Meet Manuel Pino

Here are a few of my favourite grooves from the great Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble album Radioaxiom – A Dub Transmission:

Aslema Dub
Orion
Subcode

Like most Dub bass lines, the grooves are very simple and repetetive, so as a timing exercise, I suggest playing them without any rhythmic support (metronome, drum machine etc), making them sound solid and consistent, just like a drummer outlining a beat. I know this might sound counterintuitive because we are all used to practicing with an external time source, but as an experiment try hearing the quarter note pulse in your head while you play and use note length and phrasing to keep your place in the groove.

Playing Dub is all about laying down a foundation for the other layers of sound that weave in and out of each other, but don’t forget that the bass is often the main melodic force in the track. So, take advantage of the hypnotic nature of this music to get some of the intervallic shapes (fifths, octaves, minor thirds and pentatonics) ingrained into your subconscious by playing along with the record.

Hope you enjoy!