“At the same time that Hendrix was making “Electric Ladyland” and the Rolling Stones were making “Their Satanic Majesties Request” the Jamaican scene of artists and producers being led by Trojan Records was making material that was just as complex, and even more advanced. For me, early dub and instrumental music out of Jamaica showed how non European, and non-industrialized countries could use technology in completely unexpected ways. For the 40th Anniversary of Trojan Records, I went through their archives and looked for songs that I thought reflected the diverse styles of Trojan, and its long relationship to underground culture worldwide. One could argue that dub is the most influential style of music in the world, and Trojan’s archives have some of the best material around. Period. It was hard to get everything – there was so much in their archive, that the only way I could bring myself to face the overload was to work with bits and pieces, and that’s what “Creation Rebel” is about – taking hold of music history to show how creativity made Jamaica the loudest island in the world.†–/Paul Miller a/k/a DJ Spooky
What better way to honor the 40th Anniversary of the seminal Trojan Label than with a groundbreaking new release from DJ Spooky? Last year brought forth In Fine Style: DJ Spooky Presents, which quickly became the Must Have reggae collection for fans and critics alike. A pioneer whose style and substance is like no other, DJ Spooky returns with a new and equally revolutionary release.
The follow up to 2006’s highly acclaimed In Fine Style: DJ Spooky Presents 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records, the Creation Rebel: Trojan Remixed project is a mash-up of various sounds and styles from the rich and deep Trojan Records archives. On this collection, DJ Spooky links current music production with older techniques pioneered by Trojan catalog artists such as King Tubby and U-Roy. By exploring the art of remixing, sampling, turntablism – all of the elements that can be traced back to dub – Spooky has created a mini history of electronic music. Everybody says techno started in Detroit , and hip-hop came out of NY. Creation Rebel shows that maybe Jamaica got there first!
DJ Spooky’s reputation has been firmly established as a leading international DJ, writer, musician, multi-media artist and critical figure in mainstreaming the DJ-as-artist concept. He spent last year touring the world presenting D.W. Griffith’s 1915 controversial film The Birth of a Nation as an interactive video remix experience called “Rebirth of a Nation,†which has been hailed as “a new experience in the evolution of art cinema and activism.†Internationally known for over the past 10 years, his resume includes numerous albums, books, film scores and lectures as well as collaborations with countless artists including Yoko Ono, Slayer, Thurston Moore, Public Enemy, Lee Perry and more.
Press Quotes:
“DJ Spooky has been producing beat-heavy electronic music for more than a decade. From his early solo trip-hop efforts to his more recent collaborations with jazz giants, Spooky has always approached music from multiple angles at once. He has the chops of a musician, the genre-blending ear of a disc jockey and the conceptual vision of a performance artist. It was therefore no surprise when Trojan Records, a reggae label entering its 40th year, asked DJ Spooky to put together a mix showcasing tracks from its massive archives. When assembling In Fine Style, one of several mixes commissioned to mark the Trojan birthday, Miller found countless parallels between the Jamaican reggae scene of the 1960s and ’70s and the digital mashup ecosystem of today.†-Wired June 2007
“From the label’s archives, DJ Spooky selected mostly lesser-known tracks with rhythms so staticky and murky they’re almost vicious. He also likes wacky lyrics and the free-associating disc-jockey voice-overs that led to hip-hop. In Fine Style goes bouncing and squelching along, not as a reggae history but as a swaying, sustained daze.†-New York Times July 2006
“DJ Spooky has an intimate knowledge of how Jamaican music developed—the covers, the dubs, the versions—and he lays it all down for you to hear, with 36 tracks of the world’s greatest music for the mind and body. It is most excellent and most enlightening and roots, natty roots.†-GQ Magazine July 2006
Creation Rebel: Trojan Re-Mixed, Re-Visioned, Re-versioned Track Listing
1. Creation Rebel – DJ Spooky meets Mad Professor & Rob Swift
2. Mr. Brown Remix – Bob Marley
3. Revolution Disco Dub – DJ Spooky meets Tapper Zukie
4. No No No Mix – Dawn Penn
5. Dis Poem Burns Bablyon – The Observers meets Mutabaruka
6. Under Mi Sensi Remix – Barrington Levy
7. East of the River Nile Remix – Augustus Pablo
8. Dis Poem Burns Babylon v2 – The Upsetters meets Mutabaruka
9. Freedom Reign – DJ Spooky presents Michael Rose
10. Soul Rebel Remix – Bob Marley
11. Under Mi Sleng Teng Remix – Wayne Smith
12. Mr. Brown (A Cappella) – Bob Marley
13. Babylon Burning Dub – DJ Spooky vs The Observers
14. Dub of the Traveler (Bonus Beats) – Scientist
