Lee "Scratch" Perry Is The Dub Organizer

Lee "Scratch" Perry Is The Dub Organizer (New Ark Mix)

My Sound Is Heavy

This is a special Bandcamp exclusive single features the unreleased dubstrumental riddim track -- out today to coincide with Bandcamp's LA Fire Relief effort, donating all proceeds on Feb 7 to MusicCares. The vocal version of this track is from the full length album "Rockin' Like A Champion" out now on both digital and limited edition colored vinyl with alternate mixes and a bonus dub track: dubshot.lnk.to/RockinLikeaChampion

Mykal Rose, the iconic original Grammy winning voice of Black Uhuru's classic tunes, singing here in combination with the dubwise vibes of NYC’s Subatomic Sound System and the ethereal harmonies of London’s Hollie Cook.

“With everything going on, people need to understand that they can come together. Forget the gun. We tell them to put it down, but they think they can’t live without the gun.” says Rose.

Addressing a topic on everyone’s mind right now, the real message of the song is about the joy we can share in the celebration of life when people put down the gun, told as a story that begins with a single gun shot:

In the beginning, it was the sound of a gun
One gun shot and people started to run!

Musically, “Put Down the Gun” has the reckless energy of a pressure valve blowing open -- a catharsis reminiscent of the intersection of reggae and punk that in the 1970s and 80s grew from a collective frustration with the state of the world. Mykal’s work with Black Uhuru always carried an element of social commentary over the hard charging steppers beats innovated by Sly & Robbie, and with Hollie’s past in The Slits, and Emch from Subatomic originally finding dub through the punk band Bad Brains, that energy makes itself known in this song, anchored by a driving kick drum and steady pulsing bass emphasized with blasts of horns and filtered guitar and keys swirling around in a Black Ark studio dub style, all subtly interwoven throughout with an orchestra of percussion.

Reflecting on the role music plays in shaping people’s mindsets, Emch says "As musicians, the concept of unity and bringing people together in peace are the seeds we sow. There are many times we have found ourselves performing for or with people who, in the past or even under different circumstances, could have been pointing guns at us or at each other, but instead, through the universal language of music, we found ourselves celebrating life together. It is partly the message in the lyrics and partly the vibration of the music. This song itself exists as a testament to unity, with the members of this collaboration crossing generations, cultures, nations, and different histories.” 
credits
released February 7, 2025

Performer Credits:
Mykal Rose - vocal
Hollie Cook - vocal backing
Emch - bass, guitar, melodica, drum programming, piano, sampler, electronics, synthesizer, siren
Troy Simms - saxophone
Lawrence McDonald - congas, triangle, percussion

Non-Performer Credits:
Michael Rose, John Emch, Troy Simms - Writers/Composers
Emch - Producer, Mastering, Mixing
Troy Simms - Assistant Producer

Emch, Troy Simms, Brett Tubin - Recording engineers
ellenanimates - Album art
Emch - Art direction

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