It’s been said that in space, no one can hear you scream; but sometimes you can feel the echo of vibration. From the outer reaches of the star Melodious, a spectral sound alchemist known as Blanc du Blanc has partnered with dub pioneer Scientist (a.k.a. Hopeton Overton Brown) to reimagine dub music as an interstellar language, a cosmic dialogue stretching from the genre’s Jamaican roots into expansive, uncharted sonic territories. The result is the deeply spiritual Scientist Meets Blanc du Blanc: Before the Beginning: equal parts otherworldly and earthbound, Zion and Babylon.
Since 2020, Blanc du Blanc has released four sets of original dub music on central New Jersey’s Soul Selects Records, led by Chris Harford. These releases showcase the talents of a pride of musical heavyweights and longtime Harford collaborators, including Dana Colley, who played saxophone in Harford’s first big band, Three Colors, before forming Morphine. The laundry list of past Blanc du Blanc collaborators includes Chuck Treece, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, and Robbie Seahag Mangano, among others; in 2021, Blanc du Blanc worked with another dub legend, releasing the Wind of Change EP, featuring a cover of Scorpions’ 1990 power ballad, with three remixes, including one by the late Lee “Scratch” Perry. Suffice to say, he rolls deep.
On Before the Beginning, Blanc du Blanc brings a quintet of archangels to join forces with Scientist — the Archangel of Sonic Reinforcement — to prepare what feels like overhearing a whispered message passed between dimensions, a rendezvous orchestrated by fate, or perhaps, as the lore suggests, by agents from Monrovia. Colley, Archangel of Magnetic Melody, presents an ethereal saxophone that stands out in the first seconds of the opening track, “The Creative: Awakening.” This title refers to Harford’s formative experience of seeing Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978, sparking his decades-long fascination with dub music.
Colley’s mesmerizing lines guide the listener through the 44-minute vibe like a cosmic spirit animal. Harford, Archangel of Low Frequency Shockwave, demonstrates restraint in building a light foundation of guitar and bass, supporting warm keyboards from John Goetchius, Archangel of Ethereal Resonance and founding member of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, friends from the Boston-based Three Colors days. Greater Hopewell-ian veterans Adam Flicker and David Butler, Archangels of Hypnotism and High Orbital Time Keepers, respectively, round out the quartet with keys, horns, and drums. The result is something you don’t just hear but also feel, in the quiet, sometimes strange space between heartbeats. Before the Beginning is a journey that feels both deeply personal and vast as the universe, where the Scientist’s legendary analog mastery fits perfectly with Blanc du Blanc’s mission to restore balance through evocative melodies, tectonic low-end, and hypnotic delay; it’s the kind of music that makes you remember late nights under uncertain skies, or the simple, profound feeling of finding harmony in unexpected places. It’s a testament to the enduring power of collaboration, proving that sometimes, the most profound connections are the ones you never saw coming.
