DJ Don Letts chooses tracks on new Late Night Tales compilation
The latest instalment of the Late Night Tales compilation series is set to be released on September 24 –with tracks chosen by Brixton-born musician, broadcaster and DJ Don Letts.
The album, called Version Excursion, features 21 tracks, including a mix of classic and new music.
Legendary figures like John Holt, The Tamlins and Cornell Campbell are mixed in with British veterans Mad Professor and the irrepressible Dennis Bovell.
The song choices are diverse, from French dubsters’ OBF’s renditions of Sixteen Tons, the miners’ paean popularised by Tennessee Ernie Ford in the 1950s, to Ash Walker’s refix of Omar’s There’s Nothing Like This and All I Do Is Think About You by Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno.
There’s also a cover by Wrongtom Meets The Rockers of The Clash’s Lost In The Supermarket.
Mr Letts, also known as The Rebel Dread, said: “Truth be told I’ve wanted to work with the Late Night Tales crew from the get go.
“We’re talking nearly two decades – such was the allure of their musical aesthetic typified by curators like Nightmares on Wax, The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Trentemoller, Khruangbin and countless others.
“Now being as old as rock’n’roll (born in 1956) and having nearly 20 years of Culture Clash Radio under my belt, I figured I was tooled up to musically juggle with the best of them.
“But I wanted to carve out a space that was distinctly my own – something that reflected my musical journey and the culture clash that’s made me the man I am today.”
One track is E = MC2 by Gaudi Meets The Rebel Dread and featuring Emily Capell.
Mr Letts said: “The original of this was Big Audio Dynamite’s biggest chart hit back in 1986.
“Formed out of the Clash, I’d joined B.A.D but famously couldn’t play anything. Because of that, I threw myself into the whole dialogue and sample thing although I realised you don’t get paid for stealing other people’s shit.
“So I threw myself into lyric writing and E=MC2 was one of the first songs Mick and I wrote together.
“It was actually DJ/musician/producer Gaudi that thought of dubbing it up. To complete the cast I called up new girl on the block Emily Capell, a young singer songwriter from north-west London and boom.”
Born in Brixton, a child of the Windrush Generation, Mr Letts’ career has been wide and diverse.
He began his working life managing Acme Attractions in the Kings Road, Chelsea where he made a mark with his attitude, dress and the pounding dub reggae he played in the shop.
His first gig as a DJ at the short-lived Roxy in Neal Street, became mythical for turning a generation of punks onto reggae.
Mr Letts then reinvented himself as a film-maker, inspired by the punk’s DIY attitude.
He made music videos for Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Clash, Bob Marley and documentaries on the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, George Clinton and Sun Ra.
In the 1980s, he was part of Mick Jones’ venture, Big Audio Dynamite and his innovative use of samples were a core part of their sound.
He now hosts a weekly show on BBC 6 Music radio called Culture Clash Radio which moves around through time and genre.