Dub Mentor :: Versions (EnT-T)

Dub Mentor’s warm, peeled-down arrangements, comprised of loping drum loops, chocolatey bass and treated field recordings for texture, lend these tunes the intimacy of late-evening jazz.

In its pursuit of optimal clarity of sound, Tel Aviv label EnT-T has been compared favourably with ECM. The Manfred Eicher of this operation is Lior Suliman and his handiwork is indeed uncommonly deep and luxurious. Unspectacularity is his secret; whether electronic or man-made, each sound is separated from the next with precision, allowing resonant voices and instruments to focus our minds. As a recording artist, Suliman trades under the great handle Dub Mentor, and Versionsserves as a kind of curriculum vitae, a collection of singles, album tracks and alternatives. It is presented as a six-song, digital EP featuring four bonus tracks on the CD version. Dub Mentor’s warm, peeled-down arrangements, comprised of loping drum loops, chocolatey bass and treated field recordings for texture, lend these tunes the intimacy of late-evening jazz.

On “Johnny,” singer Anna Domino reunites the Civil War-era “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” with its Irish precursor, “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye.” Accompanied by fife and drum, Domino channels folk icon June Tabor standing alone in a field hung with fog and fresh gunpowder smoke. Her grim, one-woman protest is immediately balanced by the kittenish delivery of Robert Palmer’s “Want You More” by Parisian Jil Caplan, her voice tipped with glockenspiel. “Losing the Will to Survive,” by UK songsmith Findlay Brown, is sung by Suliman’s production partner Tal Weiss and features a sumptuous viola da gamba accompaniment. The album reaches its first peak with Lidwine’s edgy rendition of Tanita Tikaram’s lyrcially hermetic anthem of emotional numbness, “Twist in My Sobriety,” Dub Mentor steadily following her every step with a distinct rimshot.

Accompanied by a steady bass and dubbed melodica, Iris Aneas lisps a bright rendition of “Porque te Vas,” a genuine international cult classic originally recorded in the early seventies by Anglo-Spanish singer Jeannette. “The Crying Game” strips the Brenda Lee country wall of sound down to its bare studs—Caplan’s winsome song, a melodic bass and the clack of wooden claves. Lyrically, then, the girls all seem in a miserable state, but together with Suliman they a craft a compelling six-chapter story out of an unfashionable selection of old pop songs.

The bonus section begins with an abridged, multi-tracked acapella English madrigal by soprano Hila Baggio. It seems an odd entry, especially at only two minutes. It is followed by a mechanical and angular version of Weiss’ debut album title track, “Motion Drawing” that is a bit of a drag, actually. With a tiny bell outringing the voice of a muezzin’s call to prayer, “Being Boiled” (said to be loosely based on an early single by The Human League) is a showcase for percussionist Noa Vax. It’s the only instrumental track but Vax’ kit has a strong, charismatic voice. Finally, “Trouble Comportemental” is a “special” version of a single off another debut album, by French actor-singer edo.

While the EP is thematically and stylistically cut from whole cloth, the bonus section is a bit of a crazy quilt. The link between the two sections is of course Dub Mentor’s distinctive skills, passion through restraint.

Versions is available on EnT-T. Release page—Buy at Bandcamp, Amazon or iTunes.