Victor Rice creates a sound that feels like a bridge between 1960s Kingston and a rain-slicked Brooklyn alleyway. It is fundamentally dub music, but it lacks the sluggish, heavy-lidded weight of traditional roots reggae. Instead, it carries the nimble, caffeinated energy of traditional ska and rocksteady, anchored by Rice's own masterful, classically-trained upright bass playing. The music is spacious and airy, defined by the hiss of analog tape and the precise placement of brass stabs that dissolve into cavernous reverb.
What truly distinguishes Rice is his 'Strikkly Vikkly' approach to the mixing desk. He treats the studio as a live instrument, using real-time analog manipulation to create textures that feel organic and breathing rather than programmed. Since his move to Brazil, his work has absorbed a subtle, sophisticated rhythmic complexity that blends the swing of samba with the discipline of jazz, resulting in instrumental tracks that are as intellectually engaging as they are physically infectious.
Start with 'At Version City' to hear the definitive sound of the New York ska-dub underground, or dive into 'Drink' for his more recent, polished explorations of 'Samba-Rocksteady.' It is the perfect soundtrack for moments that require both focus and a steady, unshakeable groove.
Victor Rice (born April 17, 1967) is an American bassist, composer and producer from Long Island, NY. Rice moved to New York City in 1985 to attend Manhattan School of Music, where he received his BM and MM degrees in orchestral performance under Homer Mensch and Linda McKnight, respectively. Rice started his career producing records for the record label Moon Ska Records the following year. In 1996, he moved to Stubborn Records and began engineering his own productions. He moved to São Paulo, Brazil in 2002 and built his own studio, Studio Copan where he is the sole engineer. Rice has won two Latin Grammys, one in 2015 for his work as mix engineer on Tulipa Ruiz's “Dancê” and one in 2016 for his work as mix engineer on Elza Soares's “A Mulher do Fim do Mundo.” He has released four solo albums of instrumental, retro-reggae and dub music as well as one album under the pseudonym Strikkly Vikkly. He continues to perform with a live band, the Victor Rice Septet, and also as a solo artist under the Strikkly Vikkly pseudonym, using an analog mixing desk and tape machine.
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