Name: Dark Luminosity – The 21st Century Collection
Brand: Jah Wobble

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

30HX4CD48

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-04-21

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cherry Red (ADA)

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5013929304895

Total Cap

CDx4

Artist

Jah Wobble

Genre GB

New Wave / Post Punk

Label GB

30 Hertz

30 Hertz Records is an independent record label founded by John ‘Jah Wobble’ Wardle in 1997. With a focus on promoting unique and innovative music, 30 Hertz has become known for its diverse roster of artists and commitment to artistic integrity.

In 2015, Cherry Red began representing 30 Hertz as an associated label, further expanding the reach and influence of this groundbreaking record label. This partnership has allowed 30 Hertz to continue supporting emerging talent while also providing a platform for established musicians to showcase their work.

Whether you're a fan of experimental sounds or searching for something new and exciting, 30 Hertz Records offers a curated selection of music that pushes boundaries and challenges conventions. Explore our catalog today and discover the next wave of musical innovation.

Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He was born on August 11, 1958 in Stepney, London. Wobble started his recording career as the bassist and founding member of the influential post punk group Public Image Limited (PiL). After leaving PiL in 1980, he embarked on a successful solo career and collaborated with various musicians over the years.
Wobble's best known work is published with Virgin Records. He has explored different genres including ambient music, dance music, and traditional English folk songs. From the mid-1990s to the present, he has been quite prolific in releasing recordings. Wobble runs his own label called 30 Hertz Records and regularly tours throughout England and Europe.
Jah Wobble is married to renowned harpist Zi Lan Liao and they have a daughter named Hayley Angel Wardle who is an actress. Some similar artists to Jah Wobble include Bill Laswell, Adrian Sherwood, African Head Charge, Mark Stewart, Material, Dub Syndicate, Jon Hassell among others.

A four-CD anthology of highlights from this century – a period now spanning half of Jah Wobble’s career and yet somehow overlooked. Annotated and co-compiled by Wobble himself.

For nearly half a century, Jah Wobble has been making music drawn from influences from all over the globe, always rooted in his unique, distinctive approach to the bass that underpins everything, from the opening riff of ‘Public Image’ by PiL in 1978 to his latest endeavours.

The 2000s coincided with a change, as he and his family had just relocated to just outside Stockport, south of Manchester. What followed has proven to be a productive, creative fertile period, away from the bustle of the capital, making records which – for the most part – were self-produced, often on his own 30 Hertz label. Along the way, Wobble dipped into myriad styles and influences with a dizzying array of collaborators. Eventually, he settled with a new- look Invaders Of The Heart which has been the backbone of his music for the last decade.

Presented in chronological order, starting with selections from several albums released around 2000-2002, some with Deep Space, Temple Of Sound and Evan Parker. Disc 1 embraces jazz (‘Full On’), folk (‘Cannily Cannily’), ambient (both ‘Fly’ tracks), soundtrack contributions and dub (two versions of ‘Lam Tang Way’). The second CD continues in that vein, embracing two higher profile albums recorded for Trojan, ‘Mu’ (2005) and ‘Heart and Soul’ (2007), plus selections from two albums inspired by music from Asia, ‘Chinese Dub’ (2008) and ‘Japanese Dub’ (2010).

Spanning discs 2 and 3 are selections from one of JW’s most accessible albums, ‘Welcome To My World’ (2010). After that, we hear collaborations with The Modern Jazz Ensemble, electronic band Marconi Union, Moroccan-born musicians Momo and Shakatak’s Bill Sharpe, as well as Julie Campbell (alias LoneLady) on ‘Psychic Life’ (2012), JW’s first venture on Cherry Red, which is now a home for much of his music. And Disc 4 spans the last half decade, with contributions from albums such as ‘The Butterfly Effect’(2018), a reunion with Bill Laswell on ‘Realm Of Spells’ (2019) and, from the same year, ‘Ocean Blue Waves’ (which provides the appositely-named title track of this compendium). Also included are a handful of spoken word poetry tracks cherry-picked from Wobble’s “book” set ‘Odds and Sods and Dialogues’ from 2013, which punctate the compilation with words from Wobble alongside his informative liner notes.

Across 2023, Jah Wobble will be as active as ever, with plans for numerous live shows, new recordings and other activities. Dark Luminosity, meanwhile, takes stock of the second half of his musical career to date, a long overdue exercise in documenting one of our most talented musicians.

Dark Luminosity – The 21st Century Collection

Music GB