ZamZam presents two fresh cuts of Bristol dubwise from King Rob Smith Dubs AKA RSD. Rob has been ruling the world of dubwise dance music for two decades, helping to define the Bristol sound as More Rockers and Blue & Red, and as part of seminal UK dub/jungle/soul crew Smith & Mighty. His second outing for ZamZam, this 7" follows a string of massive releases the last few years, most recently on Moonshine and Astar Artes.
With "World Hungry" and "Dub Pride" we hear RSD at the height of his powers, intuitively constructing sound system music that pulls in influences from the history of UK reggae, dub, jungle, and that unmistakable Bristol vibe that keeps the people coming back for more. The sound is perpetual deja-vu, like a parallel-universe dance that is at once 90's, 00's, now, and next. Rob deploys his signature warm & massive bass sound with sophisticated, syncopated drum programming, strings, sweeps, samples and melodic elements that capture the past, present and future of Bristol with a wink and a nod. Listening to these tunes we hear the deft touch of a master with nothing to prove, displaying playfulness, joy, and total confidence. "World Hungry" forwards a brooding vibe combining a steppers kick pulse with syncopated snares, dueling basstones and rich strings. "Dub Pride" is a summery shock of rocking, stuttering breaks, melodic figures that appear only to vanish, and vocal samples that will spread love and inity and get bodies off the wall and onto the floor as the warm weather settles in across the land.
