Jazz Articles

African Head Charge: Shrunken Head

by AAJ Staff
July 25, 2003

With more than ten records over the last 23 years, African Head Charge has amassed an impressive (albeit sometimes uneven) discography. The group has undergone plenty of changes since its 1981 debut, but all seem guided by a common respect for twisting Jamaican and African tradition asunder. The influence of deviant dub producer Adrian Sherwood pervades the series, though it's hard to pin down his contributions precisely. (That's really the point of being a producer, if you ask me.) None ...

Various Artists: Chainstore Massacre

by AAJ Staff
December 9, 2002

The genre of dub has become a dumping ground for bad musicians. After all, how hard can it be to render deep bass, reverberant melody lines, and echoing synth backgrounds? (The answer: not real hard. Especially when you have a computer doing it for you.) Too many stoners have bumped into dub and rendered their shallow thoughts.

This compilation from ON-U Sound presents ample evidence that dub is indeed alive and well. In the right hands, it can ...