In fact, Joyce was reported to have said: “When I die, Dublin will be in my heart” but, hey, let’s not let the facts get in the way of a pithy headline.
However, it’s likely something post-punk legend Jah Wobble may well believe, given his incredible bass work has underpinned the sound of many outstanding artists, from PiL to Primal Scream, from Sinéad O’Connor to Can, and countless more besides.
Now Mr John Joseph Wardle has transformed an already amazing song, ‘Falun Gong Dancer’, by Telefís, into a dub delight.
The original track by the Irish duo, comprising maverick frontman Cathal Coughlan and hot-shot producer/musician Garret “Jacknife” Lee, is disarmingly quiet, reflective, and ruminative. Gentle vocals and minimal piano chords are to the fore. It is stark yet entrancing. The subject matter is pitch dark. Sample lyric:
Beijing hired muscle Could not gas or taser You home
Coughlan gave his thoughts on Jah Wobble’s interpretation: “Even a relatively obscure musical life such as mine can fortunately bring pinch-yourself moments of proximity to greatness, and so it is with Jah Wobble’s transformative contribution to this version of ‘Falun Gong Dancer’. The song was already a high-point of the first Telefís album, but in this version it goes somewhere else entirely, thanks to JW’s signature contribution.”
It’s brilliant when a remix adds a whole new dimension to a song. Lucky for Jah Wobble that the original material was so so good.
Dub-ble good indeed.