Dubblestandart Meets David Lynch & Lee Scratch Perry on Chrome of Optimism

In 2008, NYC based Subatomic Sound teamed up with Vienna’s dub masters Dubblestandart to begin a series of limited edition 12” vinyl exclusives that brought together iconic originators in the history of dub reggae with the gritty underground vibes of the dubstep movement.The lead 12”, “Iron Devil”, included the first ever dubstep tracks from both Lee Scratch Perry and Prince Far-I, produced in collaboration with Dubblestandart and remixed by Subatomic Sound System and Paris’ Tom Watson.Released on hand stamped vinyl in vintage Jamaican jackets, “Iron Devil” disappeared from shelves worldwide in less than a week. In 2009, the follow up vinyl was dedicated to an explosive pairing of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry with rising Brooklyn dancehall reggae star Jahdan Blakkamoore that revisited Perry’s ‘70s classic “Blackboard Jungle” off the seminal album of the same name, a cornerstone of dub reggae that featured Scratch and King Tubby at the controls. These collaborations are very interesting for their ability to conjure new trends with older sounds, showcasing how far dance music has come in the last few years.

The third 12” in the series is entitled “Chrome Optimism” and on this release Dubblestandart brings together the most unbelievable combination yet, a world class summit of mad genius : Jamaican dub originator Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry together with American filmmaker David Lynch, plus as an added bonus, famed French avant garde composer Jean-Michel Jarre. On “Chrome Optimism”, Scratch exercises his inimitable gift to juxtapose spirituality with humor through wordplay that walks a line between nonsense and profundity: “Hello, Hell is very low and Heaven is very, very high!”David Lynch responds with equally mind twisting metaphors like “Euphoric, chrome optimism” and mantras like “The ideas tell you how they want to be”, describing his powerful experience and obsession with transcendental meditation.The otherworldy melody from Jean-Michel Jarre’s famous composition “Oxygen Part 4” floats over the top. Vienna’s Dubblestandart, NYC’s Subatomic Sound System, & Bristol’s RSD switch up the musical vibes beneath, moving from hard charging dubstep to Perry’s classic dub reggae to spacey soundscapes typical of Lynch & Jarre aesthetics. And surprinsingly enough, it works like a match made in heaven.

The “Chrome Optimism” vinyl EP features two remixes from Subatomic Sound System, as well kicking off the A side with the first, a bombastic distorted sub-bass heavy beast that threatens to define a new genre somewhere between dubstep, dub reggae, and the twisted ambience of David Lynch’s film scores. A very mesmerizing EP that’s gonna rock dubstep crowd as well as old school dub heads.

Dubblestandart, David Lynch & Lee Scratch Perry : Chrome optimism (Subatomic Sound US : 2010)