Dot Allison follows the critically acclaimed Heart-Shaped Scars – her first solo album in a decade -with a remix of “Love Died In Your Arms” by the late Lee “Scratch” Perry, the final project of the legendary producer’s career.
Since her debut solo album Afterglow in 1999, Allison has strived to, keep the listener on a journey – and herself too. That journey has taken her from Afterglow’s broad church (trip-hop, Tim Buckley-esque ballads, dance tracks, chilled psychedelia) to the sultry synth-pop of We Are Science (2002), the lush, baroque Exaltation Of Larks (2007) and the eclectic, rootsy drama of Room 7½ (2009).
The range of guest stars on Allison’s records is equally broad: where else would you find a cast list that includes Kevin Shields, Hal David, Paul Weller, Pete Doherty and Darren Emerson. Likewise, Allison’s own guest roles with the likes of Massive Attack, Scott Walker, Slam, Philip Shepard, The Babyshambles & Pete Doherty, underlining the huge respect her peers hold her in.
Perry’s remix serves as the first single for the upcoming Entangled Remix EP, a collection of reworkings of favorite tracks from the critically acclaimed album.
I contacted Lee to ask if he’d consider doing a mix of ‘Love Died In Our Arms’ and got a lovely reply saying ‘yes’. He later confirmed the parts had arrived and the mix was going well. So I was deeply saddened to hear he’d passed soon after and so soon after we’d been in touch. Naturally I assumed the mix had not been completed and left it at that. So I was stunned two days later to hear, from Lee’s wife, that my song had been “the last thing in his life that Lee worked on.” As if that wasn’t enough, she responded to my email a day or so later expressing my gratitude and deepest sympathies by sending the finished mix. I genuinely cannot put into words what a profound moment and an honour and gift it felt under the circumstances – I was completely blown away. That my co-producer Fiona Cruickshank was there with me when I first heard it turned this into a really magical moment. I feel a duty to Lee’s own artistry and his fans to release his last remix and I do so with a deep gratitude to Lee, his wife and family for still forwarding me this mix under such sad circumstances, I remain deeply moved and grateful for my music to have been touched by Lee’s musical genius and spirit.
I couldn’t let a Lee Scratch Perry related post go by without sharing this video of him at work in his Black Ark Studios. A wonderful chance to see the master at work. RIP…
