Ordinary

Pablo In Red - Augustus Pablo

There's something human and vulnerable about Pablo's melodica in this track. I suspect it's that wheeziness like expanding and contracting lungs and its imprecision, the way it jumps the beat by half or limps a nudge behind. Then it suddenly does something virtuosic like offering a fluid, ascending scale or a hopscotching melodic line. The other thing is the reverb. It shudders slight and natural--characteristic of Pablo's dub--drawn out just so far, but just right.

If you were to listen to only the first 12, 15 seconds of this song, you might think you were marking the path to a funeral, but you'd be wrong. This is an ordinary stroll to the corner store for a loaf of bread and a newspaper, then on to the park for a snooze in the sun.

Originally appeared on Thriller (US, UK), but is easier to get your hands on in the form of Trojan Dub Rarities (US, UK).