I first heard Scientist when John Peel played ‘Your Teeth In My Neck’ from the outstanding 1981 album Rids The World Of The Curse of Evil Vampires. This one track ignited in me a love of dub music that has brough me decades of pleasure from the likes of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, the Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, King Tubby, and many more. I was stunned to read in the press release that Scientist (real name Hopeton Overton Brown) has over 60,000 recordings to his name. He must only get around 4-5 minutes sleep a night under the mixing desk.
This new album Direct-to-Dub brings together musicians from across the London reggae scene, including The Instigators’ rhythm section Mafia (bass) and Fluxy (drums), Creation Rebel guitarist Tony Ruffcut, vocalist Donovan Kingjay, Jah Shaka keyboardist Greg Assing and saxophonist Finn Peters as well as Amsterdam-based trombonist Salvoandrea Lucifora and backing vocalists Alyssa Harrigan and Peace Oluwatobi. Once the studio was set up to Scientist’s specifications – for example He spent hours on the kick drum, rewired the mixing desk’s high pass EQ, brought in two 18” subwoofers, and “had the whole place shaking under the power and clarity of the bass” – the subsequent recordings were cut direct ‘direct-to-lacquer’.
Using this method means a ‘right-first-time’ approach where musicians bring their talent to the studio but place themselves in the hands of Scientist who ‘plays’ the mixing desk as another instrument; knowing when to pluck something out of the mix and hold it, stretch it, or repeat it. There are thunderously reverbed horns, snare cracks that are still echoing off into space as I write, bass and drum kicks that hit the solar plexus hard, and delicious crazy-phasing that warps the very foundations of the record. In the wrong hands dub can turn things to mush like someone has thrown all the effects in a washing machine and hoped for the best but in the hands of a master such as Scientist, knowing when to apply a trickle of effects or when to open up the dub flood gates is an awe-inspiring art form.
Direct-To-Dub is available on the Night Dreamer label to stream, download or on vinyl which also includes a version with a limited-edition photography booklet.
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Review by Paul F Cook
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