As a pioneering producer of dubstep, Kode9 (aka Steve Goodman) has intricately explored the effects of sonic frequencies on human beings — used for positive results, his groundbreaking sub-bass tracks laid the foundation for the flourishing dubstep genre. But the doctor in Goodman (he has a PhD. in Philosophy from from the University of Warwick, and is currently a Lecturer in Music Culture at the University of East London) has now taken a more methodical approach to exploring the full range of effects sound can have on humans in his book Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear from the prestigious MIT Press. Similar to DJ Spooky (aka Paul Miller), who’s also published books on philosophy, Goodman eschews speaking personally about his own music and instead concentrates on the historical usage of audio techniques, such as weaponized “sound bombs” and sonic rat repellent used on loitering teens at shopping malls. As MIT explains: “Sound can be deployed to produce discomfort, express a threat, or create an ambiance of fear or dread—to produce a bad vibe. Sonic weapons of this sort include the “psychoacoustic correction” aimed at Panama strongman Manuel Noriega by the U.S. Army and at the Branch Davidians in Waco by the FBI, or sonic booms (“sound bombs”) over the Gaza Strip… At the same time, artists and musicians generate intense frequencies in the search for new aesthetic experiences and new ways of mobilizing bodies in rhythm.” You can see such weapons at work during shows like Whale Wars, where whalers blast the anti-whaling boats with LRADs (Long Range Acoustic Device). XLR8r writes: “Goodman’s explorations zigzag across history and science fiction, leaving behind a dizzying, often labyrinthine path for the mind to follow. Rather than simply documenting uses of sonic weaponry, Goodman views the war through the lens of various philosophers and artists in an attempt to make sense of how vibrating sounds and their hidden messages affect the subconscious, whether it be the travels of loud dub reggae basslines from Jamaican sound systems or the “earworms” that Muzak uses to tempt listeners into consuming products.” Sounds rad. Nice one, Goodman.

Available directly from MIT for $35, or click HERE to download Kode9′s “Bubble & Squeek” XLR8R mix.

Hit the Jump for Kode9 & Spaceape’s “9 Samurai” video — altho 3 years old, still one of the best electronic music vids of all time…

via XLR8R

UPDATE: We’re reposting this up at the tippity to remind y’all where to head this Sunday Sunday SUNDAY!!!

Like a lot of people, I’ve had to cut back on non-essential shit as of late. So I eat out less, take a flask to the club, skip a few movies or something like that—it’s really not that big of a deal. The one thing that blows, though, having to cut back on record store visits. I’ve actually gone to Amoeba a few times just to flip through the vinyl. I didn’t even have plans to buy and it still way more fun than scrolling through my iPod. I’m definitely hitting the Grand Star Jazz Club next Sunday. Never been to a record swap meet, but it sounds dope as hell. It’s basically a bunch of collectors and vendors from the LA area coming together for one day. They made a little commercial for the event and it makes it seem a little hip-hop centric, but according to the flyer a wide selection of genres are up for grabs: disco, funk, jazz, punk, reggae, soul, blues, rock and world beats and. 12-inches and 45s. And if you bring some canned food they’ll let you in for free.

I’ve had some pretty amazing musical experiences in my life—Ibiza, many Moontribes in the So Cal desert, Zouk in Singapore, Winter Music Conference for over a decade, partying with X-Press 2 in Tokyo, but a night out in Cape Town, South Africa at this dub/dancehall club slays all other experiences. I was one of the only white guys in a room of 200 or so pogo dancing Africans. Everyone was going nuts non-stop. One person would take the mic, say a few words before someone else with something to say snatched it out of his hand. The process just kept repeating. The smell was so bad that the BO just lingered like a mist in the air. There was no need for a machine to make smoke—everyone in the club seemed to contribute to that cause. The beer was warm. And it was amazing.

