Berlin’s deep space dub techno scene has a voice, and Paul St Hilaire is surely the one most entitled to claim its title. The artist that first made his mark as Tikiman. Born in Grandbay on the Caribbean Island of Dominica but a true dub vocalist, Tikiman burst onto the scene during the mid-1990s The understated disco dub of “Never Tell You” was the earliest I can recall hearing of him, a debut 10-inch release on Basic Channel’s Burial Mix subsidiary.
Following plenty of other work for Rhythm & Sound, issued via various “Rounds,” Tikiman cropped up as a leading light of My Sound, the debut album by Stereotyp, with Tiki on particularly fine ragamuffin form on the opening title track. The False Tuned imprint was launched around the same time, with first issue “Dub It Witaattitude” pointing away from the techno dominance of the past, and grounding more solidly with the roots reggae that directly inspired him – a fantastic debut with very high production values and a pleasurable organic sensibility. But just in case we thought we knew where the label was headed, the lovestruck collaboration with Rene Lowe titled “Faith” was swathed in the same fog of swirling sub-dub techno beats that marked out his early work.
Ten years ago, Tikiman told journalist Karsten Frehe that “My philosophy is not to stick on one style, but to be open to all good music.” What the future holds for Paul St Hilaire’s music is thus anyone’s guess, but the off-kilter reggae and hypnotic techno that has made up his oeuvre so far ensures the next release is definitely worth seeking out and investigating.
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