Explorations in Dub Vol.2 / Lockdown Dub

The first Explorations In Dub compilation was released back in year 2013, showcasing the works of many artists from around the world and their personal approach on dub music. In the present time of  COVID-19, most producers have been in a lockdown. Nevertheless their  creativity did not stop and some fresh ideas started to sprout while in isolation. So it was time, seven years later, for a Vol. 2, showcasing again many great outernational projects.
 
Explorations in Dub Vol. 2 is compiled by Dub Cmd & Dub Thomas and includes fifteen tracks by label artists, guests and friends, in a collaborative effort to keep producing music during the COVID-19 lockdown situation: Dillon Wyte (USA), Deepke & Wirk (GER), Boom One Soundsystem (USA), O.L.M. (ITA), Dub Cmd (UK), iGL & Alecho (GR), SistaSara (ITA), Stefanosis (USA), Don Fe All Stars & Manwel T (SP/MT)*, High & I (UK), Barnaba (PL ), Sub Conscious Dub (CY)**, Hermit Dubz (CY/UK), Xicury Dub & Rocka (MEX) and Xucar Warriors (SP). Artwork by Savvas Thomas & Gabriel Ufir

01 Dillon Wyte – Trust In Jah / 02 Deepke & Wirk - Svadhyaya / 03 Boom One Soundsystem ft. B. Davis - Bully Bully / 04 OLM – Sit & Wait / 05 Dub Cmd – Fire / 06 iGL & Alecho - Time Capsule / 07 SistaSara - Future Stepper / 08 Stefanosis - Atlas Shrugged / 09 Don Fe All Stars - No Fear (Manwel T Mix)*  / 10 High & I – Vampires Dub / 11 Barnaba – You / 12 Sub Conscious Dub - Admission Dub** / 13 Hermit Dubz - Arrakeen II / 14 Xicury Dub & Rocka – Shakti / 15 Xucar Warriors - Lion Step

 

* musicians T. Oldfield, Paul Maiden, Tina Brown, Ras Bruno, Platty Garcia, Hector Silva - mix by ManwelT
**  Don Fe Stems Patreon project / produced by T. Oldfield – mix by Subconscious Dub 

LOCKDOWNDUB WEEKENDER II / LIVE STREAMING

All ready to Time for the 2nd Lockdown Dub Weekender 🙏  Check out the schedule and join us in the chat // We will try to be on time but since this is an outernational streaming event, sometimes there may be delays with the connection 💛💚❤️

🙏🔥👊 
▶️  WATCH ALL THE VIDEOS

SAT 2ND MAY 2020 (UK TIME) 
MORNING GREETINGS FROM STEFANOSIS (USA)
14:00 ROOTS FAR-I (JP)
16:00 DUB THOMAS (CY)
17:00 SIS ORI KING LION (SP)
18:00 IGL & ALECHO (GR)
18:30 MURJAH WARRIORS (ITA)
(Special multistream broadcast from three different places)
20:00 THE DUBBSTYLE (ARG)
21:00 SUB CONSCIOUS DUB (CY)

SUN 3RD MAY 2020 (UK TIME)
14:00 SISTER MAKI (JP)
15:00 3000 WORLDS (JP) / DUB MIXING
16:00 GOOD OVER EVIL PR. (SP)
17:00 DUB CMD (UK) / YOUTUBE STREAMING
18:00 HERMIT DUBZ (UK) / DUB MIXING
19:00 KIKI SLAWTER (UK)
20:00 REBEL-I (PE)
21:30 MUNAY KI DUB (ARG)

Reggae Sunjam Cyprus - What you need to know

The second Reggae Sunjam Music Festival is being held this weekend, on the 12^th and 13th at Paradise Place Music Bar, in Pomos, Paphos. It is organized byl Dubophonic, the independent production team Easy Going Productions and Suzie Selecta. A few days before we give you the Festival guide:

The location
The Festival takes place in the village of Pomos, east of Polis in Paphos. The music bar Paradise Place is located just before the village entrance, on a hill overlooking the sea. Here you can enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets in Cyprus and swim in a hidden beach at the foot of the Paphos forest! The bar offers a relaxed and beautiful atmosphere while the wider area is full of magical beaches and beautiful mountain paths!
 

