Tag: Dub Sonata

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Double AB & Dub Sonata – Time Is Elastic

Put generally, a dimension is a state of consciousness that can be achieved depending on your ability to tune in to a particular frequency. The third dimension, the one in which we operate is nothing but a box of rules, beliefs and limits, but that’s just the third dimension. It’s not the only one that exists, meaning there are other realities and rules we can operate on – if we can tune in. One particular rigid belief and limit of 3D is the concept of linear time. In the third dimension we look at time as past and future, it happened or it’s going to happen. However, our attachment to this concept coupled by our attachment to the past creates an infinite loop in which all we do is look at the past to create the future and we end up reliving the same moments over and over again.

What we know, how we live, the fear, restrictions of life are nothing more than the rules of the third dimension. However, humans are capable of operating in the 4th and 5th as well. In the 5th time doesn’t even exist but I’m not even going to front like I know what’s going on there.

The left brain, the way we perceive 3D,  is the rational mind, it doesn’t see beyond what it’s taught. That’s why concepts like unconditional love don’t really exist in the third dimension and that’s simply because of the rigidity of time within it. To clarify, in the fourth dimension, time is forever present. A being truly in tune with 4D is understands that time is mutable, is a east and sees more possibility.

Time is being created continuously…”

But what this does is empower the person to see clearly with a detachment that is simply not possible in 3D.

Recently, I’ve been having a hard time with a love in 3D and what two of the smartest people I know have said completely independent of each other was 1. Don’t reminisce and 2. Don’t think. I didn’t know it then and I’m not sure if they did (although I wouldn’t be surprised since they can only explain things to me as I’m ready) but they we’re teaching me to leave the limits of 3D and find a new, higher vibration. The irony though, is that some of the things we want, unconditional love, inner peace and so on can only exist in 4D but you can’t operate in 4D with the baggage of 3D.

The past is inactive, my presence  in the present is my passion…”

Speaking of time, I always say music is timely for me. Or more accurately it’s always there. The right song, the right message always seems to come along just when I need it the most. Is that a coincidence, am I repeating life cycles or am I operating in a higher dimension and constantly dumbing down because of a 3D fear or something?

No answers to these trick questions, no time shit stressin
My life found, I got ta live for the right now
Time waits for no man, can’t turn back the hands once it’s too late… – Jay-Z 

Ahhh, I think I’m finally starting to understand.

All these thoughts come from an entire morning of playing and repeating Double AB & Dub Sonata’s Time is Elastic. A rap song/biblical teaching on the true nature of time and space. Dub sets the canvas incredibly with that classic, futuristic, hip hop and Double AB absolutely goes in here. I don’t what these guy we’re on when they made this record but it’s one to vibe to folks.

Double AB & Dub Sonata – Time Is Elastic

Bonus: Dub sent you lucky bastards the instrumental, shit is fresh.

Dub Sonata – Time Is Elastic (Instrumental)

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Music

EMPT Classics: Dub Sonata – Nights In Cuba

Getting the exclusive on Nights In Cuba was one of EMPT’s proudest moments, a true underground classic that has been one of our most popular post to date. Re-enjoy.

Originally posted December 20th, 2010

_____

When it comes to music, it’s no secret that out of struggle comes progress and innovation. There’s no greater example of that than the rich, ingenious and often suppressed musical culture of Cuba. Of course, you can’t talk about Cuba without mentioning the big boss international icon of rebellion Comandante Fidel Castro. Good or bad, his influence on the country has been overwhelming and his 1984 type of rule extends itself into every single aspect of Cuban life, the arts being no exception. In fact, some of the most popular Cuban musicians we know, i.e. Celia Cruz were exiles who became “unpersons” because of their association with the anti-revolutionary movement. If you’re familiar with the logic of doublethink, being labeled an “unperson” means you never became anything because according to every single book in Cuban history you never existed – slice…

And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'” – George Orwell, 1984

Castro is well aware of music’s unstoppable power and with the rise of Hip Hop in the country, the government established the Cuban Rap Agency which provides artists with a record label and resources as long as they don’t speak negatively about the country. Did I mention 1984 already?

EMPT is always in a state of revolt but why all the counter culture talk today? Well, today is an exciting day for us because for the second time in our history we are exclusively releasing an album and it’s got rebel written all over it. Say hello to Dub Sonata’s Nights in Cuba, an album inspired by an impromptu, risky yet inspirational trip and cultural experience in Cuba.

