Research And Development

For fans of Britain's notorious On-U Sound label, the prospect of a Dub Syndicate remix album is cause for drooling anticipation. Although Dub Syndicate's lineup varies, its core membership is the same as that of Roots Radics, the most important reggae studio band since the Revolutionaries. The big difference between the two groups is producer Adrian Sherwood, whose over-the-top dubwise production makes On-U recordings instantly identifiable. So if Research and Development disappoints, it may be due to overinflated expectations. As it turns out, the remixes of such classic Dub Syndicate fare as "2003 Struggle" and "Dubaddisaba" (by D.J. Scruff and Soundclash, respectively) do rock hard-it's just that they don't rock that much harder than the original versions. "Jamaican Jig," remixed by Abashanti, actually rocks softer. On the other hand, Tribal Drift does a bang-up job on "Hey Ho," letting it coast along on a slightly beefed-up beat for a couple of minutes, then slingshotting it off into jungle territory. And Rootsman gets well dread on a slow, thunderous remix of "Ravi Shankar." So while it's not all it could have been, Research and Development isn't exactly a waste of money, either. ~ Rick Anderson