The music program
23 hours of Roots, Reggae, Dub, Steppers and Dancehall music by renowned artists and DJs!

The Top Acts
At the Festival this year, you will see Professor Skank, by far the most well-known Greek dub producer. He will be performing an exclusive live set with live dub mix and great selection on stage. Born and raised in Greece in 1977, he experimented with the genre at a really young age of 14 on a 4-track recorder in the early 90’s. Meeting Mad Professor was a turning point for him. He discovered his talent and initiated him into the secrets of dub music. In the following years this collaboration allowed him to use the legendary Ariwa Studios and work with great artists like Max Romeo, Zion Train, Brinsley Ford Aswad, Love Grocer, Earl16, Vibronics, Afrikan Simba, Dreadzone and many other. Based in his studio, he keeps on producing music, releasing vinyls and remixing tunes international labels (among them our own Dubophonic) presenting his music all around the world.

You will also have the chance to enjoy the vibes of musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer Jammaroots for the first time in Cyprus. She will be performing a live acoustic session on the guitar singing her own songs and cover versions plus a special session with Mrs HCN on the decks! With her very particular voice, Jammaroots mixes her musical influences creating a peculiar musical blend, based on reggae with a scent of soul, dub and lots of improvisations. She has performed in various live stages and festivals as opening act for The Wailers, Horace Andy, Matic Horns, Earl ''china'' Smith and many more. She has also many studio collaborations, amongst others with Blend Mishkin and Vlastur, performs with her band The Oscillators as well as with Full Circle, collaborated with dj's and mc's ina roots and culture style, sings with Steffanaty and of course writes her own music, some of which we will have the pleasure to listen during the festival.

 
The Producers and DJs
This year you will have the opportunity to listen to two Cypriot artists who live and work abroad.

King of Eye who resides in the UK:  a dub artist with a passion for old & new technology, remixing sounds, visuals and filling the space with music and positive vibes. Moved to the UK from Cyprus in 1996 to study Animation and Film and got involved with event-organising under the name "Visual Vinyl" alongside people like Sattaman (Real Roots ) and performing under the name Kingofeye and Dub Theatre alongside I-Jay and Izzi Philo. The ongoing love affair with dub/music and visuals have seen the King of eye perform all over europe and the UK (Boomtown, One Love, Big Green Gathering, Island Of Dub, ARS Austria, United Nations of Dub) with a fresh approach and a mix of old and trusted sound system styles. The performances incorporate vinyl and live dub techniques alongside visuals where permitted. Conscious Lyrics, Rasta Livity and a conscious message through heavy bass lines are the characteristics of the live shows.

Syrina Sound from the Netherlands: She plays exclusively vinyl records and brings you sounds of old and new roots, reggae and dub music such as Abyssinians, King Tubby, Aba Shanti, Jah Shaka, Empress Shema, King Alpha, Jah Militant and Maasai Warrior. In addition to the love of music, Syrina Sound was created to promote the contribution of women to the stage of reggae and dub music.

The program of the Festival is dynamically reinforced by some of the most important DJs and producers from Cyprus: Dub Thomas with a special dubplate session, Haji Mike & Kemal with a live-acoustic program, Mrs HCN being active in the Greek reggae scene for many years, DJ Monday, Suzie Selecta, Pan Khaos, and Chillum Brothers.

Also some last minute additions to our lineup with some special guests: Crusty Locks from Bagjuice (NL) will be joining Syrina Sound on the decks and Roots Titus representing Jah Lion Movement (UK) will be opening the Sunday sessions with some rootikal vibrations.

The line-up in detail
Saturday

18:00 – 20:00 Mrs HCN

20:00 – 22:00 Syrina Sound meets Crusty Locks (NL)

22:00 – 00:00 DJ Monday (Jah Star Sound)

00:00 – 03:00 Professor Skank (GR)

Sunday

12:00 – 13:00 Roots Titus (UK - Jah Lion Movement)

13:00 – 15:00 Chillum Brothers (Easy Going Productions)

15:00 – 16:30 Suzie Selecta

16:30 – 18:30 Pan Khaos (Morphogenetic Fields)

18:30 – 20:00 Haji Mike meets Kemal (Dubophonic)

