Now being as old as rock nвЂ™ roll (born in вЂ56) and having nearly 20 years of Culture Clash Radio under my belt I figured I was tooled up to musically juggle with the best of вЂem. WeвЂ™re talking nearly two decades such was the allure of their musical aesthetic typified by curators like Nightmares on Wax, The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Trentemoller, Khruangbin and countless others. вЂњTruth be told IвЂ™ve wanted to work with the Late Night Tales crew from the get go. Being a Rebel Dread compilation, thereвЂ™s a cover (by Wrongtom Meets The Rockers) of The ClashвЂ™s вЂLost In The SupermarketвЂ™ while DonвЂ™s exclusive, naturally, is a rendition of Big Audio DynamiteвЂ™s debut hit, вЂE = MC2вЂ™. The song choices are diverse, from French dubstersвЂ™ OBFвЂ™s renditions of вЂSixteen TonsвЂ™, the minersвЂ™ paean popularised by Tennessee Ernie Ford in the 1950s, to Ash WalkerвЂ™s refix of OmarвЂ™s вЂThereвЂ™s Nothing Like ThisвЂ™ and вЂAll I Do Is Think About YouвЂ™, immortalised by the ill-fated Tammi Terrell and preserved here by Quantic (the latter two both exclusives). ThereвЂ™s a diverse mix of classic and new, with legendary figures like John Holt, The Tamlins and Cornell Campbell, mixed in with British veterans Mad Professor and the irrepressible Dennis Bovell, while (relatively) young striplings Kiko Bun, Emily Capell and Prince Fatty deliver the goods, with laidback Texan groovers Khruangbin also offering an exclusive bass heavy-delight.

Fortunately, the вЂcover versionвЂ™ has played an integral part in the evolution of Jamaican music and dub covers were just a natural extension.вЂќ YouвЂ™d think it impossible to draw a line between вЂem but not in my world. ThatвЂ™s why this version excursion crosses time space and genre, from The Beach Boys to The Beatles, Nina Simone to Marvin Gaye, The Bee Gees to Kool & The Gang, The Clash to Joy Division and beyond. But thatвЂ™s only half the story as the duality of my existence meant I was also checking what the Caucasian crew were up to not to mention the explosion of black music coming in from the States. Besides being spacious and sonically adventurous at the same time, its most appealing aspect was the space it left to put yourself вЂin the mixвЂ™ underpinned by JamaicaвЂ™s gift to the world - bass. вЂњA disciple of sound system, raised on reggae nвЂ™ bass culture my go to sound was dub. Cover versions became quite a thing in Jamaica and Don, following in that tradition, has dug deep with a selection of interesting dubbed out covers including thirteen exclusives. SkaвЂ™s breakthrough commercially, Millie SmallвЂ™s вЂMy Boy LollipopвЂ™, was originally recorded by Barbie Gaye in вЂ™50s New York. The history of Caribbean music owes a debt to R&B as many of the early island releases were cover versions of US 45s. So this latest bulletin from Letts HQ is merely one angle of a multifaceted personality, his take on the JA tradition of the cover version. ItвЂ™s not called Culture Clash Radio for nothing. Listeners of his weekly 6 Music radio show are taken on a musical safari that moves seamlessly between time, space and genre. In the вЂ™80s, he was part of Mick JonesвЂ™ new venture, Big Audio Dynamite and his innovative use of samples were a core part of their sound.

This led to a shed-load of music videos (Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Clash, Bob Marley) not to mention documentaries on the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, George Clinton and Sun Ra. They in turn hipped him to their DIY ethos resulting in his reinvention as a filmmaker. His first gig as a DJ at the short-lived Roxy in Neal Street, became mythical for turning a generation of punks on to reggae. He began his working life managing the dauntingly hip Acme Attractions on ChelseaвЂ™s Kings Road, where he made a mark with his attitude, dress and, especially, the pounding dub reggae that vibrated the shopвЂ™s walls. Take your pick from the many coats worn by our selector, Don Letts aka The Rebel Dread.Д«orn in Brixton, a child of the Windrush Generation, LettsвЂ™ slippery and unorthodox career is somewhat hard to define, without taking a few detours around London, New York and Jamaica. Cultural polymath - pop star, filmmaker, radio broadcaster, commentator, Grammy winner.

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