If there’s a time of year when you feel the itch for some new dub reggae, it’s early summer isn’t it? Something to soundtrack long sunny afternoons and mellow warm evenings. So you’ve got to hand it to Dub Catalyst for their forward planning, because here’s their new single hot on the heels of June. Let’s hope it brings some hot sunshine in its wake, right?
Just in case you didn’t encounter Dub Catalyst when they dropped their excellent debut album “Saves the World”, they are an 11 piece dub reggae band that bring positive vibes and socially conscious lyrics, along with deep grooves and deliciously sweet melodies and heartfelt horn parts.
“Light The Fire” picks up where “Save the World” left off. It’s a rolling groove of one drop reggae rhythm that starts with sharp horn stabs that remind me of the famous introduction to Dawn Penn’s classic “No, No, No”, which give way to a fanfare like horn line that is melancholic but simultaneously full of hope. How do they do this?! Perhaps it’s how they play it, rather than what they play? Anyway it beats me! Slide guitar with spring reverb and delay thicken the dub stew. Don’t mistake this for Roots Reggae listener! Like true dub merchants Dub Catalyst want you to dance but also to carry you away inside your mind. The verses are darker, with spacey vibes and lots of dub textures, then the choruses are uplifting, short and darkly sweet with Dub Catalyst’s trademark emphasis on the melody in the mix, whether that’s singing or those enticing horns
As ever, the half whispered rapping of the verses is redolent of Rob B of the Stereo MCs. With a title like “Light a Fire”, I thought this song was going to be about protest of some kind, but their rapper JPDL has something much better to set your summer alight. In his hushed, lowered voice he compares acquiring a new passion to glowing embers being breathed on, igniting a flickering flame that builds into a mighty inferno. The chorus melody agrees: “It’s never too late to light another fire / Let it burn, let it burn” the refrain reminds us, encouraging us to get passionate about something new. An inspiration to the cynical middle aged, or the old who feel they’re past it, or the young who want to stick with what feels easy. “There is nothing trivial in rekindling happiness” JPDL tells us. Indeed. Joy as an act of resistance against whatever grinds you down in this world.
This was called the “Radio Edit” in the press release, which excitingly suggests that there’s a longer version. I’m loving that idea cos I could listen to this groove for a long, long time. Dub Cataylst work hard, and they will be appearing at a festival near you this summer. Be sure to catch their beautiful vibes. It’s been a while since their album, so hopefully this single is the herald of a new one coming our way before the summer is out. That would be perfect timing.
By: Eastside Jimmy