Outta Sync [CD]

Don Letts - Outta Sync [CD]

Don Letts will release his debut album ‘Outta Sync’ on September 29th. Produced and co-written by his regular collaborator Gaudi, the album is a heady cocktail of dubbed out bass heavy rhythms, island vibes and spoken word juxtaposed with melodic hooks and harmonies. When lockdown hit and his old friend, producer extraordinaire and Killing Joke bassist Youth encouraged him to give it a go, even sending him some bass lines to work with, Don wasn’t entirely convinced to make music of his own. That changed when he worked in the studio with dub producer Gaudi, another long-time friend of Don known for his work with Steel Pulse, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Horace Andy to name but a few. Don and Gaudi sonically clicked and ended up working together in Gaudi’s studio for nine months, three days a week, navigating both lockdown and Don’s arkestral vision. Featuring eleven mostly self-written tracks, ‘Outta Sync’ reflects his myriad tastes and interests, as well as his unique worldview. It also highlights an intriguing array of guests: ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘Love & Mercy’ actor John Cusack takes another rare step into the music world on ‘The Universe Knows What You’ve Done’, The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne makes an appearance, as does lovers rock queen Hollie Cook with a second feature on ‘Something Coming Off’, , while Don co-wrote the song ‘Situationist’ with Zoe Devlin Love, previously of Alabama 3. Keeping it in the family is Don’s daughter Honor, who sings on the sitar-studded electronic groove ‘Civilization’. Collectively it’s a snapshot of who Don Letts really is in the here and now. As he says, “ultimately the album’s a soundtrack to my mind with some cool bass lines, mirroring the sum total of my cultural journey and reflecting the duality of my existence, which is Black and British.”