Rhombus are yet another group hailing from that incredibly rich source of roots-based music – Wellington, New Zealand. The core of the group is made up of producers Simon Rycroft and Thomas Voyce, with Imon Star on the mic, but use is also made of many guest vocalists. Onwards, as the name suggests, consists of remixes of tracks from their previous 2 albums, and tracks pulled from the archives. As well as remixing their own tracks, they have called in the talented Rhian Sheehan, DJ Fitchie (of Fat Freddy’s Drop fame) and Submariner.

The Rhombus sound is an interesting one, combining hip-hop, soul and deep dub influences. The album opens with the gorgeous upbeat and optimistic remix of ‘Swans’, featuring the vocal talents of diva Lotus (I think). I was a touch confused by the line “Ramen is my only solution”, but on closer listening I think the MC may actually be saying “rhyming”. Next up is a dub version of The Specials classic ‘Ghost Town’. While I was a big Specials fan in my younger days, I was never a huge fan of this particular track, but the spaced out dubbiness of this version really works, giving a very ghostly feel.

DJ Fitchie’s remix of ‘Mile High’ brings a funkier vibe to proceedings. While I haven’t heard the original, this version is excellent. ‘Dang Dub’ is a rolling, skanking masterpiece that is a perfect example of just how good the dub sound can be. Heavy on the reverb and with prominent bass and riddim, this is how dub should be done. In a similar style is Kurnia Dub, a track which samples the legendary, if somewhat eccentric, Lee “Scratch” Perry. A touch of melodica gives the track a more vintage dub kind of feel, but is equally well done.

Rhian Sheehan is a musician of whom I am a particular fan, so it is somewhat disappointing to find that his remix of “Sojare” is a little below par. His style is always understated, but on this track it’s so understated as to be verging on bland. It does pick up a bit after about 3 minutes, but the track as a whole left me wanting more. Submariner’s take on “Tour of Outer Space” is an interesting track with an odd beat and some quality rapping. Nice and downbeat, it leads into the album closer, an extended dub mix of “Scorching Bay”. This 12-minute epic is very spacious, and could possibly bore those with short attention spans. I get the impression that it was added to pad out the length of the album, but for those who like their dub deep, it is a good track.

It seems that the supply of excellent music coming out of the relatively tiny city of Wellington is almost never-ending. To names like Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Black Seeds and Shapeshifter, you can add Rhombus. This is a very good and varied release, well worth checking out.