Osaka’s Acid Emperor, Akio Nagase is back with a third addition to his ‘acid’ series. He’s been to Africa, he’s been around the world, and now he’s landing on planet dub. Well versed with this sound already (Akio has worked under the Makedub name for a number of years) those classic organic, reggae and soundsystem elements are brought together with sounds from the digital realm to create an elemental fusion of sound.

‘I Like Smoke’ bangs pretty hard, tough drums and muted acid lines are present and correct. Warping noises and choppy guitar licks also dip in and out along with a chant to the herb. Love it with your heart and soul. ‘Night Time Acid’ is a more sedate affair, the afters to ‘Smoke’s’ peak time. There’s plenty of depth and feeling still, plus a super nice Pablo-esque melodica line for good measure.

‘Creation Dub’ makes very effective use of a female vocal loop to bring another point of focus, but it doesn’t stop there. Deep deep chords penetrate, and are offset by higher keyboard notes for a full frequency experience. How to capture the essence of ‘Harmonica Dub’? Try a heavy blues solo on that unique instrument that weaves its way, in and out of the dubby undergrowth of swirling effects and a driving steppa beat. Fusing potentially disparate sounds can be a dangerous game, but dub acid more than manages it and then some.

Acid Dub is available now via Emotional Especial on Bandcamp.