Uprooted: Serial Killaz - Mash You Down

 

09 Feb 2010

 

 

Serial Killaz


The link between reggae and drum & bass is so strong that producers can sometimes simply reinvent classic reggae songs as drum & bass tracks. This is what Serial Killaz did with their recent tune Mash You Down – a faithful reworking of Cornell Campbell's song of the same name. You can find Campbell's track on the compilation Silver Jubilee, released in 1993.

Reggae tends to have quite a slow tempo. According to reggae historian Steve Barrow, the music developed in response to the preferences of dancehall rude boys, who used to dance at half-speed to ska because it better suited their badboy image. This encouraged musicians to play slower tracks. Serial Killaz needed to speed up Cornell Campbell's track slightly to bring it to around 88bpm – half the speed of the average drum & bass tune. Luckily the sound and quality of the vocal survive almost completely intact and the tune avoids the blips and errors sometimes associated with time-stretching.

Serial Killaz have made the track their own by cleverly looping certain elements, for instance those superb horns. They've also added a few stock samples – note the classic 'hey hey hey!' that signals the first verse. But the tune is still Cornell Campbell's, albeit translated to drum & bass tempo and given an extra kick from Serial Killaz's punchy drums. It's a great example of drum & bass celebrating and reinventing its roots.

 

 


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