Dr. Israel’s Patterns of War
Dr. Israel’s Patterns of War by Elena Oumano
One turntable spinning through a crate of vinyl, giant speakers blasting riddims into backbones, and a hypester on the mic—that’s the Jamaican sound system, a cheap fix for music cravers lacking the price of a concert ticket. That same level of need and imagination fueled Brooklyn reggae producer-D J Dr. Israel’s ’99 Inna City Pressure debut, a gritty extrapolation on the bare-bones JA template. Israel’s smart bomb packed punk, ska, funk, rock, jungle, and hip-hop, proving the right sensibility can make a joyful fusion of disparate music genres. Several years later, he sallies forth with the equally tough and shifting Patterns of War.