If you appreciate the reggae sound and experience, tomorrow night’s Dub Club (Echoplex, 1154 Glendale in Echo Park) should be pretty amazing too. Tom Chasteen is bringing in Trinity, one of the top DJs from the ‘70s era of reggae, for a rare live performance. He can go from a Big Youth influenced testifying style of toasting to lyrics with a wicked sense of humor to singing a few bars. His tune “Three Piece Suit” was the basis for the huge hit “Uptown Top Ranking” by Althea and Donna. Truly a great live performer who hardly ever plays in the states, let alone LA. Maybe he will jump off the stage with the mic and start chatting in the middle of the crowd. Plus long time Dub Club favorite Tippa Lee backed by Echodelic  Sound. Tippa had several huge Jamaican hits in the ‘80s, including “No Trouble We”. If you’re not sold yet, there’s a screening of the new documentary film Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style. The film, directed by Steve Hanft and produced by Tom Chasteen, starts at 9pm and the admission is free before 9:30!

Return Of The Rub-A-Dub Style

Trinity “Three Piece Suit”

Nuh Trouble We – Rappa Robert & Tippa Lee

Hit the Jump if you want to read Leonard Smalls final encounter with Lee Perry. Hint: it includes a stripper pole, space make-up, some questionable towels, a BBQ and the Jamaican Souljah Boy. OH, and Lee “Fucking” Perry dancing in videos, smiling like a madman. What more in holy hell could you ask for…?

Final Dispatch:

It’s Sunday afternoon and myself, Lee’s publicist at Narnack Records and the video producer are rolling to the Platinum Elite, a Kingston strip club that today will double as a nightclub for the video. Upstairs are the requisite poles and velour couches you’d see at any strip club. Downstairs has been designated a staging area where Lee will get his make-up applied, shots will be worked out, etc. I walk upstairs. There are about 15 gorgeous Caribbean women wearing essentially handkerchiefs and dental floss writhing around the club.

Today will be fun.

Let me backtrack a bit. The video is for “Pum Pum,” a song off Lee’s album Repentance out this August on Narnack. “Pum Pum,” as I find out today, is Jamaican slang for, um, a part of the female body that also starts with “Pu…,” so the video director decided to set the scene in a nightclub with women dancing all around Lee. I do not disagree with this interpretation.

Lee arrives a bit later with a plastic bag of “special” towels that he insists be in the video. Expecting ornate, traditional Jamaican towels, I’m both amused and disappointed to see Lee pull out what may be the three most touristy towels on the planet. I’m not really sure what Harley Davidson has to do with Jamaica, but apparently their logo is represented here, at the very least, in towel form

So my day consists of shadowing Lee on set and trying not to be too obvious staring at the dancers. Today’s shoot goes seven hours and I can’t complain about a single minute of it. Lee looks like he’s having a blast (check the videos below) and the whole experience becomes this strange, surreal blur.

After talking about the kitty kat for the whole song, the track ends, “Pum pum comes/Pum pum goes/but Jesus Christ remains.” That’s Lee in a nutshell. Able to praise Jesus while dental floss and handkerchiefs dance in caramel chaos around him.

And it all makes sense.

Your Man In Jamaica,

Leonard Smalls

Sure, it’s a little (lot) blurry, but it’s Lee Perry clapping…with strippers!

His Greatness makes an appearance at the end…

Check out that smile…

Lee’s Magic Shoes…

…and Magic Hat…

Some of the entertainment…

Lee finding some magic of his own…

Jamaican Souljah Boy #1-3…

Jamaican Souljah Boy #4-7…

Applying his Space Make-Up…

…and finally, where Lee deserves to be: surrounded by beautiful women, donned in Magic Footwear and matching Hat…

Click HERE to read Dispatches From the Edge, vol I

Click HERE to read Dispatches From the Edge, vol II: Leonard Lands in Jamaica

Make the Jump if you’re interested in reading Leonard Smalls’ Continuing Adventures With Lee “Scratch” Perry…

Landing in Norman Manley Airport in Kingston yesterday, I go through the usual rigmarole at Customs.

How long are you staying?

3 days.

What are you doing here?

I’m a journalist.

Who are you here to see?

Uh, Lee Perry.

I might as well have said, “I’m here to see your king.” Guy is astonished. Ping pong eyes. I try to suppress the inner feeling of glee overflowing, of being able to meet and talk to one of my musical idols in his home country. Lee “Scratch” Perry. One of the most important figures in Jamaican music, world music, and just plain music. Revered by countless musicians. Et cetera. Et cetera. Lee’s been in Switzerland for years now, but is down in Jamaica to shoot his first-ever music video for his new album Repentance out in August. Our first meeting, the clothes fitting, is at 2 pm.

