Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
The Wire -
Catching the great Ernest Ranglin playing live a few times over the past few years has certainly been one of my reggae highlights, especially his improvisatory versioning of classic tunes from his ‘Below the Bassline’ album. I just wonder if the excellent Dub Trio took old Ernie as inspiration? They are Joe Tomino on drums and melodica, Stu Brooks on bass and keyboards and DP Holmes on guitar and keyboards. This acoustic-based live dub band out of New York City reminded me so much of the Necks in the Echo Chamber even before I notice the first track on their debut CD was entitled ‘Drive By Dub’. Before becoming Dub Trio the band played club gigs at the Knitting Factory, Tonic, NuBlu and elsewhere around the Tri-State area billed as a nameless band performing live dub, when people began referring to them as the "Dub Trio" the name just stuck. Prosaic but strangely apt for these three instrumentalists who record "live" dub in real-time, direct to tape with few overdubs fusing electronic, rock, and jazz techniques – in all languages this music simply rocks. The album is a mix of studio and live tracks – I assume they wanted to cement their live rep – and reveals an astonishing maturity belying their recent emergence, any doubters should start with ‘Awakening Dub’ made up from liberal quotes from classic JA tunes.
- The Wire
These three New Yorkers obviously know a thing or two about authentic dub. The thing that's missing from so much modern dub is the heart, which was always the groove laid down by the bass and drums. It's certainly not missing from Dub Trio's music. Stu Brooks (bass) and Joe Tomino (drums) are masters of the hypnotic groove, and even when they take a minimalist approach there's all kinds of room for guitarist D.P. Holmes to run and play. Holmes is an extremely melodic player who can also churn out great atmospherics, sometimes right off the end of a solo. All three are into this music at all levels, playing keyboards and remixing in the studio, and they even play with the mixes live. I'm not exactly sure how that works on a mechanical level, but the final three tracks of Exploring the Dangers are un-retouched live recordings that prove this band's skills and should make you quite anxious to witness a show for yourself. And you've gotta love anyone who names a song "Fur Boots on the Party Moose." - www.cosmik.com
Discography
Dub Trio - Exploring the Dangers of (ROIR) 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Dub Trio's music is redefining a tradition. Since its conception in Jamaica thirty years ago, Dub music has primarily been regarded as a studio-based music. ("Dub" is generally considered the origin of the modern-day "remix." i.e., adding effects, samples, and reconstructing original material.) Dub Trio is unique in that they perform complicated studio techniques LIVE with band members playing multiple instruments, manipulating samples, and triggering effects all in real time.
Audiences have repeatedly marveled at Dub Trio's singular blend of technical savvy and pure musicality. Their live shows are charged, visceral encounters. Moreover, Dub Trio breaks down long standing cultural stereotypes that exclusively associate Dub with Rastafarians and African Americans. Dub Trio's music supersedes this racial typecast, showcasing instead their passion for the music and its traditions.
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