Brenda Ray – D'Ya Hear Me! : Naffi Years, 1979-83
Regular price
£22.00
Sale
Label: EM Records – EM1108LP Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Repress Country: Japan Released: 2013 Genre: Electronic, Reggae, Pop Style: Leftfield, New Wave, Dub
Back in stock! Stone classic comp of romantic experimental dub pop via Em Records
Active in various groups and across a bewildering network of pseudonyms since 1979 Brenda Ray is undoubtedly one the British underground’s greatest pop brains. Operating on the other side of the underneath to little fanfare for years, it took this comp, which originally came out in 2012, to bring her music out of the record-dealer twilight zone and into the watery sunlight. Concentrating on the early part of her career, these thirteen tracks, originally released in various formats as Brenda Ray, Brenda Kenny, Natalie Sand, Polly Rith'm and her musical friends and with Gerry Kenny, aka Sir Freddie Viadukt, as Naffi/Naffi Sandwich, were recorded in a simple home-made studio. Perhaps it’s this restricted set of tools that allowed such an explosion of creativity, inspiring a kind of inspired Heath-Robinson approach to music making. But it isn’t just the oddball production that appeals, her icing-sugar voice and post-punk-photo-story sense of outsider romance provide a strong through line. Whether in lilting lo-fi lovers-influenced ballads, or fizzing and spiralling dub experiments that owe as much to the residents as they do to King Tubby, her unique sensibility shines through. Weirdly, although she has operated over such a long period of time, her songs seem to operate as another set of restrictions designed to promote innovation. She has been constantly reworking the same melodies and lyrics, each time reframing with new sounds and new(ish) technology. Possibly she just doesn’t like songwriting. But, more interestingly, perhaps she is re-versioning her catalogue in the reggae tradition that she was increasingly steeped in. Cutting her cloth to fit the work at hand. ‘Moonbeams’ and the Young Marble Giants-esque ‘Everyday Just Another Dream’, both featured here, are early versions of "Starlight" and "Another Dream", the stand out cuts from her gorgeous Walatta album from 2006. This then is the perfect way into her sweet and winsome moonlit world. How Rough Trade missed signing her at the time is anybody’s guess... (Mint / New - with insert)
Tracklist A1 The Scream A2 D'Ya Hear Me! (Original Version) A3 Naffi Take Away A4 Krazee Music A5 Krazee Version A6 Take Me In Your Car (Original Full-Length Version) A7 Maybe It's Because I'm Not A Londoner (Longer Version) B1 Moon Beams B2 Rahmatullah B3 Everyday Just Another Dream (Longer Version) B4 Yummy Yummy Ya! B5 Spring Thing - Hippy Dread B6 D'Ya Hear Me (Demo)
