Deep Dub, Glitch, and Groovy Bass: Grouch in Dub (2018)

What is one of the best implementations of psychedelic dub? Grouch s Grouch in Dub (2018) takes an unique spin on modern psydub, taking the author s expertise in production of progressive psytrance and combining with it with rich vocals and instrumentation.

The album, which was released onShanti Planti, contains an extremely vast instrumentation: didgeridoo, bansuri, violin, electric guitar, sitar, string guitar, clarinet, trumpet and steel string guitar from artists like: Ganga Giri, Vinod Prasanna, Rick O Connor, Mouad Skalipan, Sam Taylor, Benjamin Samuels, Olugbade Okunade and Dan Samways. Mastered by Fahad Abulaal (2hz Studios).

• Dub Fusion

• Focal Points of Grouch in Dub

• Grouch s Universe

• Final Thoughts

Dub Fusion

Grouch s nice, dirty basslines and overall production style paired with vocals from Dub Princess and instrumentation Grouch in Dub is packed with inspirations from various genres such as dubstep, world music and psytrance, all marvellously wrapped in a psychedelic dub wrapping, ensuring incredible coherency for such a large amount of inspirations, as well as intricate grooves. It has a pleasant dubby flow and is full of surprises, and features a total of four tracks including incredible vocals from Dub Princess, and two remixes one of Juno Reactor s God is God and one of Mr Squatch s The Squatch Expands Life .

Focal Points of Grouch in Dub

The first track I would love to highlight is Focal 101. It opens very lightly with a hypnotizing arp, synth stabs and a guitar. Soon we re taken to a groovy rhythm accompanied by touching vocals by Dub Princess about emotional vulnerability, but we end up surprised with a dirty, groovy bass accompanied by glitches, further intertwined with echoing vocals, guitar, and then clairnet, just to reintroduce the dirty bass again together with psytrance squelches. I think I can also hear Grouch on a djembe. The track has influences from dubstep/psystep, world music and even some surf rock thrown in there. It s a complex journey, truly delightful for the ear.

The second highlight of the album is probably Computer Language ft. Foldy. It was actually the first Grouch track I ve ever heard, and it took me some time before I took the courage to browse the rest of his discography, which I deeply regret. Anyway, the track opens with bell-like sounds, later incorporating bansuri, skank chords, and a complex bassline. Further, the bassline intertwines with clarinet, and we transition to a violin solo, all that wrapped in an incredible dub package. This unique combination of instruments and bass provides an incredibly good track, which I can t describe with words well enough, you need to hear it yourself.

One other track I would like to mention is called Frere La, a collaboration with Gaudi. It begins with a clarinet leading into a groovy drum section, further integrating guitar. It flows seamlessly into a relaxing break, after which we hear many different sounds intertwined, especially playful dubstep-inspired bassline and a lot of ear candy.

Grouch s Universe

Grouch s first release, The Moof is Rooving was released in 2007 under A-List Records. The album contained a bit of everything, primarily dub, progressive psytrance and psybreaks. The dub tracks on the album are: Dreadlock my Native , Babeling in Babylon , Dubstanaught , Training Days , 332hz . His next release was Soul Povider , an incredible psydub single, released in 2010. Other notable releases from him were mostly progressive psytrance major ones are Further (2011), Corpus Callosum (2016), Rare Specimens (2021), Future Relic with Gaudi (2021). Last year Grouch also gifted us with an exciting new Grouch in Dub album Metamorph (2024), about which I might write soon.

Final Thoughts on Grouch in Dub

Grouch really did a great job on this one. It s a journey through genres, time, and places, coherently tied together with a dub wrapping. It s a classic, excellently combining psydub with other genres. In short, Grouch in Dub is a fun and engaging listen that never feels overdone. The instrumentals, vocals, and bass all work together perfectly, giving you a unique experience every time you press play. Looking forward to write a review on Metamorph, and to hear more psydub from him!