Dub Pistols

Formed in London in 1996 around Barry Ashworth and Jason O'Bryan, Dub Pistols developed a collective approach that blends British electronic music, big beat, dub, alternative hip‑hop, ska, reggae and touches of drum and bass. The project emerged in the late 1990s with the singles “There’s Gonna Be a Riot,” “Best Got Better” and “Cyclone,” followed by the album Point Blank (1998), which established a sound built on breakbeat rhythms, dub basslines, sound‑system choruses and an almost live‑band energy. Over the years Dub Pistols expanded that foundation toward more vocal-led tracks with stronger reggae and ska influences, notably on Six Million Ways to Live (2001), Speakers and Tweeters (2007) and Rum & Coke (2009). The collective has collaborated with artists such as Terry Hall, Rodney P, Blade, T.K. Lawrence and Planet Asia, and has produced numerous remixes and tracks used in film and video game soundtracks. After Return of the Pistoleros (2015), Dub Pistols released Crazy Diamonds (2017), Addict (2020) and Frontline (2023), continuing a trajectory between club culture, punk heritage and sound‑system tradition.