Dub | Downbeat Dub

Irie Magazine | Dub - Downbeat Dub

Downbeat Dub

Electrorgánico

Argentina strikes again! From the province of Mendoza comes DownBeat Dub, a four member live band with a twist! Emi Bless (Drum & SetLive), Jah Sound (Bass & Synth), Coco (Guitar) and Eter Dub (Keys & Brass) are mixing organic sounds with some heavyweight dubwise business.

‘Electrorgánico’ is the name of their first digital release on Dubophonic. Half organic and half electronic, Latin America is cultivating some serious dub vibes and is establishing itself on the world DUB map!

‘Electrorgánico’ is also the name of their style, the result of their passion and commitment to explore dub music and introduce some new musical paths. The four musicians from Argentina are passionate and dedicated to the study and live performance of dub music. Their album is an amalgamation of many elements: analog meets digital, organic meets electronic, ethnic meets dub.

Starting with Coco’s guitar in ‘the healing of the nation’, the journey continues with some funky dub sounds leading to an inside upliftment. We pause for some inspiration through the musically artistic interludes, admiring the view from the high mountains of Aconcagua. The journey then continues in an everlasting musical creation. You are invited to join the journey and be a part of the world of Downbeat Dub.

Irie Magazine had the pleasure to catch up with Emiliano Caceres a.k.a. Emi Bless to discuss… Dub!

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The Interview

IRIE. How did you get started in Dub?

Emi Bless: My beginnings with DUB started in my teens. I was 12 years old when I started playing with a 16-channel console that belonged to my father. At that time, I had an analog delay and reverb at my disposal. I played from my PC with 6 audio outputs … mixing live drums, bass, guitar, sounds, keyboards powered from Ableton.

I’ve been playing the drums since I was 8 years old. As a teenager, I was lucky to be introduced to reggae and truly experience it. I was also fortunate to have access to DUB musical material that was available. Today, at 21 years old, I am a specialist in audio/sound and recording engineering …. and my life hasn’t changed. I’m still experimenting with DUB, with a more global vision and feeling it as art. Dub is art, no limits or boundaries and mixes and blends with all the world’s music.

In Argentina, the DUB movement has just recently emerged from different parts of the country with other artists making great strides with their music. Mendoza, our place of origin, is a place surrounded by mountains that give us the daily teaching and connects us with the world. With DownBeat Dub, we are lucky to be the first Dub group in our region, made up of musicians who
make organic electro-dub with real instruments played in real time.

IRIE. How did the four of you meet?

Emi Bless: The four of us basically knew each other; we’ve been involved in musical projects together. DownBeat began with my desire to experiment with the music. Juan then joined on bass, followed by Coco on guitar and Federico on brass and keys. We all decided to form a band, united by a common purpose, thus Downbeat Dub was born.

IRIE. How did you get connected with Dubophonic, in particular, Thomas Savvas?

Emi Bless: I was downloading music when I came across the band, Negritage. Negritage is a band from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who released a great album, DUBOPHONIC dub. We reached out to Negritage and established a great bond. After that, I decided to write to DUBOPHONIC and the rest is history.

Savvas is a great person! It’s always a pleasure to talk with him. We started chatting about Netlabel and became very interested in spreading our music in Cyprus.

Savvas did a great job and always gave us a lot of suppor. From this side of the world we send high vibrations.

IRIE. Growing up listening to Dub, who were some of your musical influences?

Emi Bless: Dub musical influences were Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, King Tubby, Jah Warrior, Dub Syndicate, Jah Shaka, Kanka , Congo Natty, among many other artists.

IRIE. How has the response been for your latest Dub release, Electrorganico?

Emi Bless: The response has been great! A lot of people have downloaded the album. The release has also attracted some interest too. It’s been shared all over the world. For us, the most important thing is that the genre continues to grow where we live.

IRIE. What’s on the horizon for DownBeat Dub?

Emi Bless: We want to keep growing as musicians and keep experimenting with DUB music. We also plan to share the stage with other artists. We are currently working on a new album. We have an idea of holding events with quadraphonic sound to create a new experience. We are also working on our digital format to participate in ‘sound systems’, making DUB- Steppa with power and strength!

IRIE. What do you say to someone that wants to get into Dub. Any advice?

Emi Bless: Experiment with everything you have at your hand and truly feel it. Dub is a way of life.

IRIE. Is there anything else you would like to share with the IRIE audience?

Emi Bless: Music is power; music is the voice of the people. IRIEMAG… thank you very much for your interest in Downbeat Dub. From Argentina we send greetings and blessings to all. Thanks Nicholas Da Silva, our brother from Brazil, a country full of music from Latin America. We leave our album for free on our website. DUB!

IRIE. Give thanks, brother! Irie Magazine Logo


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