The first time I knew about the International Dub Ambassadors was at Calle 13 concert when they opened for the headlining band. Fast forward a few years and they’ve become the quintessential reggae/dub band in the indie scene having collaborated with artists like Gomba Jahbari and Puerto Rican indie legend MIMA. After having released a variety of singles with MIMA in 2019, the group decided to record material on their own that would later become part of their album La Calor, a project that consists of a series of original reggae records accompanied in the second half with dub versions of each song. La Calor starts with “Te Crees Tú”, a very psychedelic reggae tune that kicks off the project beautifully. Afterwards, “Meses” encapsulates time, specifically that time of enclosure the world had to endure during the pandemic. Then “Un Verano” is a love-driven collaboration with Don Carmelo that’ll fit perfectly in beach playlists. Next “¿Qué Tú Quieres?” continues the high energy reggae vibes. Later, “La Cascada” lays back and allows listeners to calm down as the record delivers the experience promised on its title. The sixth song, “Clever” is a great display of the group’s mastery over the reggae sound. Finally, the second half of the project features Pachyman performing a series of dub versions of all but one track off album, which displays the band’s willingness to explore multiple sides to their music and their ability to provide different experiences to their audience.
In sum, International Dub Ambassador’s La Calor is a fantastic presentation of the group’s sound and how far they’re willing to take it to explore its different sides that might provide a variety of experiences for all sorts of listeners.
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AuthorFernando E. E. Correa González is the author behind over 30 self-published poetry books. He has been published by literary magazines & journals [Id]entidad, El Vicio del Tintero, Sábanas Magazine, Smaeralit, The Occulum, Tonguas and Hound Magazine. Other than writing, Correa is also the host of FENCast, a podcast dedicated to documenting the Puerto Rican independent art scene. Aside from this, he experiments with filmmaking, photography, drawing, painting, multimedia and transmedia. He currently lives in his native Puerto Rico. Archives
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