Today we're so excited to present our interview with the legendary SCIENTIST!

Hopeton Overton Brown (also known as Scientist) grew up working in and around some of the most remarkable studios in Jamaica under the tutelage of "Coxone" Dodd, King Tubby, and has mixed some of the most renowned albums in Jamaican history.

In addition to his mix work, Scientist also produced a string of some of the greatest dub albums of all time in the 80s. Thanks to our dear friend ⁨@DUBROBOT⁩ , the four of us were able to have a wide-ranging discussion about mixing, Wailing Souls, King Tubby, and the recording industry.

This is an edited-down version of our conversation. For the full unedited interview, be sure to join our Patreon page at the $5 tier.

Much of this discussion pertains to our episode on Fire House Rock by The Wailing Souls. Be sure to watch that episode below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Cf33J9Utg

For full AD-FREE episodes, bonus video episodes, and more content, please subscribe to our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/c/BlackMarketDub

Follow us on Instagram: @blackmarket_dub To listen to our music, visit: https://blackmarketdub.bandcamp.com/

For vinyl purchases and more: https://escapehatchrecords.com/

#music #podcast #discussion #scientist #dub #reggae #interview

In this Reggae Summer episode we dive into Wailing Souls’ Fire House Rock and lay out our theory of the “Four Horsemen of Reggae” – the four forces we think are responsible for some of the greatest reggae music ever recorded.

Using Fire House Rock as a case study, we talk about the combination of Channel One Studio & the Hoo Kim brothers, producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes, engineer Scientist, and the Roots Radics band – and how all four converge on this record. We break down the rhythms, the vocal performances, the dub aesthetics, and why this album still feels so heavy and alive today.

We also connect Fire House Rock directly to the classic Scientist dub records and to our later interview with Scientist himself, showing how this era of Channel One / Junjo / Roots Radics / Scientist all fits together.

In this episode:

– Track and moment highlights from Fire House Rock

– What we mean by the “Four Horsemen of Reggae”

– Channel One, Junjo, Scientist & Roots Radics in their absolute prime

– How this sound shaped our own work as Black Market Dub

🔊 Support & follow:

• Patreon – bonus episodes & ad-free audio

• Black Market Dub on Bandcamp – our original music

• Escape Hatch Records – label family & collaborations

• Instagram – clips and episode updates

CHAPTERS:

00:01:02 [Intro discussion]

00:16:11 [The Hoo Kim Brothers and Channel One Studios]

00:45:14 [Henry "Junjo" Lawes and the role of the Producer]

00:59:08 [Scientist and mix breakdown of Fire House Rock]

01:36:05 [Roots Radics and Bass Demo]

01:48:09 [Wailing Souls and Vocal Analysis]

01:57:24 [Standout Songs and "Word, Sound, and Power"]

02:30:17 [Final Thoughts and Upcoming Episodes]

On todays episode we once again enter doomer territory and talk about the current political climate of the US. Borderline impossible not to explicitly talk about this stuff during our main episodes so we get it out of our systems here on the bonus show! Enjoy commiserating with us.

Please share our podcast with your friends and family! We can feel the momentum building and need all the help we can get to get this show to take off!

Full bonus episode on our Patreon at the $5 per month tier!

In this Reggae Summer episode we dive into Culture’s classic album Two Sevens Clash, one of the most important roots reggae records of the 1970s.

We use the album as a jumping-off point to talk about the Marcus Garvey prophecy behind the title track, the apocalyptic fear around July 7, 1977 (when “the two sevens clash”), and how that shaped life in Jamaica at the time. We get into how Joseph Hill turns prophecy, politics and Rasta teachings into songs that are still catchy and deeply spiritual.

We also zoom out and look at Garvey’s wider influence on reggae – repatriation, Black Star Line, judgment day themes – and how Two Sevens Clash sits alongside other Garvey-inspired records in the roots canon.

In this episode:

– Track and moment highlights from Two Sevens Clash

– The story behind the “two sevens” prophecy and 7/7/77

– Marcus Garvey’s impact on reggae lyrics and Rastafari

– How this album shaped our own approach as reggae musicians in Black Market Dub

🔊 Support & follow:

• Patreon – bonus episodes & ad-free audio

• Black Market Dub on Bandcamp – our original music

• Escape Hatch Records – label family & collaborations

• Instagram – clips and episode updates

CHAPTERS:

00:00:50 Intro and Punk Rock

00:31:17 Garveyism and The Religiosity of Reggae

01:08:44 The Music and Production of Two Sevens Clash

01:38:29 Standout Songs

02:03:53 Final Thoughts

Lots of wild stuff going on. Head over to our Patreon page for the full episode! Enjoy

Patreon.com/blackmarketdub

In this Reggae Summer episode we dive into Gregory Isaacs’ 1982 classic Night Nurse and ask whether it might be the best reggae album of the 1980s.

