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VARIOUS
WSCD051
A long time ago, in a ghetto far, far away, some serious subversive activity was going on in the subterranean realms of sound. A motley crew of iconoclasts captured the moment, and managed to ride a minor wave of notoriety that the music press dubbed Illbient. One of the contributors to this compilation, DJ Olive, in fact, coined the term before Illbient posta-child DJ Spooky ran away with all the glory. But that’s another story. Most of the people associated with Illbient hailed from the borough of Crooklyn, mostly clustered around the post-industrial wasteland that was once Williamsburg. Some of us knew each other from hanging out at this Manhattan club called The Cooler or from bumping into each other at Bass Mind Studios, the epicenter of much seimic activity in the neighborhood. Everyone was doing their own thing, but all of us were, in some capacity, influenced by dub. Of course, that dank, dungeon weed the Jamaicans on the Southside sold might have had something to do with it, too. We peddled sonic dope, thus was born the Crooklyn Dub Consortium. Volume 1 captures the raw energy of this era of ’91- ’94, when a burgeoning scene burst out of the underground. Hungering for an outlet for expression in the stale, corporate-controlled environs of music, we were also literally hungry because music like this didn’t pay the bills. It was music for music’s sake. The best kind. Besides super-producer/bassist Bill Laswell, who operated out of nearby Greenpoint Studios, we were all unknown quantities. Yet the compilation still managed to make an impact on the critics and connoisseurs alike, making WordSound a blip on the radar, and setting the stage for a slew of new releases as well as a Crooklyn Dub European tour featuring Spectre, Dr. Israel, Qaballah Steppers and WordSound I-Powa. It seems that we had stumbled onto something. The dub ethos of heavy bass, plenty of space, and studio manipulation guided us to further experimentation and innovation on Volume 2. From the smoked-out ravings of Torture (later Sensational) to the future-primitivism of Scarab, it featured an even more eclectic selection of heavyweight sounds. In addition to Bill Laswell, Dr. Israel, Scotty Hard, Spectre, and HIM, we even invited Manhattan act, Unitone Hi-Fi, across the bridge to the festivities. While London had a solid stake on the claim of dub capital, we put Crooklyn Dub on the map for keeps. And just for the record--well before people started talking about Illbient. Long out of print, this marks the first time these two discs have been reissued, so enjoy! Play it Loud! And pump that Bass!