Music Reviews

DJ Shawn Francis

Dub Life

Shadow

After some 30 years in existence, dub has more faces than Eve. Having traveled all around the world and been used for everything from dancing to meditating to just plain chilling, the genre created and mastered by geniuses like King Tubby and Augustus Pablo would hardly recognize itself today. However, even with all the changes, dub remains some of the best stuff out there. And Dub Life is no exception. DJ Shawn Francis has mixed together some of the world’s (and Shadow’s) best downtempo artists for a thoroughly enjoyable after-set set.

Though the disc is dominated by such downtempo acts as Hybrid Device, Saru, and Sub Oslo, Dub Life surprisingly does not have the genre’s usual menace and dark textures while still maintaining that heavy bassline. Instead, this disc seems like an exhalation, an aural massage that relaxes you with its jazzy undertones. This is a breezy, seductive groove that puts a genuine smile on your face.

Shadow Records: http://www.shadowrecords.com


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