ZamZam 82: VON D FT NAZAMBA

ZamZam Sounds

£9.40

Format: vinyl
Catalogue No.: ZamZam 82
Release Date: 29 Sep 21 (back in)
Genre: Dub / Bass

ZamZam 82 marks our first collaboration with another label - the mighty Dubquake Records outta Geneva! We’ve long been fans of O.B.F. and Dubquake, so when Von D proposed the collaboration all sides were eager to make it happen.

Nazamba burst on the global sound system scene in 2018 with O.B.F. and the Bug-produced stormer “Vex,” and has since worked exclusively with O.B.F. and Dubquake, releasing two singles and a powerful statement of an LP last year. Firmly in the tradition of the great dub poets such as Prince Far-I, LKJ, and Mutabaruka, Nazamba has digested the lessons of the past and is now changing the game by carving his own niche in the living history of dub poetry. His lyrics are born from lessons learned living in Kingston, and meditations on life, spirit, and the trials imposed by Babylon.

“She Solid" was born when Rico & Steph of Dubquake played Nazamba the Von D instrumental while driving in the Alps - inspiration struck immediately and he began writing in the car! The poem describes the resilience of a woman - a mother - strong, independent, providing for herself and her children without the help of a man, or the institutions of society. Simply maintaining her sanity and surviving every day in a system that doesn’t value or even see her strength is a victory. Nazamba's seemingly effortless delivery belies a mastery of cadence that perfectly locks his voice to the riddim with every syllable. A true dub poet plays his cadence like an instrument, and “She Solid” is a masterclass in this subtle art.

Von D’s hard yet restrained 140 steppers perfectly frames Nazamba’s ode to struggle and determination. Kete drum and plucked guitar filigree intertwine at the edges of the growling baritone, buoyed by a rockstone bassline mirrored in a heavily filtered midrange melody. Von D’s dub cracks open the space inherent in the tune with wicked snare splashes maimed & mangled in FX chains only he knows the secrets to. Guitar & percussion come forward and the echoes reel out in fine style. Hands-on-desk raw dub the way the people love it!!

Mastered to perfection by Sam at Precise Mastering. Art, design & screen printing by Polygon Press. Limited to 750 copies for the world. Digital will be available via Dubquake Records Bandcamp.