On Thursday, May 15 at Nectar Lounge in Seattle, I went to dub church. Subatomic Sound System put on a show I will never forget and I can only hope is duplicated in the future. With their unique blend of live dub (Emch) alongside a saxophone (Troy Mobius), 3-piece conga set (Larry McDonald), and toasting/singing by Screechy Dan, they had the crowd in the palms of their hands from start to finish.

Speaking of starts, Seattle's own Kid Hops, of KEXP's Positive Vibrations weekly reggae show, opened up with one of his vibe-filled sets, playing a mix of old and new reggae tunes. He had many in the crowd, myself included, dancing from song one and as the crowd filled in Nectar's intimate space, he did an incredible job of warming it up for the start of Subatomic's set. Big ups to Kid Hops, he brings it proper every time.

Once Emch took the stage and got things dialed on his board, the main event took off and just kept getting better as the show went on. There seems to be a renewed movement of live dub here in the states and Subatomic Sound is surely one its leaders. Ench's soundscapes are truly of the divine and when I say it was like going to dub church, I mean it. The group has a t-shirt that reads 'the deeper the bass the closer to god,' and truer words can't be said. I felt deeply connected the entire show.

They played a mix of original productions alongside classic riddims. Saxophonist Troy Mobius and conga player Larry McDonald killed the accompaniment and solos and Screechy Dan crushed on the mic. His unique blend of freestyle toasting and singing of songs the quartet has recorded together was something to behold. At two different points in the show Screechy Dan brought Mista Chatman on stage and he took the energy level to a whole other level with his Brooklyn reggae stylee. It was so much fun to experience.

I would catch Subatomic Sound's show as many times as possible and if they're coming to your town, all I can say is don't sleep and get tickets immediately. You will not be disappointed. You can check out footage from the show below.