This set of Al Brown dub mixes by Paolo ‘DubFiles’ Baldini was a project that Pressure Sounds had been itching to tackle for some time. They finally got around to starting on the mixes during the lockdown period, when everyone had a little more time and headspace!! Thirteen tracks on the CD and eight tracks on the single vinyl LP.
Al Brown is a fine Jamaican singer who came closest to troubling the UK charts with his Al Green cover version ‘Here I Am Baby.’ In the early 1980’s he recorded a beautiful album, backed by Inner Force, which was inexplicably never released, and thought to be lost forever. When Al Brown’s original multi-track tapes were miraculously discovered, he handed them over to Pressure Sounds, who had them restored and beautifully mixed by Paolo ‘DubFiles’ Baldini, with a sympathetic blend of overdubs on top of the original backing tracks.
These dubbed-out mixes are firmly in the roots reggae tradition of classic Jamaican recordings from the 70s, blended with the tastefully restrained modern studio techniques of today. Tracks range from the heavy dubs of ‘Ghetto Situation’ and ‘Dub Me Again’, to the funkier ‘Liquid Dream’, featuring Toike Mitsuhiro from Japan on vibraphone. The feel is modern retro!!
Baldini explains how his mixes combine modern and older techniques, but are always urgent and raw as he mixes his dubs live in a single take. “In terms of the equipment I tried to have a ‘conservative’ approach and stay with a mixing desk and analogue outboard that were consistent with the original recordings. So we had a pleasant alternation between the tradition of analog effects (tapes and springs...) and the nascent digital technology that began to establish itself in Jamaica from 1986.” Working from his Alambic Conspiracy Studio, which is stuffed with an eye-watering selection of vintage and modern audio gear, Paulo ‘Dubfiles’ Baldini has used ancient lost tapes to create a beautifully crafted modern classic. Five extra tracks on the CD and a single vinyl lp. We are excited about this release!!
Tracklist
A1. Dub Me Again
A2. Dub Of Books
A3. Ghetto Situation
A4. Liquid Dub Part 1
B1. Hungry Dub Part 1
B2. Poor And Simple Version
B3. Family Version
B4. Ghetto Love Part 1
Credits
Bass Guitar - Pierre "FM" Stone
Bass [Additional] - Paolo Baldini
Drums - Paul "Paulie" Stone
Guitar [Additional] - Matteo Da Ros
Keyboards - Paul "Paulie" Stone, Robbie Lyn
Keyboards [Additional], Vibraphone - Toike Mitsuhiro
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar - Samuel "Sammy" Garraway
Mixed by Paolo Baldini DubFiles
Organ [Additional], Piano - Flavio Passons
Rhythm Guitar - Tomlin "Tommy" Mills
Saxophone - Dean Fraser
Vocals - Karen "Kae Dee" Downia (tracks: Karen Downie)
