Dobie comes with a significant amount of baggage.
A soundsystem legend, the man known as Dobie worked on the first two Soul II Soul albums, smashing together soul, hip hop, reggae and more. In the intervening years, the producer has crossed swords with everyone from Bjork to Massive Attack, hooking up with revered imprints such as Brownswood and BBE.
Now he's at home on Big Dada. Currently working on new material, an mp3 has been smuggled out of the label's headquarters and passed into our hands. It's not much, but at least it's something… 'I-Anomaly' – what a title! – opens with warm bass textures and clicking rhythms that almost verge on UK Garage.
There's a dub vein running through this, but with a soulful feel which is difficult to shrug off. Overhauling his sound for a new generation, Dobie draws on the same influences which have always fuelled his career. Yet there's something alien, something new here as well.
Check out those neon synths towards the end, a luridly fluorescent reminder that Dobie continues to carry the capacity to surprise you after almost 25 years in the game.
Listen to it now… Grab it HERE.
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