20:00 – 22:00 Jammaroots (GR)

22:00 – 00:00 Dub Thomas (Dubophonic)

00:00 – 02:00 King of Eye (UK)

What will be offered
During the Festival, various alcoholic beverages and drinks will be offered at reasonable prices, as well as food. From breakfast to dinner the options will vary, including vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Where to stay
In the area there is the possibility of camping with facilities and services such as outdoor showers. The experience of staying in the place is very pleasant, as you can enjoy the Festival without any interruption and without missing anything! Note however, that the space for camping is inevitably limited. So make sure you get there early or contact the organizers to let you know if space is still available. If you prefer to stay out of the venue area, then your options in the wider area are either to stay at the camping site of Polis being only 20 minutes away, or rent a room in the area.

What you will find at the Merchandise Store of the Festival
Reggae Sunjam Cyprus has prepared a CD with tracks by musicians and producers who have participated or are participating this year at the Festival. The CD will be available for sale along side with other releases from the artists, as well as the t-shirt of the festival with the impressive Sunjam logo. More artists will also be hosted with their handcrafted creations and products.

By supporting the Festival you support a good cause
Part of the Festival’s revenues will be donated to the HOPE Foundation (Helping Orphans Prodigal to Eternity) - Nepal, which hosts orphaned children in Kathmandu, offering opportunities for a better life through care and education. Also, there will be a donation box during the Festival where you can further support this initiative with your contribution.

Entrance is 7 euros for one day and 10 euros for two days. Tickets will be available at the door.

Media Sponsor: Rock FM Cyprus // Supported by: Onetropic online shop, Cactus Arts & Crafts, Health Basket organic shop, Magos Record Shop // Info: 70007102, 26342016
Facebook: Reggae Sunjam Cyprus, Twitter: @Reggaesunjam

High Station Sound meets Dub Thomas & Haji Mike

=> More information on facebook! <=

Nuff respect High Station Soundsystem! On Saturday the 22nd of July 2017, we will be showcasing the works of our label on one of the leading soundsystems in Cyprus, celebrating our 4th birthday with friends, artists and fans. Everybody is welcome to join the dance.

Dub Thomas and Haji Mike will meet High Station Sound in an 8-hour session, starting up at sunset and going through the late hours. Exploring the sound of dub music, we will take you on a musical journey, with Roots Reggae as a starting point, traveling through the various aspects of Dub music. We hope that you can drop by .... we will be very honored to share this special occasion with you. Expect to listen some unreleased tunes from the label as well as special cuts and dubplates for the first time.

This is an outdoor event straight outta our yard. Food and drinks available on site. Free entrance for everybody! Click here for more information!

Dubophonic jumps on the Caravan of Dub

It was a great week with Dub Caravan in Cyprus. Well, Dub Caravan is not just one man, it is a whole project. Felix Russ Abu had the idea to create a musical caravan that would always be in motion, never bound to a single location, country or city. His vision is to travel the world, recruit poets, singers, musicians and other artists to bring to the musical waves new and original exotic sounds

He arrived to Cyprus for a short stop. The Dubophonic oasis was a fertilite spot for a live performance at a place called Echo alongside Med Dred, A four hour session took place in Nicosia including an irie warmup by Unity Crew with Dub Thomas & Antreas Kassos ina rootikal dubwise style and with Christina Polykarpou improvising on the dubs with her custom made lyra, giving a special Mediterranean feeling to the whole evening. Then it became warmer and deeper as Med Dred took the mic, while Dub Caravan was following after each track with his live dubs and his creative mixing on the spot.

... and of course at the end it was time for a unity session! Give thanks to all people who were there and supported us. More to come soon!

Another session took place at the Dubophonic headquarters and was broadcasted through the airways of Outta My Yard radio. Two hours of roots and dubs with Med Dred singing and chanting and Dub Caravan performing some creative dub mixing. Enjoy!

Dubophonic travels to Japan

Blessed Vibrations ina Spring time. This is the time of the "Sakura", the time of the year when the cherry trees blossom. Dub Thomas representing the Dubophonic family, travels from 4-17th April to the land of the rising sun to spread the positive vibrations and promote the sound of our family. What a perfect time to enjoy the awakening of the Spring and do with our Jah-pan family some joyful dub sessions.

