THE DRASTCS are an instrumental dub reggae group based out of Chicago, formed in august 2003 from the ashes of rock-steady soulsters The Zvooks. Taking influence from the masters of the style (King Tubby, Lee Scratch Perry, Augustus Pablo) and adding influence from afro-pop, jazz, hiphop, dancehall, and R&B, The Drastics’ catchy, danceable sound is guaranteed to turns heads and move your feet.

From it’s beginnings in late 60s / early 70’s Jamaica, dub was essentially “studio magic” -  PRODUCERS  creating b-side instrumental “versions” of popular reggae tunes by stripping and fragmenting the melody (vocals especially), unearthing the rhythm section, (drums, bass, guitar off beats), “forwarding the bass” and filling in the cracks with murderous echoes, reverbs, one-drops, rebounds, melodica, vocal fades, and so on. Great dub music creates a trance, bubbling and bleeping, whistling and honking, punching and pulling - and The Drastics not only excel in the studio but also deliver LIVE using equipment true to the spirit and the time. Their performances swell and fade through the mixer with an assortment of effects while the players improvise on a multitude of instruments. There is such a thing as great LIVE DUB. It is THE DRASTICS.  

Knowing a great thing when they hear it, many of today’s best reggae/ska/rockers DJs contributed vocals to The Drastics debut album “Premonition” -  including legendary German dancehall king DR RING DING, Version City / Stubborn All Stars champ

 KING DJANGO, and CRAIG AKIRA FUJITA from Boston’s PRESSURE COOKER.

Newcomer PRINCE GONZALEZ re-creates the dub-poetry of LKJ over haunting flutes and sax, and hip hop wordsmith VANDELL HARRIS brings a RHYMESAYERS type twist to the track “10K”. Top it off with additional horns provided by Rich, Corey, and Obi from WESTBOUND TRAIN….and you’ve got one of 2005’s most anticipated albums in the ska/reggae genre.     

Dub reggae as a minimalist genre has infinite possibilities –  “PREMONITIOM” opens up this pandora’s box through rockers, roots, dancehall, version, rock-steady, punky ON-U SOUND, and avant garde jazz/blues. “PREMONITION” escapes the faults of many dub albums by keeping the tempo varied and the styles fresh. It’s a album that has been compiled with the LISTENER in mind, altering the order with destroy all that lies within. Proceed with caution.  Proceed often.   

For Fans of:   King Tubby, Lee “Scratch” Perry,  Agustus Pablo, ON-U SOUND SYSTEM, Dub Trio, John Brown’s Body, 10 Ft Ganga Plant, TROJAN RECORDS