REDUCER UNIVERSAL SOUND SYSTEM
REDUCER UNIVERSAL SOUND SYSTEM
AVAILABLE VIA OUR BANDCAMP OR USE THIS LINK: https://reducer.bandcamp.com/album/russ-dubplate-special
REDUCER UNIVERSAL SOUND SYSTEM Was founded about a year after the band, as a reaction to both not wanting or needing a support act & as a great time just playing our favourite reggae tracks really loudly - a band gig was a sensory overload using sound, vision & smell, as well as venue decoration so it was quite a manoeuvre & took a lot of logistics as well as having to get there, set up & play a 2 or 3 hour set before taking it all down and getting back, and not getting paid, even expenses. Whereas doing Sounds was the opposite almost, of course it took planning & logistics, transport & being on top of the fresh riddims & styles - but it felt lighter & more a celebration of the pure joy of reggae music, this Duplate, we hope, pays our small homage to the Blues parties & Sound Systems of the 70's & 80's that was our introduction into Reggae. Stripped down, heavyweight, forcing you to dance & shak out. This is the 1st time REDUCER UNIVERSAL SOUND SYSTEM has done anything for 38 years • Too Long • So inna Traditional Style, We have Created something Brand New, Fresh & yet Totally Familiar • Recorded in August 2024 • An old school 10" Hand Lathe Cut Sound System Dubplate • A recognition that our Stalwart, Stoic & Frontline Sound System was as important as the band. All white ex punk boys, playing heavyweight dub/ragga clashes with Afro Caribbean midlands sounds, & winning, throughout the 80’s, was as frontline as you could get then. We were, as with the band, divinely empowered - it came naturally - just like partying but in a Dancehall venue through a big rig • We were lucky to be pretty bloody good at it.
nb. The shout out on Dubbalicious is by a Northampton reggae band of the 80’s- called Atomik Squad ft Tony Todd. Thanks guys. Tattoos by Tony Clifton c1988 Record Art by Reducer. Cut & Packaging by Tasha "slavetothelathe". All rights reserved 2024 reducer-music.com ©️ Copyright 2024 reducer-music.com ®️ Published by reducer-music.com 2024
AS REDUCER, THERE WHERE INFLUENCES, SUCH AS A SHARED LOVE OF DANCEHALL REGGAE, WHICH ALTHOUGH PART OF THE BANDS SOUND, WE WANTED TO EXPRESS IN A MORE DEDICATED WAY. OUTSIDE OF LONDON WE WERE THE ONLY BAND TO HAVE A SYMBIOTIC REGGAE SOUND SYSTEM - LET ALONE FEATURING THE VOCALISTS FROM THE BAND & GUESTS - WE ALSO HAPPENED TO BE WHITE WITH SHAVEN HEADS, TATTOOS & BIG BOOTS - WHICH OF COURSE CAUSED SOME FRICTION AT TIMES - THIS WAS THE 1980's AFTER ALL! WE DREW SOME RATHER INCREDULOUS LOOKS & DEEPLY SUSPICIOUS STARES WHEN WE ROLLED UP IN THE VAN - ESPECIALLY AT THE BEGINNING, HOWEVER, ONCE WE WERE UP & RUNNING, OUR 1ST PLATE WOULD BE "BLACK & WHITE UNITE" & WE'D PLAY IT REPEATEDLY UNTIL WE FELT WE'D MADE OUR POINT, THEN WE'D GET THE PLATES OUT & SHOW THEM WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE DOING! I WAS SELECTOR, SO EVERY SOUND WAS A PARTY - I DIDN'T HAVE TO WEAR A GUITAR & ORGANISE LOADS OF OTHER EQUIPMENT & LOGISTICS - JUST FLING DOWN MEAN PLATES - NICE JOB! SNAKE GOT THE PLATES FROM A CONNECT NEAR HEATHROW, SO THEY WERE AS FRESH AS COULD BE FOR ENGLAND AT THE TIME - WE PICKED WHICH ONES WE'D USE THAT NIGHT & THAT WAS IT - TURN UP, STRING UP, FLING DOWN, RICH & SNAKE WOULD LYRICALLY ASSASSINATE THE OTHER SOUND, WE'D FLATTEN WHOEVER WAS IN FRONT OF US & ON WITH THE NEXT - REDUCER IS AN ATTITUDE & A WAY OF LIFE - THAT SHOWED IN BOTH MANIFESTATIONS. THE BAND WAS AN INTENSE SENSORY OVERLOAD - THE SOUNDS WAS A SOUNDS! A WAY OF LETTING OF STEAM & PARTYING IN A REDUCER STYLE. WE WERE BLESSED, AS WITH THE BAND, IN THAT IT CAME NATURALLY & EASILY - WHICH OF COURSE MADE THE MUSIC FLOW & THE PEOPLE DANCE + WE HAD A WICKED TIME. JOB DONE