Never mind the alien foragings of dubstep, it’s becoming increasingly more common to hear collisions between dub-reggae and techno with pure roots vocals over deep, abstract minimal grooves. Montreal’s Scott Monteith, recently based in Berlin, has made one of the most startling examples of this cross-pollination on an album which further cements Wagon Repair’s name for impeccable quality. The opening ‘Rise Again’ plants Tikiman’s heartfelt vocal over a spaced dubscape but this by no means sets the template as, after the deeper dub delvings of the title track, he launches into Basic Channel-style technoscapes on ‘Xberg Ghosts’ and ‘Night Stepping’, marimba-driven tribal house on ‘Sun People’ and goes right to reggae’s heartbeat spiritual roots on ‘Grounation [Berghain Drum Jack]’. It’s by no means as dark as many such excursions, ‘Babylon Correction’ harking back to spirit-lifting righteousness of 70s roots music but ‘Deep Structure’ may have been the result if King Tubby had gone to the Music Box. Well Worth a soak.
4 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