We start on the 5th of April 2015 with Rebel Skunk Sunday, a five hour live session, from 13:00 - 18:00, in the town of Hanno, Saitama Perfecture, Tokyo. Hosted by the Rebel Skunk Warriors (Jahvaneeze, Deeco, DubLaugh/SkyBirdSound) and alongside Direct Impact, we let the vibes flow at Paddock Pass.  One Scoop, One Turntable, One Vibe! Powered by the Yellow suite Mini Set ina rebel skunking style! Free Entrance! Run and Tell evryone!

Next stop: the Tokyo metropolis. It is a blessing that the Dubophonic sound will be blasted through the soundsystem of the oldest and most respected reggae club in Tokyo, Club Open, located in the bustling Shinjuku district. On the 10th of April come ina di dance and enjoy an all night session of Rasta-far-I culture sounds with lives by the band Jahspells, guest djs Mathew Tagood (Monte Bailanta) and Dub Thomas (Dubophonic) and resident Dj's Luv Kiyoshi, Iwa-T, Katsu, Misato and our bredren Big H, father figure and originator of the japan reggae scene.

We then travel back to Hanno City on the 12th of April in a place called "Ebisu Cafe" and from there we do a special radio broadcast for Versionist Radio alongside Direct Impact and many special guests in an open mic style. All tribes are welcome to join us, but even if you are not in in Japan, just tune in from 11:00am - 14:00pm UK time and celebrate with us on this special day, Dub Thomas celebrating his 50th birthday. So if you are near just drop by and be part of the party!

Time is nah family! Blessings to all who supported us in this times of tribulation and especially to Direct Impact, Versionist Radio, Irie Mag and Club Open (BIG UP brother Kudo-san) for your valuable contribution helping us on this mini tour. More coming soon!

Dubophonic meets Dubkey - United As One

The idea of collaborating with other netlabels has been long into the minds of Dub Thomas from Dubophonic and Manwel Tabone from Dubkey Records. Like a netlabel is a family of artists under a common roof, the two originators wanted to expand this family idea on the next level, creating an expanded family between the netlabels themselves. This is the first step for more collaboration between like-minded artists

The result of this collaboration is more than just a mere compilation of tracks. All the tunes have been written and produced from scratch, exclusive for this release and the riddims were written by the artists of both labels. The “raw” material was exchanged between the two netlabels, the vocal messages were added and then once again the tracks travelled back to the other side for the dubs and remixes. So basically every single track has been made with the contribution of artists from both sides in an organic and productive way.

The release consists of 4 riddims by Red Star Martyrs, Ashley, Med Dred and Negritage, all presented in 4 different cuts each. Vocalised by Zion Irie & Singer Tempa and dubbed/mixed accordingly ina roots and culture style. Special mixes were included by Jah Rootikal Steppers and Manwel Tabone himself. Nuff respect FDub Caravan for the live bass and guitars on the Roots-o-pohonic riddim (tracks 9 & 10). Last but definitely not least, the irie melodica of Mind’s Eye Dub on the Negritage riddim, blows away the badness and sends positive vibrations of I-nity and One-ness.

TRACKS: 01 Zion Irie - Run Come / 02 Red Star Martyrs - Roots Rock Rebel / 03 Red Star Martyrs - Roots Rock Rebel (Jah Rootikal Steppers Mix) / 04 Zion Irie - Dem Don't Know Righteousness / 05 Ashley - Dem Don't Know Dub / 06 Ashley - His Majesty Dub / 07 Ashley - His Majesty Dub (Manwel T Mix) / 08 Singer Tempa - So Hungry / 09 Med Dred - So Hungry 4 Dub / 10 Med Dred - Roots-o-phonic / 11 Med Dred - Roots-o-phonic (Manwel T Mix) / 12 Zion Irie - Lie, Lie, Lie / 13 Negritage - Stay Away From Badness / 14 Negritage - Stay Away From Badness (Ashley Mix) / 15 Negritage feat. Mind's Eye Dub - Blow Away The Badness

Dubophonic riddim Showcase @ All As One festival

One year after Zion Dirty Sound's first digital release "Fils d' Abrahaam", the riddim of "Celebrity Fever" is being reworked and soon a brand new EP will be released based on this same riddim. Many different cuts and versions will be included, some of them have been performed live ina special dubplate session performed at the "All as one" festival last month in Cyprus. Starting up with a version by Jospi-I following a bright light, the session continues with Peter Attah and Jahvaneeze from Direct Impact (Japan) taking turns on the mic sending their message to the world. More to come by Jazzmin Tutum, Sennid, Erica Crymson, Yamalaki, Afro-D and more. So watch this space!

