Photos - Fusion Festival 2009

Dub Flash was playing a 2 hour heavy dub set on this year's Fusion Festival in Lärz, Northeastern Germany. The Fusion is mainly a techno & co. festival but this year Munich's Dandelion Soundsystem organised a RootsBase stage where it was strictly roots & culture reggae & dub style. The stage was small but had the best bass sound of all the stages. No wonder: it was a real soundsystem. Not just some PA.

Apart from Dub Flash, many other famous German selectors were present, e. g. Dandelion Sound, Ganja Riddim, Jah Vibes, Truelaikes, Fruit & Faithful Cultjah, Ignition Sound, I-Shen Rockers, Sandokan and others who I just right now cannot recall by name. I hope they forgive me my flawed memory.

Anyway, the bass was great and the vibes, too. At least on the RootsBase stage. The rest of the festival... well, no comment. Let's just say the whole place was nothing but a big rubbish bin. Some 50.000 people just throwing away their garbage wherever they walk. They call themselves alternatives. If so, then I honestly prefer the status quo!

But now for some visual impressions (click the pics for bigger versions). And at the very bottom, my selection's playlist (if you care):

The Arrival (which is also the title of a good movie with Charlie Sheen, by the way): The first sign of excessive garbage in the area but still some free parking space (but not for long).

Preparing for "work": Putting on The Stepping Shoe.

On the way to the safe RootsBase, crossing some other areas. On Friday morning still empty, some hours later, one couldn't walk freely here anymore.

The Dubstation was a nice area but didn't have much to do with Dub except concerts from Gaggeldub and Bo Marley. The latter was especially worth watching & listening.

It would have been nice to take a seat here but work was calling.

Not even time for a little snack @ Pastafari! Oh well, actually there was plenty of time but I wasn't hungry.

Getting closer.

And there it was: hidden behind some trees on a little clearance was the RootsBase to be found. Or not found, depending on the point of view.

Just some casual chilling going on in the early hours of the day.

Some last preparations for the nightly dub light show (which was very nice).

A lonesome dubber in front of the Dandelion Soundsystem which turned out to be a true open air soundsystem.

Dandelion's control tower, waiting to be dubflashed.

Last preparations before the set: opening the record bag. Let's put it straight: If you don't open the record bag, it is very difficult to play records, really! So never underestimate the importance of opening record bags, ok? Thank you.

But the key to a successful DJ set is the proper adjusting of the turntables.

If you got everything done and fixed, the one single person in the audience for who you play is happily stepping.

After the session is before the session: a view on the backstage dub area. And since certain technoheads are worse than animals (in the sole meaning that they act less clever than them when it comes to unloading their body excrements because most animals don't do it where they intend to sleep!), one had to tell them that they shall not piss where they stand (or others sleep). ;/

Let Jah Light shine on selector Dub Rogue!

Speaking once more about the garbage problem: One dancehall band's singer talked about his vision of a better future with people like on the festival. I looked around at the tons of garbage, carelessly thrown away wherever the people walk, obviously giving a fuck about their environment, I could only think: What a terrible vision must this MC have had: a world full of garbage with stupid idiots, not willing to do anything except being stupid. It could look like this motive on one of the hangar stages. Wow. That's how the festival area would look if the workers wouldn't carry away all the garbage.

Late evening, time to say good-bye Fusion.

Woosh, and there the sun dropped down. End of the show.

Tracklist of my Dub Flash selection @ Fusion 2009 Festival (might be not 100% accurate):

Warmup (~30 min.):

Paul Fox "Chain Grabber" CD
Paul Fox "Dub Grabber" CD
Bush Chemists "Look to the East" 10"
Bush Chemists "Dub" 10"
Dubateers "Creeping Dub" 10"
Dubateers "Version" 10"
Improvisators Dub meets Iration Steppas "Injustice" CD
Improvisators Dub meets Iration Steppas "Dub Injustice" CD
Julien D "Untitled" (dubplate)

Rootical selection (~30 min.):

Dan I "72 Nations" 7"
Mighty Prophet "Dub Nations" 7"
Ziggi "Joker Smoker (Smoke in the Air)" 7"
Da Grynch "Joker Instrumental" 7"
BR Stylers "From the Ground" CD
BR Stylers "From the Ground Dub" CD
Sister Nadia "Journey of Life" (dubplate)
Dubcreator "Dub of Life" (dubplate)
Stephanie "Sing Jah Praise" (dubplate)
Inspirational Sound "Dub Jah Praise" (dubplate)

Stepping forward (~30 min.):

Nestori "Golden Key" (dubplate)
Intergalaktik Sound "Golden Dub" (dubplate)
Paul Fox "Walls of Jericho" CD
Paul Fox "Dub of Jericho" CD
Ras McBean "Travelling Man" 7"
Digitaldubs "Dub Bun Dem" 7"
Digitaldubs & Dubitarian "30 Head Dub" 7" (by special request)

Dub fi Dub (~30 min.):

Synkro "Attack" (dubplate)
Riddim Conference "Cool Steppin" (semi-dubplate)
Vibronics "History Dub Version" 10"
Wayne McArthur "Unification Dubsteppa" 12"
Roots Hitek Players "Mashona Dub" 10"
Sir Larsie I "Untitled" (dubplate)
Pocci & The Realeyes Players "Stop the War in Time (Discomix)" 10"
Rusko "Acton Dread" 12"
Aldubb "Let There Be Dub" 10" (by special request)