Black Dub

Black Dub is the latest project from acclaimed musician and producer Daniel Lanois, a legendary guitarist and composer who has produced seminal albums for U2, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Willie Nelson and Neil Young. Lanois is what historians like to call a musician’s musician.

In Lanois’ own words…

Black Dub is essentially a three-piece band with a high level of musicianship. We don’t operate on a technological grid. Nor are we tied to a page of fixed notes. Our songs are fluid. Often recorded live. One take. No overdubs. It’s a very old fashioned idea really.

I think that might be why we get such a strong response on YouTube. Each video we create is a live musical performance shot with a hand-held camera seen through the eyes of one individual. No cuts. No edits. It’s clear that people still have an appetite for something honest and authentic with real musicians playing live. In these sad times of prepackaged music, people yearn to experience something soulful, heartfelt, something meaningful. As simple as it sounds, real music is a rare commodity these days.

Our first CD is very real - kind of a rock thing, steeped in the Jamaican culture of dub, which I love. On a good day, I see myself carrying the torch of [famed Jamaican producer] Lee Scratch Perry. I wrote this music from a dub perspective, which I believe is very soulful.

What do I mean by soul? Soul music is a music that needs to exist, for the right reasons, beyond business preconceptions – natural reasons that resonate deep inside. I think this band has it. Whether we’re playing at a club or in the studio, at our best, there is something breathless and spontaneous going on here.