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Club of the Month:
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by Corinne Mah |
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647 Valencia Street @ 17th Street DJ and promoter Sep is on a mission to bring dub to the people, and for more than four years she has successfully done so at the aptly-named Dub Mission. Every Sunday night upstairs at the Elbo Room nightclub in San Francisco's Mission District, Dub Mission has proven to be immensely popular with both old time reggae and dub music fans, as well as a younger crowd that was not yet born when the first wave of dub classics hit the airwaves in the 1970s. On January 7, 2001, I met with dj sep to discuss dub music and Dub Mission, in particular. While she professed to be shy, I found her to be both eloquent and enthusiastic. dj sep, age 35, is the coordinator and promoter of the evening, but she's quick to share credit with her fellow resident DJs–Vinnie, J. Boogie, Ludichris, Maneesh the Twister (along with the Elbo Room's manager, Dennis Ring)–for helping to make the night so popular. Inspired by radio listeners who kept asking where they could go to hear the dub music she was playing on her show, dj sep started Dub Mission in 1996. The club features DJs and musicians from the U.S. and around the world, occasionally showcases dub-influenced live bands, and hosts special events like the recent Cross Country Dub Summit. "We've definitely explored the different aspects of dub," said dj sep. The Roots of Dub Dub can loosely be defined as a studio technique or a style of music that was developed in the 1970s in Kingston, Jamaica, first by King Tubby, then by Prince Jammy, Scientist, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Augustus Pablo and other recording engineers and artists who took reggae tracks and "tweaked" them in the studio. By removing vocal tracks (either completely or partially), adding special effects, then remixing the songs, they created an entirely new, bass-heavy sound that they took to the dancehalls, where it was a smashing success. Soon, nearly every song released was also remixed as a dub version, and singers and DJs began to "ride the riddim" or "toast" over these new records. Dub quickly caught on in the U.K. where Ariwa Records and On-U Sound, among others, continue to push the boundaries of dub. The influence of dub continues to grow throughout the world, and has impacted nearly every musical genre, spreading from reggae to rap, hip-hop, dance, house, electronic, and drum-and-bass music. Finding a Doorway to Dub As Sep noted, "Everybody finds their own door into dub, because dub has influenced so many forms of music, but is so underrated. You can walk into dub through house; it has definitely been influenced by dub. Even with the terminology, in house and other forms of music, you'll see they use ‘Blah-de-blah Dub’ or ‘dubplate’ on their records. You have kids who are into hip-hop who may not know that the history of the man with the mic is from the toaster tradition. If you are young and just starting to listen to music–or you are glued to one form of music–you don't see the roots where they connect." "Traditionally, dub has been viewed as 'reggae's little brother.' In reggae, dub was there to support the vocal track," said Sep. "I never looked at it that way, because I came to reggae through dub. I considered dub as something legitimate on its own and I think there's more than ample evidence for that now." When asked about her history in music, Sep recalled, "I started in college radio, in 1988 at KUSF, the University of San Francisco station, where you are exposed to a lot of different kinds of music. That was the beginning of my musical journey. My ears opened and expanded from indie rock music to more experimental music. The dub came into it from there. One of the record labels that helped was [Adrian Sherwood's] On-U Sound because they had elements of both: they had the independent, rock or 'post-rock' element on their label, and the dub side. From there, I went back to the roots and the history of dub and reggae. There's so much to learn, so many records, it's like a continual education." Even if one starts by investigating only one record label, like On-U Sound, it pushes a listener to move outward and explore other branches on the tree. Sep agreed, saying: "Adrian Sherwood had the knowledge, not only as a DJ, but as a buyer. He started with buying and selling records for other labels and shops, then he would license records from Jamaica and sell them. He would bring someone like Bim Sherman into his stable, who has a large catalog. So if people get into On-U Sound, they can say, 'Bim, I really love his voice, where does he come from? Or [the drummer] Style Scott, where does he come from?' All these musicians had backgrounds in what they've done previously. And Sherwood brought them together with these kids in London who were into punk and they explored these other options. For me and others who came from indie rock, it was a portal to walk into and then explore this huge world of reggae." The Growth of Dub Mission Dub Mission's opening coincided with a resurgent interest in dub, as the Blood & Fire and Pressure Sounds labels began re-issuing records that had long been out of print, introducing the music to a new generation of listeners. Sep was the DJ for the Bay Area dates on the 1998 Blood & Fire Tour, and the word quickly spread that San Francisco has a very strong dub scene, and it is no longer an isolated enclave along with New York. It's now apparent that dub is popular across the country. Dub is renowned for creating echoing effects and pauses surrounding what is actually going on