A worthy #4
Look at that. Mantsche. The guy from Vienna. I remember writing about his first vinyl release, a good three years ago. Oceanview 1998. Good one, really. The vinyl only tracks oscillating somewhere between classic Dub Techno styles and Techno tool time. They worked nicely, but now, 40 months later, if you go back to the Bandcamp release and check out the two digital bonus tracks “Slow Drive” and “Echo Chord” (that one especially) you realize that Manuel Tschenett’s talent might actually be located on the deep dubby slow side of Dub Techno.
Maybe our friends at Freund der Familie were seeing that too, detecting a sufficient amount of talent to go even deeper, to step forward, from looking at the ocean to go deep water diving, and qualify for their magnificent “Essentials” series.
The first three rounds of “Essentials” are tough acts to follow. You don’t just simply hop into the shoes of van Bonn, Sven Weisemann and Another Channel, and our friend from Vienna’s release history isn’t exactly long. So how does Mr. Tschenett do? Let’s put it this way: if there’s something like an elite Dub Training Camp somewhere, he must have taken a whole bunch of courses.
He also had a superior level of support on this one, of course. If you get your work mastered by Sven Weisemann, it is provided with an additional dimension. And if you craft some tracks for an FDF release, you bring your game to a whole new level.
If you have the talent, that is. But no worries here. Let “Africa Inna Dub” float through its first minute and the case is closed. The depth. The space. The way beats and bass embrace and complement each other. And maybe, just maybe there’s a tiny little bit of classic Viennese downtempo flavor in there somewhere, something that had already wafted through “Echo Chord” and one or two tracks on Mantsche’s 2020 digital release “The Lost Art Of Dub”. A hint of Sofa Surfers on a really inspired and dubby day.
Personally, I don’t really need more than that A-side. Convinced already. The B-Side opens with a few interesting instrument choices that aren’t exactly Dub standards. Didgeridoo and Sitar. An intro that spreads the world map wide open. Rastafari teachings follow. Quotes like “there is a God for everyone” nicely interact with the multicultural opening. Sometimes I am unsure about the use of religious quotes, no matter which direction they come from, in this kind of context. But of course I get it – inspiration, reflection, opening of the mind, that’s the focus here. And if the planet needs anything dearly in 2025, it’s messages of unity and peace.
Mr. Tschenett has found his calling, I guess. “Dub Poetry” is a worthy fourth “Essentials” installment that is easily on par with the first three. Keem ’em coming, FDF.
Release for review:
MANTSCHE – DUB POETRY EP – FREUND DER FAMILIE – FDF DUBS 04
Get the vinyl on Bandcamp: Click
If sold out, try to get it on Discogs: Click