Stating the obvious I know, but coming off the indo-jazz influenced ‘Get Carter’ and his previous album by Jah Wobble & the Chinese Dub Orchestra, Chinese Dub and before that, Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band (why isn’t JW at the World Cup opening ceremony?), Japanese Dub is now his best post-Invaders of the Heart album yet.

I’d have never have thought traditional Japanese music would fit so well with Wobble’s throbbing basslines and his compositions and traditional arrangements. That said, to this untrained ear, the band of Keiko Kitamura (vocals, koto and shamisen), Clive Bell (shakuhachi) and Joji Hirota (percussion, taiko and vocals) are all very traditional; none more so than on the opener ‘Shinto Dub’ and ‘Ma’; both tracks being Wobble originals and both featuring Robin Thompson on shamisen (a stringed musical instrument).

And ‘Ma’, being the symbol on the cover, goes from the fluty lotus blossom to some echo chamber synth-machine dub. So if that’s a bit of an odd one, he’s bound to get a ‘Taiko Dub’ right? Yeah, it’s minimal, expressive and darkly apocalyptical. Wobble says of his bass and taiko drums, “a marriage made in heaven”; possibly hell? And talking of the underworld, ‘Mishima/Kurosawa’ is like a minimal Japanese industrial dub of Einstürzende Neubauten (Joji Hirota provides the spoken word poetry); again Wobble says Hirota, he sings like “a Japanese Van Morrison”!

The album ends with two trad jappae-dubs (sorry about that one) and perhaps it’s because they are more obvious, they’re easily my favourites. That said, I suspect this album has the weight of a basho and the skill of a Yokuzuna combined; like ‘K Dub 10 and ‘K Dub 11”, the K Dub’s are versions of the traditional Japanese melody ‘Kokiriko’ that apparently “tortures” Wobble with it’s variations. We’re also treated to the grime-rockin’ ‘K Dub 04’ and the King Tubby-ish ‘K Dub 05’ (how many versions are there?)

For students of all things Japanese, the ‘classic’ kabuki style is represented by the track ‘Koririkio’ and as cherry blossom is such an important annual event, ‘Cherry Blossom Of My Youth’ gets in many ‘musical’ references.

So whilst the who influenced who question (Chinese or Japanese) isn’t answered, it’s safe to say the Wobble has got the best in dub out of both. He’s certainly come a long way since his post-PiL supergroup (with Can’s Jaki Liebezeit and Holger Czukay and the Edge from U2 - hey, ‘Snake Charmer’ is a perfect track for the 1983 version of Bustin’ Out, New Wave To New Beat Vol. 2: 1982) and there’s a tour throughout July and August coming up - see below latest details.

Usually when we look at Japan at FLY its from a jazz dance point of view (as in Soil & “Pimp” Sessions or Nik ‘Nippon’ Weston’s Mukatsuku Records) but Jah Wobble and the Nippon Dub Ensemble have put the dub into Japanese Dub.

Zen might say, this album is worth repeated listens and tracks are bound to be picked up for soundtrack action at some point. I say, “Kimono My Dub!”

Forthcoming UK dates:
Sunday 25 July: Festival of World Cultures, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin
Box Office: TBA; Tickets: TBA; Time: TBA
Monday 26 July: Sheffield O2 Academy2, 37-43 Arundel Gate, Sheffield
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Tuesday 27 July: Glasgow O2 ABC2, 300 Sauciehall Street, Glasgow
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Wednesday 28 July: Newcastle O2 Academy2, Westgate Road, Newcastle
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Thursday 29 July: The Ruby Lounge, 28-34 High Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester
Box Office: 0844 888 9991; Tickets: £14 advance; Doors: 7.30pm
Friday 30 July: Birmingham O2 Academy3, 16-18 Horsefair, Bristol Street, Birmingham
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Saturday 31 July: Islington O2 Academy2, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, London N1
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £15 advance; Doors: 6.30pm
Sunday 1 August: Bristol O2 Academy2, Frogmore Street, Bristol
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Wednesday 4 August: Oxford O2 Academy2, 190 Cowley Road, Oxford
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Thursday 5 August: Liverpool O2 Academy3, 11-13 Hotham Street, Liverpool
Box Office: 0844 477 2000; Tickets: £12 advance; Doors: 7pm
Sunday 24 October: Musicport World Music Festival, The Spa, South Marine Drive, Bridlington, North Yorkshire: Box Office: TBA; Weekend tickets: £89.50; Day tickets: TBA; Time: 9pm

Reviewed: Jah Wobble & The Nippon Dub Ensemble - Japanese Dub (30 Hertz Records) Cat. No. 30HZCD31 Released: 6th April 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Shinto Dub (4:39)
2 Cherry Blossom Of My Youth (4:14)
3 Kokiriko (2:58)
4 K Dub 04 (2:18)
5 K Dub 05 (3:19)
6 Hokkai Bon Uta (3:21)
7 Ma (5:59)
8 Taiko Dub (3:01)
9 Mishima / Kurosawa (6:01)
10 K Dub 10 (2:39)
11 K Dub 11 (1:59

Links:
pressure.co.uk
30hertzrecords.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jah_Wobble
www.serpentstail.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Carter
Japan-British Society en.wikipedia.org