Dub Asylum is the alias of Auckland-based beat maker Peter McLennan. His latest offering, The Ba Ba Boom EP, presents an interesting blend of hip-hop, breaks and electronica pulled together nicely by some subtle reggae influences. The EP features six tracks and is a precursor to his next full album.
The standout track for mine would definitely be Ba Ba Boom. The track sees Peter mash-up some old-skool reggae samples with a crackling hip-hop beat and horn parts from the WBC (a local Ska band) to forge a sound that lies somewhere between late 60s rocksteady and early 90s East Coast hip-hop. It’s a sonically-pleasing mix that would go down a treat on the dance floor.
The EP features two vocalists – MC Kyla who graces the mic on the electro-breaks number Smash Thru and Sandy Mill who provides some soulful vocals on the down-beat, Come Figure me Out. Smash Thru has done really well on Kiwi FM, rising to number eight on their charts. Kyla’s toasting has seen her collaborate with some of the bigger names in breaks and drum and bass, but I didn’t really feel her too much on this track.
The rest of the EP is a bit of a mixed bag, there’s definitely some interesting creations, but nothing ground-breaking.
For those of you who like myself are well into dub, you should probably be aware that the name Dub Asylum is probably a little bit misleading – the album isn’t particularly dubwise at all. Instead the album leans much more towards electronica and hip-hop. However that doesn’t take anything away from the EP. It’s a solid example of contemporary beat-making and I will definitely look out for the full album.
Naram
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