No Lee.

3:30 pm.

No Lee.

5:00 pm.

Lee finally arrives. The man has a glow. My palms are slick and I think its pretty obvious I have contracted some form of mild Lou Gehrig’s Disease. We gotta push the fitting back to the next day. Coincidentally, it’s Caribbean Fashion Week here so we all roll to the fashion exhibition. On the way, countless people approach Scratch for both blessings and money.

One guy gets on his knee and salutes him.

At the exhibit, a special announcement is made over the PA about his arrival and after the show, he is swamped by admirers looking for a handshake, a photo, a blessing. Whatever they can get. We all retreat to a couple of palm trees outside, where Lee expounds on everything from reggae to the Pope to Prince Charles. You don’t so much have a conversation with Lee as you try to keep up. A simple “How’s it goin?” may get a 10-minute response about whatever topic Scratch feels like discussing. (This is, after all, the man who scratched out every “E” written in his studio because he thought the letter was evil. And this was before he decided to burn the whole studio down cos it held “unclean souls”.)

Another journalist who has known Scratch for over 20 years says something about “No hard feelings.” Scratch replies, “I sometimes try to have it, but it’s too hard,” before talking about all the love he received from people earlier that night. Today is the video shoot so check back for more later.

One,

Leonard Smalls

Click HERE to read Dispatches From the Edge, vol I

Click HERE to read Dispatches From the Edge, vol III: “Scratch”, Caribbean Strippers, Souljah Boy and Magical Boots

It’s 4:27 a.m. on Monday morning.

Just a couple days ago, I was kicking back, mulling my options for a New York City weekend. Not looking too promising.

Now, in 30 minutes, I’m on my way to LaGuardia Airport for a flight to Miami and on to Kingston, Jamaica to interview, and get a guided tour with, Lee “Scratch” Perry. Holy Schnipees. How did this happen? Not only am I interviewing the inventor of dub, but we’re taking a tour of all his old stomping grounds — such as Black Ark studios. Someone please tell me this is all not but a dream…

Long story short, Perry is one of the most influential people in contemporary music and probably the single-most prolific artist in Jamaican music. At age 72, the man has worked with literally thousands of artists and is a bona fide living legend. If you don’t know who he is, I don’t know whether to pity you or have your passport to LIAS revoked.

Perry’s got a new album coming out this summer co-produced by Andrew W.K., which will at least guarantee some mainstream exposure. Its an interesting pairing — who knows what they’ll cook up with together (somehow I’m doubting “Party Til You Puke Vol II” will be debuted). He has decided to shoot his first-ever music video tomorrow and Yours Truly, Leonard Smalls, will be there checking it out, enjoying a Red Stripe and trying not to look like this might be the greatest gig I’ve ever had.

Check back for more stories from Jamaica and, if technology helps me out, some pictures and video.

From New York,

Leonard Smalls

Click HERE to read Dispatches From the Edge, vol II: Leonard Lands in Jamaica

Click HERE to read Dispatches From the Edge, vol III: “Scratch”, Caribbean Strippers, Souljah Boy and Magical Boots

This has been a bit of a nostalgic week for Madman Mundt. First there was Indiana Jones last week, which pretty much badly disappointed, and then last night…The Police at the Hollywood Bowl. And holy crap, was I blown away. I mean, blown the fuck away. I’d heard from some certain simpletons (who shall remain nameless) that they sucked when they played Dodger Stadium last summer (which I was out of town for), so I wasn’t expecting as much. Why I listen to fools like this is beyond me. But in hindsight it was probably better this way, as I’ve been dying to see the Police since grade school, and my anticipation was hovering just below that of meeting Boba Fett.

I grew up listening to my older brother play their catalogue on repeat, and they never ever got tiring. Sure I pretended to hate them, but when he went out I’d always sneak Outlandos D’Amour or Zenyatta Mondatta on the turntables and dance like a pre-teen hooligan to their madness. To this day, I would argue that the Police are one of my Top Ten bands of all time, which is saying a LOT. For 5 consecutive albums, The Police dropped classic after classic, with nary a single fodder track in sight, from 1978’s “Next To You” to their 1983 curtain closer, “Murder By Numbers”.

