Bovell Out Of Control

Dennis Bovell's legendary work with The Slits, The Pop Group, and Linton Kwesi Johnson (as well as the dub LPs he recorded under the Blackbeard name) are probably what endeared him to younger generations of rock musicians. Bovell has been an unlikely collaborator for Arcade Fire, Joss Stone, Jarvis Cocker, Boy George, and The Beta Band's Steve Mason (the Mason/Bovell album Ghosts Outside is highly recommended, and Dennis recently said that he "loved making this album".)

He's worked with young punks like Argentina's Las Kellies, Sacramento band Drug Apartments. and British newcomer(s) Rat. For last year's Record Store Day, Bovell dubbed the b-side of a new Spoon single, "Wild". This year he remixed "The Smoke" for The Smile (Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner).

The Pop Group's second reunion record, Honeymoon On Mars (2018), was mostly produced by Bovell (three tracks were produced by Hank Shocklee of The Bomb Squad). For the 40th anniversary of The Pop Group's 1979 debut album, Bovell remixed Y (later released as Alien Blood), and last year we were treated to Y In Dub, a new deconstruction of the original tracks.

Bovell also worked with On-U Sound again on music featuring Lee Scratch Perry (2010) and Coldcut (2017). He and Adrian Sherwood each contributed dubs to the Gaudi album 100 Years Of Theremin. The On-U related label Pressure Sounds has released two collections of Bovell's dubs, Decibel and Mek It Run. A new 2LP compilation called Dennis Bovell: Dubmaster arrived last month from Trojan Records.

I compiled some of the Dubmaster's adventures in the 21st Century for today's set, Bovell Out Of Control. Don't miss Dennis' own Bandcamp page, which features a wealth of his music, both new and old.

Bovell At The Controls

The compilation Sherwood At The Controls inspired today's collections of Dennis Bovell's work from the same time period as a producer, remixer and musician. Bovell and Adrian Sherwood worked together on Creation Rebel's Dub From Creation (1978) and Starship Africa (1980), as well as War Of Words by Singers & Players (1981). 

Bovell began his musical career in the early 1970's as a member of Matumbi, one of the first British reggae bands. He was sentenced to three years under false charges, but got out in six months and resumed his music career in time for the "punky reggae party" and Rock Against Racism. 

(Tracklist for Vol. 1)

“I had so many different projects that I was involved with, to get them out there at the same time I couldn’t have put Dennis Bovell on all of them. So I made up several different stage names,” he explained in a recent Bandcamp interview. His aliases included Blackbeard, The Dub Band, African Stone, and The 4th Street Orchestra. Bovell's Dub Band backed Linton Kwesi Johnson in the studio and on stage throughout LKJ's recording career.

In 1979, Dennis Bovell produced the massively influential debut albums by The Slits and The Pop Group, and early 80's singles for Factory, Rough Trade, Y Records, and other indie labels. Major label work followed for Garland Jeffreys, Bananarama, Orange Juice and others. Bovell became known worldwide: during the 80's he produced the Swedish artists Perfekt Alibi and Giant Steppers, as well as Norway's Tredi Tilstand, Israel's Avi Matos, and Liberian singer Miatta Fahnbulleh.

(Vol. 2 tracklist)

In his Baker's Dozen feature for The Quietus, Bovell talks about his formative musical influences, as well as some of the significant records that he worked on and his sense of "kinship" with punks. "We were both facing the same pressures, the same attacks. We were socially in the same bag - at the bottom of the ladder."

Bovell At The Controls volume 1 features production and remixes from 1978-1982, and volume 2 covers the rest of the 80's (plus Vic Godard's 1993 single Won't Look Back). There's a bit of cod reggae as well as dub, post-punk and dance music. Speaking of the former, please also check out my cod reggae compilations DIY Dub (on Jonderblog) and Sleeping In Hammersmith Palais (courtesy of Nothin' Says Somethin').