I was fascinated when Dub was telling me how one day he’s sitting at home, his friend calls him from the Cayman Islands and says he can get to Cuba from where he was staying. The next day Dub is in the Caymans, two days later no tour guide or reservations he’s in Cuba. As fate would have it he meets a musician who shows him around town and puts him on to a very suspect variety store that randomly has over 3000 badly mistreated vinyl records somewhere in the back. After two days of dusty fingers, without listening to a single track Dub took home 70 plus records, which he shipped back home to avoid questioning at customs – now THAT’S how you dig for records fools!

Back in the states, the plan-less plan continued to develop and Dubs instinct led him to his MPC and the sampling madness began. Drums, bass, New York feel and samples in order, he started showing it around to musicians and tracks went from classic MPC beats to full out compositions with grand piano, scratches, percussion, bass, flutes, you name it – Nights In Cuba was born.

Cuban music is the most popular form of world music mainly because of its masterful blend of European and African music. Naturally, an album that samples such a genre is bound to be as eclectic as the music it represents and that is certainly the case of Nights In Cuba. The album is pure music, there are no gimmicky single attempts, no lazers to hold your attention, nada like that. In fact, some of the tracks are under a minute long and just leave you hungering for more product, i.e. the superdope 53 second song One More Time. Over all the albums reminds me of a dark underground nightclub, the type of place you can go to at 5 in the morning and the bartender makes you a drink according to how you feel.

I have a lot of favorites from the album but one of the standouts for me is called Todos, a knocking, extremely emotional reversed symphony that needs to be used in a movie asap. The second track I’m posting is called Que Lastima and it’s very representative of what the album is like. The first half of the song starts with a very dirty sounding authentic Cuban introduction and then suddenly switches to a banging hip hop beat. Dub must have really been listening to a lot of Cuban music with that production decision. Theres a very famous Cachao called Lindo Yambu known for an extremely laid back 4:00 minute intro that suddenly disappears in the face of an upbeat turnaround. These days it seems like everyone is making music to grab attention which limits the way people express themselves so it’s nice to have an album that sounds so fearless in its arrangement.

Alright, I could talk about this all day, I love what it took to make it, how it was made and the final product. You don’t get to hear this type of stuff everyday. So there you have it, I’m posting two brand spanking new tracks from an album released right here. Check out DubSonata.com or listen to the album on iTunes here. To hear our interview with Dub check out our Bandcamp @ empt.bandcamp.com

I know people don’t buy physical CD’s anymore but Dub went all out with a collectors edition type of album insert. If you’re into that sort of thing check the EMPT store later today, we’ll be selling the limited copies. We’re also giving away a couple, if you want to be the lucky winner hit me up – info@etmusiquepourtous.com, enjoy.

Dub Sonata – Todos

Dub Sonata – Que Lastima

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Kevin Casey’s Sample Saturday – Merceditas Valdes / Los Reyes 73 / Dub Sonata

After a small holiday hiatus we’re back like we never left.  First and foremost Happy 2011 to the whole EMPT gang!  Since you are here paying us a visit, that means you have exceptional musical taste and you are already winning in the new year.  To jump things off, we have a special Sample Saturday brought to you by myself and Dub Sonata.  We’re gonna look into the making of Nights In Cuba and expose the dusty Cuban records that helped make up track 19, “January Nights On The Malecón In Havana Cuba.” The Malecón is a long stretch of roadway and seawall that runs along the coast of Havana.  Dub stayed a few blocks away from the Malecón in Havana Centro and spent many of his nights on or around that strip of road, a gathering point for locals and visitors.  Just a few blocks off the Malecón is where he discovered the “everything shop” that ended up being the musical source that fueled Nights In Cuba.

To actually brake down all of the production moves that Dub made with this track would probably take up a whole page, so we’ll briefly touch on some of the main uses of samples. “January Nights…” is made up of two sections, the first which begins with the outro from “Mango Mangué” (3:45) followed by chopped notes taken from the intro of the same record.  Sixteen bars after the beat drops we hear a vocal sample from another Merceditas Valdes song called “Yambambó” (2:59).  Eight bars later is the first use of a flute line from the Sintesis record “¿Pensar, Que Es?” (2:14).  The second section begins with a Los Reyes 73 sample chopped up from “Necesito De Alguien Como Tu” (3:21).  Eight bars after the drums come in we hear a horn section lifted off the same Los Reyes 73 record (0:16), along with a vocal sample (4:46) which immediately follows.  Throughout the track you will notice some chimes in the background from “Mango Mangué” (1:40) and a sprinkling of synths.  To tie it all together, Dub brought in various instrumentalists to add on saxophone, trumpet, flute and acoustic guitar.  Keep up.  And be smart enough to take the time to listen to these songs in their entirety and enjoy one of the coolest genres of music on the planet.

