Midnight World Pop Scout-5: G-Corp and Big Youth, Don Letts/Dan Donovan, Kid British, The Surf Coasters

Mergers and Acquisitions: Electro-Reggae Remixes

Traditionally, artists made music, and producers and engineers recorded it. Technology and tastes have stretched that dynamic. Now some artists create music with studio tools, or use studio tools to create music from other recordings. While this development has touched rock (for example, electro-rock, dub rock), nowhere is it more important that in dance music and reggae. In fact, the reggae producers have been doing it since the late '60s. Inevitably, they meet to joyous results.

This track takes "Waterhouse Rock" by great reggae DJ Big Youth, which is itself a version of the rocksteady "Rockfort Rock" with the tall guy toasting over the rhythm, and gives it the remix treatment via the UK's G-Corp (also known as "Groove Corporation" and "Groove Corp").



What's different than the original version as produced by King Tubby? Stripped and looped vocals, additional effects, and boosted bass and percussion.

G-Corp is an top notch remix outfit specializing in remixing and creating reggae and dub. I highly recommend that you check them out.

Website: G-Corp

Remember the guy with the long dreads from Big Audio Dynamite? He also was the reggae DJ at The Roxy -- the club frequented by The Clash when they were starting out -- and later was the video historian for The Clash. His name is Don Letts. Among his career producing videos and directing at least one movie, he founded the Dub Cartel. In this cut, he and his sidekick Dan Donovan create a great dance floor number by taking Prince Alla's King Tubby produced "Dub Stone", with some added vocals borrowed from Pablo Moses' "One People". Give it about 20 seconds to really start the groove.



Kid British

Kid British, a ska/indie pop band from Manchester. Their first album was titled It Was This Or Football. A single off of that LP was an update on "Our House" by Madness, titled "Our House is Dadless".





Websites: Kid British Myspace and Facebook

The Surf Coasters

I know that some of you were hoping that I'd bring some more stuff from Asia to follow up on last week's Moscow Olympics. Here are The Surf Coasters, a surf band from that well-known home of the laid back surf culture -- Japan.





Websites: Surf Coasters Official Website and Myspace