Roadblock Dub Collective - Magna Ragon (Culture Dub Records)

Don’t let the project’s name mislead you, this isn’t your typical roots dub outing. According to the artists themselves, their influences range from Black Uhuru to The Specials, King Jammy to Adrian Sherwood, and from Mustofa Bisri to Hila Hambala.

To our ears, the sound of Roadblock Dub Collective echoes the vibes of UK acts like Dreadzone (especially in a track like ‘Satu Budaye’ or “one culture”, reminiscent of ‘Return Of The Dread’), Fun-Da-Mental (‘Rua Jurai Echoes’ met Phrovsta), Transglobal Underground (‘Neglectus Maritimus’), and, of course, Asian Dub Foundation (‘Raasta Roko’).

‘Magna Ragon’ gets a further boost from an impressive list of contributors, including violinist Arini Kumara of ArumtaLa, Argentine accordionist Emilia Inés Vega, Hutan Tropis vocalist Jemi Delvian, saxophonist/trumpeter Iriawan Wijaya, rapper Phrovsta, spoken word poet NAP, and mellotron/keys man Tegi Merkuri.

The album’s title is a fusion of the Latin word magna (“great”) and ragom, a folkloric slogan from Lampung meaning “unity”. Or, in their own words: “‘Magna Ragom’ emerges from the heart of Lampung traditions, blending seamlessly with the dub-esque to celebrate the riddim of togetherness!”