ZamZam Sounds are back with two slabs of heavy steppas for both the 41st and 42nd editions of their label, 41 being Twilight Circus backed by old skool deejay Big Youth for the melancholic “Why Can’t Be Friends” while 42 find Alpha and Omega joining their family member Alpha Steppa to form their Dub Dynasty guise for the wacky dub stylings of “Dub Cure”. Both are pure summer vibes contained in 7” inch form, perfect for any / all outdoor gigs you lot have coming up.
First off, Twilight Circus is joined by Big Youth aka Jah Youth for “Why Can’t Be Friends” back with the dub. The song itself is a steppa of the more meditative tradition, lamenting the Gideon times in which we live in; from the protests, to innocent Black lives being gunned down, a near riot in Texas which resulted in the deaths of five police officers, a political race for the White House being fought over a political dynasty who feels she “deserves” it and an egomaniacal business tycoon who strokes the far right populist sentiment, its a shit time to be alive with the US becoming the slow burning dumpster fire of the Western World. But Big Youth urges us with resigned hope, asking us why can’t we all be friends underneath filtered snare gunshots and minor key chord chops that echo out like a police siren in an abandoned city.
ZamZam41 is released July 22nd and available from Unearthed Sounds, Redeye, White Peach, Rewind Forward and Intense Records.
For ZamZam42, Dub Dynasty reforms for the curious “Dub Cure” which merges oddball sampling ala clucking chickens in between choir like dub refractions and a heavy sub line. It almost makes me wanna become a vegetarian again. A melodica rings out into Zion as traditional dub aesthetic data swirls about the sound fields. On the flip, “Kut” has more of an anthemic, lights-on-at-the-end-of-the-night vibe that wouldn’t be outta place at a Channel One show at Village Underground. From the flanged guitar licks, the up tempo sub kicks, and triumphant melodic that is run through vintage gear, all the T’s are crossed and I’s dotted.
ZamZam42 is released July 22nd and available from Unearthed Sounds, Redeye, White Peach, Rewind Forward and Intense Records.
