Asian Dub Foundation - Leeds Metropolitan University
Feb 25, 2003
"This is for the world's number one terrorist… George Bush".
Three years away haven't softened Asian Dub Foundation's political edge, then.
Or, thankfully, their musical one. In fact, Dr Das's towering bass stack probably qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction in its own right.
As the echoing beats of the DJ set from dub legend and ADF producer Adrian Sherwood die away, Das and under-rated guitar genius Chandrasonic launch into the instrumental Cyberabad from the new album, and within seconds, have pretty much left every other British band choking on their dust.
New drummer Rocky Singh and a percussionist lugging a tabla that's as big as he is join them, and things get even better. And they don't stop for almost one-and-a-half hours.
Admittedly, new rappers Spex and Aktarvata, aka a couple of geeky kids in baseball caps, are a little disappointing. OK, ADF's previous vocalist, Master D, was also a geeky kid in a baseball cap, but one who combined melody with high-speed lyrical dexterity, and for all their enthusiasm, the new boys sound amateur by comparison as they tackle ADF back-catalogue classics like Real Great Britain and the uplifting New Way New Life.
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Plus, despite Sherwood's sage-like presence, the sound occasionally turns to mush, which, when you're trying to fuse drum'n'bass rhythms, earth-moving dub reggae basslines, traditional Asian music, punk-edged guitars and angry, political rapping, into a coherent blend, is a bit of a problem. Ta Deem, a tribute to the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, suffers from Khan's sampled voice being rendered inaudible.
But, single Fortress Europe is stunning, seeing the vocalists hit their stride at last, and from then onwards, ADF are back on track, with new material like La Haine sitting seamlessly alongside the first album call-to-arms Naxalite, and, (despite the bloke having actually got out of prison months ago), Free Satpal Ram.
ADF's musical melting pot is both a political statement in itself, and a stunning live spectacle. And let's face it, we've never needed a band like them so much.
David Martin
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