Text by: Carlos Albuquerque
Echo is one of the best known dub reggae effects. It alters the perception of the music, giving the listener the sensation that it is floating freely in space. Marcelinho Da Lua’s new album has this characteristic as well. “Tranquilo dubs – The alternate takes” promotes a journey through time, in all senses, with trippy remixes by Mad Professor to the grooves created by the DJ, producer and BossaCucanova original member
Mad Professor’s first landing in the world of Da Lua was in 2004, with the album “Mad Professsor meets Marcelinho Da Lua in a dubwise style ”. Released by Deckdisc, the album had Mad Professor – know for his collaborations with Lee Perry, Sly & Robbie, Massive Attack and Sade, among others – remixing Da Lua’s debut album,“Tranquilo”.Then, sixteen years later, in the middle of a pandemic, with the notion of time suspended in the air, that high hit again.
– Rafael Ramos, Deckdisc director, called me one night, to remind me that Mad Professor had made several dub versions for those songs and that they were archived in the studio – says Da Lua. – He then asked me if I was interested in releasing an album with these alternative takes. Of course, I loved the idea and gave a green light to the project.
With 13 tracks, the album wraps with Jamaican psychedelia songs with guests like Seu Jorge, BNegão, Mart’nália, Black Alien and João Donato. The album comes with “Dub u crazy in Rio”, a behind-the-scenes video of the recordings by director Jodele Larcher.
– Mad Professor’s work has a jam session atmosphere. He sets up the effects and plays them on the mixing desk. So each take is completely different from the other one. It’s magical – explains Da Lua. – And time ended up doing these versions very well because many of them sound much more interesting today than those that were included on the first album. It is a brand new trip.