Community Music - Asian Dub Foundation

Asian Dub Foundation - Community Music Community (Def: Fellowship, Sect, Brotherhood, Affinity) By definition ADF are a band that have all the traits of a normal rock & roll band and then you look at a bit deeper and find that they are the uncoolest band on the planet. There's definitely a group mentality as in the Roses, the Smiths, Oasis but then by contradiction this group mentality was formed at a community centre. What's cool anyway when a band that mean everything like ADF come along. Its about education, and do this generation need some. In the year 2000 the youth of today is the most apathetic since god knows when and are more ...  Read the complete review

After the storming cult phenomenton 'Rafi's Revenge'; the band returned two years later with their most popular and crirically acclaimed album to date. Everybody loved it (so it seems), but I thought that the amount of attention given to this record should've been given to it's predeccessor, as even though this effort was good, I personally thought it sounded too polished, too lighthearted, and too much of a 'thinkers' album, than one that 'rocks' the soul as strongly as 'RR' did. Atleast that's what I'd like out of this album. 'Real Great Britain' is a storming first single, even if it does sound like it ...  Read the complete review

If you could go out and can energy then seal it up and by some bizarre process entrap it into the form of a CD, Asian Dub Foundation's second album 'Community Music' would be that CD. Although their political stance may not be to the taste of everybody, do not be blinded by the politics you should instead look at the music they produce which is exceptional. But then look at the quality music politics has spawned; Public Enemy and Rage Against The Machine to name just two of the forerunners of this unique genre. Stand out tracks for me were 'Real Great Britain' and 'Riddim I Like'. The record is well produced and is a marked diversion ...  Read the complete review

'Community Music' is Asian Dub Foundation's third album, and here the group have left behind the quest to make a British equivalent of an "It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" (Public Enemy) and turned to add a sense of celebration of Anglo-Asian achievement alongside the more focused anger which typifies their work. The album starts off where their last record "Rafi's Revenge", left off, with pounding jungle rhythms, swirling guitars and heavy bass accompanied by the masterful delivery of Master D, with a ferocious assault on New Labour. Then comes the rub. "Memory War" is far more reggae influenced, deceptively ...  Read the complete review

Another album that mixes protest with music, this latest record from ADF is highly competent. Their main targets this time are New Labour, the police, the IMF and numerous other world financial bodies. You may be forgiven for thinking that politics are the main feature of this album, my review started with that after all, but they aren't. 'Community Music' is, after all, a music recording and therefore the music is paramount. ADF have this amazing ability to mix all kinds of genres together (traditional Asian, electronica, hip-hop, reggae to name but a few) and create an end product that doesn't sound like a lorry full of musical ...  Read the complete review