Hyper-grailed early 90s UK dub artifact gets that ‘much needed reissue’ treatment courtesy of Real Rock. And ‘grail’ truly is the operative word here - what the Earthquake Studio boys were doing right out the gate now plays like some ancient totemic sound dragged from the tarpit or a sacred chalice reserved for only the most noble of warriors. Why not both? Hard ‘n’ heavy digidub that’s simultaneously foundational (in every meaning of the word) and future-facing, aping early computer game melodies and allying it with a (potentially) dystopian monochrome sheen that feels well suited to the dread-laced political landscape of the late 80s from which it emerged. It’s the kind of elemental future primitivism that’s shown its influence on all sorts of things, its DNA embedded into a whole host of contemporary records without most even realising, and particularly those early pivotal John T Gast and Dean Blunt productions (‘Farthing Wood Dub’ ftw). Previously a very tricky record to locate. Fret no longer and allow Dub Harder Than Steel its flowers.
FFO: Dean Blunt, John T Gast, SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL, Sheriff Lindo, Jah Warrior
