About

Musical spirits for your Sound System….

INSTAGRAM / SOUNDCLOUD / MIXCLOUD

“You have to think of dub beyond the music. Dub is also about something like walking through the forest and seeing a rabbit scurry across the leaves and jumping into a hutch to hide. That’s dub too, y’know?” That’s what Skiz Fernando told me many years ago. Skiz operated the groundbreaking dubwize and avant hip-hop label WordSound in the ’90s in Brooklyn, laying the foundation of so much interesting music today. Basically, it’s elemental, a practice… a praxis. The brother Jesse Munro Johnson a.k.a. Gulls here in Portland understands it well. He’s recently relaunched his Boomarm Nation label, on which he previously released a broad array of elemental and akin music from around the globe soaked in dub praxis throughout the ‘Teens. Previous editions of the label’s annual Family Album compilation series have been ace, but this one that he just released is truly exceptional and packed with material worth soaking in. We previously expressed our joy that this brother and his label are back, and we reiterate it now. If you have good taste, you jump into this and be proud that he’s working in your town.” – Shockman / Pull Up PDX 2024

 “Boomarm Nation started in 2010 and quickly expanded from being a vessel for Johnson’s productions to embracing a particularly adventurous global sound. From Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar (who was discovered via the Music From Saharan Cellphones compilation on Sahel Sounds) to El Mahdy Jr., an artist born in Algeria but with roots in Turkey and elsewhere, the cultural forces thrown into the Boomarm blender are diverse and plentiful.” – Fact Magazine 2018 – Oli Warwick

“Boomarm Nation has maintained sound system culture and extravagant bass music with limited edition vinyl releases and a penchant for poly-rhythmic sounds. The catalog covers African sounds, dubby, dirty textures and dark structures.” – ByteFM / Germany / 2014