Blanc du Blanc, the uncategorizable dub outfit from Hopewell, NJ, have teamed up with Hopeton Brown, the prodigiously unparalleled master of sound famously known as  Scientist. Together, they bring the world a summoning of galactic proportions which can only be earthly understood as the group’s 3rd LP, titled Scientist Meets Blanc du Blanc: Before The Beginning. While Scientist has collaborated on countless albums, the presence of Blanc du Blanc cultivates a stellar significance, finding the two not simply collaborating but COMMUNICATING across dimensions with hypnotic delays, tectonic low-end frequencies, and haunting melodic fragments that fold in on themselves like galaxies spiraling inward, then out again.  This unique listening experience will catch the ears of the reggae casual and weave them into the echoes of a new harmonious rhythm – whose alliance will resonate through time and space in a legend of prevailing cosmic unity.

To be spun in a celestial circle is to be one. Circles of sound surround, blurring the lines before the beginning and after the end. Centripetal force is real, and as humans living in a world of 3D gravity, it acts on everyone unknowingly as the universe swirls us towards the axis of rotation. All records spiral into the center. As music lovers, we have taken to these tools of tangibility to try and make sense of it all.  Soul Selects Presents Scientist Meets Blanc Du Blanc: Before The Beginning, is presented on clear vinyl “for the love of the artform you can hold” as said by Chris Harford, archangel of low frequency shockwave, and spokesperson for Blanc du Blanc.

Earthy Matters: This is a beautiful record physically. It features cover art from the legendary Marc McGuinness, an illustrator who has brought to vision the most famous of  Scientist’s album covers and arguably some of the most iconic imagery seen in reggae vinyl, a cherished genre of LP art. Inside of the packaging, a full color poster showcases the intriguing characters from the cover,  including Scientist – Archangel of Cosmic Sound Reinforcement, and Blanc du Blanc – the ancient interstellar being, in their shared mission to conquer the evil malevolent force that threatens to shroud the universe in darkness.

As your journey begins from the outer edge of the LP’s great curve, one gains the wisdom of the characters’ cosmic quest as they spiral towards the sonic center of the greatest story ever told.

Sonic Stories: This is a meetup made in the stars with constellation points clustering mostly in Chris Harford’s hometown of Hopewell, New Jersey, with Jamaican overlaps by way of California from Scientist. Harford loves to listen to his music in the car and, to this day, he utilizes an array of different mediums to do so, including old phones, MP3 players, and tape, while of course using vinyl and CDs at home. Throughout his life, he has appreciated how these sounds find him in different periods of time and new approaches of musical interpretation. With two Blanc du Blanc (“dub” is in the name) records under the collective belt of the band and an EP to boot, he began to yearn for the music to be able to hit unsuspecting listeners in their cars. “I want people to hear it on the radio driving and say, ‘What’s this?! What am I listening to?’”

After speaking with Chris, I, the initial listener and Rootfire writer at your service, listened to it in my car. I drove around and got lost. And I will say, this music finds you;  journey through to the darkest depths of dub. The human guide who first finds your way out of the cosmic muck is the horn personality of the time-trusted and familiar yet devilish and pan-like navigator known on planet earth as Dana Colley.  A household name in the avant-garde jazz-o-sphere, Colley leads us knowingly through the murkiest and dankest of dubscapes, following the path of our hero alliance of Scientist and Blanc du Blanc as they clear the way for the universal light.  Chords of all colors swirl us constantly in a kaleidoscope of ever inward facing moments as we pass through complimentary large swells and sound surges of what feels like cosmic debris dripping drops of comet juice on our tongues of an undeniably succulent taste.  Dave Butler, the clear backbone of the entire mission, rips drums responsibly and responsively to every fluttering ripple of rhythm, as he charters us through existence-defining nyabinghi chants, soaring rockers riddims, and death defying one-drops.

Scientist adding his signature stamp to the snare sounds provides the clarity that we seek from such a resourceful mastery. In space, everything is pure, each sound direct. The silences are cold and cutting as we move from body to body.  Lengthy bass notes provide ample vessels of asteroid-like safe passage through the intertwining energies of harmonious melodies.

There is no time period to define this experience. It is as futuristic as it is ancient. A variety of centers needs to be kept in mind while listening to this record. You, the listener, are the implied center. This is your entry point. However, there are multiple circles and cycles that expand from that understanding. Ripples of waves project in stereo during every second of sound – making it a must for headphones, large sound systems, and ultimately, what will be the wave of the future for such listening experiences, Dolby Atmos. “This is what Blanc du Blanc was made for,  3D listening,” Harford shared excitedly. The album will have a special mix for the 12-speaker Dolby Atmos experience for future listeners. 

As for now? The album will be released on a most special day of this solar system and its many points of revolution, that being April 18, the birthday of Scientist himself. To celebrate, on April 26th,  Scientist the man, the cook, Mr. Hopeton Brown, will travel to Hillsborough, New Jersey, where, in an antique barn, he will LIVE DUB the record in a special one-of-a-kind family-friendly performance that is not to be missed on this timeline (or any other for that matter).  

This album defies matter one shimmering delay at a time. Before the Beginning is a dimensional tuning key. At a recent John Browns Body concert, lead singer Kevin Kinsella remarked on the rumor that aliens had in fact shown up to earth on a mission to murk us all, but spared us last minute at their realization that we were the home planet to reggae music. Many  have alluded to the battle of time that reggae has shown up for. Many believe it’s why we are still here. Our savior. Reggae music, its practitioners and engineers, have dedicated endless intention and ritual to clear the air for all. So often it is done behind closed doors, in studios and warehouses, without the awareness of the masses who are galactically protected by these musical efforts.

Several lucky earthlings are certainly aware of the high level of players who come together to channel Blanc du Blanc, but for those not privy, we will name names: Chris Harford organizes the masses and plays bass and guitars. To the leader of the beat, he trusts David Butler, who is sought after by many for his vast knowledge of drums and drumming and has lent his talents to a roster of folk legends, the alt-rock band Guster, and most relevantly,  the reggae Upsetter himself, Mr. Lee “Scratch” Perry. Adam Flicker provides keys and horns while also being the international cricket expert of the group. John Goetchius, famously of the ska-punk giants Mighty Mighty Bosstones, provides additional keys. Together, they swirl into the sound of Blanc du Blanc, an ethereal entity from the home star Melodious, possessed with ancient knowledge of sound fragrancy and the ability to manipulate echoes in pursuit of balance. 

How does it all work? Don’t ask me. I’m just a fan. You can’t make this stuff up. Buy the record and experience it for yourself.