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The creative mind behind the group talks
of the unexpected and unusual choice of collaborating with
thrash punx "Snuff".
The album Snuff Vs Urban Dub - Blue Gravy
Phase 9 Dub Versions came out in 2001.
We sent Free Radical Sounds' Louise Woodford
along to interview Mr Roopie from Urban Dub to find out why Punk
meets Dub seems to be a hit...
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Louise:
What gave you the idea to try a dub remixes punk album?
Roop: I don't think it's a new idea. If you listen
to stuff like King Prawn and a lot of the other bands in the punk
scene, they're all in to the dub stuff as well. Anyway they came
to us and said that they were looking to collaborate with us on
a new tip.
Louise: So were you a punk in the seventies?
Roop: Ooh steady on, love. I don't look that old, do I? In
the seventies I had an Abba cassette, an Elvis cassette and a single
by the Lynx - "Intuition".
Louise: So how did you adapt to working
with Snuff?
Roop: Actually, we never really met them until after the
album was recorded and we went on tour with them. Yeah it was a
good laugh on tour. We played ten venues in twelve days all over
the UK. Bloody knackering though.
Louise: How did the punk audience take to Urban
Dub?
Roop: Yeah the punks quite liked us. We played a live sound system
set with live effects. Then, during Snuff's Set, we had a live interaction
which we'd actually rehearsed before the tour. Almost like the old
sound clash stylee between the two bands. Although we weren't trying
to blow Snuff off the stage or anything. The Urban Dub set was designed
to keep the audience chilled and then gradually take it up and up
until the moment Snuff hit the stage. After all, it was their tour.
We were the support act.
Louise: The Urban Dub remix version
of the album sounds completely different from the original version
of the album.
Roop: Yeah, Lou, I should hope so! Who wants to go out and
buy an album only slightly different from one they've already got?
I wouldn't. When we got the multi-tracks from Snuff, they said it
was up to us to interpret them in our own way, so we listened through
the tapes. There was some wicked brass in the original versions,
so Marjorie said lets have some of that - typical saxophonist. In
the original tracks the brass had just been used as an undercurrent
in the music to fatten it up, but we thought we could bring it more
to the front. Then we just started to mash up the sound from there.
When Niger came in and started burning his herb and nodding that's
when we made a note that we would keep that take.
Louise: To me the album seems to have
a variety of influences. I've been getting in to 2 step recently.
There's a wicked 2 step ting - eer Track 4 - Night of the Versions.
Does this represent a departure from Urban Dub's roots being as
it is -eer - Roots?
Roop: Nah, not really. We like all types of music. The "Dub"
part of the name Urban Dub is supposed just to represent the effects
we use on the music. As you know when you see us live, we use live
effects to make it "dubby". We don't really care if we play classical
music, reggae music, dance music or heavy metal. Well, unless the
crowd doesn't dig it. You can quickly see them heading for the exit.
Then it's time to change the vibe double quick.
Louise: What's Urban Dub up to now?
Roop: Well
we've just done a 10inch vinyl with Iration Steppas from Leeds.
They're nice people. They play so many dances that they've got a
huge following. I'd like to play as many roots dances as Iration
Steppas. Later in the year we're releasing another album on the
Dubhead Record Label.
Louise: Is it going to be like you're
first album or like the Snuff Vs Urban Dub Album?
Roop: Good question. We want it to be really good. We're gonna
compile a lot of material and assess it from there. I've been getting
right in to the whole Bangra Ting recently. But others in the band
have got their ideas of what they want it to sound like. Hopefully
we can fuse the different styles and come with a good
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