Jack Johnson's New Dub Album Cements Him as the Most Chill Man Alive

Legends like Lee "Scratch" Perry, Mad Professor, Scientist and more contribute remixes to 'In Between Dub'

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Feb 22, 2023

Unless you'd like to alert this author to another pro-surfer-turned-indie folk powerhouse, you'd be hard-pressed to find a singer-songwriter as laid-back as Jack Johnson, whose wavy reputation of sempiternal chill becomes all the more undeniable upon the release of his new dub reggae remix album. 

Johnson — who hung ten on the crest of commercial success with songs about "Banana Pancakes" and "Good People," selling over 20 million albums worldwide in the process — will share In Between Dub on June 2 via Brushfire / Republic.

Playing on the title of Johnson's best-selling 2005 LP In Between Dreams, and now surfacing after three years of creation, In Between Dub's genesis begins in early 2020 when Johnson reached out to late reggae luminary Lee "Scratch" Perry to helm a collection of remixes.

After a year-long pandemic pause, Perry began work on original music and mixes in his Jamaica studio, sending song sketches back to Johnson in Hawaii. Working between islands, the pair determined a direction for the album — a collaboration that was cut short upon Perry's August 2021 passing.

Last year, Johnson and Perry's Subatomic Sound System band connected to find "they had all the pieces to bring Lee 'Scratch' Perry's creation to completion." In Between Dub boasts a pair of new dubs from Perry, along with a Subatomic Sound System dub featuring the late artist's vocals.

You can hear Perry's dub rework of "Traffic in the Sky" below. The original song appeared on Johnson's 2003 album On and On.

The album's complete tracklisting also reveals the involvement of dub titans Mad Professor and Scientist, with more remix work coming courtesy of Nightmares on Wax, Dennis Bovell (Matumbi, Blackbeard), Yaadcore and Monk.

"Growing up in Hawai'i with reggae music always on the radio, Lee 'Scratch' Perry was a living legend. When I found out he was up for remixing a few of my songs I was blown away. The remixes evolved and he ended up adding his voice to my songs. It was like he had done a magic trick to the music. I will be forever grateful for the time, love, and energy that Lee 'Scratch' Perry put into this project."


In Between Dub:

1. Traffic in the Sky (Lee "Scratch" Perry)
2. Wasting Time (Subatomic Sound System)
3. No Other Way (Dennis Bovell)
4. Times Like These (Lee "Scratch" Perry)
5. Calm Down (Dennis Bovell)
6. Better Together (Nightmares On Wax)
7. One Step Ahead (Scientist)
8. Breakdown (Nightmares On Wax)
9. Turn Your Love (Mad Professor)
10. You Can't Control It (Yaadcore)
11. It's All Underground (Monk)

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