Nights In Cuba available on iTunes.

Merceditas Valdes – Mango Mangué

Sintesis – ¿Pensar, Que Es?

Los Reyes 73 – Necesito De Alguien Como Tu

Merceditas Valdes – Yambambo

Dub Sonata – January Nights On The Malecón In Havana Cuba

via KevinCaseyMusic and Dub Sonata

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Categories
Music

Dub Sonata – Nights in Cuba

When it comes to music, it’s no secret that out of struggle comes progress and innovation. There’s no greater example of that than the rich, ingenious and often suppressed musical culture of Cuba. Of course, you can’t talk about Cuba without mentioning the big boss international icon of rebellion Comandante Fidel Castro. Good or bad, his influence on the country has been overwhelming and his 1984 type of rule extends itself into every single aspect of Cuban life, the arts being no exception. In fact, some of the most popular Cuban musicians we know, i.e. Celia Cruz were exiles who became “unpersons” because of their association with the anti-revolutionary movement. If you’re familiar with the logic of doublethink, being labeled an “unperson” means you never became anything because according to every single book in Cuban history you never existed – slice…

And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'” – George Orwell, 1984

Castro is well aware of music’s unstoppable power and with the rise of Hip Hop in the country, the government established the Cuban Rap Agency which provides artists with a record label and resources as long as they don’t speak negatively about the country. Did I mention 1984 already?

EMPT is always in a state of revolt but why all the counter culture talk today? Well, today is an exciting day for us because for the second time in our history we are exclusively releasing an album and it’s got rebel written all over it. Say hello to Dub Sonata’s Nights in Cuba, an album inspired by an impromptu, risky yet inspirational trip and cultural experience in Cuba.

I was fascinated when Dub was telling me how one day he’s sitting at home, his friend calls him from the Cayman Islands and says he can get to Cuba from where he was staying. The next day Dub is in the Caymans, two days later no tour guide or reservations he’s in Cuba. As fate would have it he meets a musician who shows him around town and puts him on to a very suspect variety store that randomly has over 3000 badly mistreated vinyl records somewhere in the back. After two days of dusty fingers, without listening to a single track Dub took home 70 plus records, which he shipped back home to avoid questioning at customs – now THAT’S how you dig for records fools!

Back in the states, the plan-less plan continued to develop and Dubs instinct led him to his MPC and the sampling madness began. Drums, bass, New York feel and samples in order, he started showing it around to musicians and tracks went from classic MPC beats to full out compositions with grand piano, scratches, percussion, bass, flutes, you name it – Nights In Cuba was born.

Cuban music is the most popular form of world music mainly because of its masterful blend of European and African music. Naturally, an album that samples such a genre is bound to be as eclectic as the music it represents and that is certainly the case of Nights In Cuba. The album is pure music, there are no gimmicky single attempts, no lazers to hold your attention, nada like that. In fact, some of the tracks are under a minute long and just leave you hungering for more product, i.e. the superdope 53 second song One More Time. Over all the albums reminds me of a dark underground nightclub, the type of place you can go to at 5 in the morning and the bartender makes you a drink according to how you feel.

I have a lot of favorites from the album but one of the standouts for me is called Todos, a knocking, extremely emotional reversed symphony that needs to be used in a movie asap. The second track I’m posting is called Que Lastima and it’s very representative of what the album is like. The first half of the song starts with a very dirty sounding authentic Cuban introduction and then suddenly switches to a banging hip hop beat. Dub must have really been listening to a lot of Cuban music with that production decision. Theres a very famous Cachao called Lindo Yambu known for an extremely laid back 4:00 minute intro that suddenly disappears in the face of an upbeat turnaround. These days it seems like everyone is making music to grab attention which limits the way people express themselves so it’s nice to have an album that sounds so fearless in its arrangement.

Alright, I could talk about this all day, I love what it took to make it, how it was made and the final product. You don’t get to hear this type of stuff everyday. So there you have it, I’m posting two brand spanking new tracks from an album released right here. Check out DubSonata.com or listen to the album on iTunes here. To hear our interview with Dub check out our Bandcamp @ empt.bandcamp.com

I know people don’t buy physical CD’s anymore but Dub went all out with a collectors edition type of album insert. If you’re into that sort of thing check the EMPT store later today, we’ll be selling the limited copies. We’re also giving away a couple, if you want to be the lucky winner hit me up – hector@etmusiquepourtous.com, enjoy.

Dub Sonata – Todos

Dub Sonata – Que Lastima

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