JAH WOBBLE “MU” (Trojan/Sanctuary/Goodfellas)

Release Date: 12-09-2005

Jah Wobble originally met John Lydon, John Grey and Sid Vicious at Kingsway College, London, in 1973. It was Vicious who originally nicknamed John "Wobble" after a drunken binge, and would also loan him his first bass guitar. Wobble's original introduction to the bass stemmed from his long-term obsession with dub reggae music.

Combined with the D.I.Y. punk ethos, Wobble embraced punk and reggae, and in the process, created an original rock/reggae hybrid of his own. After discovering his fascination with the bass guitar, Lydon asked Wobble to join Public Image Limited (aka PiL) during the spring of 1978. Wobble's distinctive 'low end' bass immediately put PiL on the map and became the backbone of the band. The band's debut album Public Image Limited included the band's eponymous first Top 10 hit single.

After two magnificent albums, Wobble became increasingly disillusioned by the music scene and the politics of the band and eventually split in mid 1980. After PiL, and before the genre became in vogue, Wobble became a well respected session and solo artist, with a genuine passion for Eastern and Global music. In 1986, after a long battle with alcohol, Wobble unexpectedly walked away from the music scene to work for London Transport, but eventually returned with a revitalised line-up of his Invaders of the Heart band.

By the 1990s, Wobble finally achieved public notoriety, including chart success and a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his critically acclaimed Rising Above Bedlam album. However, after a couple of reasonably commercially successful albums, Wobble fled record company constraints and returned to a more experimental and non-commercial sound. In 1997 he started up his own independent record label, 30 Hertz Records, and released a series of critically acclaimed records.

Having overcome an alcohol problem in the mid-eighties, Wobble is now a reformed character. His wild thug days are now long behind him, and he is now a dedicated family man with a documented interest in spirituality, and in 2000 received a B.A in Music and Philosophy. He writes regular book reviews for the Independent on Sunday.

ABOUT THE ALBUM

Following on from last year's massively successful anthology album on Trojan I Could Have Been A Contender, comes the first commercial release from Jah Wobble since 1994. Mu is a 10-track album, described by Wobble as ‘Zen Dub'. Wobble, one of music's most unique bass guitarists and producers has, with this album, found a new sensibility, drawing on a plethora

of inspirations, sounds and techniques to create this genre-busting set. Samsara, for instance, is a tough urban number with a deep and spiritual message, whilst Viking Funeral is a real London flavoured reggae number - a classic! Buddha of Compassion is a lush dreamy cinematic slice of world dance - stunning. Technically, Mu also offered a wonderful opportunity to showcase the prodigious talents of sound engineer Mark Lusardi (The Orb, David Bowie, Lee 'Scratch Perry', Dennis Bovell, Duran Duran amongst his credits). Wobble first worked with Mark in 1978, and have collaborated together on various projects including Deep Space (1999) and Molam Dub (2000).

Mu, an album of 'universal dub', continues Wobble's ability to mesmerise, surprise and challenge his audience. His musical

direction has always been genuine, from the heart and pure, never less so with this.



TRACKLISTING

1. Viking Funeral

2. Universal Dub

3. Samsara

4. Kojak Dub

5. Mu

6. Buddha Of Compassion

7. New Mexico Dub

8. Love Comes/Loves Goes

10. Softwear

11. Into The Light