Lee Scratch Perry & Subatomic Sound System: Super Ape Returns to Conquer

At first I was skeptical, very skeptical. Why act out a masterpiece? What's the point of a remake when the original is so readily available? Lee Perry's "Super Ape" album, with which he launched the definitive manifesto of the world via Island Records in 1976 Dub revealed, was probably sold millions of times, is on the record shelf of every reggae fan and Spotify & Co. stream it daily out into the digital airwaves. So why now Lee Scratch Perry and Subatomic Sound System: "Super Ape Returns to Conquer" (Echo Beach)? A very theoretical question, as I had to admit when I first listened to the album. But before I answer them in detail, let's take a closer look at the project and its protagonists. At the center is supposedly a man: Lee Perry. But appearances are deceptive (even if the PR campaign, as is so often the case, focuses on Perry's sole genius). The man at the center of it all is actually John Emch, who is also behind New York's Subatomic Sound System, which has romped across a range of electronic music genres since it was founded in 1999. As early as 2001, the Sound System began touring the world with Perry, combining live instruments with electronic beats. Seven years later, John Emch merged classic Perry pieces with it Dubstep and in 2014 released a very successful song for Perry called “Black Ark Vampires”, which was characterized by heavy sub-bass and electronic drums - and yet somehow sounded like Black Ark. The concept was thus defined: We catapult Perry's Black Ark sound into the present by giving it a lot of oomph. Or - in John Emch's words: "It sounds like the classic Black Ark vibes in the high frequencies but in the low end, it has the weight and punch of electronic music, dubstep and hip hop, that gets people moving ”. No idea how Emch did it, whether he is a champion sound engineer, a gifted musician or simply a sample wizard: The Black Ark sound is one hundred percent right. If you hear the remake by the way, you might think the DJ is playing the original. But a direct comparison reveals the difference: The glorious original from 1976 sounds astonishingly weak. I had never noticed that before, but "Super Ape" is pretty weak on the chest. Especially on the ass, where the bass sits, the original lacks substance. And this is exactly where the remake hits heavy artillery - but without overdoing it. Actually, the "Return" sounds exactly as I had mentally saved the "Super Ape" - although the differences are glaring if you listen carefully. Which now raises a question of a philosophical dimension: Can a relatively uncreative remake be better than an ingeniously innovative original from 40 years ago? Anyone who has seen the remake of the film "Ghost in the Shell" knows what I'm talking about. Visually fantastic, it copies the original in almost every scene (and also simplifies the story). The critics agreed and punished the remake. Fans, however, were deeply impressed by the visual opulence. How can the dilemma be resolved? Not at all. A clear decision has to be made for one of the two sides. That's why I would now, quite self-denyingly, say: The aura of the original is inviolable. Who would come up with the idea of ​​replacing Rembrandt's “Night Watch” with a newly painted copy because the colors of the original no longer have their full luminosity? The original is a historical document of great cultural value - even if today we prefer to watch TV series in 4K HD instead of patina-darkened oil paintings in museums. So Perry's original “Super Ape” is inviolable and forever a masterpiece - even if we prefer today Dub listen with heavy sub-bass. From this follows: "Super Ape Returns to Conquer" is a sacrilege made by the devil. Keep your hands off it! Forego the sensual pleasure of Black Ark magic in Bass Wonderland! Lacks the lust for great mixes and crisp sounds. And above all: Don't you dare to hear it on a real sound system, wallow with relish in the bass waves and lasciviously get you to do it! Jah sees everything.