Don't Create

The Slits - Typical Girls (Brink Style) (from Cut 2009 Delux Edition)

The double CD edition of this classic Punk record came out about a week ago, and it's full of alternative takes and even a cover of I Heard it Through the Grapevine. I don't generally buy these kind of reissues but Dennis Bovell was at the controls, which means the studio was kinda cloudy. This version of my favorite Slits track is not far off from sounding like a track on Tago Mago. The magnetic tape was eaten by a Duppy and the holes it left behind created a beautiful piece of feminist Music Concret Dub. A really bent attempt at making an instrumental track.

Somebody should remix the video to this version. Some killer dance moves on that joint.

Skanking All the Way to the Bank

Lamin pointed out the Lee Perry’s ‘Blackboard Jungle: From Dub to Dubstep video the other day, a cool mini documentary on one of the most important records ever. Also the 2nd best Dub album ever after Heart of the Congos which is pretty much #1 in every category for me. I was reminded of a great tale of Perry hustle that I thought I'd share. I couldn't find anything to really back this up online, this is from the back of my copy which is one of those Earmark fancy vinyl versions.

"There were only 200 copies pressed up of which Scratch brought 100 to the UK and these were sold only to those 'in the know' for £20 each [over £200 in today's money] and reflected the cult of exclusivity that Sound Men who ran 'Sounds' were creating."

So this is where it all started really.

You Know How I Feel About Uncleanly Reels

Yabby U - Peace (from Beware 1978)

While my favorite Vivian Jackson track is probably Run Come Rally (from the great Jesus Dread collection), this is more summer friendly, less Sodom and Gomorrah talk. It's good for walking around the yard and pulling weeds while your broke ass is trying to earn some money because you can't find a real job. I speak from experience, I played this album non-stop when I used to do yard work for neighbors. While the echo on the sax makes me pretty happy, nearly all Yabby tracks I've heard (and I've got a sizable amount) have a stoned by a lake of fire vibe. Meaning your eyes are heavy, and Duppies appear even more terrifying and evil. The smoke never fully erased the demons in the magnetic tape while this man was in the studio. Make note he often had some of the sickest muddy low ends this side of Zion/The Heart of the Congos.

Duppies 101

So I think it's about time for me to elaborate on the mysterious Duppy, something I've been rambling about on this here blog. This is only the start of your education, a continuing guide to Duppy awareness so you too can warn off the restless spirits, or if needed hone them to do your own evil bidding.

Dennis Alcapone - Duppy Serenade 1971

"According to Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bob Marley wrote the song "My Cup," Marley was complaining to Lee that he was too "successful" and was being plagued by hangers-on and leeches, referring to them as duppies in the context of 'human vampires' (as in scroungers). Lee apparently consoled him by saying, "Look, we'll sort this out- we are duppy conquerors."
-from the Wikipedia entry for Duppy

From drinking the alcohol used to clean the tape machines, to both burning down and flooding the remains of the studio, tales of a young Lee Perry at the Black Art are always full of strange bouts of eclecticism. Not so out of the ordinary were the times when Perry would blow weed smoke on the reels to expel the demons from the recordings. Duppies are of great importance to Jamaican folklore, the original source steaming from the West African Bantu language. Duppies are thought to the the restless spirits of the dead, who remain unhappy and unnamed in the afterlife. These aren't the ghosts of relatives coming back to visit their living loved ones, just restless spirits capable of doing harm. An Obeah man or woman may summon a Duppy with bribes of food or drink, specifically rum, and some claim methods of expelling these spirits from peoples lives.



Ernie Smith - Duppy or Gunman 1974

Joseph (pictured above), an Obeah man of Manchester is one of those that claim to possess powers strong enough to expel a Duppy. "Well you know I will take out duppy and demon out anybody because I am also an exorcist. Well, one day dem tell me that a duppy was in a young boy up the road so I take up my crystal ball and go up there. Well, when I reach I see about 70 people gather around and tell them to move. I look at the boy with the demon and realise that is the duppy of a Indian stillborn baby was in him. Anyway, I chant it out of him and when the people who gather around see what I do dem nearly faint! Dem know dat anybody who conquer a coolie duppy must powerful!"



Yellowman - Duppy or a Gunman 1982

There are several kinds of Duppies, including the Ol' Higue (a witch of sorts) and the Rollin Calf, a demon in animal form...


Me deh pon has’e me kean tap now,

For Tahta John a-dead,

De oda nite one rolllin’-calf

Lick him eena him head.


It is a long story me chile,

Me really kean tap now.

Yuh musa hear sey Tahta los’

Him black an wite bull cow?


T’ree nite an day him sarch fe it,

Couldn’ fine it noan tall,

Soh tell nite-afore-las’ him sey

Him hear one cow a-bawl.


Him meck fe Figgins’ open-lan;

Doah him an dem noh gree,

An see de bull dah-lie dung under-

Neat’ one gwangu tree.


Him teck a rope an tie de bull,

An dem him bruck a stick

An him layba de po’ cow back, me


Tan a-yard an hear de lick.

Him start fe lead i home, but wen

Him tun roun fe goh call,

Him see de sinting two y’eye dem

A roll like tunda-ball


Him goh fe halla, but same time

Him feel a funny pain,

An wen him look eena him han,

De rope tun eena chain


Massa, him fling i wey an run,

Him hear de sinting laugh,

It wasn’ fe him cow at all,

It was a rollin’ calf!

Him jump Bra Caleb wire fence,

Him faint as him ketch home,

An since him come back to himself

Him dis a-twis an foam.


Mek kean tap, is a obeah man

Dem sen’ me fe goh ketch,

Me feel me y’eye a-jump him mighta

Dead long before me ketch.

-Louise Bennett "Rollin Calf"



Demarco - Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten 2008

There are warning signs to be aware of the presence of a Duppy. If your dog howls at night for no apparent reason, a spirit could be lurking. Getting a spiderweb across the face while walking though a forest is a general sign of Duppies, so be careful wandering around at night. Nailing a horseshoe to ones house is one way to warn them off, as is cursing "Jesus Christ!" when these signs occur.

Do not go wandering around the graveyard with a bottle of Captain Morgans looking for Duppies, leave that up to the professionals. It is very easy to be injured by a Duppy.


Go here for more info on Duppies and Jamaican folklore

Mouth Noises and Aqua Duppies

The Ring Craft Posse - Waterford (from St Catherine in Dub 1972-1984 released 2004)

Felt the need to throw up the strangest track from Sly and Robby's great underwater Dub group. You know how Timbaland does that beat boxing thing to find a rhythm, and leaves it in the track? That stuff happens here too, with plenty of tape delay. The weed smoke wasn't able to reach these duppies crawling through the Caribbean Sea.