Audiopile Review: One of the key dub originators, Keith Hudson was known as ‘the dark prince of reggae’. The cover of his unimaginably seminal 1974 album ‘Pick a Dub’ may have featured a Rasta reclining against a palm tree, but there’s nothing sun-splashed about Hudson’s music. His vision of dub was primal, spooky, and entirely radical. In addition to being dark and princely, he was very prolific. Somehow, he released two other albums the same year as ‘Pick a Dub’, including the almost-equally classic ‘…Flesh of My Skin Blood of My Blood’. While the dark prince’s productivity was tragically cut short by cancer (he passed in 1984), his discography can still be a bit formidable. So many singles! May we suggest 1981’s ‘Playing It Cool & Playing It Right’ as a great place to dip in. Notably, it is a favourite of dub techno pioneers Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound. You can file this one next to Dadawah’s ‘Peace & Love’ as low-key one of the most influential reggae albums of all time.

Keith Hudson, who temporarily worked as a dentist in the ghettos of Kingston, emigrated to New York City in 1976 and died there prematurely in 1984. He is best known for his work as a producer for artists such as U-Roy, Big Youth, Ken Boothe, and Horace Andy and within short order Hudson brought his all-round talent to full fruition. In 1974, he produced two ground-breaking albums. Pick A Dub was one of the first official dub albums ever, and is still considered to be one of the greatest moments of Jamaican music. In addition, the unique Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood became the first concept album in reggae history. Thematically dedicated entirely to black history, this masterpiece captivates with an atmosphere that is as dark as it is deeply spiritual, charged by Hudson’s eccentric vocals. In 1981, he created the dub masterpiece Playing It Cool, Playing It Right which he produced with the help of Wackie’s founder and mastermind Lloyd ‘Bullywackie’ Barnes. It remained the only collaboration between the two producers. Hudson decided to release it on his own label Joint International as he has done on his previous releases. The album continues Hudson’s psycho-acoustic journey into the abyss of existence and has the power to overwhelm the listener with the beauty of artistic self-empowerment. “Too Much Formula” sings Hudson, whose voice occasionally recalls Sly Stone, “Darkest Night” answers an echoing background chorus found elsewhere on the track “California.” Hudson’s production techniques are fascinating on this album. There is often a kind of flashing-whip sound on the snare, which adds dynamics to the whole album. Rarely has a dub record sounded so electrifying, with radical spatial sound spreading out in all directions and rarely has it been as crystal clear, with warm bass and echophonic treatments as contained within these 30 minutes of music. 43 years after its first release and 20 years after its last re-release on the German-British label Basic Replay (Basic Channel/Honest Jon’s), Playing It Cool, Playing It Right is now finally available again via Week-End Records, with a newly revised master and a rare interview with Lloyd ‘Bullywackie’ Barnes, talking about the making of this amazing album.