Friday, October 27, 2006

Halloween Mix Part 21 - The Duppy Conqueror

The time of reckoning has come…don’t try to run, there is no escape! We have reached the end of the line my friends! Prepare to feast your ears on the final ghastly and grotesque chapter in this month long morbid spook show! A song that is so evil and macabre you’ll wonder how and if you’ll ever live to see the dawn! Yes, it’s been a gruesome month in the Crypt of Jamaican Sounds and it all ends right here on this spot… in bloodcurdling mindbending digital aural clarity!! The frantic screams you are about to hear will be your own!!!!

Okay… that’s enough – I had to get that Crypt Keeper spiel out of my system! I should have saved that huge introduction for after I announced the last track... hopefully no one will be disappointed. The final track is "Duppy Conqueror" by the Wailers, produced by "Scratch" Perry and released on his Upsetter label in 1970. Most people are probably familiar with this song so I won’t go into much detail but for those who are new to reggae or just stopping by to get a taste of Jamaica this Halloween, a duppy is a ghost. I happened across a great page on the The National Library of Jamaica's website that features nice little definitions/explanations of a few of the better-known supernatural Jamaican myths and folklore. That is where I borrowed the image of the duppy from. Originally it appeared in a book called "Jamaica Superstitions; or the Obeah Book" from 1894.

I'm quite happy with how the final track turned out... I added a snippet from Orson Welles, of all people, and his closing comments from his 1938 radio broadcast of War Of The Worlds. I've listened to that broadcast once every October for as long as I can remember and I'm a big fan so I figured I'd combine the two. Orson never sounded so tight on such a great riddim. Enjoy!

Comments on the complete mix are welcome and highly anticipated!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

thanks a lot for the all love ,effort and devotion,not to mention the fantastic artwork.It really is appreciated.