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Noiseshaper’s hit single, “The Only Redeemer,” taken from their 2001 debut album, Prelaunch Sequence, is the kind of reggae Bob Marley might have written were he alive today. A timeless song of praise, Redeemer found an international audience, from the play list of Richard Dorfmeister and, to the show’s credit, as mood music on CSI: Miami. On Rough Out Here, the Berlin-based Noiseshaper celebrate reggae’s socio-political roots while pushing the envelope technically as most everything electronic out of Germany does these days. The songwriting is topnotch, with tunes like “Walls of Silence” calling for détente while “Rough Out There” acknowledges the decay, but stresses that love is still the answer. More street in their approach, the dancehall-ready “This is Not a Gun Thing,” would rather have people picking up microphones than guns and “Bushmaster” is titled for the heavy-caliber pistol, teaching how no weapon will grant access to Zion. But it’s not all doom and gloom, however. Juggla’s vocals on “Ruff Like A What” are just plain goofy and the group’s dub remix of Carl Douglas’s disco classic “Kung Fu Fighting” is a real treat. Thought-provoking, heartfelt and groovy, Rough Out Here is classic reggae for modern times. noiseshaper.net, echobeach.de-- review by Yuri Wuensch
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