Yoseph Lion: Warm Dub from Cold Places

March 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under dance, instrumental, reggae, reggae: dub, reggae: electronic

There is little to say about these new reggae/dub instrumentals from Yoseph Lion, save our pleasant obligation to promote them. Their author comes from the northern port of Arkhangelsk, shown here in several images. His distance from Moscow is mirrored by his online presence – which is close to zero. A single, painted portrait on MySpace (below) and the cover for this EP (shown above); with those two images uploaded, he then retreats into anonymity.

Working on his behalf is the small, admirable reggae netlabel of Sub Out Dub In. Despite publishing – with no great speed – an ongoing series of interesting, carefully crafted electronic reggae recordings, they offer virtually no texts to contextualize their discography.

Even the official blog produces a post only several times each year. The label’s fans must be the very embodiment of patience. (There’s a pun in there somewhere about angelic patience in Arkhangelsk, but it may not be worth the effort. Best left alone.)

Not long ago – maybe because constant peace and quiet can easily prompt excessive introspection – the webmasters at Sub Out Dub In posted a few thoughts under the heading of “What Are We Doing?” “Well… it has been two years now that we’ve been putting our reggae and dub, the kind of stuff that overlaps with electronica. Everything we publish is available for downloading, free of charge. Stay with us: we’re always glad to hear your comments and any evaluations of our work.”

Silence ensued. Eventually, however, some noise was heard. Two comments appeared; one from the label’s founder. It was positive. The other came from Brazil; a young reggae DJ was looking for a publisher. It’s a start.

Continuing on this minor, stubborn scale, the label recently – and again after months of silence – reappeared in order to assess the achievements of 2008, all of the eve of the Yoseph Lion release. “2008 is coming to an end. Despite all of the hassles it brought us, there are plenty of positive things to discuss, too. The musicians on our label were asked to play at all kinds of parties and concerts; people download our podcasts, and overseas publications write about our releases, too.”

Yes, they do.

“The main thing, though – it’s our last burst of energy before the year’s end! – was the release of our tenth anniversary recording – Dubwise.Ru, Vol. One. It’s also free for downloading! In a word, we got lots of things done – and that’s probably why there are so many artists on the compilation: eight musicians and three MCs… one of whom is a real Jamaican!”

In closing they say, as before: “We hope you’ll share your opinion about our efforts. Don’t forget to scribble down your general impressions! May your home know peace and love in 2009. All the best for the New Year!” Warm greetings from a very cold place.

Sub Out Dub In, despite the minuscule dimensions of their operation and their almost comical distance from the beaches of Jamaica, do a great deal to improve the standing of reggae in Russia. It’s a style that has been systematically abused in Slavic lands; by dragging it – especially as dub – into the more technical and self-consciously snobbish realm of electronica, the artists on Sub Out Dub In, like Yoseph Lion, give us hope.

In a city where the average January temperature is a full 2 degrees Fahrenheit, hard work is needed to generate warmth. The people at Sub Out Dub In are burning calories for a good cause. Park your ship and get skanking, too.