Nimalan Yoganathan’s The Dub Structure, a compilation of the artist’s recent works, states its purpose in the title. The atmosphere and spatiality of dub is well-conjured, and in the initial track “Sonic Refusal” we hear hand drums that are a clear link to the rhythmic impressionism that Jamaican percussionists use to colour outside the lines of songs. A sense of development saves the track from being a collection of additive loops, and when the delay doubles up, the effect is comparable to a chord or key change. The words of video artist Arthur Jafa form a manifesto for the album on the title track, explaining how dub works and the elements of surprise and disruption inherent to the form. That said, disruption is not a major factor in these songs. All tracks come off as incrementally built, rather than lurching or shifting from one phase to the next, reminiscent of the illbient era of the late ’90s, though with considerably more rhythmic variety. The sounds north of five-hundred hertz provide focus and act as lead voices in most tracks, becoming effective counterpoints to the slow burble of bass that lies beneath. The Dub Structure doesn’t reinvent the form, but successfully upholds its relevance for the ’20s.
David Dacks is an open format music advocate. He is the Artistic Director of the Music Gallery, Toronto’s Centre for Creative Music. He is an assistant editor at Exclaim! magazine, a juror for the Polaris Music Prize, produces documentaries for CBC Radio and still finds time to rock the occasional party on the ones and twos.