Dreadzone
Fusing dub, reggae and electronica, Dreadzone entered the lime light in 1995 with their second album, 'Second light' along with a run of successful singles including the unlikely anthem, 'Little Britain', which some ten years on still receives a rapturous cheer when played live. Their third album, 'Biological Radio' (1997), failed to maintain the momentum set by 'Second Light' and combined with a changing music scene in the UK the dubsters were subsequently dropped by Virgin Records. But after a short break of four years Dreadzone returned to form with the release of their forth album, 'Sound' (2001). Another short break ensued until the release of their latest album, 'Once Upon a Time' (2005).
Album: 360 degrees
[CRECD 162 / SCR 474125 2]
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The debut album, 360 Degrees, was released on Creation/Sony Records in '93.
Single: Zion Youth
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Taken from Dreadzone's second album 'Second Light'.
Single: Maximum EP
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Released 1995 on Virgin Records. Not the usual style of Dreadzone. Its hard stomping trance, especially Fight the Power and One way...in fact, its all pretty good! This was released after the earlier single titled Fight the Power, which was released in protest of the Criminal Justice Bill, which is a bit naff compared to the Maximum EP.
Single: Maximum EP Promo
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Promo released 1995 on Virgin Records. Beware if buying a used copy of the Maximum EP CDS - you may end up with the promo instead, which only has a Radio Edit of Fight The Power '95. Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.
Single: Captain Dread
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Released 1995 on Virgin Records. From the Second Light album. Ahoy there, me 'arties, follow me!.... I love this track. Its bouncy and folky an' it's wicked!...*grins*....All of the mixes are good, which makes a change (!), but my favourite remix has got to be the tribal stomp of Walk the Plank - well, its more of a tribal plod really! The Zexos Free Troupe mix provides some soothing vocals as well. Stunning!
Single: Captain Dread Promo
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Promo released 1995 on Virgin Records. This promo CD has the same track listing as the official release apart from a couple of typo's. Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.
Single: Little Britain
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From the Second Light album. An orchestra of violins and flutes, piano's and seagulls (!) provide a drum n bass nutty, uplifting little number. The intro almost sounds medieval! The Eon mix has to be my favourite remix, becoming a housey/military march type thing, while regaining its bounciness.
Single: Life, Love & Unity
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From the Second Light album, this was a limited edition release, not sure why cos its nothing special. The original album mix (a reggae type track), which is not included on this single, remains the better version. The only mix worth a mention is the Disco Dread Mix, which unlike the name suggests, is a steady thump,thump,thump of a track which slowly builds up. Quite fun for playing around with!
Album: Second Light
[CDV 2778 / 7243 8 40526 2 1]
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Released on Virgin Records in '95. An all round superb album that spawned four singles (five including 'One Way' which features on the Maximum EP) and marked Dreadzone at the pinnacle of their career.
Single: Earth Angel
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Released 5/97. This is a bouncy & poppy little number, reminiscent of Captain Dread and hence will probably appeal to a wide audience. William Orbit spaces out the track nicely, converting it into an ambient trance/dub/drum & bass number, which works beautifully, especially with the vocals over it. The Arkarna mix is another dish of Drum 'n Bass, although this mix has a much harder acidic sound, losing its bouncy, happy feel.
Single: Moving On
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Released 7/97. The single edit is a little poppy and girly, whilst the other mixes do this single more justice. The Dread Ahead Mix is a bouncy number, in contrast to the short drum and bassy Asian Dub Foundation and Dogs Deluxe mixes. The Zen or Dead Mix has got to be the best mix - fast and bouncy.
Album: Biological Radio
[CDV 2808 / 7243 8 444408 2 4]
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Dreadzones third album, released on Virgin Records in 1997.
12": Crazy Knowledge
[FLR018]
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Released 2000 on Finger Lickin' Records. A very rare press of two remixes of the excellent 'Crazy Knowledge', released as a prelude to the album 'Sound'. Quality.
Album: Sound
[RLCD04]
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Released July 2001 on RuffLife. After nearly four years absence from the scene, Dreadzone return (hopefully waving two fingers at Virgin Records) with a fantastic new album, coinciding with their first live performance in as many years at the Reading WOMAD Festival July 2001 on both the Whirl-Y-Gig stage and in the Siam tent, both of which were highly energetic performances to packed out audiences, with tracks from this new album backed by a couple of golden oldies including 'Captain Dread' and 'Little Britain'. 'Sound' boasts more than a handful of cracking new tunes, the best of which is their aptly titled opening anthem 'Return of the Dread', accompanied by a range of upbeat rock/dub fusions, ripe with toe tapping rhythms and drum n bass beats. Four years may be a little long to wait, but given the quality of this new album I guess it was worth it.
