Ambient Dub
Ambient · 1992 · 60 to 100 BPM · also known as Dub Ambient, Ambient Dub Techno
Dub dissolved into ambient: endless echoes, submarine bass, pads that breathe at the tempo of the delay. The Orb and Beyond's Ambient Dub series fix the name in the early 1990s, Banco de Gaia and Dreadzone take it traveling. It is the chill room of English rave turned into a lasting genre, one where the mixing console itself becomes the lead instrument.
8 reference tracks
- The Orb: Towers of Dub (1992)
- Higher Intelligence Agency: Speech (1993)
- Woob: Odonna (1994)
- Banco de Gaia: Last Train to Lhasa (1995)
- Dreadzone: Zion Youth (1995)
- Om Unit: Bristol Theme (2021)
- Om Unit: Ghosts (2021)
- Pole: Tempus (2022)
At a glance
- Tempo: 60 to 100 BPM
- First appeared: around 1992
- Machines: Roland RE-201 Space Echo, Console de mixage, Akai S1000
- The sound: Delays dub synchronisés, Basses sub profondes, Nappes longues, Samples ethniques et radio
- Labels: Em:t, Interchill, Dubmission, Beyond Records, Waveform
- Key artists: The Orb, Banco de Gaia, Higher Intelligence Agency, Loop Guru, Dreadzone
Producing Ambient Dub
Here, finally, a pulse: sit between 70 and 100 bpm, a slowed reggae dub tempo, or 120 played in half time, kick landing once every bar and a half. The delay defines the feel, synced to a dotted eighth with heavy feedback, becoming the track's real grid, pads breathing on the same subdivision. Build a soft, buried kick, one drop style, kick and rimshot together on beat 3, with sporadic percussion sent into a Space Echo, drums appearing and vanishing as if mixed live. For bass, use a deep, round sub following the reggae pattern, silence on beat 1, root and fifth, only a chord or two over many bars. Layer delays pushed near self-oscillation, spring reverb on percussion, slow-chorused pads, and traveling samples, radio dialogue, flutes, voices.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Ambient Dub?
Dub dissolved into ambient: endless echoes, submarine bass, pads that breathe at the tempo of the delay. The Orb and Beyond's Ambient Dub series fix the name in the early 1990s, Banco de Gaia and Dreadzone take it traveling. It is the chill room of English rave turned into a lasting genre, one…
What tempo is Ambient Dub played at?
Between 60 and 100 BPM.
Who are the key Ambient Dub artists?
The Orb, Banco de Gaia, Higher Intelligence Agency, Loop Guru, Dreadzone.
