Bab L’ Bluz KEXP Session
During their North American tour in July 2024, Bab L' Bluz visited the studios of KEXP in Seattle to...
Fri, 25 October 24
Dub Colossus is the vision of Nick Page - aka Dubulah. A prolific composer, guitarist, bass player and programmer, Nick started his music career with Mykaell Riley (Steel Pulse) and has since worked with a long list of notable artists and eccentrics.
In 1990 he formed Transglobal Underground with Tim Whelan and Hammid Man-Tu, and produced, wrote, and played on six albums before leaving in 1997 to form Temple of Sound with Neil Sparkes.
Dubulah first travelled to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in 2006 to collaborate with musicians and explore traditional Azmari styles, 60s Ethiopian pop, Ethiojazz, and 70s Jamaican dub reggae. Once there, he came across some amazingly talented artists — including vocalists Tsedenia Gebremarkos, a fine, soulful performer and highly successful African pop star in her own right, and Sintayehu “Mimi” Zenebe, who runs a nightclub in Addis and has been described as ‘Ethiopia’s Edith Piaf’. He met the extraordinary young pianist Samuel Yirga, veteran saxophonist and jazz exponent Feleke Hailu, and Teremage Woretaw, a traditional Azmari folk singer and player of the one-stringed messenqo violin. Dub Colossus was born.
This may have started out as a studio-based project, but Dub Colossus have proved that they are also a rousing live band, known to transport audiences to the pounding dancehalls of Addis Ababa with their intriguing and exuberant mix of traditional Ethiopian sounds, sturdy reggae rhythms and a modern dub twist.
The second chapter of Dub Colossus is a varied and sophisticated album bolstered by a growing trust and confidence within the band. Recorded mostly in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian contingent play a greater role in the proceedings, though this is still an experimental fusion set, not a straightforward recording of Ethiopian songs.
Dub Colossus collaborate with some of Ethiopia's finest performers. Utilising Azmari and traditional styles as well as the popular singing styles of the 60s and 70s the album seeks to combine the golden years of Ethiopique beats and Ethiojazz with the dub reggae styles of early 70s groups like the Abyssinians and the Mighty Diamonds.
By reworking existing Dub Colossus album cuts and including four previously unreleased tracks, Nick Page – aka Dubulah, takes a more personal approach to the band’s material and delivers a dub-heavy set in the tradition of Joe Gibbs' African Dub series and Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell.
During their North American tour in July 2024, Bab L' Bluz visited the studios of KEXP in Seattle to...
Fri, 25 October 24
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