We talk about The Cool Ruler as one of the most prolific and distinctive voices in reggae, his lovers rock style, his tragic personal decline, and how Night Nurse captures him at a creative peak. We also dig into the musicianship of Roots Radics, the sound of Tuff Gong and Compass Point, and why this record feels so smooth and effortless while dealing with some heavy emotions.

In this episode:

– Track highlights across Night Nurse (including “Night Nurse,” “Cool Down the Pace,” “Sad to Know (You’re Leaving)” and more)

– How Roots Radics’ playing and the production choices make the album so hypnotic

– The arc of Gregory Isaacs’ career: genius, output, and the cost of addiction and legal trouble

– Where Night Nurse sits in the lovers rock / roots reggae canon and our own reggae playlists.

🔊 Support & follow:

• Patreon – bonus episodes & ad-free audio

• Black Market Dub on Bandcamp – our original music

• Escape Hatch Records – label family & collaborations

• Instagram – clips and episode updates

CHAPTERS:

00:25:00 Who Was Gregory Isaacs?

00:40:27 Producing 'Night Nurse'

01:17:42 Roots Radics and Flabba Holt

01:36:06 Standout Songs

01:56:53 Final Thoughts

SUPER special bonus episode today! Brian Wallace aka Dub Robot came back to breakdown the remaining albums we're featuring for Reggae Summer 2025. Brian tells a ton of amazing stories during this episode, this one is worth checking out in full over on Patreon!

Patreon.com/blackmarketdub

TWe kick off our Reggae Summer series with Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1977 masterpiece Exodus and ask a big question: is this the single best album to give someone who’s never heard reggae before?

We’re joined by Brian “Dub Robot” Wallace – LA reggae/dub musician, producer and mastering engineer – to talk about Jamaican culture, Rastafari, the political moment around the album, and why Exodus still feels like the perfect gateway into Marley’s world.

In this episode:

– Why Exodus might be the ideal “starter reggae album”

– Breakdown of both sides of the record: the heavier spiritual/political first half vs the uplifting second half

– Track highlights: “Natural Mystic,” “Exodus,” “Jamming,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Three Little Birds,” “One Love / People Get Ready”

– The Wailers as a band and what Dub Robot hears in the production, bass, drums and arrangements

🔊 Support & follow:

• Patreon – bonus episodes & ad-free audio

• Black Market Dub on Bandcamp – our original music

• Escape Hatch Records – label family & collaborations

• Dub Robot – find his music and projects by searching “Dub Robot”

• Instagram – clips and episode updates

Chapters:

0:3:35 (First Impressions of Exodus)

0:25:10 (Jamaica and Rastafarianism)

01:01:20 (Exodus Deep Dive)

01:35:03 (Standout Songs)

01:58:45 (Final Thoughts)

FULL Bonus episode announcing our full slate of albums we'll be covering for the first annual REGGAE SUMMER!

For full episodes, bonus video episodes, and more content, please subscribe to our Patreon page: Patreon.com/Blackmarketdub

To listen to our music, visit: blackmarketdub.bandcamp.com

For vinyl purchases and more: escapehatchrecords.com

In this episode we dig into The Strokes’ Room on Fire and argue that it’s way more compositionally sophisticated than its “garage rock” reputation suggests.

We’re joined by Matty Greg (musician and YouTuber known for his Strokes theory breakdowns) to talk about how the guitars, bass and vocals often function like SATB parts—melody, inner voices and bass line all weaving together with shocking precision.

In this episode:

– Why Room on Fire might be smarter and tighter than people realize

– Guitar/bass/drum interplay on songs like “Reptilia,” “12:51,” “Under Control,” “The End Has No End”

– How Julian’s melodies sit inside (and against) the harmony

– Where this album fits in the Strokes’ discography vs Is This It

– Matty Greg’s perspective from years of dissecting these songs on his channel

CHAPTERS:

00:00 (Intro)

0:13:38 (First Impressions)

0:47:21 (Music Deep Dive)

01:28:53 (Production)

01:59:53 (Performance Techniques)

02:31:32 (Standout Songs and Final Thoughts)

🔊 Support & follow:

• Patreon – bonus episodes & ad-free audio

• Black Market Dub on Bandcamp – our original music

• Escape Hatch Records – label family & collaborations

• Matty Greg – search “Matty Greg Music” on YouTube

• Instagram – clips and episode updates