Before there was dancehall -- before the rise of
Shabba Ranks, Lieutenant Stitchie,
Bounty Killer,
Cutty Ranks, or
Ninjaman -- there was dubwise. The dubwise toasters of the '70s (
King Tubby,
I-Roy,
U-Roy,
Big Youth,
Ijahman, among others) not only paved the way for modern dancehall, they also had an impact on hip-hop. While toasting isn't the same as rapping, hip-hop pioneers like
Grandmaster Flash and Kool DJ Herc did put their own Americanized spin on dubwise's aesthetic of two turntables and a microphone. In the 21st century, dancehall is much easier to find than dubwise; nonetheless, some artists are doing their part to keep old-school dubwise alive -- and
Improvisators Dub is a prime example.
Super Vocal & Dub Session is a 2004 release, but stylistically, this CD is a throwback to the classic dubwise of the '70s. Jonah Dan and Danny Vibes (the disc's main participants) offer no acknowledgment of dancehall artists like
Shabba Ranks and
Bounty Killer; their '70s-minded approach happily recalls a time when
Big Youth,
King Tubby, and their colleagues reigned supreme on Jamaica's sound systems. However,
Super Vocal & Dub Session wasn't recorded in Kingston or Montego Bay;
Improvisators Dub's members are actually based in France, although they certainly favor a Jamaican sound. When this album is playing, one is reminded how much toasting has changed and evolved over the years; in many cases, today's dancehall is much more harsh, abrasive, and forceful than the sort of old-school dubwise that one hears on this album (which is consistently funky, but never in a harsh or confrontational way).
Super Vocal & Dub Session isn't in a class with the best
King Tubby,
I-Roy, or
Big Youth recordings of the '70s; it is, however, an enjoyable and decent example of what
Improvisators Dub has to offer long after dubwise's heyday. ~ Alex Henderson