Anarchist Emma Goldman said, "If I can't dance, it's not my revolution." This sentiment lies at the core of
Community Music. At the intersection of dub, punk, funk, reggae, dancehall, Bollywood, and political polemic, you'll find
Asian Dub Foundation. And you most certainly can dance to it.
Community Music is thick with speaking "Truth to Power", while
ADF storms the Bastille with an awe-inspiring musical ferocity and their crystalline political vision. The first half of
Community Music is fierce and unrelenting in its musical influences, construction, and politics. From the thunderous opening cut, "Real Great Britain," we are left in no uncertain terms with where the politics of
ADF lie or how passionately they hold them. Sharp observations on the current state of capitalism, politics, and race in Britain form the focal point of the CD. The blistering exposé of police incompetence on "Officer XX" refers to the botched Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry, set to a simple guitar and drum pattern. The stirring dub/electronic account of how second-generation immigrants to Britain have emerged both influenced and, in turn, influencing Cool Britannia on "New Way, New Life" make it one of their strongest songs to date. On the opposite side of the same coin, "Memory War" illustrates that the immigrant communities are not a new form of British citizenry, and their contributions must be included in the official histories of the island. The second half slows the pace gradually, stretching the musical genres further and encouraging dancing. "Crash" is a didactic dub reggae dance groove critique of global capitalism which blazes out in a frenzy of jungle drums and punk guitar. As an ode to
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan -- a seminal figure in the emergence of "Eastern" music to Western ears and one given a much-deserved shout-out by
ADF (the piece "Taa Deem" has appeared in a slightly different version on Star Rise: a remix collection of
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's material by a who's who of contemporary British Asian musicians). The shuffling dance grooves and rap of "Rebel Warrior" call to mind the
Stereo MC's. A further illustration of their politics, if needed, is provided by Assata Shakur, who is invited to give a personal account of her revolutionary beliefs that to "struggle because committed to life" is a necessary objective.
Community Music ends with an expansive electronic dub coda. As "England's new voice," calling for intellectual self-defence and self- awareness,
ADF represents the potential future.
Community Music should be in every thinking person's collection, directly between
the Clash and
Public Enemy. [Labels released the album in the E.U., with different artwork but without any bonus material.] ~ Chris Grimshaw