To celebrate 100 years of the Theremin, super producer Gaudi and friends have created an album of Theremin infused dub.
Developed in 1920 by Russian physicist Léon Theremin, the Theremin is an electronic device which works with magnetic fields and consists of one metal antenna controlled without physical contact. Predominantly a fairly niche instrument, it has featured in several styles of music since its creation, from classical works to sci-fi movie soundtracks, pop and rock.
Gaudi was supported in this tribute by five of the world's top dub producers – Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, The Scientist, Dennis Bovell and Prince Fatty. All hugely respected individuals who have been representing the best of international dub production for the last 50 years, they have provided the riddims that underpin Gaudi's Theremin playing on this astonishing project.
As a solo artist, Gaudi has recorded over 20 albums, while as a producer he has hundreds of productions under his belt. In his 30 year career he has worked with legends of the reggae and electronic music worlds including Steel Pulse, Lee ""Scratch"" Perry, Horace Andy, Michael Franti, Deep Forest, Zion Train, Dub FX, Youth, The Orb, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Trentemøller.
As a Theremin player for over 25 years, Gaudi has often combined his passion for the instrument and for reggae music, playing it on several of his albums, but until now he has never dedicated an entire release to it. Known and lauded for putting his ""dub-take"" on many musical genres, ‘100 Years of Theremin (The Dub Chapter)’ is Gaudi's brainchild.
Listening to this blissful out-of-body-experience of an album, where roots reggae meets the enigmatic and ethereal sounds of sci-fi, is a deep and pensive experience. Haunting and mellifluous melodies meet earthy, bassy grooves in an unlikely yet undeniably successful union. Despite the individual styles of the producers involved, the album has a unified quality, the cinematic feel of a soundtrack with the narrative being the distinctive voice of the Theremin.