BREAKZ and bass old hands the Dub Pistols have announced the release of their eighth studio album, Addict, which Sunday Best Recordings will unleash on the dancefloor on September 11.
And last week saw the release of a single, the ska cracker “Stand Together”, led by the vocal brilliance of Two Tone heroine Rhoda Dakar (The Bodysnatchers, The Specials, and more recently tour DJ with The Selecter).
Dub Pistols’ mainstay Barry Ashworth says: “‘Stand Together’ was written about how far we’ve come, but how much further we still have to go when it comes to the war against racism.
[For the video] we used footage from civil rights movements … how racism is still so seismic in our society is devastating. We need to stand together, learn from history, and move forward”.
The album has somewhat of a protracted gestation, as Barry details: “I recorded over three albums worth of music to get to the finished version of Addict,” he said.
“Every time I finished a song, I would come up with another idea for a track and an artist I wanted to work with.”
Collaborators on the album include not only Rhoda Dakar, Cheshire Cat and the Ragga Twins, but some young blood. “It’s been incredible to collaborate with all the legends, but it’s also the new, emerging talent such as Natty Campbell and Gardna that have really given me new enthusiasm”, explains Barry.
“The album has taken two years to record, but has been 25 years in the making.”
Expect Addict to be Dub Pistols’ trademark intoxicating brew of dubwise sensibility, junglist riddims, and feelgood party anthems.
The final part of the year should also see the unveiling of a documentary about the band, entitled What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, which is set to put a spotlight on the band’s extraordinary career to date.
The Dub Pistols’ Addict will be released by Sunday Best Recordings on September 11, on CD and silver vinyl, with tee-shirt and print bundles also available. You can place your order at https://orcd.co/addict
