Zion Train

Zion Train are a British dub group from London, active since 1990. They begin as a sound system in Oxford in 1988, founded by Neil Perch, before moving to London, where the project develops into a live band with a changing line-up. The group is associated with dub, roots reggae, electronica and related dance music, and places on-stage mixing at the centre of its performances, treating it as part of the instrumentation alongside drums and bass.

Formation and line-up

Neil Perch leads the project on live dub mixing and production. Other members and contributors include Colin Cod on melodica and production, Dave Tench on production, Molara on vocals, Dave Hake on trumpet, Forkbeard on trombone, Sebastian “Bigga” Harzmann, and Dubdadda. Ben Hamilton joins the group after the relocation to London in 1990. The line-up remains flexible, ranging from Perch with a vocalist for sound-system shows to a fuller band for larger performances. Molara later concentrates on solo work, while live shows also feature guest vocalists including Brother Culture, Kenny Knots, Earl 16 and Tippa Irie.

Recordings and releases

Zion Train are known for Follow Like Wolves in 1992, a single that combines dub and acid house. Their first studio album, A Passage to Indica, appears in 1993. Other early releases include Natural Wonders of the World in Dub and Siren, with the latter seen by many as an early marker of the dub-dance style that becomes more widely heard in the 1990s. Homegrown Fantasy is also notable for its publicity campaign. Their later album Land of the Blind appears in 2015.

Labels, activity and wider work

The group first releases material on its own Universal Egg label, signs to China Records in 1995, then returns to Universal Egg in 1999. Alongside recorded music, Zion Train produce remixes, songwriting collaborations and production work, and also make magazines, CD-ROMs, internet sites and sound systems. They are closely associated with alternative and DIY underground culture and are regarded as long-standing figures in British dub. Their release of a promotional dub music video for the single Get Ready is also a notable part of their history.