The Police seem to be a very polarizing band – you either love them or you hate them. Although raised in the punk era, they just were never hard enough to be punk – not to mention, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers (and even Sting) were far to virtuosic on their instruments to be embraced by the Damned/Pistols crowd. Although they could be called proto-post-punk (an oxymorom?), they were way too reggae influenced for that genre. New Wave? Maybe.

For me, they were studio gods. But as I was too young to catch them before breaking up (and before Sting’s sad decline into Valium-inspired Adult Contemporary dribble), I’d been waiting TWO DECADES to see them live, my heart skipping at any notice or rumor of an impending reunion. Then, last summer, it happened. And, it happened I was never in the same country as they were. I shook my fist at the fickle concert gods.

Then, these shows at the Bowl were announced. Victory was at hand. But as previously mentioned, I’d heard mixed reviews so my expectations had been reasonably managed. Mostly, I heard Sting couldn’t hit the high notes, and his voice wasn’t the same.

I’ll just assume that was a consequence of early shows, cos his voice was sublime. Note for note from the albums, and with the same strength and intensity and soul as ever. Even on the difficult high notes of say, “Roxanne”.

Above all, hearing 18,000 people chant “I send an SOS to the world” in unison sent tingles up my spine. Literally, chill inducing. So many of their song’s deal with issues of the human condition — loneliness, despair, heartbreak, isolation…loneliness — that to be in a giant bowl, with nearly 20K people singing lyrics that seemed so deeply personal to me in my shuttered bedroom, was a thing of transcendent joy.

Of course, a quick scan of the crowd left me wondering if indeed I wanted to be sharing emotions with such a humorous collective. Mostly a hilarious mix of Uber-MILFs, balding guys on dates, Super-Cougar Club Nights out, and the occasional stray hipster, the people watching alone was nearly worth the ticket price. The best was when my girl lit up a tiny jay next to me, and within 2 minutes the mid-40s woman next to us started waving her hand around like someone released mustard gas. Incidentally, this chick had her blond hair in a ponytail, and was wearing an all pink Juicy Couture sweatsuit in a laughable, and failing, attempt to emulate her daughter. Dude, if you’re gonna dress like a 20 year old, then act like one and shut the fuck up if someone’s smoking weed. Of course, within seconds we had the doofus next to her tapping us on the shoulder:

“You guys smoking dope? (yes, he used the term “dope”.) Can you take it up there with the rest of the people smoking dope?” the guy said to us, dripping with condescension. So we look up, and we’re exactly 3 rows from the absolute back, as if he’s in the quality seats and we belong in the back with all the dopehead riff raff. Ahhhh, yeah Daddy Warbucks, we’ll take it up to where all the social flotsam hang out…3 rows behind you. Sorry to invade your airspace, Mr. Trump.

Anyway, here’s the setlist. I may have missed one or two tracks, but this is basically it. And yes, it was that good:

Bring On the Night
Message In A Bottle
Walking On the Moon
Demolition Man
Voices Inside My Head
When the World Is Coming Down, You Make the Best Of What’s Still Around
Don’t Stand So Close To Me
Driven To Tears
There’s A Hole In My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun
I Can’t Stand Losing You
Roxanne

Then, the encore, which they slid into “King of Pain”. I turned to my girl and said, “God, I hope they play ‘So Lonely’,” which is pretty much my favorite track of all time. And guess what?

King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breathe You Take

The transition from “So Lonely” into “Every Breathe” was spiritual. Possibly the most sinister Number 1 hit ever, I was kind of overcome for a second. I don’t care if that makes me a pussy, that was a moment in my concert history I will never forget. Need proof? Check out the video below (yes, the entire sold out Bowl was singing in chorus).

Then they went off, and were greeted with such a wave of cheering that they returned, which I’m not entirely sure was planned. As thanks, they went through an uptempo rendition of “Next To You”, the track that started it all for them in 1977, over 30 years ago.

.

And off I went  into the night, as happy as that pre-teen hooligan in my brother’s bedroom…

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