Track of the Day: ‘Chavale’ by Kerieva, from Dub No Frontiers

“As Adrian and I evolved the Dub No Frontiers project, I chose a Style Scott (RIP) and Sherwood classic rhythm to write ‘Chavale’. The song is in Romanés (Romany) and the lyrics and  violin lines are an uplifting call for emancipation,” says Kerieva McCormick, who is spearheading the Dub No Frontiers project with Sherwood.

Kerieva has been a studio artist with On-U Sound for over a decade, worked with Asian Dub Foundation, and is a multi-instrumentalist, writer/arranger, and singer. Being part of the project from its inception, Kerieva maintained the importance of Dub No Frontiers representing a female warrior stance within the genre.

The results are spectacular: the ten tracks produced by Sherwood, with half co-produced with the late great Lincoln ‘Style’ Scott and arranged by Skip ‘Little Axe’ McDonald, ring out with a vibrancy, richness and energy. From Rita Morar’s ‘Meri Awaaz Suno (Hear My Voice)’, a fragile, beautiful piece sung in Hindi over the Sacred Ground Rhythm and Tunisia’s Neyssatou’s potent take on Bob Marley’s ‘War’ sung in Arabic, to Kerieva’s hypnotic ‘Chavale’ sung in Romany, this is all crucial stuff.

Adrian Sherwood presents Dub No Frontiers is a platform for some of the great international female artists currently operating to unite and celebrate in dub. The album is inspired by and features female vocalists the On-U Sound producer, and brainchild behind the project, knew from the UK or had met while travelling around the world. “Many of the singers said they felt the dub/reggae arena was a male preserve and a little intimidating even, so we decided to invite artists to perform a song of their choice, all in non-English on our rhythm tracks.”

Very much the Renaissance woman, Kerieva is the artistic director and choreographer of KAM-RI Dance Theatre and is currently working on a touring show with Tessa Pollitt from The Slits about Ari-Up’s life as well as writing her own third solo album. She can be heard on numerous On-U releases on violin, double bass, cello, harmonium and vocals, including Sherwood’s 2012 Survival And Resistance album (he calls her the “string wizard.”)

‘Chavale’ by Kerieva is available to stream and download on all digital platforms now. The album ‘Adrian Sherwood presents Dub No Frontiers’ will be released on LP, CD and digital on 22 July.

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