Scientist, Jonny Greenwood, The Wailers, Steel Pulse
To switch things up completely today, and to give a case to support my love and interest in all types of music, not just the stuff I spend most of my time listening to, here are some of my favorite reggae tunes. As with every genre I explore, I’m generally very picky…however, I find that since most reggae sounds so similar, and so laid-back and pleasing, I haven’t found much not to like. At the same time though, I’m not all that motivated to seek out the real choice cuts…except for these. This awesome photo is from Lomostream on Flickr.
Scientist – Dance of the Vampires
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Those of you who have played Grand Theft Auto 3 back in the day might recognize this track, it’s by the , and it was one of the tracks of K-JAH FM in the game. I was always really intrigued by the macabre tone, with the DJ in the radio show (in this game, mind you) talking about vampires and the living dead. Well, it turns out that the entire show is based on a compilation of dub edits by the Scientist, called “Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires,” and each track has a wierd title, like this one. There is an interesting backstory regarding the mix, GTA3’s soundtrack, royalties, and the definition of dub as a music form, worth checking out.
Derrick Harriott – Let Me Down Easy
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A while back I tried to find out more about Trojan, a famous UK reggae imprint from the age of vinyl, as a lover of their record sleeve designs. It turns out that of mixed up a bunch of his favorite Trojan tunes, the result is Jonny Greenwood is the Controller. This mix is numbing and murky, with a vintage sheen that plays excellently in the background. I really like the classic reggae feel of this track, by .
Bob Marley and the Wailers – Rebel’s Hop
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It’s almost impossible to think reggae without thinking of , but it was a while before I had heard this awesome track with his band the Wailers. I remember the experience perfectly, it was spring of 2005, I was with a bunch of friends longboarding in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh down a fairly steep paved hill. My friend “Tubes” went first, getting himself a nice bit of road rash, and then myself, pretty much repeating when I hit about 35 and got crazy board wobble, approaching a gang of motorcycles, I tried to jump off the board and run, but it was entirely too fast, and I wiped out big time. When I got up, I asked what was that reggae song we were just listening to.
Steel Pulse – Reggae Fever
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is a group my friend Ari got me into back in 2003, this tune is still one of my favorite reggae tunes of all time. I absolutely love the bass line and the organ, and how the song hops along merrily. There is a sense of optimism I get from this track, even though the lyrics don’t really hint at any such thing. Even still, hopefully these picks got you groovin’ and bein’ easy.
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