Album: Dub Colossus, A Town Called Addis, (Real World)

Ex-Transglobal Underground geezer Nick Page combines his love of dub reggae and Seventies Ethiopian funk on this ambitious record.

The swirl of sensuous vocals, cinematic horns and grounding bass lines have been brought together to majestic effect. Just one gripe: reverb comes with the dub territory, but it's a shame that definition is sometimes sacrificed to woozy discombobulation here, especially when the material is so strong. Still one of the albums of the year though.

Pick of the album: The Ethiopian blues of 'Shegye Shegitu (Blue Nile mix)'