The Drastics
Encyclopedia
The Drastics are a roots-oriented dub
reggae
group hailing from Chicago
. Though primarily classified as a reggae group, The Drastics embrace many styles of music both live and in the studio. This can be heard in their songs which draw from roots reggae, hip hop, jazz (mostly hard-bop), afro-beat, dancehall, as well as folk musics from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
The Drastics formed in December 2003, playing their first show in March 2004 at Chicago's now defunct Fireside Bowl. Answering a Chicago Reader ad placed by guitarist Josh Rosenstock, the original 6 piece lineup formed and began playing originals and a handful of covers. Over the years, the group has changed from the original lineup.
The Drastics first full-length album, Premonition was released on Chicago's JumpUp! Records. The album featured guest vocalists Craig Akira Fujita (Pressure Cooker, Joint Chiefs, 10 ft Ganja Plant), King Django (Stubborn All-Stars), Dr. Ring Ding (Senior All-Stars) as well as several local underground talents.
Their second release, Chicago Massive, is a 2 disc album with 27 tracks and 24 guest musicians. Disc one is a strictly instrumental set while disc two features 12 different vocalists over 12 tracks. Guest vocalists include King Django, Dr. Ring Ding, Fada Dougou, MC Zulu, Dayna Lynn, Todd Hembrook (Deals Gone Bad), and Corey Dixon (formerly of The Zvooks). Guest musicians on the first disc include reeds player Charles Gorzynski (Salamander, Video Gum Culture), beat makers Heavy Rotation, and trumpeter Rich Graiko (Westbound Train). The record went into production almost immediately following the release of Premonition and was completed over the course of the next 14 months.
Though primarily (and originally strictly) instrumental, The Drastics have begun to perform more frequently with vocalists. Currently, West African vocalist Fada Dougou can be seen regularly bringing his unique style of chant/singing to The Drastic's live shows. Panamanian-born, Chicago-based vocalist Zulu
is also a regular performer with the Drastics.
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
group hailing from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Though primarily classified as a reggae group, The Drastics embrace many styles of music both live and in the studio. This can be heard in their songs which draw from roots reggae, hip hop, jazz (mostly hard-bop), afro-beat, dancehall, as well as folk musics from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.
Band history
The Drastics first full-length album, Premonition was released on Chicago's JumpUp! Records. The album featured guest vocalists Craig Akira Fujita (Pressure Cooker, Joint Chiefs, 10 ft Ganja Plant), King Django (Stubborn All-Stars), Dr. Ring Ding (Senior All-Stars) as well as several local underground talents.
Their second release, Chicago Massive, is a 2 disc album with 27 tracks and 24 guest musicians. Disc one is a strictly instrumental set while disc two features 12 different vocalists over 12 tracks. Guest vocalists include King Django, Dr. Ring Ding, Fada Dougou, MC Zulu, Dayna Lynn, Todd Hembrook (Deals Gone Bad), and Corey Dixon (formerly of The Zvooks). Guest musicians on the first disc include reeds player Charles Gorzynski (Salamander, Video Gum Culture), beat makers Heavy Rotation, and trumpeter Rich Graiko (Westbound Train). The record went into production almost immediately following the release of Premonition and was completed over the course of the next 14 months.
Though primarily (and originally strictly) instrumental, The Drastics have begun to perform more frequently with vocalists. Currently, West African vocalist Fada Dougou can be seen regularly bringing his unique style of chant/singing to The Drastic's live shows. Panamanian-born, Chicago-based vocalist Zulu
Zulu (musician)
ZULU aka MC ZULU is a Chicago-based Panamanian dancehall reggae singer.-Biography:Rowland was born in Panama to parents who were in the U.S. military, and moved to Chicago in the 1980s, where his schoolmates gave him the nickname 'Zulu'. Zulu began his career as a producer of house music, and...
is also a regular performer with the Drastics.
Lineup
- Tom Riley - Tenor Sax, Flute, Live Dub
- Andrew Zelm - Trombone, Melodica
- Elliot Ross - Guitar
- Brian Citro - Guitar
- Bijan Warner - Keys
- Chris Merrill - Bass
- General Jah Son - Binghi
- Anthony Abbinanti - Drums & Album Engineering/Production
- MC Zulu - Vocals
- Fada Dougou - Vocals