Psydub

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Psydub (not to be confused with ambient dub) is a fusion genre of electronic music that has its roots in psychedelic trance, ambient and dub music. [1] Incorporated dub elements are melodic basslines, deep reggae roots and producing techniques like dynamically adding extensive echo, reverb, panoramic delay, and occasional dubbing of vocal or instrumental snippets from the original version or other works. An incorporated ambient element is an emphasis on tone and atmosphere. Incorporated psytrance elements are low-bass frequencies and hypnotic melodies [2] and the use of samples. Those samples mostly contain references to drugs, parapsychology, extraterrestrial life, existentialism, out of body experiences, dreams, science, time travel, spirituality and similar mysterious or unconventional topics. Psydub is also highly influenced by the music of India.

History

The pioneers of the genre were mostly interested in the combination between ambient music and dub. The Orb can be seen as one of the first producers to combine the two genres. [3] [4] Several tracks on their first album "The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld", released in 1991, [5] already sound a lot like contemporary Psydub. Psydub developed further by the influence of Psytrance. Psytrance producers have always had a keen interest in all kinds of music and a few of them have produced tracks that have big Dub influences. [1] Most notably is the song "Vapour Rumours", released in 1996 and produced by the band Shpongle, [6] consisting of Simon Posford a.k.a. Hallucinogen and Raja Ram and the album "Earthbound" by Gaudi, [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] produced in 1994 and released on triple vinyl in 1998 by Bustin' Loose Recordings, [12] who were two of the first acts to produce psybient music. [1] A good example of the combination between psytrance and dub is the album In Dub , a collection of Hallucinogen tracks remixed by the record producer Ott, which was released in October 2002. [13] [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

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Psychedelic trance, psytrance, or psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full on, darkpsy, forest, minimal (Zenonesque), hitech psy, progressive, suomi, psy-chill, psycore, psybient, psybreaks, or "adapted" tracks from other music genres. Goa trance preceded psytrance; when digital media became more commonly used psytrance evolved. Goa continues to develop alongside the other genres.

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Ambient techno is a subgenre of techno that incorporates the atmospheric textures of ambient music with the rhythmic elements and production of techno. It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, The Orb, The Future Sound of London, the Black Dog, Pete Namlook and Biosphere.

Shpongle is a psychedelic electronic music project from England that formed in 1996. The group includes Hallucinogen and Raja Ram. The duo are considered to be one of the progenitors of the psybient genre — a genre combining world music with psychedelic trance and ambient. Their musical style combines traditional music from all over the world and vocals with contemporary western synthesizer-based psychedelic music. When asked to describe Shpongle's music, Posford has responded that it is "like nothing you've ever heard before."

Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It was most prominently pioneered by the Orb and the KLF, along with artists such as Global Communication, Irresistible Force, Youth, and 808 State. The term was used vaguely, and eventually fell out of favor as more specific subgenres were recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallucinogen (musician)</span> British musician

Simon Posford, better known by his stage name Hallucinogen, is an English electronic musician, specializing in psychedelic trance music. His first studio album, Twisted, released in 1995, is considered one of the most influential albums in the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth (musician)</span> British record producer and musician

Martin Glover, better known by his stage name Youth, is a British record producer and musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the rock band Killing Joke. He is also a member of the Fireman, along with Paul McCartney.

Eat Static is an electronic music project from Frome, Somerset, England formed in 1989 by Merv Pepler and Joie Hinton. Hinton left the group in February 2008 after 18 years to spend more time with his family.

Ott is a British record producer and musician who has worked with Sinéad O'Connor, Embrace, the Orb, and Brian Eno, and has achieved recognition since 2002 for his own psychedelic dub tracks and his collaborations with Simon Posford. He has released two albums on Twisted Records: Blumenkraft (2003), Skylon (2008), and four albums on Ottsonic: Mir (2011), Fairchildren (2015), Heads (2022) and Hiraeth (2024).

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Kristian "Kris" Weston is a British electronic musician, record producer and remixer best known for his work as a member of the Orb. Around the beginning of his career, he worked with Andrew Weatherall on remixes of Meat Beat Manifesto, remixed for Primal Scream, Saint Etienne, U2 and others. He was still a teen when working on the first few albums by the Orb.

<i>U.F.Orb</i> 1992 studio album by the Orb

U.F.Orb is the second studio album by English electronic music group the Orb. It was released on 6 July 1992 as their last work with record label Big Life. Upon its release, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The music database AllMusic described it as "the commercial and artistic peak of the ambient-house movement."

<i>Orbus Terrarum</i> 1995 studio album by the Orb

Orbus Terrarum is a studio album by English electronic music group the Orb that was released on 20 March 1995 by Island Records. Member Kris Weston had begun work on the album before leaving the group. After he left, German producer Thomas Fehlmann joined as a full-time studio member, and the group, now consisting of Alex Paterson, Andy Hughes, and Fehlmann, completed the album. Unlike their previous efforts, Orbus Terrarum features more "earthbound", "organic" sounds in contrast to the psychedelic, science fiction-themed music they had previously written.