Promo CD: Believing in it
[DZ-RLSAMPCD-01]
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Released 2001 on Ruff Life Records. Not a bad reworking of the original, the Drumattic remix being the
best and most unique of the three. Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.
CDS: Believing in it
[RLCDM-02]
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Released 2001 on Ruff Life Records. The Drumattic Twins Remix is still the best cut on this single,
although it's good to have the Crazy Knowledge mix that previously only featured on the limited 12". Thanks to Brian Harris for this information.
Album: The Radio One Sessions
[SFRSC0100]
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Released August 2001 on Strange Fruit. Tracks 1-3 recorded for John Peel 23/11/93. Tracks 4-6 recorded for John Peel 21/8/94. Tracks 7-9 recorded live for Mark Radcliffe 19/7/95. Tracks 10-12 recorded live for Mary Anne Hobbs 24/3/97. This is an essential journey through the Dreadzone/Radio One archieves, dating back to their first album, 360 Degrees. The added bonus here though is that the Dreadsters haven't just hand picked a selection of tracks from each album, since tracks 1-4 & 6 are previously unreleased.
Album: Sound
[RLCD04A]
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Released May 03 on RuffLife. This is a re-release of Dreadzone's fantastic last album, 'Sound', with two additional bonus remixes tagged on the end. There's no excuse now if you missed it first time around!
12": Dreadzone - Booty Line
[FB003]
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Released 2005 on Functional Breaks. 'Booty Line' is the first new release from Dreadzone since 2001 and precedes the new album planned for release later this year. It sees Dreadzone explore deeper to the realm of breaks and beats, which is a factor that has been evident in their live/DJ Dreadzone Sound System appearances of late. Expect big and chunky beats mixed in with a hint of the old Dreadzone dub sound.
Album: Once Upon a Time
[FBCD008]
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Released Sept 05 on Functional (a division of Fun Records). Talk about keeping the fans waiting! It’s been another four years since ‘Sound’, but thankfully the wait has been worth it, since this long over-due album more than lives up to its predecessor. The stronger tracks feature in the first half of the CD, with the title track and the cheeky Latin tinged ‘Ska Con Queso’ as obvious standouts (and the latter my personal favourite), whilst the ragga style ‘I Know’ is a real grower. ‘Iron Shirt’ is one of those tongue in cheek moments, which made me raise my eyebrows when I first heard it in one of their live sets a couple of years ago - its a remake of the 70's classic 'I Chase The Devil' by Max Romeo & the Upsetters (& produced by Lee Scratch Perry), which was later sampled heavily by the Prodigy in ‘Out of Space’ (lyrics: I’m sending to outer space). The middle part of the album probably offers the most challenging track, with the chorus vocals on 'Elevate' tipping the balance from what is essentially a cracking uplifting tune into that 'happy-clappy-hallelujah' zone. I'm guessing some may struggle with this track. But its all about pushing the boundaries I guess. The second half of the album is more diverse, delving into hip-hop territory with the likes of 'Here We Go', darker and dubbier vibes with 'The Warriors', whilst the excellent 'Dancehall Priority' returns to more familiar territory. One point to mention is that it appears that there has been an error with the track listing, with ‘The Warriors’ appearing as track 10 on the CD and ‘Here We Go’ as track 9. Someone’s obviously been toking too much. That minor point aside, ‘Once Upon a Time’ is a must have album, especially at the friendly low price of just £9.99. Nice-one Dreadsters.
CDS: Once Upon a Time (In Jamaica)
[FBCDS035]
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Released Sept 05 on Functional (a division of Fun Records). Additional remix and production on track 2 by Dreadzone, on track 3 by D. Farington and on track 4 by G.Roberts and B. Balafonic. The first single from Dreadzones fifth album is the title track, 'Once Upon a Time (In Jamaica)'. It's a killer tune that epitimises the Dreadzone sound, fusing their trademark dubby breaks with crisp & livey brass, mysterious middle-eastern melody and catchy lyrics from Earl 16. Upbeat, funky and uplifting is the order of the day. The three remixes on offer are all quality, ranging from the darker King at the Control Mix, where Earl 16's vocals are switched for a phat bass-line and echoe-y stabs and fx, to Brothers Bud superb remix which cranks up the pace, focussing more on the vocals and melody. Finally, Mafia Tone (Greg and Ben's production pseudonym) dip the pace, crank up the sub-bass, chop up both Earl's main vocals and the melody, and add in extra ragga style MC vocals. All in all a top package of remixes - essential. Thanks to Tom at Functional for the promo copy of this single.
