Dave Barbarossa has launched his new project, Barbarossa’s Beat, with the single “Phattie’s Lunchbox Part Two,” featuring electronic musician Mekon. The longtime friends and colleagues decided to cut a new version of the song, which Mekon originally released in 1997. This current interpretation highlights the signature drumming style that influenced a slew of post-punk bands in the ’80s. Barbarossa initially established himself as the original drummer for Adam and the Ants, only to leave at the suggestion of Malcolm McLaren, who changed the drummer’s surname from Barbe to Barbarossa and placed him in Bow Wow Wow.
Driven by a sample of Run-D.M.C.’s “Run’s House,” a relentless rhythm, and a repetitive synthesizer, the mostly instrumental track serves as a sonic time capsule right back to Barbarossa’s key era. The Barbarossa’s Beat project will feature the drummer working with a different collaborator on new tracks scheduled for release every month until 2027.
The London native explained the scope of the project in a press release: “I’m proud of the work I’ve done through the years, but I never felt it expressed the diversity of my playing like it did in the early Ants and Bow Wow Wow. In these collaborations, there are some real surprises along the way, and I am excited for people to see how this develops.” Ultimately, “Phattie’s Lunchbox Part Two” marks a full-circle moment for Barbarossa and Mekon, delivering a single that still boasts a vibrant pulse nearly 30 years later.
