- The third of an increasingly essential series from California’s Ubiquity label, with a simple blueprint – to take an original track and present it via an alternative cover, remix or re-edit. The first two were good, but this one’s excellent.
When you consider the list of original artists includes AC/DC, Herbie Hancock and Johnny Cash you can tell there’s fun and games ahead. In fact the opening track is a sultry number, Louie Vega’s version of Chakacha’s ‘Jungle Fever’. Bass is the place for tracks from Greyboy and Antibalas, elements of dub and hip hop coming to the fore. Paolo Fedreghini takes us into deep house territory with ‘Please Don’t Leave’, a warm, heartfelt west coast number, and then it’s carnival time when This Kid Named Miles takes on Johnny Cash’s exuberant ‘Ring Of Fire’. Damon Aaron’s cover of Gil Scott Heron’s ‘Willing’ is the most poignant moment, some very pertinent lyrics from the wordsmith.
As you’d expect Ubiquity acts get a good deal here – Nobody’s excellent ‘Pacific Drift’ album is showcased via a weirdly psychedelic Monkees cover, while John Arnold and Ptaah also turn in quality material. Spaceboys fly the nu-jazz flag, covering Sun Ra’s ‘Space Is The Place’. And the AC/DC song? It’s ‘All Night Long’, closing the collection from Bing Ji Ling.
As you can see, Rewind’s garden is full of delights, and when you consider about half the disc is made up of exclusives, there’s really no alternative but to give it a go. Excellent, original stuff.