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Ticklah
Ticklah vs. Axelrod
(Easy Star)
First Appeared in The Music Box, January 2008, Volume 15, #1
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
Thu January 3, 2008, 03:20 PM CST
The spirit of King Tubby is alive, well, and apparently living in Brooklyn.
On Ticklah vs. Axelrod, his third solo release, Victor Axelrod — aka
Ticklah — the co-producer of the Easy Star All-Stars’ Radiodread and Dub Side of the Moon projects, shows his love for old-school, 1970s-era,
Dynamic Sounds Studio-style dub. As a member of the Afrobeat collective
Antibalas, and as a session musician whose credits include work with Lily Allen,
Robbie Williams, and Amy Winehouse, Axelrod’s bass-heavy, reverb-driven
production has added a much needed bottom-end groove to many recent dance hits.
Nevertheless, don’t be scared by Axelrod’s commercial savvy. Though it is 30
years and a universe away from dub’s roots, the music on Ticklah vs. Axelrod
is the most authentic and engaging collection of Kingston-style, classic,
drum-and-bass-driven songs to be released this year.
To say that Ticklah vs. Axelrod is a tribute to the grandfathers of
Dub would be an understatement. It’s a "shout it out from the rooftops" love
letter that will be heard all the way to Kingston. Working in his own basement
studio, Axelrod played almost all of the instruments on the disc himself,
patiently layering sounds until he achieved his desired effect. Hearing the
laconic seductions of a trombone as it weaves in and out of the hypnotic rhythms
created by the bass, organ, and percussion, it’s almost impossible to believe
that Ticklah vs. Axelrod is not a lost classic that has been languishing
in the corner of King Tubby’s studio since 1978.
Dub was once a cutting-edge, avant-garde form over which sound system DJs
could sing, but in recent years, traditional dubplates of the sort that Axelrod
creates have all but vanished from the Jamaican musical horizon. At the same
time, dub has followed the blues (and other styles originally played by black
musicians) in becoming a global phenomenon. Artists from all over the world have
been incorporating aspects of the genre’s sonic approach into their songs. More
specifically, acts as diverse as Iron & Wine and Shakira have experimented with
some of dub’s loose-limbed effects on their latest recordings — often with
impressive results. In other words, what began as a strictly regional musical
structure for local consumption has morphed into something of international
significance. With the subsequent flood of dub-oriented releases and remixes
that have hit the market, it is easy to get confused about what is worth
hearing. Suffice it to say, nobody is creating dub with more love,
understanding, and attention to detail than Axelrod.
For all of Axelrod’s reverence for old-school dub, the songs on Ticklah
vs. Axelrod are brazenly contemporary. By incorporating aspects of Latin
music, African melodies, and ska, he has managed the difficult task of staying
rooted near dub’s reverb-soaked foundation while also experimenting with new
sounds and textures to expand the genre’s frontiers. Pork Eater, which
features Rob Symeonn on vocals, has to be one of the year’s most infectious
songs, while Axelrod’s take on Eddie Palmieri’s classic Si Hecho Palante,
which is sung here by Mayra Vega, certainly represents the highpoint of
reggae-Latin fusion.
Once considered by most listeners and critics to be novelty music or a kind
of stoned joke, dub now represents one of the most creative areas of musical
exploration available today. The genre’s open-ended form allows for a level of
improvisation and inclusion that has not been heard since the heyday of Miles
Davis’ work with Ted Macero or of the Grateful Dead circa 1977. It is a style of
music that is without borders or identifiable frontiers, and with artists like
Axelrod at the forefront, its future certainly is in good hands.  ½
Ticklah vs. Axelrod is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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