Basement 5, In Dub (12" EP)

The Basement 5's sole album, 1965-1980, is a fairly idiomatic and very strong post-punk record.  Its most recognizable trait might be vocalist Dennis Morris, who was better known as a photographer and graphic designer — his racial identity is perceptible in his vocal style, in a genre when most singers were white.  1980's In Dub drops Morris's vocals completely, for a set of remixes of songs from 1965-1980, in a style loosely influenced by Jamaican dub.  The remixes here employ heavy use of effects like delay to create a dense, standalone instrumental.  Where traditional dub plates had overwhelming low-end, the bass here is more controlled, with a more conventional rock frequency balance.  The remixes are interesting and engaging, if a lot more polished than might be expected from the dub reference.  The bassline does hold the melodic center of each track, with a lot less processing than on the surrounding instruments.  The bright colored and iconic packaging leaps out nicely, but it does not closely match the smeary and messy remixes inside.