DJ Jim Q's Playlist: Dare

Just as I put the finishing touches on this month’s post, the news came through that reggae legend, artist, and dub visionary Lee Scratch Perry had died. Perry, a controversial and eccentric personality, was as prolific as he was pioneering. He showed producers the world over that rules are meant to be ignored. His experimental, sometimes extreme production methods generated some of the most innovative auditory excursions ever created. He played the studio like an instrument—often oversaturating drum tracks with otherworldly reverbs and self-oscillating delays that seem to echo off to infinity-ty-ty-ty-ty-ty-ty. Eschewing all limitations of established production dogma, Perry was a true sonic sculptor molding lead tracks from elements usually regarded as remnants or auditory artifacts. He was the original remixer, taking traditionally produced radio-ready songs and warping them into his world through his unnatural and mystical methods to produce something entirely different. To say Lee was daring is to minimize his unabashed pursuit of the unconventional. He was a shaman to many and seemed to tap into something beyond this realm. I hope he is there, towering over a mixing board with a spliff in one hand and a microphone in the other.

The theme this month is Dare. The theme was brought to us by our Brazilian friends in Porto Alegre. The city is the birthplace of Elis Regina, the legendary Brazilian vocalist, whose 1974 collaboration with Antônio Carlos Jobim is an undisputed masterpiece from start to finish. I included the opening track “Águas de Março” from the album. I interpret the song as a melancholic reminder of the inevitability of transition and change, yet there is a defiant resistance to disappear and it dares to be beautiful and sanguine. Now I should qualify my interpretation as it relies heavily on google translating the original Portuguese to English, so the song could simply be about a river. I include a few other songs from the port city, namely “Blood of Lions” from death metal heavy hitters Krisiun, and the smoothed-out funk-fused jazzified bossa nova track “Jungle Cat” by Manfredo Fest. And finally, the intensely intimate bedroom-produced song “Humiliation” by Yoñlu. Born Vinìcius Gageiro Marques, Yoñlu was a young talented multi-instrumentalist. He found community on internet forums and platforms like YouTube where he crafted a creative and expressive persona where he could share his art and engage with other artists. Tragically, just one month before his 17th birthday, he took his own life. The sad story is more thoroughly documented here. The album “A Society in Which No Tear is Shed is Inconceivably Mediocre” was release posthumously by his father in 2009.

What is a dare, but a challenge. Our music mythology is filled with daring stories of artists persevering against all odds to succeed and rise above challenging situations. From the origin stories of Jay-Z ascending from Marcy projects street hustler to record label CEO or Dolly Parton’s journey from a one-bedroom Appalachian cabin to the queen of country music, our music history is dotted with these underdog stories. These stories resonate so deeply, because often at the center of these parables is a person who dares to believe in themselves in spite of all external evidence and resistance. Clearly it takes more than perseverance, but talent and opportunity will only get you so far. As they say, Fortune favors the bold. Dare to believe.

Be bold, lay it on the line, risk it all, the theme this month is dare. The playlist is filled with narratives of courage, bravery, and defiance. Artists from all genres and eras accept the challenge, from Janelle Monae’s anthem of pressure and perseverance “Tightrope”, to Angel Olsen’s subdued reinterpretation of the 80’s synth-pop classic “Safety Dance”, to “Clay Pigeon” the lead single from Binki’s debut EP Motor Function. I triple dog dare you not to dance.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoy these playlists, follow me on Spotify and give me a shout on Twitter, I would love to hear from you. See you next month.