Sunjaman takes over the airways

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It is with great pleasure to see such a positive feedback for our new release. Not even one week since its release last Sunday, the EP of Sunjaman "Outta Here" is already taking over the radio airways. Nuff respect to Cyprus Dub Community Radio (CY) , Artikal Vibes (UK), Paranoise Radio (GR), Ektos Zonis (GR), Selecta Jerry and Higher Reasoning from KBOO FM (USA), Culture Dub & Radio Pulsar (FR), Dubatek Radio (FR), Dr Strangedub's Echo Chamber on KFAI (USA), Echo Beach Radio Show (USA), Saetchmo's Echo Chamber (GER), Pete Goggle's TDZ (UK), R&D Vibes (ITA), dub.com, The Groove Thiev (HK), Z88.9 FM in the South Jersey and Philadelphia Area (USA), Jahjojo (THAI), Reservoir Dub Radio (BEL), Jungle'n Wobbles Radio (ITA), the Toby Mearing radio show and many more. The list keeps on growing as we are writing this. We want to thank all of you for the warm support from day one of the netlabel and we will do our best to keep providing you with quality dubs and culture tunes, in our original Dub-o-phonic style.

Marco Spada interviews Dub Thomas on Tribal Realities

"The art of Dub / Dropping Irie Vibes: an inner-view with Cyprus-based netlabel Dub-o-phonic". This is the title of the article featured  on the latest issue of Tribal Realities. In  the magazine's first issue of 2014, the publisher of the magazine Marco Spada interviews in eight illustrated pages Dub Thomas, the person behind the Dubophonic netlabel. The interview/discussion concentrates not only on the story of the netlabel, but expands also on more general subjects like the future of the music industry, future undergoing projects and personal views on the way we must face our everyday life.

Written in English and Spanish (to reach an even greater community of music lovers and readers across the planet) Tribal Realities is an underground visual magazine which exists since 2008 and creatively blends Ancestral knowledge with the 21st century culture. Published by Marco Spada under Creative Commons license, it manages in more than 50 pages to capture the reader's interest through consciousness-raising interviews, top-quality articles, visionary content and  musical recommendations. Nuff respect and lots of love to the whole Tribal Realities crew for the whole effort they invest in their project and for their great contribution at the Creative Commons universe. We are sure that the best are still to come!

"We are all children of this world. All people are born equal and must be treated with respect. 
No matter the color of their skin, race or country. There is no room for hate and racism in our 
musical family. It is time to start crashing the old clichés and move together forward. Always 
positive, always supporting each other, always spreading the vibes to the massive." - Dub Thomas

Click here to read the whole interview

Dub Thomas on Artikal Vibes ina Dubophonic style

What a pleasure, what a joy to be part of this family. From today we are musical partners with one of the greatest online radio stations, specializing in conscious reggae and dub. Perhaps some of you already visited RootsLab Intl radio in the past. Since it's shutdown a couple of months ago, the admins decided to resurrect the old project adding lots of additional goodies. Artikal Vibes broadcasts nonstop 24/7 with live broadcasts from well known selectors from all around the world spread positive vibes to the massive.

Dubophonic has become one of their official vibes provider and many tunes from our release catalog have been playing for the last month by the top Artikal Vibes selectors. Selectors like Atomic Brillie, Warriah Force (Dubette Naomi), Gibsy Rhodes (King of the Underground) and Digikal Roots, just to name a few, are spreading the Dubophonc vibes to the four corners of the world. So I would say, tune in and give them a Big Up!!! ... and the good news are still to come since Dubophonic, represented by Dub Thomas, has joined their selector team with a dedicated weekly show :)  You know, Dubophonic is a family thing and we are very happy that our family keeps on growing. Big respect to all the Artikal Vibes crew for the warm support. Tons of love to all Dubophonic artists.

