General Echo: The 'Wednesday Alternative' Mix

General Echo is a monthly night in Walthamstow, North London. Held in an unassuming upstairs pub called The Victoria it’s a modest but welcoming reggae / dub disco with a relatively seismic sound system and reputable Guinness, all tied together by selectors and guests who acknowledge the innovation, mutation, spirituality and psychedelia that characterises Jamaica’s most influential export. In the night’s curation there’s a recognition of what producers like King Tubby, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Prince Jammy first pioneered yet equal appreciation for the many evolutions and leftfield turns that have transpired since. You’re as likely to hear the cult and the contemporary as you are the classic, from Wackies 12”s, On-U Sound rarities and the latest Equiknoxx outings to dusty 7”s of vintage ska, rugged roots and treasured lovers rock. Recent nights have played host to the likes of Warrior Queen, Domestic Exile and their next sees Gizmo from Berceuse Heroique manning the rig. More than most General Echo represents a forward-looking celebration of reggae and dub’s timeless futurism, both its unabating relevance and its continued reconstruction. Here they provide an alternative homegrown history of dub music as realised on our very own humdrum island. As a mix this is more instructive than most charting how dub has influenced many hearts & minds on these here shores, sending inimitable shockwaves through post-punk, grime & beyond.