fun to funky

June 18, 2019 12:56 PM

Want some classic Bowie recordings remixed into a reggae structure? Well, here's David Bowie - The Next Dub, one of over a dozen dub remix projects by musical entity Black Market.

See also in particular:
- The Beach Boys - Summer Dub, mashing up Wilson vox and Wailers-ish arrangements
- the earlier Bowie In Dub, including an expansive 10 minute take on Let's Dance
- The United Federation of Dub, a collection of remixed Star Trek TOS theme music and audio collages
- the thematically similar The Twilight Zone II (perfect if you needed some more William Shatner classic TV samples)

There's more at their site as well, including some collabs and non-dub remixes.

posted by cortex (13 comments total)

I got detoured by his Clash dubs - which are actually a lot better than the band's own efforts to dub up some of their Sandinista tracks. Black Market's Train in Vain is particularly good, I think.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:02 PM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

My initial answer to that first question was "absolutely not, no." But I listened out of morbid curiosity and was pleasantly surprised! These tracks don't sound like remixes; they sound like re-recordings. Starman is a stand-out track, but they're all good except Life on Mars. That one just sounds like two tracks doing battle with each other.
posted by skullhead at 2:05 PM on June 18, 2019

Want some classic Bowie recordings remixed into a reggae structure?

I do, actually, especially since I have a bunch of work to get through this afternoon. Much obliged, cortex.
posted by vverse23 at 2:06 PM on June 18, 2019

I don't know how I feel about this.
posted by Chuffy at 3:08 PM on June 18, 2019

The tracks have a kind of hollowed-out EQ that doesn't sit well with me. I love the arrangements, though, and the way the vocals were manipulated to fit the beats.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:10 PM on June 18, 2019

The Michael Jackson Thriller cuts are quite good as well...
posted by jim in austin at 6:08 PM on June 18, 2019

Easy Star All-Stars also do Thriller, for comparison.
posted by ovvl at 6:28 PM on June 18, 2019

Ah man, I have been listening to the Easy Star All-Star's Radiodread so much since last Thanksgiving. If anyone enjoys these re-workings, and likes OK Computer, this is the very precise album for you!
posted by lizjohn at 6:56 PM on June 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

Dancing around my kitchen, baking cookies. Into The Clash now, it's pretty much perfect.
posted by rodlymight at 7:04 PM on June 18, 2019

"Absolutely not, no."

Right, this is not an offer you can make to anyone who has heard the album Tonight. But the remixer has exceeded expectations, this was worth a try.
posted by blnkfrnk at 7:15 PM on June 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

As someone who has listened to and enjoyed Bowie's own Turkish-reggae original mash-up "Yassassin" from Lodger (Dennis Davis' drums and and George Murray's bassline are the heroes of that song), I like "Starman" best of all so far of the Bowie stuff.

Ah man, I have been listening to the Easy Star All-Star's Radiodread so much since last Thanksgiving. If anyone enjoys these re-workings, and likes OK Computer, this is the very precise album for you!

Co-sign, oh my god. Easy Star All-Stars' reworkings work for me because they go in reggae first, you know? Now, those guys would totally break down a song like "Golden Years" and rebuild it.
posted by droplet at 7:46 PM on June 18, 2019

What's the John Lennon track doing there? Is there a connection to Bowie?
posted by acb at 2:32 AM on June 19, 2019

There actually was a 'Black Market Clash' 10" e.p. released by The Clash themselves, way back when, with some bits and pieces in the A side, and some nice dub stuff on the B side (including Bankrobber, produced by Mikey Dread).
posted by carter at 4:47 AM on June 19, 2019