Though This Guys Are Making The Same Shit (more or less) For 10 Years By Now, They'r Still The Coolest Dub-Hip Hop Bullet From Bristol U. K.

By dub-music.de:

Up, Bustle & Out are one of the original "Ninja Tune" acts. Over the past ten years, UBO have released five albums and countless singles through the London-based label, kindling world-wide interest in their experimental, multicultural sound…Their latest album, "City Breakers", is similar in spirit and attitude to the previous "Urban Evacuation!" album. The fruits of the new recordings and studio sessions were greeted with plenty of advance praise. New York's Time Out magazine wrote: "If King Tubby was alive today rather than twisting knobs in ethereal space then this is the sort of contemporary cultural fusion that he would be producing ??!!"

Once again, UBO left no stone unturned to get together the right equipment to reproduce the original sound of 1970s Jamaica. From arrangement through to song writing, the result pays homage to the Jamaican producers of the 70s, beaming the dub space shuttle into a contemporary orbit at the same time. The hip-hop, R'n'B atmosphere adds a buzzy edge and a fascinating dimension. The new album also includes a number of hand-picked vocal tracks, with giants like Black Roots - Ras Jabulani, the Jamaican DJ Mexican and Roni Size vocalist MC Nicky Blaze contributing vocals. Other musical guests on the album include Nitin Sawhney & Cuffy 'El Guapo' (Flamenco Guitar) and, naturally, Dubmaster King Tubby - an obvious source of inspiration whose influence on the production is obvious.

"City Breakers" (which sounds a lot like LKJ style...) is one of twelve UBO tunes on this superb reggae album (bonus tracks are 2 dub mixes, a Butch Cassidy remix and the outstanding "Dance your Troubles Away" as a trumpet version), all of which span a wide array of topics and emotions from protest, criticism to spirituality and hope: instrumental up-beats, abstract moments captured live on Ampex tape. The tape runs, tracks are put down, thoughts about notes and half-notes create weird images. The deep bass, a mythical-sounding melody, compact brass section blasts and solos, the beat of a dry snare and cymbals, piano chords grooving on against congas and bongos...!

This 500cc Revolutionary production means freedom for beats, putting the human element back into the music, making it more original, and tickling the sounds into an organic flow. Their identity may be masked, but behind the façade you can see their strength manifesting itself in a vigorous, urban experiment - "The Sound Of The Street".



The 500cc Revolutionary Production Crew have gone full throttle to produce this album in a few months, greatly encouraged by press and radio features / reviews, (even Penthouse Mag!) Who wouldn’t be pleased with a comment by Time Out Mag, NYC that states ‘If King Tubby was alive today rather than twisting knobs in ethereal space then this is the sort of contemporary cultural fusion that he would be producing’?

The musical progression this time takes the album into a Hip Hop– Reggae crossover & features the vocal and rap talents of MC Blaze – a Jamaican sister – a highly marketable personality - who also has recorded on Roni Size’s new album. GQ Magazine in Europe put her on the front cover of Feb’ 2003 stating that her ‘Afro deserved an interview of its own’! Her stage presence & delivery has been top notch fun & mic skills and has projected UB&O’s Sound System into bigger performance halls. Spiritual Rasta ‘Ras Jabulani’ from Black Roots again adds his mystique and deep, earthy tones as does Rudeboy DJ ‘Mexican’ with his frank, witty and hard-hitting toasting. All guitar work is played by our Spanish Guitar Maestro Cuffy ‘El Guapo’.

Songs like ‘Bob Your Head’, ‘Everyday’, ‘Dance Your Troubles Away’, ‘500cc Revolutionary’, ‘Song For You, Soldier Boy’ are all experimental funky productions - quality music with commercial properties. The mix between vocal and instrumentals is equally thought-out including an edited DUB mix of one of the stronger tracks and several quality remixers: ‘Lightening Head’ & ‘Butch Cassidy Sound System’. > Description From Their Own Site...That's Right!

Some Of The Album mp3 Sampels...Check Out The Vicious MC Blaze Act:

1. City Breakers
2. Dance Your Troubles Away
3. Bob Your Head - Feat. MC Blaze
4. Grass Skirts
5. Tabla Talkin’ Dub -Beatfanatic Remix
6. Everyday - Feat. MC Blaze
7. 500cc Revolutionary
8. Rainbow Town
9. Ascending Sun
10. Understand This
11. Song For You, Soldier Boy - Feat. MC Blaze
12.Sheppard & His Flock
13. Everyday - Butch Cassidy Sound System Remix
14. 500cc Revolutionary Dub
15. City Breakers Dub
16. Paramo's Ghost
17. Dance Your Troubles Away - Trumpet Mix