Producer Wrongtom teams up with Mark Professor on his new reggae/dancehall label Rongorock. Oyster Card may sound a bit odd to those who have not used London public transport in the past ten years, as the tune pays homage to the smart card to get you round on London’s tube’s, trains and buses.
Self confessed music lover Wrongtom has had a varied career in the music business, from his time with rock outfit Hard Fi, to the reggae dub crew Stoneleigh Mountain Rockers. His DJ sets can crossover reggae, dancehall, dub, rockabilly, indie pop, hip hop to jazz and funk.
Although he had already done a lot of remix work prior, the ‘Duppy Writer’ album which saw him collaborate with Roots Manuva, opened Wrongtom up to a lot of new audiences. Continuing on from this came the ‘Wrongtom meets Demas J in East London’ release. Both albums have an 80s dancehall and dub sound and feel, and also with both, Wrongtom’s production gives a fresh and contemporary feel to the riddims.
The vocals on the track are provided by Mark Professor. Prof Mark has been collecting tunes for over thirty years. He established the Nightlife Sound System, was also a member of Stereo City Sound, and the Soca Saga Boys, and more lately has been involved with the Wreck it Up Crew. There isn’t a lot the Prof can’t or hasn’t done in the reggae business, from selecting, mashing up the dance when he jumps on the mic, promoting, even writing for NiceUp, and he is a proper stand up fella to boot.
The tune was originally on Wrongtom’s Jump + Move + Rock riddim, but was specifically rewritten for the vocal, to my ears it has more then a hint of Stalag in there. It is a witty and catchy three minutes paying homage to the Oyster card and the many advantages of using public transport over congestion charges, getting clamped, or ‘mugged’ by parking wardens. It may not connect with anyone who hasn’t used an Oyster card before, but playing it in the office on a quiet Friday had everyone within earshot grinning from ear to ear and vibing up the place.
All in all, a great little 7″ for summer.
More info:
Wrongtom website
Rongorock Facebook
Conviction Roots
