Following the success of The Big Smoke, which found Gentleman’s Dub Club (GDC) sitting on top of the iTunes Reggae Chart, GDC have teamed up with the likes of the legendary Prince Fatty (Lily Allen, Dub Syndicate, The Skints, Hollie Cook), Hungarian-born DJ Madd, Chief Rockas, and more to shed a fresh light on the material. By combining the time-tested traditional elements of reggae, dub, and ska with innovative modern techniques, Gentleman’s Dub Club have found their fan base growing at a rapid rate. From the humble roots of playing in a basement in Leeds in 2006, to performing major festivals worldwide, Gentleman’s Dub Club have captured the attention of ears across the globe, including heavy rotation from top UK radio DJs, most notably from their breakthrough hit “High Grade.” The Big Smoke (Remixed) was released on November 11, on Easy Star Records.
The genre of dub thrives on well-crafted production and masterful work and knowledge of sounds and effects, lending itself well to remixes. The upcoming release offers a wide-reaching selection of styles, melding seamlessly from one into the next. Elements of dub, steppas, dubstep roots and even flashes of drum & bass can all be found within the seven-track remix album. “We have met so many talented producers and remixers along the way and we wanted to put a spotlight on them and what they could do with our tunes. For us the foundation of remixing is in Dub, so it seemed like a very appropriate way of celebrating the songs on The Big Smoke,” explains GDC’s bassist Toby Davies.
Among these talented producers are works from the likes of Prince Fatty, Chief Rockas, dubstep heavyweight DJ Madd, Breadwinner, London-based Nick Manasseh, and ex-GDC member Eddie Ranking, each combining elements of their style to the unmistakable sound of Gentleman’s Dub Club. From the live one-take feel of Prince Fatty’s take on “Music Is the Girl I Love” to the tonality changeup of Chief Rockas’s version of “One Night Only (ft. Natty),” down to the dance-inducing sounds of DJ Madd embedded into “One Road,” GDC aims to provide “a mix of the old and new, something we try to explore in every release” adds Davies. The Big Smoke (Remixed) brings back some old faces for new mixes, featuring the return of Breadwinner, who was responsible for mixing the 2015 original release, using the album sessions as the foundation for his remixes, providing a similar sound found on The Big Smoke. Another familiar face is former GDC bandmate Eddie Ranking providing a stripped-back rendition of “Extraordinary.” Nick Manasseh offers a deeper, more contemplative look at “Earthquake.”
The Big Smoke (Remixed) is now available through Easy Star Records. It will be available digitally, with the band set to tour throughout the UK and France throughout the fall.
Tracklisting
1.) One Night Only (Chief Rockas remix)
2.) Music Is The Girl I Love (Prince Fatty remix)
3.) See Them (Breadwinners Dub)
4.) One Road (DJ MADD remix)
5.) Extraordinary (Eddie Ranking remix)
6.) Earthquake (Manasseh remix)
7.) Afraid Of The Dark (Breadwinners Dub)
Tour Dates
Nov 4 @ HiFi – Leeds, UK
Nov 5 @ Studio 24 – Edinburgh, UK
Nov 11 @ Tramshed – Cardiff, UK
Nov 17 @ 4 ECLUSES – Dunkirk, FR
Nov 18 @ Grange A Musique – Creil, FR
Nov 19 @ Run Ar Puns– Chateualin, FR
Dec 15 @ Paul B. – Massy, FR
Dec 16 @ Le Chaudron – Le Mee Sur Seine, FR
Dec 17 @ Le Nadir – Bourges, FR
Feb 17 @ Princess Pavilion – Falmouth, UK
Feb 18 @ The Hub – Plymouth, UK
Feb 19 @ Mr Kyps – Poole, UK
