WOMAD

Jah Wobble - Chinese Dub

From China (Peoples Republic), United Kingdom

Anglo-Chinese dub fusion from former PiL man

From improbable beginnings when Sid Vicious loaned him his first bass guitar, Jah Wobble has gone on to become one of British music's most audacious and engaging mavericks. His dub-heavy bass playing has been heard with everyone from John Lydon's Public Image Ltd to Baaba Maal via Brian Eno and his latest typically adventurous project combines his trademark ambient dub with Chinese melodies and instrumentation. Put together in collaboration with his wife, the Chinese-born guzheng (zither) player Zi Lan Liao, his ten-piece Anglo-Chinese band also features the traditional yangchin (dulcimer), bamboo flute and gourd pipe from China alongside conventional Western guitar, bass and drums with vocals provided by Wang Jingqi from China's Yunnan Province and Tibet's Gu Ying Ji. They've recently been touring with a troupe of Chinese dancers, an ensemble unfortunately too large to fit on the BBC Radio 3 Stage. But never fear, the sound of Anglo-Chinese dub is arresting enough in its own right.

Biog by Nigel Williamson