SALMONELLA DUB – FREAK CONTROLLER

Reggae music is big in New Zealand. As popularised by such ’70s luminaries as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, the themes of Rastafari – independence, spirituality, and self-belief – resonated with the Maori population, and a fondness for the sounds of reggae has since spread to the wider community. Which explains why Salmonella Dub, a band formed in 1992 by three white-boys from Kaikoura (a little town on the east coast of the South Island), has sustained a successful recording and touring career. Their latest release, Freak Controller, is a slickly produced collection of contemporary reggae stylings. Wisdom by Default is hard gleaming digi-dub softened by horn stabs. Drum n’ bass-influenced Dub Shakes, with its snapping motor beat, wah-guitar licks and infectious chorus, is like a hurtling chrome machine. Rhythm & Pattern is hypnotic and mid-paced, with swirling synths, echoing horns and cracking rim-shots underpinning the mantra: “Listen to the sound, make you feel good”. That’s it in a nutshell really: this is party music with some rasta-consciousness flavourings. Not particularly revolutionary, but perfect for a summertime BBQ.
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