Ryan Moore's bedroom dub albums have taken him far beyond any of theacclaim and recognition of his stint as the bassist for the LegendaryPink Dots, garnering almost unanimous critical praise. Twilight CircusDub Sound System succeeds because of its deceptive simplicity; themusic seems to be an alarmingly precise and studied recreation of theoriginal, groundbreaking 1970s dub by progenitors King Tubby and LeePerry. The warm, organic textures, the unashamedly melodic basslines,the deliberately messy live instrumentation and atmposphere arecompletely without peer on the current scene, dominated byboundary-pushing German artists such as Pole and Rhythm & Sound,who often surgically excise reggae's soul in their clinical pursuit ofpost-dub experimentalism. All of Moore's albums up to this point havebeen exclusively instrumental dub, using a minimal palette to portrayhis signature sound. After eight or so albums however, this limitingformula would have become repetitive to all but the most hardcoreclassic dub fans. Foundation Rockerstakes a deliberate step into new waters — a collection of vocal dubs bya number of great Jamaican vocalists with full horn sections andtop-notch production. I am happy to report that the album is abeautiful accomplishment — a warm, wet, nuanced album that is entirelyredolent of classic dub productions, but with a creative edge thatkeeps it from becoming a retro exercise. The legendary Big Youthcontributes the de rigeur antiwar vocals on "Love Is What We Need," amellow, vibe-y song that gets even better after it's been dipped intothe Amsterdam bongwater on "Dub Is What We Need." Luciano's laments forpeace and unity float alongside Moore's gloriously rocksteady rhythmsand vibratory bassline on "What We Got To Do." "Alpha Skank" in aninstrumental track spotlighting the talents of the Might Three Hornsbrass section that lend their considerable talents to the whole album.Every track is a winner here, but Mykal Rose's particularly hauntingcrooning on "No Burial," as well as Moore's heartbreaking guitar fills,push the song to the top of the heap. Foundation Rockers is anextraordinarily lovely album of reverential dub reggae that exceedsexpectations and delivers on the promises of Moore's back catalog.Read More
