HOT & HEAVY FROM ACROSS THE SEA
5
By Marky B. Goode
DRY AND HEAVY is a wicked Japanese dub band. At the core of DRY AND HEAVY is drummer, DRY a.k.a. Shigemoto Nanao and bass player HEAVY a.k.a. Takeshi Akimoto. Electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, and flute round out the rest of the mix. The band pays homage to all the old dub masters, King Tubby, Lee Perry, Scientist, Dennis Bovell, and others too numerous to mention. DRY AND HEAVY plays classic old-school style dub but with their own interpretation of what dub should sound like. It sounds amazing!
The band formed in 1995 and released their first album in 1997. "FULL CONTACT" is the bands 3rd disc. When it was first released in Japan in June of 2000, "FULL CONTACT" became the bands biggest selling album to date. Supposedly, the album entered the top 10 of almost every independent chart in Japan.
About half of the CD's tracks are dubs while the other songs feature vocals from AO INOUE and female singer LIKKLE MAI. At times sounding a little like Lee Perry, INOUE'S gruff and phlegmy voice lends itself well to the music. On the song, "PRIVATE PLAN," INOUE'S voice adds a nice rough texture over two twisted guitars playing riffs that sound experimental, like something off an old King Crimson album. LIKKLE MAI sings on the other songs with vocals. Her voice floats over a laid-back reggae/jazz rhythm on the song "LOVE EXPLOSION." "Now I'm feeling high, you make me feel alright," MAI sings, sounding almost child-like giving the music a naïve quality. A wonderful "Version" of this song follows with the sound of a delightful piano in the spotlight.
The only complaint I have about the singing is the lyrics. The vocalists bring a "pop" element to the band that has been there since the start of the band. However this was usually kept in check by the guest vocalists singing in their native language. On their previous release, "ONE PUNCH," most of the lyrics were in the beautiful Japanese language. This gave the band's music an enjoyable and original twist. It's too bad they didn't stick to this formula. I know English is their second language but I think the words the vocalists use are somewhat trite and boring. And, this actually detracts from the music rather than enhances it.
Although the vocals, at times, can be a nice addition to the music, it is the instrumental dubs that stand out. DRY AND HEAVY is a dub band, and, don't you forget it! This dub kicks butt thanks to DRY AND HEAVY'S mixing engineer, Naoyuki Uchida. Reconfiguring the pre-recorded music into dub, Uchida strips the music down to a mix of sharp drums and smooth bass. On top of a bed of strong rhythms, Uchida mixes different instruments, with lots of echo and other effects, that drop in and out of the mix. This gives the music a buoyant and fluid feel.
One of my favorite songs on "FULL CONTACT" is "LESS IS MORE VERSION." This song features a "bluesy" acoustic slide guitar in the intro that is soon taken over by piano and then bass, which holds sway over a crisp bed of drums. Occasionally, MAI lets light into the dark room by opening the door and singing, "Rude boys are randy."
Because there is so much good music on this disc, its difficult to pinpoint the highlights, however, I will say, two songs on the album that really stand out for me are "THE SMOKER'S COUGH" and "LANDING." Both songs are dubs but each has its own flavor. "THE SMOKERS COUGH" has a 70s funky feel to it that demonstrates the talents of electric guitarist, KEIICHI RIKITAKE, while "LANDING," on the other hand, is a smooth mix of reggae and jazz/rock featuring the keyboard. The instrumental, "LANDING," at times, sounds like a cross between "Riders on the Storm" by the 60's rock band THE DOORS and KOOL AND THE GANG'S 1974 hit, "Summertime." This tranquil song reminds me of driving my car on a rainy night on a winding highway in the state of Oregon. Very cool.
"FULL CONTACT" is one of the better reggae dub albums released this year that I've listened to. More people in the states need to hear this band. One can only hope that they reach the same notoriety in the US as they have in Japan. After all, there's no sense in DRY AND HEAVY being only Japan's best known secrete.
Respect!