<i>Pomme Fritz</i> 1994 studio album by The Orb

Pomme Fritz is a mini-album by the British electronic music group The Orb. It was released on 13 June 1994 through Island Records. Produced to sustain the group during a period of mismanagement, it was their first album with German producer Thomas Fehlmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld</span> 1989 single by The Orb

"A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld" is the debut single by the ambient house group the Orb. It was originally released in October 1989 and made the UK Singles Chart in 1990, peaking at #78. The 'Peel Session' version was also voted into #10 place in John Peel's 1990 Festive Fifty. In April 1991, it was released on the debut album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. The title is taken from a sound effects track from Blake's 7 on BBC Sound Effects No. 26 - Sci-Fi Sound Effects titled "The Core, A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain which Rules from the Centre of Ultraworld".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Orb</span> European electronic music group

The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 1991 debut album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld pioneered the UK's nascent ambient house movement, while its UK chart-topping follow-up U.F.Orb represented the group's commercial peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaudi (musician)</span> Anglo-Italian musician

Daniele Gaudi, better known as Gaudi, is an Anglo-Italian musician, solo artist and record producer based in London, who specialises in dub music, electronica, reggae and worldbeat. His distinctive production sound appears in a number of albums nominated for Awards and prizes such as Grammy Award 2019 -Best Reggae Album Of The Year- for Mass Manipulation by Steel Pulse and BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music 2008 for the album Dub Qawwali by Gaudi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His music work and contributions have topped international charts such as: Billboard Reggae Chart no.1 with the album Heavy Rain by Lee "Scratch" Perry, Billboard Reggae Chart no.1 with the album Mass Manipulation by Steel Pulse, Billboard Reggae Chart no.1 with the album Vessel of Love by Hollie Cook, Billboard Reggae Chart no.2 with "Rainford" by Lee "Scratch" Perry, UK Dance Chart no.1 with the album Prism by The Orb, no.1 with Jus' Come by Cool Jack, no.1 in the UK iTunes chart with Blue Monday by Dub Pistols, Gaudi, Dubmatix, no.41 UK Chart with Midnight Rocker by Horace Andy, no.2 in the Italian Chart with Lasciala Andare by Irene Grandi, no.15 UK Chart col remix di Taxloss by Mansun, no.5 in the Italian Chart with Chi (Who) by Aram Quartet, no.2 on the iTunes European Chart and no.32 iTunes USA Chart with his solo album Bass, Sweat & Tears, no.1 in the Italian Chart with L'amor carnale by Bastard Sons of Dioniso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Orb discography</span>

The discography of European electronic music group the Orb includes seventeen studio albums, one live album, eight compilation albums, four remix albums, four mix albums, two video albums, ten extended plays, thirty-one singles and twenty-two music videos. Founded by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty in 1988, the group's first release was the extended play Kiss EP, issued in May 1989. The single "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld", which marked the group's first foray into the ambient house genre, was released in October 1989 on Adam Morris and Martin Glover's record label WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. It was later re-issued by Big Life and peaked at number 78 in the United Kingdom despite sample clearance issues. Following Cauty's departure from the group, the Orb signed a long-term recording contract with Big Life and released their debut studio album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld in April 1991. It peaked at number 29 in the United Kingdom and has since been recognized as a seminal album of the ambient house genre. "Little Fluffy Clouds" and "Perpetual Dawn" were released as singles from the album.

References

  1. 1 2 3 St John, Graham (2013). "The Vibe of the Exiles: Aliens, Afropsychedelia and Psyculture". Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture. 5 (2): 56–87. doi: 10.12801/1947-5403.2013.05.02.04 .
  2. ↑ St John, Graham (2010). The Local Scenes and Global Culture of Psytrance. Routledge Studies in Ethnomusicology. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-136-94434-5.
  3. ↑ "The Orb". ambientmusicguide.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-05.
  4. ↑ Prendergast, Mark (2003). The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby-The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
  5. ↑ "The Orb – The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  6. ↑ "Various - Infinite Excursions - Softer Psychedelic Sounds (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  7. ↑ "Everlasting - selected and mixed by Gaudi - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  8. ↑ "Various – Sub Signals (Interchill)". Psyreviews. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on 2015-03-24.
  9. ↑ "YOUTH & GAUDI - 2063: A dub odyssey by Youth, Gaudi". 6 December 2016.
  10. ↑ "Orb Podcast 022: Gaudi". orbmag.com. 24 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "Ashtech – Walkin' Target (Interchill)". Psyreviews. June 14, 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08.
  12. ↑ "Earthbound - Gaudi | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  13. ↑ "Hallucinogen - In Dub (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  14. ↑ "Hallucinogen - In Dub". Psynews.org. October 18, 2002.
  15. ↑ "Ott Interview – October 2002 (Hallucinogen In Dub)". Psyreviews. May 3, 2006. Archived from the original on 2021-02-14.
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