On the urgent new single, “No Bloodshed,” Jamaican singjay Don Husky juxtaposes sweet melodies and rugged chatting over a heavy roots dancehall riddim produced by the late great Lee “Scratch” Perry’s NYC band Subatomic Sound System in the future dubwise style of their acclaimed Super Ape Returns to Conquer album and their recent hit “Police in Helicopter” featuring Jah9 & Yaadcore. “No Bloodshed” is out now on all via Yard Birdz Records on Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, Audiomack, Bandcamp and all digital platforms, along with an official video that recently premiered on leading international reggae hub Reggaeville.
The new visuals, shot in Don Husky’s rough and tumble neighborhood of Tivoli Gardens in Kingston, were directed by Tizzy Tokyo and feature a special cameo by legendary sound system builder Uncle Ronnie, builder of the system in the video as well as Kingston Dub Club and many others.
“The inspiration behind ‘No Bloodshed’ was in observing the severity of violence and murders not just in my homeland, but around the world in general,” said Don Husky. He continued, “when I received the original vintage riddim created by Subatomic Sound System, it immediately brought me to the space of old school roots reggae, performed by genre veterans.”
Husky, who was hailed by BBC 1xtra’s Toddla T as one of the “sickest brand new artists” on the dancehall reggae scene, has indeed shared the microphone with some aforementioned genre veterans like Ninjaman and Bounty Killer, who have given the young artist the spotlight on big Jamaican stage shows like Portland Splash.
Supported by Subatomic’s 21st century sub bass and drums, and plenty of dubwise smoke and fire, Don Husky’s baritone rides the riddim on “No Bloodshed” with lyrics about Kingston street life and his dream to make his “mama live how the queen lives.” Subatomic’s producer Emch chops and mixes the music under Husky’s verses in a lively fashion typical of a sound system dance rather than a studio session. While Don Husky’s vocals evoke early deejay stars like Yellowman and Tiger, his tone and delivery is a clear descendent of the modern sound of Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel. The result is a forward leaning boomshot that harkens back to classic moments for a cross generational flex.
The Dubstrumental mix highlights Subatomic’s Troy Shaka Simms whose horn arrangements evoke Jamaica’s golden age of 1980s Channel One roots dancehall recordings as well as peppering it with African melodies inspired by the timeless Ethiopian jazz of Mulatu Astatke. Emch adds heavily effected melodica blasts in the style of Augustus Pablo’s experiments with Lee Perry at the Black Ark studio and goes wild on the knobs and faders, soloing instruments and splashing in spring reverb, Mu-Tron phasors, and Space Echo trails that float up and away like clouds of ganja smoke dissipating in the night sky above Kingston.
“As a selecta as well as a producer, I’ve noticed this track lifts people in the dance, right from the drums and horns at the top, followed by the rich tone of his voice and bass line locking in,” offered Emch. He added, “while the title addresses a serious topic, the energy of both the vocal and the beat carry an optimism that the world really needs right now.”
No stranger to the road, Subatomic Sound System hits the west coast of the U.S. next week for a string of dates in celebration of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s March 20th birthday.
SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM TOUR DATES:
March 26 San Fran, CA @ Great American Music Hall
March 27 Seattle, WA @ Nectar
March 29 Ellensburg, WA @ The Ridge
March 30 Portland, OR @ Jack London Revue
ABOUT DON HUSKY:
Born Rashane Brown, Don Husky took his first steps in music at school, clashing with other DJs at parties and festivities and thus honing his skills of riding riddims and weaving direct, precise lyrics. By 2012, Husky had reached a level that attracted the attention of the music industry, with his first official single “Wah My Own” on the Church Money riddim produced by F.H.M., who also introduced Husky to Josef Bogdanovich at Downsound Records, who, at the time, was looking for a new artist. Shortly after, in 2013, he went on to prove that he has no problems with hitting softer notes as well with the song “Meditation”, granting a glimpse of the consciousness he developed as a keen observer of the realities surrounding him.
One year later, Don Husky created a nationwide buzz with “On And On,” a track every ghetto youth can relate to. More exciting productions for Downsound followed (e.g. “More Gal” and “High Grade Me Smoke”, the herbalist’s answer to Passenger’s “Let Her Go”), but it was “Be Grateful,” Husky’s take on the Faithful riddim, and “Love To Remember” on the Champagne Bubble riddim (both by TJ Records) that convinced the industry of his enormous talent and potential.
Also, his recent single “Work Til Something Work” by Konsequence Muzik has been getting a warm reception, encouraging people from all walks of life to keep going. Currently, Husky is also recording with Jah Ova Evil Records from Kingston and Mashup International from Sweden (“Dime A Dozen”). Don Husky emerges as one of the most authentic and promising artists of his time and is working to establish himself as a serious force in today’s musical landscape, bridging the gap between Dancehall and Roots Reggae.
ABOUT SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM:
In 2023, Black Uhuru’s Grammy winning singer Mykal Rose enlisted Subatomic for a new album coming Spring 2024 & live tours including sets at Cali Vibes Fest, Cali Roots, and 4/20 at Red Rocks with The Marley Brothers & Steel Pulse. Beyond the Jamaican reggae scene, Subatomic produced upcoming collaborations for both Jack Johnson and Sublime. The Subatomic band also includes Jamaican percussion legend Larry McDonald, 86 years young, who brings a lifetime of heritage as a reggae originator having worked with everyone from The Skatalites, Count Ossie, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, & Lee Perry in Jamaica to Gil Scot Heron, Taj Mahal, and even Bad Brains in the USA.
