Saturday 12th November
Bedford Esquires
Doors at 8pm, tickets £15 in advance
One band that never fail to get the party started, Dreadzone will be returning to Esquires main stage on Saturday 12th November for a night to remember.
Electro-dub pioneers Dreadzone re-issued their classic 2001 album ‘Sound’ on their own Dubwiser label this Summer. Dreadzone are still going strong after over 20 years in the game with core members Greg Dread, Leo Williams, MC Spee and legendary reggae vocalist Earl 16 alongside Chris Compton on guitar and Bazil completing the current Dreadzone line up. They continue to tour extensively throughout the UK & Europe, and this re-issue is being accompanied by an extensive set of tour dates this Autumn.
Dreadzone formed in 1993 when the former Big Audio Dynamite rhythm section; drummer Greg ‘Dread’ Roberts and bassist Leo Williams teamed up with musician, producer and mixer Tim Bran. Throughout the 1990’s Dreadzone had continually remixed itself; chopping and changing members and record labels (including stints on both Virgin and Alan McGhee’s Creation). Greg and Tim decided to approach the new millennium with a fresh idea in the form of the Dubwiser Club night at Notting Hill Arts Club. They channelled their energy into club nights that fused dub and reggae with contemporary beats to create the perfect soundtrack for people from different planets. This proved a fertile musical playground and it was in this climate (helped by their new ‘Dread Central’ studio complex) that the band would create Sound, released on Ruff Life in 2001.
Written and evolved over a two-year period, Sound features contributions from Don Letts, Earl 16, Aswad’s Brinsley Forde and MC Det. As this re-issue demonstrates, the album as a whole sounds as fresh and vibrant today as it did upon release. Indeed, tracks such as Digital Mastermind and Dread’pon Sound have now reached ‘classic’ status, becoming entrenched favourites in the Dreadzone live show. It is also notable for the first appearance of a certain MC Spee on opener, Return of The Dread.
“One of the few acts to have truly explored the
possibilities of Dub & Reggae” Rock Sound…
“Dreadzone’s is a joyous noise; bouncing beats
with samples bashing into live vocals” Q
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Tickets on sale from Seetickets.com and available in person from Esquires Bar, Boutique Planet and Mario’s Hair Design in Kempston.
