Dub Colossus announce new remix EP, A Spy In The House of Dub

Dub Colossus released their debut album A Town Called Addis in 2008, which was inspired by meeting, writing and working with Ethiopian singers and musicians in Addis Ababa in August 2006. The collaboration between Dub Colossus and these amazing musicians covers Azmari and traditional styles as well as the popular singing styles of the 60s and 70s.

The follow up, Addis Through The Looking Glass, was released on Real World Records in 2011. A more varied and sophisticated album that moved the music on —with the Ethiopian contingent playing a greater role in the proceedings. It’s still an experimental fusion set, not a straightforward recording of Ethiopian songs, but the successes of the previous two years of touring led to growing trust and confidence in the band.

2012 saw another change of tack, with the release of Dub Me Tender Vols 1 & 2: A dub-heavy album, reworking some existing Dub Colossus album tracks alongside new material. This album subsequently went on to win a Songlines Music Award for Best Cross Cultural Collaboration.

2014’s Addis To Omega is more of a UK/Jamaican affair, reflecting the times and events happening locally and globally, the impact they are having on us all… social, political and economic. Musically, this is the spirit of The Specials seen through a Funkadelic lens, with a sprinkling of psychedelic dub on Forbidden Planet.

While experimenting with different live band formats, the Dub Colossus Soundsystem was born, and saw the band reworking some of the earlier tracks and mixing them up with newer material. This show always got a great reaction, hence the decision to release some of the versions that were played live in this format.

In 2018, after a hiatus for a couple of years, the band has decided to both move on and explore its roots with the formation of another new line up, which incorporates the Ethiopian singing of Mimi Zenebe, one of the original members who sang on the opening number of the first album, with more London centric sounds of jazz and dub, which can be heard on the new tracks.

Dub Colossus will be taking to the road in their new 5 piece format in 2019 featuring the prodigious talents of the likes of Robert Mitchell and Oli Savill alongside Mimi’s stunning vocals.

A Spy In The House Of Dub will be available as a digital EP on 30 November via Real World Records, and on vinyl shortly after. Ahead of the release, ‘Guragigna (Soundsystem Version)’ is now available to stream/download.