Dubblestandart

Vienna-based collective Dubblestandart have been operating full force since the early ’90s, cultivating a distinct dub style of their own that incorporates elements of psychedelia, alt-rock, electronic music, and other sounds not commonly explored within the reggae realm. Over their lengthy career, they’ve collaborated with many of their biggest influences, making music with internationally celebrated stars like Marcia Griffiths, Dennis Bovell, Adrian Sherwood, the Slits’ Ari Up, and many others. The band worked with dub legend Lee Perry multiple times, including on their critically acclaimed 2009 album Return from Planet Dub and on 2021′s Deep Cuts from Planet Dub.
Dubblestandart formed in Austria in 1987 with an original line-up consisting of Paul Zasky, Robbie Ost, Johnny Heilig, and Operator Marek. The group experimented with their sound on early releases like 1990′s The Stupified Eremit and 1996′s Vienna Dub Melange while perfecting their stage show with regular live performances. Ali Tersch came on as drummer in 1993, and guitarist Herbert Pirker joined the band in 2001. Dubblestandart released new music regularly, getting into unconventional interpretations of dub on albums like 2004′s Heavy Heavy Monster Dub. They also regularly served as a backing band for reggae artists on European tours, connecting with future collaborators like Dillinger and Lee Perry by first backing them up in a live setting. The group’s lengthy résumé of live performances included playing the SummerStage concert series in N.Y.C.’s Central Park in 2009, Goa, India in 2013, and Moscow in 2017. Zasky played bass for Lee Perry on all his U.S. dates between 2009 and 2017 as part of Subatomic Sound System, including two Coachella appearances 2013.
Collaboration with big names in reggae, dub, and dancehall became commonplace for Dubblestandart, with highlights including their 2009 album Return from Planet Dub, which featured contributions from Perry, Ari Up from the Slits, and filmmaker David Lynch, among others. U.K. dub master Adrian Sherwood produced the band’s 2014 album In Dub, and vocalist Marcia Griffiths appeared on many of the group’s tracks throughout the 2010s. They also worked with Sly and Robbie, Ken Boothe, Mad Professor, Soul II Soul’s Caron Wheeler, and many others. As the 2020s dawned, Dubblestandart continued producing new music often, with albums like 2020′s @ Repulse “Reggae Classics” finding them teaming with Dennis Bovell, and 2021′s Deep Cuts from Planet Dub excavating previously unreleased material the group had recorded with Perry, releasing it a few months after his death. ~ TiVo Staff