Dimitris Papadatos’s output as Jay Glass Dubs has a cold, removed feel
to it, an insular quality that keeps it at arm’s length from the listener in
some respects. This isn’t surprising, perhaps, coming from an artist who has
released a tape called “Glacial Dancehall.” Papadatos takes the ideas of dub
and adds a distinctive Euro vibe to it, resulting in tracks that are at once
catchy and distant, too cool for the eternally optimistic, too kinetic for the
eternally dour. Still, it’s music you can immerse yourself in, within the
ever-present Beats by Dre headphones attached to your skull, perfect for
commuting or wandering or both, taking in cityscapes and passersby with an
equal amount of detachment as they give to you. Synths swirl and chime
minor-key melodies, rhythms shuffle and lurch, and the cold air escapes your
lungs in clouds of moisture as you exhale along with the patterns of observable
life. Retreat further into yourself as the tape continues – by “Interlude II –
Careless Dub,” you should be practically subterranean in your outlook. And by
“Double Edge Sword Dub,” I’ve finally realized that JGD finds a kindred spirit
in one of my favorite projects along these lines, the exquisite Forest Swords.
(It’s probably the continuity of the word “sword” that initiated the eureka
moment.) Both do the creeping dub thing, although FS uses more guitars. Regardless
of comparison, the Jay Glass Dubs brand is fully his own and fully realized,
and New Teeth for an Old Country is
as particular a listening experience as you’re likely to find. Get yourself in
that mood, and get yourself some JGD for urban trekking – you’ll thank me when
you start getting epiphanies on the human condition while you’re on the move, a
welcome side effect of all that chilly introspection.
Jay Glass Dubs on
Soundcloud
--Ryan Masteller
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