Dennis Bovell’s prolific and eclectic career encompasses a huge range of music: from dub poetry to lovers rock to post-punk to disco to pop and beyond. This new compilation focuses on the period during and immediately after Bovell’s involvement with the Jah Sufferer Sound System, digging deep to find deep cuts and lesser known versions, mainly from 1976 - 1980, plus a killer and lesser heard dub of the iconic “Silly Games”. Painstakingly restored and remastered at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin so that these decades old tracks sound pristine and dynamic, and sequenced to take the listener on a journey through Bovell’s production and arrangement genius.
The accompanying sleevenotes are a result of a long conversation with Dennis about this period of his life, with track-by-track recollections and fascinating biographical asides. The vinyl and CD versions feature variant artwork, each format utilising a unique photo by Syd Shelton.
The seeds of this album were sown when Dennis made an appearance in 2018 at the General Echo Reggae Disco in Walthamstow, north-east London. One half of the crew organizing the disco was in the process of starting a new label Disciples, and began quizzing Dennis about various tunes of his that he loved that were impossible to find. This started a dialogue that has lasted several years, a lot of crate digging to find useable versions, various tried and rejected track sequences, picture research, the world shutting down for COVID, a long interview with Dennis for the accompanying notes, and several design iterations later, we have Sufferer Sounds, a true labour of love. It formidably demonstrates Bovell’s wizadry at the mixing desk during this period, particularly when ‘versioning’ a track. Developing a style that was distinct from other dub producers of the period, his sense of harmony, melody and a killer hook always shine through, a deft and subtle style that sends soulful backing vocals floating over the deepest of basslines, irresistible rhythms underpinning a panoply of stereo tricks and inspired use of effects. A master of his craft, one of the greatest to ever do it, Dennis Bovell MBE we salute thee.
Dennis Bovell became a key figure of London's reggae scene in the late '70s and early '80s, working as both a solo artist, musician, and producer for a wide range of artists. Bovell's résumé is one of the most wide-ranging of his peers. As guitarist for the reggae band Matumbi he’s backed up some of the giants of Jamaican music on tour, as well as scoring their own UK chart hits (particularly with their classic re-work of Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me”). His solo dub excursions under pseudonyms like Blackbeard and The 4th Street Orchestra have resulted in some of the most crucial sides in the genre, such as I Wah Dub and Strictly Dub Wize. He is the long-running musical director and producer for dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, overseeing classic albums like Forces Of Victory and Bass Culture. His work has transferred across genres as well, notably in his producing the debut albums by both The Pop Group and The Slits. His composing and score work includes the soundtrack to the devastating 1980 polemical film Babylon, whilst his technical skills and embrace of new technology have been tapped by everyone form Lloyd Coxsone to Ryuichi Sakamoto. Bovell has continued putting out new material and producing records for others, working with everyone from underground Glaswegian dance collective Golden Teacher to huge pop stars such as Joss Stone and Rihanna. In 2020 he made a cameo appearance in the ‘Lovers Rock’ episode of Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed Small Axe TV series (in which the Dennis Bovell song “Silly Games” also featured prominently). In 2022 Trojan released the career-spanning DuBMASTER anthology of his work.
Bovell was born in Barbados in 1953, and moved to London in 1965. He immersed himself in the reggae scene there, helping to set up the Jah Sufferer sound system, and working as a recording engineer and producer. His production work help shaped the sound of lovers rock happening in London at the end of the '60s and into the '70s, and he produced and wrote songs for multiple artists. In 1971, Bovell co-founded Matumbi, a seven-piece reggae band that would play and record throughout the decade, backing up a number of prominent Jamaican reggae singers, and scoring their own chart hits, particularly their inspired version of Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me”. In 1980 he wrote the score for Babylon, a dramatic film about police corruption and racism in London, informed in part by Bovell's own experience being falsely imprisoned for running his sound system. During this time Bovell also began releasing solo work under the name Blackbeard, often collaborating with jazz-pop keyboardist Nick Straker and producer Tony Mansfield, both old school friends. Blackbeard records like 1978's Strictly Dub Wize and 1980's I Wah Dub intersected with production work Bovell was doing with dub-appreciative post punk acts like The Pop Group and The Slits. His production and writing work also included Janet Kay's 1979 single "Silly Games" (which hit number 2 in the UK charts) as well as work for Saada Bonaire, Bananarama, the Thompson Twins, Orange Juice, Fela Kuti, and others. He reverted to his real name for 1981 solo album Brain Damage. His longest-lasting collaboration has been as musical director for dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, the pair crafting a string of classic albums for the Island label. The pair still work together, with Dennis backing up LKJ with the long-runnng Dub Band.
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