Country : United Kingdom Label : Dubmission Genres and styles : Dub Reggae / Reggae Year : 2020

100 Years of Theremin (The Dub Chapter)

· by Rupert Bottenberg

2020 marks the centenary of the Leon Theremin’s intriguing electrophonic instrument, an authentically “ethereal” side-product of Soviet research into proximity sensors. An obscurity to this day, associated mostly with old science fiction movies, it does still have its determined devotees.

2020 also marks four decades, minus a year, since the young Bolognese Daniele Gaudi took his first steps in music production, staking out territory somewhere between dub reggae, the nascent electronic dance-music movement, and what was then called worldbeat. It’s served him well – living in London since the mid-’90s, he’s a ubiquitous figure, having worked with most everyone who’s anyone in U.K. club music and beyond. 

It’s five of the biggest names in modern dub who join Gaudi for this celebration of his beloved Theremin – Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, The Scientist, Dennis Bovell, and Prince Fatty. The basic dub-reggae protocols aren’t challenged, only observed with competence and cleanliness. That said, the melodies are strong and memorable, notably “Dub out of Theremin”, with Adrian Sherwood, and the giddy “Smokin Dub” with Scientist.

Obviously, the Theremin is the preeminent element in each track, and Gaudi handles his with love and care, coaxing out not only the otherworldly weirdness it affords, but also the sentimental and melancholic flavours it can provide. A note of sadness for what the mechanical marvel might have been had history not swept it aside, and a note of wonder for what magic it might yet generate between two loving hands.

Latest 360 Content

Jeff Bridges – Slow Magic, 1977-1978

Jeff Bridges – Slow Magic, 1977-1978

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Sister Ray – Believer

Sister Ray – Believer

Festival de Lanaudière | Franco Fagioli and the voice of bel canto

Festival de Lanaudière | Franco Fagioli and the voice of bel canto

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté, An Undeniable Diva

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté, An Undeniable Diva

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, A Feline Like No Other

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, A Feline Like No Other

Nights of Africa 2025 | A gnawa fusion reactor named Saïd Mesnaoui

Nights of Africa 2025 | A gnawa fusion reactor named Saïd Mesnaoui

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: benevolence and complicity

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: benevolence and complicity

Nuits d’Afrique | Las Karamba And Their Militant Salsa

Nuits d’Afrique | Las Karamba And Their Militant Salsa

Women shine at the Quebec City Opera Festival

Women shine at the Quebec City Opera Festival

Festival de Lanaudière | A Successful Choral Evening for Akamus

Festival de Lanaudière | A Successful Choral Evening for Akamus

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | Training the Next Generation of Lyric Artists, From Voice to Stage Direction

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | Training the Next Generation of Lyric Artists, From Voice to Stage Direction

Nuits d’Afrique | Soul Bang’s, The King of Improvisation

Nuits d’Afrique | Soul Bang’s, The King of Improvisation

Nuits d’Afrique | Tyrane Mondeny: The Rising Star Has Reached Her Destination

Nuits d’Afrique | Tyrane Mondeny: The Rising Star Has Reached Her Destination

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Subscribe to our newsletter