No Responses to “New Record: Ticklah, Ticklah Vs. Axelrod”

1. Victor Axelrod on September 19th, 2007 12:47 am

   Daniel - I thought since this feedback box was sitting right here i’d take this opportunity to reply.
   While I appreciate your insights into what makes for good dub music and where I’ve fallen short for you - you should understand that I wasn’t trying to create a classic dub album. About half the album is comprised of full vocal tunes and the balance is a mix of dub and instrumentals which have elements of dub in them. There are rough mixes I have of some of the tracks on the album that as dub, you’d probably appreciate much more than what ended up on the final cd because they contain more of the “on the fly-whatever happens happens” feeling. But I wanted to present a record that was strong in melodic content - vocally and instrumentally, and an overall roots sound that would be framed in dub with a couple of exceptions. I also wanted to present music that reflected the traditional as well as the unheard of.
   I don’t want you to think that I missed all the positive things you said about me or the record but I can’t help but feel that you listened to the album from a starting place of holding it up to classics by Tubby (who’s influence IS very strong in my mixing approach) and Perry (who’s music I pretty much never listen to and Answer Me would be the only track that I could point to as one that he’s influenced). I feel I need to explain myself since you have put more into outlining what you feel to be my shortcomings than most do.
   You are very astute in being able to pinpoint the (my) pitfalls of being one wearing the different hats so to speak when it comes to a final dub mix. It is for that very reason, in addition to the fact that I think there’s plenty of straight dub albums in the world for people to enjoy, that I didn’t want to make an album that was ABOUT dub. I wanted the album to be more about the textures and writing. I’ve gotta ask - who nowadays would you consider a great classisist?
   The reason I ask is that as much as I do take pride in some of the different things I’ve offered on the record - much of this record as well as my previous output is very traditional - and it’s something I take pride in. So I’m wondering who you’re listening to that’s making good traditional sounds these days.
   If you chose not to cite some of the more traditional vocal tunes from the album because you thought they weren’t any good and you didn’t want to bash them - I appreciate your omission!
   And a detail you may want to note - Mi Sonsito is an old song from Cuba ( I believe) covered by Celia Cruz (Cuban)and Eddie Palmieri) and Si Hecho Palante is an Eddie Palmieri ( a Puerto Rican from NY) classic. Neither tune has roots in Mexico nor were originally sung by Mexicans in big sombrero’s.

   Thank you for the review and for clearly putting more thought and insight into it than a lot of reviewers will.
   Victor Axelrod

2. Daniel on September 19th, 2007 1:37 pm

   Victor

   I appreciate the care and the balanced tone in your response. So I’ll try to give you the same back.

   When I write a review, I try as much as possible to judge a record by intent - to kind of trim down the available room for subjectivity. Because I might not be feeling something but it might be a success by other standards, including the artist’s, and I want to take that into consideration. Of course, trying to guess at intent is also very subjective and one of the only things I have to go on with that is the artist’s promotional material/one-sheet. I know that there are varying amounts of actual artist involvement in these things but, still, it’s a starting place. Yours seemed to be more involved and thought-out than most, so I assumed you’d had a part in it, or at least approved it.

   Yours had the following:

   [Quote]

   “While much has been said about King Tubby and Lee Perry, what is always overlooked is the source material they were working with to make dub music,” says Ticklah. “The musicianship of the rhythm sections, the engineering skills that captured the sounds in the first place, and the production values go unmentioned. The music on my record reflects my love, awe, and admiration for all these components of reggae music.”

   A touchstone dub like “King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown” was played by a tight reggae band; led by a groundbreaking instrumentalist, writer and arranger (Augustus Pablo); has one of the genre’s most distinctive voices (Jacob Miller); has a final mix by a sonic visionary (King Tubby); and was recorded at one of the greatest sounding studios in Jamaican history (Dynamic Studios). Ticklah tackles every one of these roles somewhere on this record and in his studio (and sometimes all at once).

   [End quote]

   That’s a really compelling observation, and one that I’ve shared for a while. It’s also a lot to take on when you set yourself up for that kind of comparison. I realize that promotional materials are trying to strike a balance between half-bragging - to get somebody, anybody’s attention - and a decent amount of modesty. But still, this to me was a clear statement of intent, and I went with it.

   I can understand that you weren’t intending to make an album that was to be judged as dub. But dub is still the prevailing aesthetic with which you’ve blended your compositions and songs and so the review had to address that. It’s a huge amount of subjectivity on my part to talk about the waning appeal of dub in the digital age and maybe I spent too much of the review addressing my beef about that. But what can I do? The review is my opinion. To answer your question about modern dub that I like, the answer is nobody. I would say that over half of the music I listen to is reggae, dub and Ethiopian jazz with a bit of afrobeat and latin stuff thrown in, and almost none of that was recorded in the last 20-30 years. This is not my normal M.O. (i.e. older is better). I love the new sounds. I listen to a ton of electronic stuff and am always looking for my favorite artists to evolve. (For instance, after being a fan many years, a record that Elvis Costello made around 5 years ago was, in my opinion, his best work). But there’s something about the Jamaican forms that sounds best to me with the sonic smear of old machines and the deteriorated masters and the overall darkness of tone. When it is bright with clear separation of sound, it loses its mystique for me.

   And I also feel that dub was exciting within its limitations of faders and mutes and that now it’s more of a quaint practice, if anything, that needs to justify its own existence. I know that’s harsh, or possibly obnoxious, to say but it’s my personal opinion. Also, I am not a huge fan of Tubby and actually AM a Perry man. Though I respect Tubby and could instantly hear that you were a Tubby fan. And this is, again, totally subjective, so it might go a long way toward explaining my inability to wholeheartedly connect with your approach.

   I can also see that you would have preferred me to pay more attention to your songwriting. As good as that songwriting was, I personally felt the album’s greatest asset was its hybridization of dub with other forms, particularly latin, in ways that go beyond even the best reggaeton. And so I went with that angle. Also, I thought that another interesting quality of the record was the composer/recordist and deconstructor all in one factor, which is unique. And that was the only part I was taking issue with, as I think the results of that, generally speaking, can be a little insular and maybe even strip away a little of the necessary recklessness needed in the deconstruction stage.

   About the Mariachi thing. I’m choosing to see humor in your remark. I know who Eddie Palmieri is and I was aware when writing the review that those tunes were his. I also know the difference between Cuban jazz and mariachi - as well as the difference between Cuba and Mexico! :). I thought the actual horn phrases had mariachi qualities to them. Sorry if I was off-based in hearing that.

   I like that you’re proud of your work and that you are standing up for it. You should. It’s really good work and you’ve spent a lot more time creating it than I was given to digest it. Never take a review as a statement of a comprehensive opinion. Consider the limitations of the reviewer in time and knowledge. We’re just trying to be part of the discourse. I hope my contribution to that wasn’t too negative or dismissive.

   Thanks for your comment.

SHWFLYR