Macro Dub Infection Volume One

This 2CD compilation, assembled by producer Kevin Martin of Techno Animal (pre-The Bug), treats the dub aesthetic as a virus traveling through every form of popular music, mutating as it goes. He’s just the selector, not the producer, so the bass here is frequently warm and enveloping, not concussive. But the range of acts is surprisingly wide: from the expected, like Bill Laswell (under his Automaton alias), Mad Professor, and the Rootsman to more leftfield choices like Coil, Scorn, Tortoise and the Golden Palominos, with a creepy, beatless remix of Tricky’s “Pumpkin” a particular standout. There’s some traditionally dubby material, some jungle and drum ’n’ bass, some trip-hop, and some experiments by postpunky noise-rockers (Bud Alzir is a Terminal Cheesecake side project). It’s less about stylistic cohesion than about pointing out sonic commonalities.