Wilmington, Delaware is a gritty, harsh urban sprawl flanked by imposing bank
headquarters and corporate offices but with a large Jamaican population
(and numerous Jamaican restaurants). If you're in Wilmington, maybe either on 4th street or North Market, you might just hear me creeping up the block in black toyota, courteously alerting all and sundry I am driving through with righteous music pouring from the car windows. More often than not, you might be hearing a mix from Finland's Komposti Sound. I'm no stranger to street 'forwards' I get at intersections. These range from guys chasing me down to make sure I see them do a dance, cheers and smiles, to children instantly bursting into frenzied rhythmic movements, even a few twerks from some round the way girls. The response is overwhelmingly positive as pure dubplate honey drips a trail through the city. But, I wonder if anyone hears the word Finland, in this the one time home of Bob Marley, and what that could possibly mean to someone here.
I have always had a deep admiration for Finnish culture, their epics and sagas, their exquisite crafts and woodwork (a handmade puukko knife has been a favorite of mine for many years, and I am obsessed with carving their kuksa cups)
So besides adept metallurgy, woodcraft, and a deep, rich history of literature and culture that reveals esoteric and shamanic mysteries, it seems they have decided to perfect the art of the dubplate as well. Part of this blog is a documentation of an audio junkie's search for the perfect beat, song, riddim, arrangement, and when it comes to dubplates, Finland has it locked down. With so many soundsystems going in the same direction, with the same riddims and topics, Komposti hits you like an arctic blast, wakes you up and demands your attention like a cold wind you can not ignore.
Now I am extremely partial to Peter Hunnigale's voice and style, and Komposti utilizes his God-given talents to perfection, and the opening sequence on Empty di Magazine of Hunnigale, Marcia Griffiths, Johnny Osbourne etc. is just unparalleled. It sets the bar with a majestic, haunting throwback feeling that is still confidant, fresh and new. The Sadiki dubplates are superior but really the entire offering is argument for one-track mixtapes. Individuated tracks seem like a selector lacks confidence that he is all killer and no filler. There should be nothing to skip, I think I made this same argument with Mykal Shotta. But as a connoisseur of dubplate mixes, (favorites from the past being Chinese Laundry, Shashamane, etc.) this is one of the most satisfying examples I can recall.
The Finnish "Gout de terroir" in these songs, to mix a metaphor of wines, underlies meticulous craftsmen and perfectionists unswervingly devoted to a music and culture that they respect to the core. Dubs as sharp as knives:
Empty Di Magazine
