Victor Rice

Victor Rice is a musician and producer from New York City. Raised in Huntington, New York, he attended Manhattan School of Music. He is most noted for his work within the third wave ska genre of the 1990s through the early 2000s, as both a bassist and as a producer.^[1]

He first played ska music in 1988 in The Scofflaws,^[2] a band that played ska in a more traditional 1960s style than other New York bands of that time. Rice produced recordings for many of the bands on the Moon Records label. As Moon Records fell on hard financial times, Rice began experimenting with dub music. In late 1996, Jeff "King Django" Baker founded Version City, a small studio on East Third Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Baker gave out two keys to the studio: one to "Agent" Jay Nugent, and one to Victor Rice. Version City and its record label Stubborn Records had a much different focus than that of Moon; one which allowed Rice to branch out and explore his dub techniques. Rice was allowed to come into the studio at all hours, and it was there that Rice compiled his first solo record. Rice has also played bass in the Stubborn All-Stars.^[3]

Victor Rice has a very distinct dub style from that of early dub pioneers such as King Tubby and Augustus Pablo. While he employs many of the standard delay, echo, and reverb effects, he works with much faster-paced rhythms, often recorded in a straight ska style, rather than the traditional roots reggae rhythms found in Jamaican dub. In 2002, Rice moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he has continued to produce recordings for various styles of musicians. In 2004, he released the album In America. The title comes from the fact that it was created in both North America and South America (recorded in New York, and finished in São Paulo).

In addition to playing his own compositions the Victor Rice Octet, he has also taken his dubbing skills to the stage, performing with an analog reel-to-reel tape machine and live effects, under the name Strikkly Vikkly Dubsystem.

Discography (as a producer)

• Scofflaws, The Scofflaws (1991)
• Ska In Hi-Fi, The Scofflaws (1995)
• Oolooloo, The Pietasters (1995)
• Better Late Than Never, The Slackers (1996)
• Dance With Me, The Bluebeats (1996)
• Flip F'Real, The Articles (1997)
• Ripe, Skavoovie and the Epitones (1997)
• Version City Dub Clash', 'Version City Rockers
• More Like This Than That, One Groovy Coconut (1998)
• Nicer by the Hour, Rocker-T (1998)
• Before The Revolution, The Adjusters (1998)
• Gangster Politics, Gangster Politics (1998)
• Age of Insects, Skandalous All-Stars (1998)
• Cure For What Ales You, Skoidats (1999)
• "(self-titled)", Firebug (2003)
• Victor Rice in America, Victor Rice (2003)
• Moon Invaders, The Moon Invaders (2003)
• Breakin' Free, The Moon Invaders (2005)
• Dubber Side of the Moon, Easy Star All-Star (2010)
• Blastoff, Danny Rebel & The KGB (2012)

Discography (as a musician)

• Scofflaws, The Scofflaws - Bass (1991)
• World Upside Down, Glenn Branca - Bass (1992)
• Ska in Hi-Fi, The Scofflaws - Bass (1995)
• New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble - Bass (1995)
• Open Season, Stubborn All-Stars - Bass, Bass (Electric), Vocals (bckgr), String Bass (1995)
• Sloan Wainwright, Sloan Wainwright - Bass, Bass (Electric) (1996)
• Back with a New Batch, Stubborn All-Stars - String Bass (1997)
• Low Blow, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble - Bass (1997)
• Give 'Em the Boot, Various Artists - Bass (1997)
• Flip F'real, The Articles - Bass (1997)
• Get This, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble - Bass (1998)
• Nicer By the Hour, Rocker-T & Version City... - Bass, Keyboards (1998)
• Nex Music, Stubborn All-Stars - Organ, Bass (Electric), String Bass (1999)
• At Version City, Victor Rice - Bass (1999)
• Anti-Racist Action Benefit, Various Artists - Bass (1999)
• Age of Insects, SKAndalous All-Stars - Bass, Percussion (1999)
• Before the Revolution, The Adjusters - Bass, Guitar, Piano (1998)
• Brendan& The Extenuating..., Brendan & The Extenuating... - Bass (1998)
• Eat at Whitey's, Everlast - Bass (2000)
• Brendan & The Extenuating..., Groovelily - Bass (2000)
• Mi Selecta, Various Artists - Bass (2000)
• Small Comfort, Cecilia Kirtland - Bass (2000)
• In America, Victor Rice - Bass
• Firebug, Firebug - Bass, Organ, Melodica (2004)
• On the Move, Firebug - Bass, Organ, Melodica (2006)
• Lover's Choice Babylove and the Van Dangoes - Bass (2008)

References