12": Once Upon a Time (In Jamaica)
[FB035]
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Released Sept 05 on Functional (a division of Fun Records). Additional remix and production on track 1 by Dreadzone and on track 2 by D. Farington. See above for review. Thanks to Tom at Functional for the promo copy of this vinyl.
12": King Dub Rock (in the Party)
[FB037]
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Released 11/05 on Functional (a division of Fun Records). Written & produced by G. Roberts, B. Balafonic & S. Roberts. Additional remix and production on track 2 by T. Jenkins & B. Medcalf. 'King Dub Rock' is the second vinyl to be taken from the 'Once Upon a Time' album, featuring here in the forms of one spanking new mix from Tom Real & the Rogue Element and one not-so-new mix from Dreadzone (this version of King Dub Rock first appeared as the opening track on their Beatz n Bobs Vol.4 compilation and was credited as 'In the Party' by Mafia Tone).
The best of the two mixes on offer here is definitely Dreadzones own, with their now trademark ska infected breaks and crispy horns topped with some in-your-face MC'ing (Are you ready? In the party! How we feeling?) and polished with plenty of crowd cheering samples for maximum effect. Its a lively crowd pleaser and peak party tune that is guaranteed to hit the mark every time. Incidentally, I doubt the MC'ing can be credited to either Earl 16 or Spee, since sample spotters and Whirl-Y-Gig regulars alike will instantly recognise the 'Are You Ready..." sample as that also used in the 1999 Bassbumpers remix of Chocolates 'Ritmo De La Noche'.
On the flip Tom Real & Rogue Element (High Noon, Just Bash Out) beef up the bassline, although they opt for a somewhat unexpected sluggish tempo (I say "unexpected" since these producers are better known for their peak time breaks) and an overall phatter electro sound. The net effect is a loss of the infectious party vibe instilled by the Dreadzone mix - i'm not sure what dancefloor this is aimed at but its darker and moodier than those i'm used to. Stick to the Dreadzone mix and you can't go wrong.
12": Elevate
[FB039]
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Released 3/06 on Functional (a division of Fun Records). Written & produced by G. Roberts, B. Balafonic, S. Roberts & S. Graham. Additional remix and production on track 2 by Chris Carter & JHz. The album version of 'Elevate' was one track that I have to admit that I struggled with; The underlying breakbeat tune with all the hallmarks of Dreadzone worked a treat, but then the chorus of the main vocal kicked in and simply tipped it over the edge. So when this vinyl appeared I was somewhat hesitant and dubious as to what the remixes contained.
Fear not. This vinyl features two killer remixes which quite literally elevate (ouch) this tune to new levels. As with the previous two vinyl releases ('Once Upon a Time in Jamaica' and 'King Dub Rock (in the Party)') the emphasis is purely breakbeat, and more so here. The Mafiatone Mix (Dreadzones alter egos) is the lighter of the two mixes, stripping away all unnecessary baggage and delivers a no-nonsense, electrified breaks-does-gospel affair. This is more of a complete rewrite than remix. On the flip Roxiller follow the same formula, significantly toughening up the beats and electro sound in the process. Both cuts definitely get the thumbs up from me.
12": Lion Shirt
[FB042]
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Released 6/06 on Functional (a division of Fun Records). Written & produced by G. Roberts, B. Balafonic, S. Roberts, S. Graham, M. Romeo & L. Perry. Additional remix and production on track 1 by C. Loben & B. Borez. I guess Dreadzone can be forgiven for this cheeky rendition of their album track 'Iron Shirt', which in turn is a remake of the 70's classic 'I Chase The Devil' by Max Romeo & the Upsetters (produced by Lee Scratch Perry). Released to coincide with the 2006 World Cup, the subtle play on words pay tribute to Englands involvement in the tournament and, as football related tracks go, this is one of the more palatable numbers. The Drum Monkey Mix is the best of the bunch, stripping away most of the lyrics and focusing on the funky breaks. Just don't take it too seriously!
Other Info:
For further information on Dreadzone see the Dreadzone Web site
