| Dub Narcotic means a lot of things, but the essence is Calvin Johnson's infatuation with D.I.Y. culture and its expression in Jamaican dub music. It is a recording studio, an imprint on his K Records label, and a indie rock/funk/dub band, which he fronts.
The original conception for the Dub Narcotic triumvirate was as a unified thing; Calvin was putting together a project studio in his basement and wanted to model it after the Jamaican Studio 1 studio. Studio 1 was a recording studio first, but dub artists recording there would play with the house band, and recording s would frequently be released on the house label. The concept for Dub Narcotic was similar: a house band to be fronted by different indie rock musicians making danceable funk-dub music, which would then be released on a series of 7"s by a new K sub-label called Dub Narcotic. The idea worked for a while; collaborations with a number of artists including Lois, the Make Up, and Lindy Coyne of Wandering Lucy were produced, before the band turned into an essentially Calvin-centric band, without the revolving lineup originally envisioned (though over time there were lineup shifts). The recording studio continued to develop as a place for Calvin and others to record a wide variety of bands (the house band concept being essentially dropped) and after a while Dub Narcotic releases were just done as relgular old K Records releases.
The band maintined a fairly enthusiastic following, touring the US and Europe several times; Calvin's legendary dancing and solid choice of musicans (mostly from a Tacoma hip hop background) making their shows a good place to find indie kids engaging in some radically-uncharacteristic dancing... In 1999, though, guitarist and principal songwritier Brian Webber left the band, and after a hiatus of several months, the band decided to continue on, though in a more folk/less R&B mold.
Discography:
Dub Narcotic 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1994)
Fuck Shit Up 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1994)
Booty Run 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1994)
Bite 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1994)
Hands on the Dial cassette (Punk in my Vitamins, 1994)
Industrial Breakdown 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1995)
Industrial Breakdown 12"/CD (K Records/Soul Static Sound, 1995)
Rhythm record Vol. 1 - Echos from the scene control room LP (K Records, 1995)
Ridin' Shotgun 12"/CD (K Records, 1995)
Boot Party CD/LP (K Records, 1996)
Shake a Puddin' 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1996)
Ship to Shore (featuring Lois) 12"/CD (K Records, 1996)
Bone Dry 12"/CD (K Records, 1997)
Wasted/Groove 7" (Dub Narcotic, 1997)
Out of Your Mind LP/CD (K Records, 1999)
Dub Narcotic Sound Sytem Meets John Spencer Blues Explosion in a Dance Hall Style (K Records, 2000)
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