None of my ‘Track of the Week’ write-ups thus far have focused on a newer artist, so for this edition I thought I would switch up my approach and pick a more recent release with Naâman’s “Skanking Shoes” off the album Deep Rockers Back A Yard. This upbeat party anthem from France features some quality sample work from producer Fatbabs, with an appropriately energetic video as well.
Atop a rolling bassline – theoretically inna modern Rockers style as the lyrics check – Naâman calls out for a club, a vibe, a mic, a crazy selector and a dirty dancehall as the tune begins. A smelly spliff of ‘meditation time high grade’ and ‘rum in my bottle and me like it with nothing’ round out the requests before the skanking can begin. Telling his own reggae tale as a seduction by wax and mag, Naâman admits ‘with no doubt today it rules me destiny.’ Bouncing and infectious, these skanking shoes show just how far the theory of dub – as in remixed reggae – has come.
The infectious groove stems from the looped bassline and chorus vocal of Senya’s “Children Of The Ghetto.” That original track was a proper heavyweight roots cut, produced by Clive Chin and played by Aston “Family Man” Barrett with the rest of The Wailers Band. The ensuing dub is a devastating showpiece for the genre’s potency, and really ought to be enjoyed in higher-than-Youtube quality:
Now flipped – sped up and far less dread-inspiring – it’s an engaging twist on an under-used riddim. That said, this is not the first time the tune’s been updated. Ondubground rubbed up the right dub with their heavy remix back in 2010, putting the tune firmly into the late-night bass realm:
All are righteous tunes in their own style, showing a great riddim is a great riddim in the hands of a competent producer, regardless of era or style.
The Groove Thief
.the future of dub is the present.
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