"Asian Dub Foundation." Even the name sounds ethnic. Ethnic Dub? Foundation...well, actually a school. You're getting close. Being from Britain, the term "Asian" refers to people of Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi descent, not the "Oriental" peoples from China and surrounding regions. ADF took it's moniker from it's origins as a teacher-student relationship developed into a political force of break-beats and master-mixed messages. Formed out of workshops taught at Community Music for Asian youth by bassist Dr. Das, and employing his 15-year old and vocally dexterous student Master D, "Asian Dub Foundation" has recruited various members of England's political and musical underground to create a group who is unabashedly up front with it's political views and agenda.

Crying out over injustices of the past in the vocally dark "Assassin," about Indian resistance against the British Empire, and problems of the present with the manic driven "Free Satpal Ram," which cries for the release of a young Asian convicted to a life sentence for killing a man during an attack by racists, ADF is perhaps the most up front "political" (I'll try to avoid that word again) band since "Rage Against The Machine." Master D's vocal builds, and repeated lines often parallel the aforementioned in subtle ways, but ADF music is more footed in the shuffle sampled beats than the thick guitar attack.

Musically, ADF are a sick/slick, break beat driven, rap, with a heavy Jamaican flavor on the vocals. So heavy is the cockney-Jamaican vocal trill, words are almost indecipherable without a lyric sheet - although with the lyrics in front of you, the words can be made out with ease - amazing. Songs tend to be fast paced, structured dynamically and tend to keep the interest high. Occasionally, the tempo and tone drop back into a more simple, familiar rap beat, which showcase Master D's vocal expertise, but this is ADF at it's worst, which is still an above average rap song.

It's the shuffling/skipping break-beats, and the interesting progressions of mood and mixture, that proves the most exciting in the ADF sound. A sort of reggae dub, drum and bass concoction with a punch. ADF also uses this cool, twangy, middle-eastern guitar sound for spice, which serves as some of the hook in the more tangible songs. The single "Buzzin" uses this most noticeably as a gate into the rhythmic verse that drops into a catchy 4 chord chorus, and shows an almost (rare) radio sensibility.

If you like your mix with a message, ADF has enough grievances with the world to keep you rallied against the man for decades. But in our Western bubble of "safeness," these causes don't always translate well. Luckily for ADF, their passion is reflected in their drive for an original approach to their chosen musical path, and has resulted in a talented, driven and extremely listenable album. The vocal approach is eclectic and might not move everyone (especially with it's degree of comprehension with the accent), but the delivery is flawless and energetic and very rhythmic in itself.

Begun in 1993, "Asian Dub Foundation" has continued to expand it's music while trying to expand the minds of their followers. With releases as strong as "Rafi's Revenge," the message is sure to spread.