Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » DJ Spooky with Mad Professor: Dubtometry

147

DJ Spooky with Mad Professor: Dubtometry

By

Sign in to view read count
DJ Spooky with Mad Professor: Dubtometry
Did you catch that sample of Chef from Apocalypse Now in the remix of DJ Spooky’s Optometry ? Not Dennis Hopper or Marlon Brando, but the crazed boatmen who transport Martin Sheen up the river and into the heart of darkness are sampled here.

There have to be cosmic implications for quoting Apocalypse Now, or perhaps Apocalypse Now Redux.

Since Peter Gordon’s Thirsty Ear label and its producer Matthew Shipp are melding hip hop culture and jazz, a remix project such as Dubtometry makes a natural next step.

But let’s back up. Shipp invited DJ Spooky to produce Optometry, an album of scratches and samples together with a cast of stellar jazz musicians. To many listeners, it was both one of the best recordings of 2002 and closest jazz has ever integrated with hip-hop.

Where in 1963 a great concept would have musicians playing covers of favorite tracks, 2003 finds DJs and sound artists remixing tracks, changing beats, adding samples, and scratching over favorite breaks.

Dubtometry spins many different forms and messages, all seemingly revolving around the recognizable voice of Lee “Scratch” Perry. There is the sleepy echoed dub of Twilight Circus, chillin’ flute and hand drumming echoes from Blend, and Colorform’s dancehouse beats. Negativland curbs Snuggles and U2 for cut-up spoken words. The different approaches maintain pieces and parts of the original music, Joe McPhee’s trumpet and Carl Hancock Rux’s violin can be found.

Fans of the amazing Optometry will catch the original recipe that is morphed into these treats. Is this as good as the original? No, because DJ Spooky’s whole concept is divided into multiple approaches and ideas. Perhaps there should have been a dozen remix projects for a dozen whole concepts.

Track Listing

Dub Remix; Ibid vs. The Mohican; Optometry Remix; Jungle Soldier; Variation Cybernetique Remix; Parachutes Instrumental; Absentia Absentia intro.; Variation Cybernetique Remix; Interlude; Sequentia Absentia Remix; Rosemary intro.; Optometry Remix; Interlude; Dementia Absentia Remix; Remix; Asphalt Remix; Optometry Remix.

Personnel

DJ Spooky
turntable

DJ Spooky

Album information

Title: Dubtometry | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Thirsty Ear Recordings

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.