Dry & Heavy | Profile Dub reggae is often the work of studio musicians and an imaginative producer. However Japan’s Dry & Heavy are a long running band that both records and tours on a regular basis, and having played together over a considerable period of time, have become one of the tightest, most dynamic live dub bands on the planet. The band originally formed in 1991, around core members drummer Shigemoto Nanao and bassist Takeshi Akimoto, with a floating cast on other instruments. The line-up which first recorded came together in 1995 with Naoki Uchida on dub controls, Mitsuhiro Toike on keyboards, Kei Horiguchi on guitar, and the vocal duo of Likkle Mai and Ao Inoue. Their first release, on the tiny Olive label, was called simply Dry & Heavy. Their sound was fresh, yet showed a deep knowledge of dub roots, and quickly drew attention. In 1998 the band signed with the well regarded indie Beat Ink and released One Punch, which was also licensed to France and the UK. In 1999 they enjoyed a hit with their song “Radical Star” on New Zealand radio, which was also released in the UK as a 12 inch single. In 2000 the band record with dub legend King Jammy, the resulting album going on to be licensed in the UK, US and Australia, as well as doing well in Japan. The group steadily gained a following, mostly from their live shows, which manage to couple heavy dub effects with spirited performances. Amongst their shows, they shared stages with reggae greats such as Lee Perry and Horace Andy, and played Japan’s largest rock festival, Fuji Rock. In 2000 the band toured Europe extensively as well as playing their first date in non-Japan Asia, a gig in Hong Kong with Primal Scream. They also released their third album Full Contact. In 2001 the band again played Fuji Rock, and at the end of their set bassist Takeshi Akimoto announced unexpectedly from the stage that he was leaving the band. While this resulted in a few cancelled festival performances, former Audio Active bassist Pata very ably took over on bass, and 2002 they released their fourth album Dub Creation as well as remixed dub version. The album contained one of their few covers, a popular version of the Doors song “Riders On the Storm”. In 2002 they also played WOMAD festivals in Spain and the Canary Islands. The band continues to grow their international following, and in 2003 played seven gigs as part of Australia’s Big Day Out festival, and in Japan opened for the UK’s highly regarded Asian Dub Foundation. by Keith Cahoon
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