Ruts DC – Rhythm Collision – Re-Loaded

It’s a pretty good LP, with one or two stand-outs; (e.g. Go Home Production’s Love & Fire remix). And the two bonus tracks are pretty great. I do think the powers that be missed a trick by not releasing the original as a bonus CD.


Ruts DC – Rhythm Collision – Re-Loaded

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Not one many will have heard, that’s for sure. Rhythm Collision – Re-Loaded is a re-working of a classic instrumental underground dub LP from the rump of the reggae loving punks The Ruts, at the time known as Ruts Da Capo. The original LP – Rhythm Collision – from which the Re-Loaded version takes its cue, seems to have been a truly underground release, mixed by the Mad Professor no less, and available only in the States, where (according to folklore) it became, over time, a “lost classic” despite ding very little sales-wise. 

 

Rhythm Collision Re-Loaded has a fair bit of charm, though I am reviewing this LP without hearing the original. One point of contention is that only six of the tracks seem to have been deemed suitable for remix, (Accusation pops up three times on the bounce) which is a bit of a shame for those who’d like more of the original to discover. Still, there’s some great stuff here; Salz creates a charming, sprightly dub version of Whatever We Do, and Militant (Steve Dub Remix) is a fantastically moody mid-tempo trip with some brilliant atmospheric vocal samples.

 

As stated before, we get the luxury of hearing Accusation in three different guises; the first, by Dreadzone is poppy, at times a bit new age trancey, a wee bit nondescript… the stuff you’re likely to hear in a smart shop… (Though to be fair to them their mix of Love and Fire is much more enjoyable). Luckily Steve Dub’s remix sounds little like what went before, getting close to the experiments of the Orb or Coldcut in terms of style. Salz finishes off the Accusation trip with a perky rendition that still has a very prog, Steve Hillage-style guitar run in the mix.

 

It’s a pretty good LP, with one or two stand-outs; (e.g. Go Home Production’s Love & Fire remix). And the two bonus tracks are pretty great. I do think the powers that be missed a trick by not releasing the original as a bonus CD.

Words: Richard Foster