Knowledgeborn 07 – Dub Knowledge
Track Listing:
1.) Daily Dub (GoozeProductions Remix)
2.) Dub Willow ft. P. Tugz (Tommy Dubs Remix)
3.) Rose Above the Madness. ft. Princo Po (Dr.Echo Remix)
4.) 27 Miles (Johnny Cosmic Remix)
5.) Necessarius (FCP Remix)
6.) Overcome ft. Ras Attitude, Zack Walters, Dr. Martin Luther King (Johnny Cosmic Remix)
The Pier Album Rating:
Record Label: Mother Brain/Boss DJ
Official Website: Knowledgeborn 07 Website
Group Background:
Hailing from South Bend, IN, Knowledgeborn07 has come a long way to become the artist you hear today. His early music influences include Beethoven, Mozart, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Sublime, Steve Miller Band, Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors & Led Zeppelin… all the way to Beastie Boys, X-clan, Run DMC, Ice Cube, Slick RicK, Too $hort, Tupac, Mos Def & The Wu-Tang Clan.
Dub Knowledge is a compilation of remixes of tracks off of Knowledgeborn07’s latest release Cosmic Knowledge. Many of the remixes were done by friends from the Fluid Minds crew and collaborators from the Cosmic Knowledge sessions including Mike DeGuzman of Passafire. Most were completed in only one or two sessions.
Album Review:
If you’ve been keeping up with my articles, you’ve probably realized by now that I <3 DUB. Seriously, as long as dub is in the album title, I’ll usually give an album at least a 3-star rating. So be forewarned, Dub Knowledge, as the title indicates, is crammed full of delightful dubs and remixes from KB07’s Cosmic Knowledge, most of which (ah, hell, all of which) present inviting new perspectives on the source material, transforming KB07 and producer Johnny Cosmic’s original hip-hop-reggae-rock titles into straight ahead dubs with a shot of hip-hop laced in every now and then for good measure.
The album starts with ”Daily Dub” a remix of “Daily Hope” that begins in a most peculiar, but pleasing manner – super-heavy piano stomps in place of a bass line. The vocals are left untouched, but the instruments swimming around KB’s voice bounce, skank, and bleed roots-reggae. Fans familiar with DeGuzman’s main project, Passafire, will certainly appreciate this rootsy re-imagining, as will anyone really with some love for fuzzed out roots dubs.
The following track, “Dub Willow,” was remixed by Tommy Dubs. Channeling the gloom and desperation of the original, Dubs pulls the song into a minor key pool of reverb and tape delay. Although the song’s original guitar stabs remain, the surrounding murkiness breaks the original upbeat skank into a downbeat dirge echoing KB07’s lament “we’re just rats in these cages.” Echoes of his voice bounce and scatter across the soundscape as if they, too, were trying to break through the speakers and fly off into the stratosphere.
“Rose Above The Madness” from Dr. Echo revitalizes the soaring hip-hop onslaught of “Blessed” with an even more driving cross between dub and industrial. The downbeat assault of bass pumps deep into your chest and KB07 and Prince Po sound even more impassioned and invigorated as police sirens wail and the two rappers trade verses on divinity, social justice and resistance.
In my original review of Cosmic Knowledge I had panned “27 Miles” and “Necessarius” for injecting hard rock into the mix. Maybe Johnny Cosmic and FCP took that to heart because both songs have been practically stripped of their hard rock elements. “27 Miles” now has a carib-meets-romani vibe (fitting I suppose considering the title and subject) complete with hand percussion and Spanish guitar flourishes. “Necessarius” rolls on straight-ahead dub. Rootsy organ skanks collides with production wizardry and delay-treated snare hits.
The album ends with the marathon dub “Overcome” ft. guest vocals from Zack Walters of 3rd Alley, Ras Attitude, and a sampled speech from Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s a bit of an exhausting listen, not because of the length really, but the sheer force of the juxtaposition. KB07’s ideas and messages fit eerily next to Dr. King’s and hearing the two’s voices complimenting one another on the same track is a blessed reminder that artists can still speak up, they can still issue a challenge, and they can still dream for something larger than themselves.
Go to www.knowledgeborn07.com to download a copy of “Dub Knowledge”. The album is pay what you want with no minimum!
Written & Reviewed by: Chris Castro
Click HERE to read Chris’s Album Review for KB07’s Cosmic Knowledge
[Editors Note: All reviews are reflective of the album in it’s entirety, from start to finish. These reviews are the honest opinion of each writer/reviewer, expressing their feedback as a genuine fan of the music. Each star rating reflects their review of the album, not the band. Music is subjective. Regardless of the review or star rating, we encourage you to listen to the music yourself & form your own opinion. Spread the awareness of all music in its art & contribution]