Various (Scientist, Mala, Guido, Shakleton, Kode 9) - Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space! (Vinyl LP box set, CD)

Tectonic's most ambitious project to date, in which the influence of dub comes full circle, ‘Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space!’ sees legendary dub engineer Scientist version 12 exclusive and unreleased dubstep rhythms from the scene’s top producers, including Kode9, Shackleton, Pinch and Mala. It's a vital and unprecedented move for dubstep; one year in the making, uniting roots and futurism in visionary style. In archetypal fashion, Scientist puts decades of tactile, hands-on experience to work, deftly transforming the killer originals - many composed specifically for this project -  into living, breathing dub music with his most sacred of black arts. The effect is most radical when he reviews the ultra-modern surfaces of Guido's 'Korg Back' or Pinch and Emika's prescient stepper '2012', realigning the dance's depth perception with the skill of an electro-acoustic mastermind. No less, when working with vocalists such as Dokkebi Q's Hitomi and poet Roger Robinson on King Midas Sound's 'U' or the dread vibes of Spaceape on Kode9's 'Abeng', he enhances their duppy potential tenfold. Perhaps most spooky of all is his version of Shackleton's 'Hackney Marshes', morphing the original's Nyabinghi-like percussion into a subtly spiritual and psychoactive slab of riddim minimalism. However, for many the highlights will be the dreadnaught overhauls of Mala DMZ's bassbin punishing 'City Cycle', and Loefah & Sgt. Pokes' 'Dog Money' respectively, realising many dub-fiend's most feverish dreams in ultra-heavyweight fashion. Add to these the energetic afro-house roll of Jack Sparrow, RSD’s cultured roots, ominous cone-testing from Armour (aka Roly Vex’d), Distance’s swelling atmospheres, and Cyrus Random Trio’s modernist update of broken-beats, and the result is a session that does as much to survey the contemporary map of bass ordnance as it does to provide a fertile source text for Scientist’s first new studio project in the thick end of ten years. Hopeton Brown aka Scientist is one of Jamaica's most revered dub engineers. His career behind the mixing desk began in the mid '70s at King Tubby's Dromilly Road studios in Kingston earned him the “Scientist” tag in a legendary conversation between Bunny Lee and King Tubby. By the early '80s he was working at Tuff Gong studios and it was during this period that he created his seminal series of albums for Greensleeves including 'Scientist Rids The World Of The Curse Of The Evil Vampires' and 'Scientist Wins The World Cup'. In the tradition of Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, and Prince Jammy, Scientist developed a distinct and unmistakable style, manipulating reverb, delay and filters to create transient sonic dimensions which places him as one of the most distinguished dub engineers alive today. With the advent of dubstep in the early '00s and its subsequent entry to international consciousness, Scientist's influence has never been more pertinent. From its genesis in sweaty, bass-loaded backroom sessions of South and East London to mainstream chart status, dubstep has come to define the cutting edge of dance music while still adhering to the deeply rooted principles of bass and space laid out by the original dub auteurs. Creating an optimized, tactile experience with emphasis on physical bass weight and immersive psychoacoustics is an aesthetic clearly shared by the original Jamaican engineers and the vanguard of contemporary dubstep. ‘Scientist Launches Dubstep Into Outer Space!’ will be available initially as a monumental 24 track double CD, containing separate discs of original cuts and Scientist versions, plus a strictly limited 4LP set of the 12 dubstep productions. This will be followed in early 2011 with a double-vinyl edition of Scientist’s dubs. Press & radio reaction is already immense, with too many features & reviews confirmed to list here without looking greedy. Suffice it to say : you will be reading about this records in glowing terms time and again before the year is out.

Tracklisting:

(ORIGINAL MATERIAL)   

1. Pinch & Emika – 2012, 2. Armour (Roly Vex’d) – The Long Way, 3. Guido – Korg Back, 4. Shackleton – Hackney Marshes, 5. King Midas Sound – U, 6. ASBO (Loefah & Sgt Pokes) – DogMoney (Lovemix), 7. Distance – Ill Kontent, 8. RSD ft Prince Jamo – After All, 9. Jack Sparrow – Red Sand, 10. Mala (Digital Mystikz) – City Cycle,   11. Cyrus (Random Trio) – Footsteps, 12. Kode9 & Spaceape – Abeng

(SCIENTIST MIXES)  

1. Scientist vs Pinch & Emika – 2012 Dub, 2. Scientist vs Armour (Roly Vex’d) – The Long Way Dub, 3. Scientist vs Guido – Korg Back Dub, 4. Scientist vs Shackleton – Marshes Dub, 5. Scientist vs King Midas Sound – U Dub Part 2, 6. Scientist vs ASBO (Loefah & SGT Pokes) – DogMoney Dub, 7. Scientist vs Distance – Ill Kontent Dub, 8. Scientist vs RSD ft Prince Jamo – After All Dub, 9. Scientist vs Jack Sparrow – Red Sand Dub, 10. Scientist vs Mala (Digital Mystikz) – City Cycle Dub, 11. Scientist vs Cyrus (Random Trio) - Footsteps Dub, 12. Scientist vs Kode9 & Spaceape – Abeng Dub

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