where they were remixed by Tubby, aided by soon-to-be- famous associates like Scientist and Bobby Digital. Though In Dub features a selection of rhythms that ought to be familiar to any reggae fan, Tubby’s takes on standards like “Skylarking” and “Black Heart Man” are unusually minimal, with a marked emphasis on echo-laden percussion. Levy himself is largely absent from these recordings and appears only occasionally as an eerily disembodied voice emerging from the murk of tracks like “Shaolin Temple Dub.” Though fans of Levy’s acrobatic vocals may want to seek out other recordings this set features some of King Tubby’s finest late ‘70s work.