AA.VV.
Trojan Dub Box Set

Three hours of your natural time. Three relaxing hours of marijuana, white rum, and a bit of good glue. The Dub Box Set from Trojan Records is a delightful collection that is the panacea for all ills; a balm you give yourself when you're seriously intending to "take care of your health".

Launched by Island Records in 1967 during the early productions of the legendary Arthur 'Duke' Reid - an authentic guru and prime-mover of the entire Jamaican reggae scene - Trojan Records has become, over the years, the meeting point of Rastafarian musical culture, promoting the artistic talent of newcomers like Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker, Dennis Brown, Judge Dread, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Then inventing itself as the first link between Kingston and London, the label would be responsible for the massive "exportation" and commercialization of the Reggae genre in England, being strongly influential in the development of the 'skinhead' movement – from which it would distance itself following the excessive politicization of the phenomenon - and confirming itself in subsequent decades as the leading brand in the field of vintage Jamaican sound. This Dub Box Set is part of the brilliant reissue operation of the entire archival material distributed in more than fifty different classified sets: an indispensable and precious mine that tells with extreme precision the birth and consolidation of 'Rocksteady' inside and outside Kingston.
Here the word "Dub" stands for a dilation of the reggae genre into essential and pure 'vibe': echoes upon echoes of horns and guitars, basses "inflated" to the max, and a particular emphasis on muffled and muted rhythms. A formidable excursus that brings together heroes and pioneers like King Tubby, Sly & The Revolutionaries, Gregory Isaacs, Tommy Cook, and the Upsetters with surprising minors like Aggrovators, Lloyd All Stars, Scientist, and Jahlights. For the 'followers of the faith' as well as for the neophytes, it will be impossible not to let their sonic orbits revolve around the pulsating heart of this dark-toned reggae, made of strongly reverberated harmonic textures that induce a light hypnosis.

Like all the other magnificent collections from Trojan, this Dub Box Set simply demands to unfold entirely, wrapping the listening experience in an "other" dimension that requires the minimum threshold of attention. Three CDs for a total of 50 inseparable tracks, forming a single wave of sound that rises slowly and softly, swollen with low frequencies that oscillate inside your intestines and at the same time cleanse the mind of bad thoughts.

Marijuana, rum, or whatever - everyone has their favorite mix - because once in a while it's nice to take care of your health...