If you ever dreamed of taking a time machine to the mid 90s, rocking the mic at some underground show at La Pena in Berkeley and then smoke a bidi, Dave Dub is gonna be your shit! Forced to play shows with stoner metal bands because he was just to far gone for the rest of the hip hop community in San Jose, Dave Dub never really got his due in the 90s. Although there was plenty of communication with the proto-Stones Throw crew Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf, there was never any official deal, and Dub confined his particular brand of madness to cassette tape only. He disappeared from the scene after 92 and stopped caring about rap entirely. Eventually he headed to Jamaica to ride out Y2K (not a bad idea!) only to return to "San Hopeless." After nearly a decade apart he reunited with his original producer and collaborator, Tape Mastah Steph (who rumor has it that ex-Shipsetian Reals used to be roommates with). Steph convinced Dub to get back on the mic and return to the grit of his roots. The two created The Treatment using the tools they had back in the day - an SP-1200 and a vintage Ensoniq EPS. The results have a definite throwback feel that is reminiscent of the Bay Area underground scene of the 90s. However, Dave Dub's rhymes are more off kilter than the MCs of that era. The beats seem to have been conjured up out of some dark, murky swamp. The psychedelic hip hop of Dave Dub is a trip through the looking glass for any fan the underground West Coast scene.

• Music Label: Stones Throw 2012

reviewed by The Voice 06/2012