8 Tracks: Rob Smith’s Bristol’s Round Up

Rob Smith is one of those British bass manipulators – like Adrian Sherwood or Dennis Bovell- whose influence on dance music worldwide goes far beyond his slightly under-radar profile. As part of Smith & Mighty, Smith was instrumental in developing the Bristol sound; a mix of breakbeat science, chest thumping dub bass, hip hop sample culture, and heavy, stoned soul. This is a sound that's been referenced both explicitly (Ray Keith recently told Ransom Note how he wholeheartedly nicked the famous Terrorist bassline was from Smith & Mighty's Alright) and at a couple of steps of remove – it's doubtful Skrillex would be producing dubstep chart botherers featuring the bashment vocals of Damien Marley if the foundations hadn't been laid in Bristol a couple of decades back. 

Now, working under the name AMJ Meets RSD, Smith has a new album on the way; Sky Blue Love. It's a record of deep, outerspace dub that's already had the stamp of approval from Rodigan. Listen to a sample below, and look out for the album's release via Astar Artes recordings on April 25th…