Dub is essentially a studio phenomenon.
Laden with technology, a generation of Jamaican producers bent and twisted reggae into new shapes, influencing the way music is recorded forever. So why, with new technology at their disposal, are The Black Seeds such a live – in every sense of the word – experience?
The New Zealand group have earned their reputation through travelling the world, working continuously to bring their soulful reggae experience to new audiences. In Europe, The Black Seeds are linked to Germany’s Sonar Kollektiv imprint, a relationship which has given them a safe foothold.
Now the band are ready to make a further impression. New album ‘Dust & Dirt’ finds The Black Seeds matching the energy and improvisational feel of their live sets to the exacting nature of the recording experience.
Out on April 16th, ClashMusic have obtained a full album stream – oh, and a track by track guide…
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Pippy Pip:
This song started life as a very rough demo I made while staying at my parents house. We used this demo as the basis for the track because it had a lot of quirks in it we wanted to keep, which would have got lost if we re-recorded it. So we basically added some extra elements on top – a kick drum played with mallets, some more percussion, the horn section and some people singing back up vocals via the world wide web! And the result…well, it still sounds somewhat like a demo. What we call Pro Am : Professionally Amateur.
Mike Fabulous
Loose Cartilage:
I had made a few failed attempts at trying to incorporate some straight up rock elements into a song after seeing AC/DC in Wellington a couple of years back. We tried them, but they were awful. Then this popped out one night when I was alone in the studio. Named after Jarney spent a couple of weeks playing the drums with the use of one leg only – what was lodged in his right knee cap? Loose cartilage.
Mike Fabulous
Dust And Dirt:
This happened rather quickly in the studio at the end of a day. Tim, Nigel and Jarney happened upon the idea and we threw it down in a couple of takes. Dan sang the vocals sitting on the couch not long after that, so it all came together very quickly which is what I like about it. We could perhaps have done a ‘better’ version after having played it a little more, but this version captures the vitality of a fresh idea.
Mike Fabulous
Frostbite
Myself and Nigelcome up with most of this song whilst playing drums and keys to MPC loops. A song about questioning yourself, and the expectations we have for ourselves and others. When a relationship is trying to meet in the middle and find common ground.
Daniel Weetman
Cracks in our Crown
This started with a drum loop and a bass line and when my son Jarley wouldn’t stop dancing to it i decided it was a keeper. The rough idea of the track was then around for almost a year as an instrumental but really started to take shape near the end of the album recording process when lyrics were arrived.
Daniel Weetman
Out of Light
Everything holds back and breaths on this track.This was originally an outro for Gabriel’s strut but I took the track home and immediately fell more in love with what felt like a new direction for the Seeds and decided to make it into its own song. We duplicated the vocals in trusted old garage band and added some phaserto get that trippy little vocal sound. For me the drums sound fantastic.
Daniel Weetman
Wide Open
The sound that really pulls this song together for me is the organ before the start of the vocal. It really sets the mood up for what the song is about, lost love and dissolution.
Mike had this track as an instrumental earlier on in the recording process and I then shaped the vocals around that. After recording many vocal takes late one evening, I accidentally recorded the wrong vocal harmony but decided iwould fix it up the following day.Assuming these were the final takes, Mike then mixed them together the following morning, which to my surprise, really worked on the track.
Daniel Weetman
Settle Down
Settle Down was one of the first new tracks to kick off making the album so we were able to road test the song a lot before we had to record it.
It’s really a bit of a commentary of the state of the modern world, or at least me trying to make sense of it all. It’s about becoming aware of the role we all play as humans on this earth and the challenges that we face. It’s about using our voices, speaking out against inequality and protecting the future for our children. “Dreaming for the future but all we see is a daily struggle”. This a song of hope and justice.
I really like the main guitar riff on this one and the bass line too and there is a great dub section half way through.
Barnaby Weir
Love Me Now
This is a love song about commitment. It’s about understanding all the pressures and issues in a relationship and then getting on with it. It’s about a man who is ready to take it to the next level and understands his own faults. It’s about looking to the future. “Serious I’m ready, come on love me now.”
Mike Fab already had the rhythm and the title which then inspired me to write the lyrics. I was on a tour at the time and was missing my girlfriend – so it speaks from the heart this one.
Like the range of tones on the recording, glockenspiel, epic horn line too. We did quite a few different versions of this song but the final version had something special about it.
Barnaby Weir
The Bend
The Bend is a little story about someone who has lost themselves and uses drugs and alcohol to fill the void. It’s a cry for help really from someone who is finding it hard to live without over doing it. The band all contributed equally to this song, adding their parts over all our jam sessions. I love the horns on this track and the up-tempo steppers beat.
Barnaby Weir
Don’t Turn Around
One of my favourite track on the album , this one started as a spontaneous jam before a rehearsal one day. Totally unplanned we just started playing and come up with a bit of a disco boogie gem. I got to play bass on this one which is unusual. Then later the band did the group vocal “Don’t Turn Around” and a whole lot of bv’s which I must say are sounding quite trippy indeed. Love Nigel’s keys and the overall oldschool funkiness. It has a freshness that you just can’t plan for which I really like.
Barnaby Weir
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‘Dust & Dirt’ is out on April 16th.