Legendary bass player and vocalist Jah Wobble presents 'Tyson Dub Remix', a song dedicated to his dear departed Staffordshire bull terrier. This heralds his new exclusive dub album ‘Dub Volume 1', a solo effort that sees him write, play and arrange everything. The album features full-colour outer and inner sleeves based on paintings by Wobble himself, with the Limited Edition vinyl edition being clear with yellow and red colours dropped in to reflect the artwork.
‘Dub Volume 1' marks Wobble's first solo release via Peckham-based label Dimple Discs, although he had earlier participated in other collaborative releases put out by the label with Telefís (Cathal Coughlan and Jacknife Lee), and also The Ukrainians, along with former Siouxsie & The Banshees and Specimen member Jon Klein.
Expertly mastered by Anthony Chapman (Collapsed Lung) and cut to achieve maximum clarity and volume, this record boasts astounding top layer sonics, This solo deep dive into dub is guided by the influence of sonic pioneers like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and King Tubby, the result being a rich, immersive listen, full of low-end weight and intricately layered textures.
"Tyson was a very stalwart, typical staffy and very, very resolute. Yeah, he was, the governor, but full of love, full of fun. And he was a rescue dog. We got him from Battersea Dogs Home, and we knew who we wanted. We'd seen him online. I said, "He's—" and they said, "Well, nice. He's not dangerous or anything, but he's just absolutely sort of delinquent, you know, like you have to be. You have to be a very experienced dog handler." But we held out and held out. We were there all day. I had an Uber waiting, we were coming back up north—me, the missus, and me boys. And in the end we got him. My missus and her dad used to just get strays off the street in Liverpool. You don't really have stray dogs now, but he used to love strays —and he loved Tyson, you know. So that swung it," says Jah Wobble.
"I'd walk 10–12 miles some days up the hills, and he'd come with me. He's the family dog, but he was just with me all the time, you know. When I went on tour he couldn't wait for me to get back. He was lovely. So he had a serious kidney thing. And then a year later, he got sick again. Staffies are so tough. So it turned out he was riddled with cancer. Within a week or two, he had to get put down. And when he had to go, he just went to sleep in my lap. So that was it."
Known for an original rock / reggae hybrid of his own, forged through a deep embrace with reggae, punk, world music and a DIY ethos, Jah Wobble's heavy, hypnotic bass lines have defined a whole musical era and influenced many musicians for over forty years. Born John Wardle, his career has encapsulated genres from post-punk, dub and world music to experimental rock and electronic music. An original member of Public Image Ltd (PiL) from 1978-80, he made two groundbreaking albums with the band, which included the iconic ‘Metal Box’ (1979). He continues to tour with 'Metal Box in Dub', presented as a two-hour show with Jon Klein.
Wobble launched his solo career even before leaving PiL, forming Invaders of the Heart in 1982 and collaborating with Can's Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit, U2's The Edge and producer François Kevorkian soon after. By the 1990s, he had achieved public notoriety, including chart success and a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his ‘Rising Above Bedlam’ album. After releasing the top-40 album ‘Take Me To God’ and ‘Heaven and Earth' via Island Records, Wardle fled record company constraints, returning to more experimental and non-commercial sounding records.
He was part of the industrial supergroup The Damage Manual, worked with Julie Campbell aka LoneLady on ‘Psychic Life’, and worked with his wife Zi Lan Liao(guzheng player and harpist) on the award-winning album ‘Chinese Dub’, for which they won the Songlines Magazine World Music Award and toured with a large group of Chinese performers.
More recently, he has been playing and recording with Tian Qiyi, formed by his sons Charlie and John Wardle. Debuting in 2023 with the album 'Red Mist', he once again joins them for their stunning sophomore effort 'Songs For Workers', out on June 27.
Available on Bandcamp, 'Tyson Dub Remix' will be available from fine online music platforms on June 13. The ‘Dub Volume 1' album, out on vinyl and CD on July 18, can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp. Jah Wobble continues to tour extensively with Invaders of the Heart, with UK and European dates planned for October and November. Tickets can be obtained at https://jahwobble.com/#live
CREDITS
Written & performed by Jah Wobble
Mastered by Anthony Chapman (Collapsed Lung)
Cover artwork & design by Jah Wobble
Released by Dimple Discs
UPC for vinyl album - DEEDEE042LP
UPC for CD - DEEDEE042CD
Jah Wobble outdoor photos by David Guttridge
Jah Wobble live photos by Nick Haeffner
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
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