Chapter 9: Resonance

Beirut — An airstrike — We’ll get back to you — Permission — Chet Baker — Jazz quartets and slowed-down hip-hop — Studio trends — Beach guitar — Advertisements and imitators — Swinging London — Cover versions — Noise — Punk — Two mics and a drum kit — A bush radio — An amazing sucking sound — “Pedestal” —EQ and compression — Snares — A refusal to submit to exile 

In this chapter:

  • Hearing Dummy in Beirut and Sweden
  • Dummy's influence on production
  • Dummy's imitators and how it resists imitation
  • Nostalgia for '60s London
  • Dummy's drum sounds
  • Compression, pumping, and EQ: Dub's studio aesthetic
  • "Pedestal"

SoapKills, "Habibi" from Live at Circus, 1999

SoapKills, "Lé Zalalen" (iTunes) from Bater, 2001

SoapKills, "Coit Me" from Bater, 2001

SoapKills:

Jay-Jay Johanson – "Poison", 2000 from Poison

Jay-Jay Johanson – "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (iTunes), 2006, from The Long Term Physical Effects Are Not Yet Known

 

Natalie Imbruglia – "Leave Me Alone" (iTunes), 1997

Mono – "Life in Mono" (iTunes), 1997

John Barry – The Persuaders Theme (iTunes), 1971

Propellerheads feat. Shirley Bassey – "History Repeating" (iTunes), 1997

 

Goldfrapp – "Lovely Head" (iTunes), 2000

Goldfrapp – "Pilots", 2000


My Dying Bride – "Roads" (iTunes), 2001

John Martyn – "Glory Box" (iTunes), 1998

Kid Beyond – "Wandering Star" (iTunes, 2006)

Kid Beyond – "Wandering Star" (iTunes, 2006)


Songs that have sampled Dummy:


Portishead – "Pedestal", live at The Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, May 1995. The full bootleg can be found with some cursory Googling.