Glynn Bigga Bush
Rockers HiFi (nee Original Rockers)
Glyn "Bigga" Bush and Richard "DJ Dick" Whittingham
defied categorisation with their warm and bass-heavy mix of dub, beats and
house. In an era when every new style is so quickly submerged in the melting
pot of modern music, it was good to hear something with its own unique sound,
holding its head above the swirling waters of style clashes and mismatches.
ROCKERS TO ROCKERS
Anyone who was clubbing in the early 90s will remember Push Push, a seminal
fusion of raw subsonics and epic roots vocal; or funky foray, What A Life,
with its whispering rap and un-braggadocio lyrics.
Purveyors of the finest dub basslines and deep atmospherics on their own
Different Drummer label and later released on Island Records - the logical
home for some of the most dubwise music not actually recorded in Jamaica.
MISH MASH
After extensive European touring, the duo - augmented by larger than life
MC Farda P and an hallucinogenic lightshow - built up a massive following
that was reflected in the success of their second album, Mish Mash.
True to its title, Mish Mash was a collection of diverse styles and grooves,
the Rockers at their most experimental. Drum & bass, film soundtracks,
slo-mo grooves and the inevitable subterranean bassquakes made this album
a must have and helped introduce the world to the finely-honed lyrics and
unmistakable voice of UK rapperPhoebe One.
DJ KICKS
Staying true to their sound-system roots, Rockers Hi-Fi were prolific in
their production of mix tapes which incorporate live DJing, hatting, toasting
and mixing-desk mayhem.
Along with Kruder and Dorfmeister - whom they hold in deep and mutual respect,
and who added their own brand of magic to the remix of Going Under from
MishMash, - this was one of the best selling albums in the DJ Kicks series.
OVERPROOF
The Rockers mission for Overproof was simple: to return to the deep, dub-flavoured
atmospherics and above all SOUL of Rockers to Rockers.
VocalistTweed provided bittersweet rootsical singing and conscious lyrics,
adding a new dimension to the Rockerssound, a sense of structure to their
hypnotic grooves and the articulation of their affinity to the culture of
dub.
Once again Farda P added his own particular brand of ruffness on the disco-flavoured
Transmission Centraland a new take on the early house classic 7 Ways (To
Make You Jack) originally by Marshall Jefferson. The result is a distillation
of what the Rockers had been working on for the best part of the nineties.
"Why should we be in so much haste to succeed, and in such desperate
enterprises. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it
is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which
he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau
Taking his name from a phrase that appeared in an interview with Lee Perry, Lightning Head refers to the idea of inspiration and not, for those of you that were wondering, some freakish meteorological accident. El Head as he is sometimes known, is ex Rockers Hi-Fi main man, Glyn Bush and Studio Don is the first offering under the new moniker. Fusing latin, samba, reggae, dub and house, this wonderfully international record is made all the more surprising by the fact that it has been made by one young man living and working in Dorset.
By his own admission, the self-congratulatory title is actually a play on words based on the legendary Studio One in Kingston. Like the familiar Jamaican sound of the seventies, Dorset's finest has its own set of sonic anchors: guitar, drums, bass, Hammond organ, clavinet and monosynth. That said, the El Head sound is embellished time and again with steel pan percussion, the odd echo-meter or reverberator and various bits of machinery that go boing.
The funky dancehall break "Me and Me Princess" was the track that started Mr Bush's new musical journey way back when. This is a beautiful in its simplicity and a perfect illustration of how few components in the right hands can become supremely catchy. The pure party vibe on "Superfunky Bird" sees Colliston White on mic detail and puts things on an Afro house tip.
In keeping with reggae tradition Studio Don has a couple of cover versions on it. Jean Jacques Perreys "E.V.A." is reworked in a dub steel orchestra style whist "Steelsation", a reworking of the Saturday Night Fever classic, also receives Caribbean treatment. The personal favourite has to be the drifting and gentle dub workout "Step On Out" with Monterria's emotive vocals giving the soul a good old stir. Bush is gifted producer and its no wonder that he has the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kruder and Dorfmeister, Ross Allen and Ashley Beedle singing his praises. Studio Don is a truly global affair and the mark of a musician who is engaged, informed and impassioned enough to go out on a limb for us all. We suspect that Mr Bush might be a very nice man too!
Reviewer: Andy Puleston
Read other people's comments then tell us what you think:
Simon, Wrexham
"Another great piece of music from Glyn Bush. I've had the 7" of Me & Me Princess for ages and had been wondering what had become of the whole Lightning Head concept. The album itself covers all ranges of dub and salsa and makes perfect the fusion between the two in a nice way. It's a bit like King Tubby crashing head on into a Steel Band".
The Golden Maverick, Dublin, Ireland.
Mixes available special request.
Copyright © 2006 The Treatment