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Human Rites | Dub

Surprising DIY effort by Dutch Dubsters.
CD, self released full album demo

Tekst: Sven Schlijper

Publicatiedatum: 24 juni 2002

Whilst exercising our skills at monitor-mixing during the Ekko in-house course in Utrecht, I encountered the local band Human Rites. Immediately struck by their performance that practice night, I acquired the demo recording called Dub.
Looks can be deceiving, I know, and maybe shouldn't even matter. But when you see these guys put up their gear, you'd be inclined to prepare yourself for a good shot of Led Zeppelin-style rock. However, it is not the rock that is fueled by a couple of Holland's finest smokes; it's a very tropical flavor of rootsy dub. Wholeheartedly I have to admit right away, reggae and its spin-offs are not my cup of tea. Beyond Bob Marley's reggae, and dub by Augustus Pablo or King Tubby, I know zero. The Jamaican inbreed scene of bands and styles, too, has been able to keep its stories far from me. But again, I enjoyed this band so much, I wanted to support their cause.
As said, they don't look like the expected dub reggae posse straight from the Caribbean. Most surprising is the singer. A rather shy-looking fellow at first glance, but when he sings, you'll have a hard time imagining a typical bronze timbre of voice emerging from this guy. He's most astonishing. The rest of the band isn't filler, mind you. Where dub tends to be quite monotonous after a while, this band has the talent to leave things to discover at second, third, and onward listening. Quite an achievement I must say. Groovy, funky, and full of tension seeking a way out; and somewhere in-between, Human Rites plays its roots dub.
For Human Rites, being in the band is not just making the music; it's drawing influences from Lee Perry and Sly & Robbie (so their bio asserts). The artwork that comes with this demo CD sums this up perfectly. Human Rites (mind the spoken name itself!) is a political ensemble, with a message! The back cover displays a stamp commemorating the jubilee of the Geneva Convention (where human rights were established in International Law). The booklet contains a picture of Ferry Mingele (Dutch political TV commentator) culled from a presentation where he showed a 'joint' whilst discussing the issue of soft drug legalization in The Netherlands. Quite clever, Human Rites manipulated his words a tad by quoting: "This is what it is all about!" seemingly referring to said weed cigarette. For Human Rites, the precious grass may take quite a role: Their music is extremely fit to accompany a summer night of hazy smoking. The political issues addressed in the songs are there to be heard too.
The album Dub is a bit obsolete, so the band told me. Human Rites has been working on new material and has progressed a fair amount, musically, so the band is looking to record a new demo. Until then, your best shot is to go out and check this band during a live performance. With the summertime kicking in, Human Rites will prove to be the perfect companion with the perfect groove. Spiced up by some neat guitar solos and off-the-wall saxophone playing, the dub of this relaxed band of six brings the good times in. Enjoy your (summer's) freedom with Human Rites!

Contact: humanrites@hotmail.com

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/human-rites/dub/1638/
Meer Human Rites op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/human-rites