Dub Be Good To Me

In the fall of 2013 AB focuses on a new reggae sub-genre and its influence worldwide: dub. Just call it: the instrumental version of reggae. Dub came into being in 1968 – and so it's exactly 45 years old this year – thanks to the error (!) of one man: Osbourne Ruddock aka King Tubby. During the completion of a master tape, he accidentally forgot to mix the vocals into the whole. Dub (and versions aka instrumentals) was born. To honour this symbolic date, AB launches the series Dub Be Good To Me to provide an answer to the question: how (relevant) does dub sound in the year 2013?

Matthew E. White

Man in a white suit. Beard. Glasses. Long black hair. You don't forget an image like that. Welcome to the wonderful world of Matthew E. White! The man who was overlooked in every musical crystal ball when it concerned the ‘Sound of 2013’. Welcome too to the world of Spacebomb: the label that White established in the spirit of legendary soul-label Stax. With a real in-house band, just like the The Bar-Keys were for Stax.

His debut ‘Big Inner’ also exudes soul. And country. And gospel. But one of Mr. White's most important influences is certainly ‘Dub Master’ King Tubby.
So it's also welcome to White’s world of dub. He's a fan, a big fan. So much so that he placed a ‘cut out’ of King Tubby, with his ever-present crown, on the cover of his debut. White is currently making a dub version of his debut too.
It's not so much the reggae side of dub that appeals to him, but rather the production process and the way that dub-producers re-work someone else's music and create something entirely new out of it.

After we spoke to him about the Dub Be Good To Me project, he was instantly enthusiastic and prepared to give a reading about Dub.
Those who were in the AB Club earlier this year will know how well-spoken and impassioned White is. He will come and speak in his entirely personal manner about how his latest album came into being, about the technical aspects of making dub ‘versions’, about the influence of King Tubby….

The reading will take place as a part of Dub Be Good To Me in Huis23.
Admittance is free of charge but please do register via reservationshuis23@abconcerts.be (making mention of ‘White dub’ in the subject title)