DUBS FROM THE GRAVE

By By Greg

You ever notice how reggae and Halloween just vibe together? I mean, you’d think zombies and riddims wouldn’t mix, but reggae heads have been dropping spooky tracks for ages—duppies, vampires, the whole undead gang. It’s like the perfect playlist for a Halloween bash, honestly. Dig around and there’s loads of gems: The Wailers’ “Duppy Conqueror” (classic), The Upsetters’ “Haunted House” (creepy as hell), Devon Irons’ “Ketch Vampire,” Peter Tosh’s “Vampires,” Monster Shack Crew’s “Scream” (yep, they went there), Demarco’s “Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten,” Elephant Man’s “Gully Creepa” (remember that dance?), and Tommy Lee Sparta’s “Psycho,” which is just wild.

And don’t even get me started on albums—Scientist’s “Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires” is basically the reggae Halloween Bible. “Your Teeth In My Neck,” “Plague of Zombies,” “Night Of The Living Dead”—if you’re not playing those on October 31st, what are you even doing? Anyway, now Jim the Boss is jumping into the haunted fray with “Dubs From The Grave,” a fresh batch of seven eerie reggae/dub tracks.

If you’re into the NYC reggae scene, you’ve probably heard Jim the Boss’s name floating around. Dude’s worked with legends—Cornell Campbell, Horace Andy, Victor Rice, and Dave Hillyard from The Slackers. His studio band, HiFi Rockers, is tight—like, really tight. This new album is basically a Halloween treat for your speakers, with new mixes featuring Jah Adam, Miserable Man, David Hillyard, and more. Hillyard’s tenor sax on “The Dark Art” (which originally dropped on Jim’s “Hudson Soul” in 2016) just slaps harder with this update. Miserable Man’s “Big Man Dead” gets a glow-up too, riding a remake of Lee Perry’s classic “Give Me Power” riddim—if you know, you know.

Jah Adam’s “Halloween Town” paints this fun, weirdly wholesome picture of a place packed with visitors all year, and the local’s basically like, “Chill out, let’s just enjoy the party.” Every track’s dripping with spooky effects—monster laughs, vocal trickery—thanks to Dr. Frankenboss (yep, that’s Jim’s mad scientist alter ego for this album). It’s camp, it’s fun, and it’s honestly a must for any Halloween reggae playlist. Just don’t blame me if you start dancing with imaginary zombies.