Earthquake Studio / Dub Harder Than Steel / Real Rock Records

Earthquake Studio’s “Dub Harder Than Steel” was the work of TNT Roots and Winston Dread. This was the only info printed on the now sought after album’s home / hand made sleeve. Built on super limited, and largely Casio, kit, the grooves contained 10 minimal, moody, machined productions, where the low end was mixed as low as it could go without distorting. Slamming like slabs of industrial concrete. Raising, given the duo’s moniker, a suitably room-shaking grounation. Peppered with percussive, programmed military paradiddles and liberally rinsed with cavernous reverb and delay, its snares cracked like angry memories of slavedriver whips. Urban warrior changes whose melodies appeared in bleeps, chimes and Sci-Fi synths. Bearing bionic faux, brass blasts to beat and bruise Babylon. Fanfares to bring down its walls. “Downbeat From The Motherland” was a slow, crashing crawl. Churning, banging, planet smashing, with acidic edges and metallic insect chatter in its detail. “Most High Dub” was…