BIO
Like a time-capsulated transmission from Mars, The Militant Rhythm Section finds their listeners off guard, curious and unprepared for the invasion about to take place upon their unsuspecting eardrums. Soon after, the transduction of sound from the ear drum to the soul is imminent. This is the natural effect of bass-heavy dub joints like the ones being produced by PureFire Records in conjunction with Utmost Sound and producer Johnny Horn. Two on the shelf and three in the chamber, consider this a statement of inner-planetary proportions. The Militant Rhythm Section is fresh. Their first release, Mexican Weed Dub, was quick to hit college radio and gained sustaining acclaim within various dub circles. Matt Sullivan of Light in the Attic Records called Mexican Weed Dub the "best album of 2005" (Stranger, 2005). The second release, Tribute to Scratch, has also found an audience in college radio and has prompted the group, comprised of Horn and others, to seek out more than just the occasional show. The third still-untitled but highly anticipated record is undergoing the final touches but will be ready by spring of 2006. In its entirety, the series celebrates the art of dub music – embracing elements of soul and reggae while pushing further into the future of both. The Militant Rhythm Section is just the latest chapter for Horn: a permanent fixture in the Seattle music community. People associate the multi-faceted Johnny Horn to many different genres but making a series of dub albums at this stage in his career is a little like going home. Long before his radio DJ days, The Hi-Fi Killers or Junior Jackson, Horn made his Seattle debut with legendary Reggae band, The Gladiators. Since then, he has taken time away from soul and blues to contribute to the works of Reggae artists such as Capleton, Gregory Isaacs, Ras Shiloh, Stanley "Barnabus" Bryan and the immortal Upsetters. His last full-length dub project with the Hi-Fi Killers, “Jamaica” (on Loosegroove Records), received International attention and still gets airplay. Aside from producing and performing, the journeyman DJ/guitarist manages to find time to host his own show (Preachin’ The Blues on 90.3 KEXP), guest host for the popular Positive Vibes (also on 90.3), and maintain rotation at the War Room's Wicked & Wild with DJ Soul One (the longest running reggae/dancehall club night in Seattle Horn has taken these experiences and influences to fine tune his approach to this and other projects: “Too many guys want to go in the studio and mix a dub, but they forgot to build a good rhythm track to mix...the baseline, the heavy drum beat, the details, the song and melody, they have to be in dub too...” - Johnny Horn (London ’05). Check for release dates and performance dates as spring approaches.