instrumentally. "It's like negative space in music," remarked dj sep. "What's not there is as important as what is there. You pull out the vocals and, oh wow, there's all this space to work with." The growth of Dub Mission parallels this opening, noted Sep: "Once we presented the music in this setting, it created an opportunity to explore and present all these other things here. We've had guitar players play with us, tabla players, percussionists. Because there is so much space in dub, it allows for experimentation. It's exciting to reach out and explore different aspects of it, pushing it." Her goal was to share this growth and inclusiveness at Dub Mission. "I wanted to bring in older people who had been into dub for a long time and college kids who (just as I was getting into it 10 years ago) are getting into it now. I wanted it to be a club for women to be comfortable to come here, come by themselves, come with their girlfriends and dance. I wanted it to be a mix and that has happened." The Challenges While the Elbo Room club and its staff have been extremely supportive, Sep says that she has found it challenging to bring a club night into existence and continue it. "It's a good thing I didn't know how difficult it was going to be, because I wonder if I would have done it if I had known that you're perpetually tied down, and the work never ends," she laughed. As to the issue of being a woman in the club scene, Sep finds the subtle nature of discrimination its worst aspect. In her opinion, "DJs and clubs are still a bastion of masculinity. There are more women in radio, there are more female DJs in clubs now, but it comes up in subtle ways all the time. Like when guys ask, 'How many women go to this club?' They don't want to know what kind of music you're playing. That's a reality with club life, the attitude and vibes have been macho for a long time." Unless the sexism or discrimination is overt, Sep considers it "just another obstacle I must overcome. I don't separate it from all the other things you need to overcome to make something successful. There's always some issue -- commercialism vs. creativity, where to find the money to make something happen, can you support yourself doing this. If it is blatant, I'll address it head-on. But my experience is that it's just in the air, this pervasive attitude." We spoke about having the internal strength to overcome obstacles. According to Sep: "Whenever you are a member of a minority group, in whatever way, some of the attitude from the outside gets internalized, and you say, 'Maybe I shouldn't be here.' Once you overcome that, you will be able to battle what's outside more effectively. I think that's an issue to work out, you need to be at peace with yourself in terms of belonging. Club deejaying is a competitive, aggressive environment–it's a 'boy's club'–and even if you are accepted, do you really feel a part of it? There's a lot for women to overcome, and the first person you have to deal with is yourself. By saying, 'Yes! I belong here, I deserve to be here behind the turntables, I can do this." Other Projects In addition to hosting her KPFA radio show and being the promoter and a DJ at Dub Mission, Sep occasionally also produces NOOR events with world dance music DJ Cheb i Sabbah. "We have been working together for a while to explore and bring out different aspects of music to a club setting," she said of their collaboration. Sep's "day job" is Lipp Service Promotions, which does record promotions for independent, smaller labels throughout North America. While Sep would like to devote all of her time to deejaying, she added, "I like doing promotions. Lipp Service is my own company, so I get to choose and get behind projects I'm really enthusiastic about. It's been a great opportunity to put energy into what I believe in." The Rewards Dub Mission has become both an audience and a critical favorite, having won a critic's Goldie Award, a San Francisco Clubbie, as well as other commendations. The resident DJs have won individual awards as well. Their styles range from spinning classic dub to new artists that explore dub and have dub influences. Explained Sep, "It's not just a throw-back club. We include some classic dancehall elements, we have roots, we feature electronic-techno. We explore the many different aspects of dub, because it's so multifaceted." What is the best thing about running Dub Mission? "I know we've turned a lot of people onto dub who weren't into it before. We've had an influence, and that makes me very happy." When Dub Mission celebrated its fourth anniversary by having all of its resident DJs play together, the line stretched around the block. "The numbers are only part of its success, but that definitely was an affirmation," she said about the club's popularity. Sep concluded by saying, "I think we've been good and we've worked very hard, but fortune and luck also come into it. I love this club and I hope it never closes. On terrific nights, when there's a coming together and a common understanding and an appreciation, those experiences fuel you so you can give back to the club throughout the year." ======= You can hear dj sep's radio show 'Off the Beaten Path' every Monday night on Berkeley's KPFA 94.1 FM from 10 p.m. to midnight, or on the web at http://www.kpfa.org. Check out the Dub Mission club schedule at http://www.dubmissionsf.com/monthlyv1.html
--------------------------------------------- JahWorks.org contributor Corinne Mah is a San Francisco-based freelance
writer and publishing specialist who has a passionate interest in Caribbean
music and dance. You can e-mail her at cm@corinnemah.com.
also check out JahWorks.org
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