ADF gets five red stars
Community Music
Asian Dub Foundation
London Records
<http://www.asiandubfoundation.com>
REVIEW BY DANIEL SULLIVAN
What could one expect from a band which has toured supporting Rage Against the Machine and worked with Atari Teenage Riot, other than great progressive music? Try an education program, support for the campaign to free the wrongfully imprisoned Saptal Ram, encouragement for those fighting for justice for the murdered Ricky Reel, and political activism.
The praise given to Asian Dub Foundation by Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie — that they are "Britain's greatest live band" — is well justified. Every song on their new album, Community Music, is a direct and straightforward political message promoting open-mindedness.
Straight away, Asian Dub Foundation gets stuck into the British Labour government ("Not enough schools/ not enough homes/ just 'phoney care' in his millennium dome") and accuses Prime Minister Tony Blair of being the same as former Tory PM Margaret Thatcher.
This is just a taste of the political messages in the album, messages which ADF state, in an interview published on their web site, are designed to promote "the feeling of solidarity at a gig [which] can really help people with their own struggles".
"Memory War" explains media cover-ups and "Officer XX" criticises police corruption. "Collective Mode" calls for unity in action and "Crash" predicts an impending crisis in the capitalist system. "The Judgement" and "Truth Hides" encourage all of us to examine history for the truth. "New way, New life" speaks of the hardship of immigration, while "Rebel Warrior" is a war cry for revolt against oppression.
As ADF say, "You can't do it alone" — which might help to explain why some of their best music is produced in collaboration with others.
"Committed to Life", with Assata Shakur on vocals, is an inspiring, revolutionary piece in which she says that the need to struggle has been forced on her by oppression and that it is immoral to avoid this struggle. "Colour Line", featuring Ambalavaner Sivandan, tells how the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and others exploit the world's poor; essential listening for all S11 protest goers as it repeats, "The colour line/ is the power line/ is the poverty line".
For great, inspiring revolutionary music, Asian Dub Foundation's new album gets five red stars.