Dub music is no longer synonymous with the youth in Jamaica, but sibling production team Young Veterans turned back the hands of time for ‘Dub Kingston’, a nine-song album released in August.
Brothers Sheldon and Andrew Pennicott gathered contemporary and seasoned artists for the project, including Warrior King, Etana, Ginjah, Luciano, Capleton and legendary session guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith.
“The concept for the album was a label effort. We always wanted to do a project where we would be able to showcase our live catalog and production skills,” said Andrew, younger of the duo. “In selecting the tracks, we aimed for songs with a strong message that mostly speaks about the current climate of the world.”
‘Calling Jah in Dub’ by Warrior King, ‘Party N Smoke’ (Etana), ‘Street Cry in Dub’ (Sizzla, Luciano and Turbulence), ‘Survival in Dub’ (Ginjah) and ‘One Nation in Dub’ (Earl “Chinna” Smith) are some of the songs on ‘Dub Kingston’.
Dub, an echo-driven derivative of roots-reggae, rose to popularity during the 1970s through master studio engineers like Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Almost every hit single from the 1970s in Jamaica had a dub version.
The Pennicott brothers are from Montego Bay, Jamaica’s tourism mecca. They have produced albums and songs by acts such as Ginjah, Fantan Mojah and Bunny Rugs.
They are eyeing a diverse audience with ‘Dub Kingston’.
“The markets we hope to reach are global reggae consumers and lovers of live and well-composed music. We hope the project can fit into a variety of playlists,” said Andrew.
