Dub Pistols – Crazy Diamonds

Few would deny that Dub Pistols have hit upon a formula that works. They have been successfully innovating dub for two decades, mixing it with jungle, hip-hop, and conscious reggae to create tunes replete with big brass and bass. Their seventh studio album Crazy Diamonds, whilst not differing much from what has come before, showcases this extensive repertoire of genres with their most notorious cast of performers yet – Ragga Twins, Cutty Ranks, and Too Many T’s to name a few. It makes a fitting tribute to the band’s career to date.

It's important to remember that Dub Pistols are best heard live – their uncontainable energy onstage is inimitable on speakers at home. Listening to the album is more an exercise in picking out which tracks could become festival bangers next summer. Crazy Diamonds is a good contender, starting with a crescendo of sound with continuous swells guaranteed to make everyone bend their knees. Boom is another. It sounds like the dictionary definition of jungle – the drums are steady, the bass is subtle, and there's a touch of reggae flavour. It's enjoyable because it's familiar.

That is the enduring feeling left by Crazy Diamonds. It doesn't set out to challenge boundaries in any way that Dub Pistols haven't tried before, but it's still good quality dance music. The line 'Turn up the wireless speaker' in Boom speaks to the album’s core sentiment – to make good music for a good time.

Listen to: Never Never, Baby I Love You