Release: Dub Side of the Moon, the psychedelic take on Pink Floyd!

On its 30th anniversary, the classic Dark Side of the Moon gets this unusual version. The title, Dub Side of the Moon, is self-explanatory: it is the dub version of Pink Floyd's most important album. The idea comes from the New York collective Easy Star All-Stars, led by producers Michael G and Victor 'Ticklah' Axelrod, one of the most celebrated names in contemporary reggae.

Dub is reggae at maximum psychedelia. Born in 1970s Jamaica from the minds of geniuses like Lee Perry and King Tubby, it is characterized mainly by emphasis on bass and drums, along with lots of echoes and studio effects. Dub was first used as a resource to produce the B-sides of singles, alternative versions of songs released at the time. It ended up growing and became practically an independent musical genre. Once restricted to a club of admirers, such as producers and musicians, it is currently the most widespread form of Jamaican music, whether in its purest form or through experiments, mainly with electronic music.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the paths of dub and Pink Floyd have crossed. Both have ultra-psychedelic elements, developed in increasingly modern studios full of resources. However, Dub Side of the Moon is not a simple remix of the original versions in reggae clothing. All songs were re-recorded in the studio and authorized by the original composers, including Roger Watters, at the time the band's main composer. Although each of them received a copy of the album, there is still no news of what they thought of the final result. One curiosity is that Easy Star All-Stars bassist Victor Rice is a familiar figure in Brazil and, besides arranging in Portuguese, has an apartment in São Paulo.

Special guests range from the traditional trio The Meditations, on Eclipse, to Gary 'Nesta' Pine, vocalist of The Wailers, on Money, passing through lesser-known figures here, such as Dr. Israel and Sluggy Ranks. Money, by the way, is one of the best moments on the album. Here, the familiar cash register noise that opens the song is replaced by the bubbling of a bong, the flick of a lighter and the sound of someone coughing after a strong puff - guess what.
Time also holds its own, and is responsible for the first great reggae moment on the album.

It is on this song that you will probably say for the first time: "but what are these guys doing?!", a phrase that will surely repeat throughout the album. Following the original album order, we have before that Speak to me and Breathe, which being short do not allow a deeper dive into the Jamaican rhythm, and On the run, in a neurotic drum 'n' bass version.

Throughout the nine songs, Dub Side of the Moon is faithful to the original. The care was such that they sought to keep the tempo and groove of the songs identical, even if in another rhythm. The exquisite passages from one track to another were maintained, carefully crafted by Dark Side of the Moon sound engineer Alan Parsons. The album flows uninterrupted, exactly as 30 years ago. Proof of this degree of care is the fact that it is possible to do the famed sync between the album and the film The Wizard of Oz, with instructions in the liner notes and all.

To complete it, maintaining dub tradition, the album closes with four bonus tracks with very interesting titles. They are 'versions of the versions', made with more freedom and less concern about strictly following the originals. Dub squared, therefore. Time version replaces the vocals with a melodica, a kind of mouth organ, celebrated in the reggae world by Augustus Pablo, which makes the album worthwhile. Closing the album come Great dub in the sky, version of Great gig in the sky, Step it on the rastaman scene and Any dub you like, version of Any colour you like.

The album was released in the United States in February and there is still no forecast for release in Brazil. Some imported record stores have copies, if price is not a problem. While Dub Side of the Moon is not released here, curiosity can be satisfied on the label's website, www.easystar.com, which made four songs available. Both reggae fans and rock fans can listen without fear - it is first-rate material.