The first two sessions are already online and you can listen to them. We would be more than happy to see all Dubophonic artists support this new project since many of their tunes are oft featured on the station. And this is only the beginning massive.  More things to come very soon!

Dub Thomas Live @ Artikal Vibes // 20th Jan 2014 by Dub Thomas on Mixcloud

Dub Thomas Live @ Artikal Vibes // 13th Jan 2014 by Dub Thomas on Mixcloud

Various Artists - Explorations in Dub

The first compilation of dub-o-phonic is a musical journey to some unknown areas of dub music. Compiled by Dub Thomas, “Explorations in Dub” tries to find the hidden elements of dub music in musical genres, where under normal circumstances no dub is existent. This release might not comply with the “conventional” dub reggae as we know it. Being the tenth release of the label, Dub Thomas selects tracks with a strong experimental musical vibe, staying truthful to the future sound of the label.

The compilation includes seventeen tracks from artists scattered in the various corners of the globe, from Cyprus to the French West Indies: Daidalos One (CY), SXtheMadArtist (CY), Ras Robin Dennis (CY), Dub-I (RUS), Dub Riots (GR), Green Glow (MEX), Hernibernie (BEL), Knoto (JP), Mr Mefistou (PR), Negro Pirana (MEX), Rakoon (FR), Red Barrio (ES), Roots Dubbing Project (BRA), The Dubbstyle (ARG), Twixymillia (FWI) and Dub Across Borders (DEN).

Included in this compilation is Dub-I’s “Rididub Master” in a new extended version, serving not only as a musical flashback to our first release, but also as a starting point for the dubs to follow, while the jazz/ambient tracks of Hernibernie and SXtheMadArtist (the cover art designer of the release) are perhaps at the highest innovation point. Knoto manages to strip a famous reggae song down to its basic beat elements keeping the melody as a sweet buzz in your head. Daidalos One offers an atmospheric intermission, Ras Robbin Denis fuses an ethnic/ambient feel, Dub Across Borders blips and clicks, Negro Pirana dubs the blues, Mr Mefistou builds up slowly a dubbed step, Green Glow steps it up, Twixymillia rewinds it, while Dub Riots, Roots Dubbing Project, The Dubbstyle, Rakoon and Red Barrio transform irie melodies into experimental dubscapes.

“Dub means experimentation with sound. From the first innovations of King Tubby to the unorthodox techniques of Lee "scratch" Perry, dub has always been evolving, influencing many of the musical genres of our century, whether these are called Hip-Hop, Electronica, Fusion or even World/Ethnic music. This is a journey into the world of dub!” - Dub Thomas

[DPH010] Various - Explorations in Dub

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TRACKS: 01 Red Barrio - Feeling irie dub // 02 Dub Riots - Zinc Head // 03 Roots Dubbing Project - The lost dub // 04 Rakoon - Trippin' Dub // 05 Knoto - Natural Mystic Dub // 06 Rakoon - Tubby's Dub Lesson // 07 The Dubbstyle - Alive // 08 Mr. Mefistou - Style E. aka Latinamerican Rudeboyz // 09 Daidalos One - Aenigmata // 10 Negro Pirana Ft. Nayzab - Same Blue Sky // 11 Green Glow - Spliff (new harvest) // 12 Twixymillia - Deep Forest Dub // 13 Dub Across Borders - Antchi Dub // 14 Ras Robin Dennis - The Garden Of Eden // 15 Hernibernie - Riboulette // 16 Dub-I - Rididub master (rework) // 17 SXtheMadArtist - We R Not

Lecture: Presentation of a netlabel culture

This is a podcast recorded during a guest lecture for a MA class at the University of Nicosia. On the 21st Nov 2013 Dub Thomas was invited  to present to the students of Digital Media Content MA class the nowadays expanding netlabel culture, using Dubophonic as an example. What is discussed during the lecture is based on Dub Thomas' personal experiences, trying to explain not only the evolution of the netlabel culture, but also the social aspect that is hidden behind every netlabel. Give thanks to all the students of the University of Nicosia who attended the class and contributed with their questions to a very interesting discussion.

 

Presentation of a netlabel culture at the example of Dubophonic netlabel by Dub Thomas on Mixcloud