Omar Perry drops ‘Be Cool’ (Tabou1)

Be Cool is the brand new album by the sensational Omar Perry! Seven scorchers produced by Sly & Robbie and mixed haaaaaard by Dub-Stuy crew in Brooklyn.

Over the last 15 years, OMAR PERRY has made a first name for himself, his last name having been in the pantheon of Jamaican music for more than a generation already. Living in Brussels since 2000, he is subjected to a wide range of musical sounds, which enables him to drop his lethal lyrics on Roots Reggae but also on sounds bordering on dubstep and hip hop.

Be Cool, his 4th album, reflects his versatility and fuses Jamaican and Western sounds.

Sly & Robbie and TABOU1 submitted OMAR 30-odd instrumentals. OMAR picked those that “spoke” to him and recorded 10-12 demos. Out of those, 7 were selected.

The strength and urgency of OMAR’s flows required contemporary sounds, heavy and tough, akin to what’s going on in Rap music, but with a “Reggae-Dancehall” attitude.

Jay “Double Tiger” Spaker was the immediate choice to carry out this mission. Jay is part of the Brooklyn-based Dub-Stuy crew that is at the vanguard of the new Dub scene that is emerging in the US. Dub-Stuy is far more melodic, yet as heavy and hypnotic, than other actors of today’s Dub scene. They recently killed it at the Paris Telerama Dub Festival.

Following Jay’s de/re-construction of Sly & Robbie’s riddims, Robbie Shakespeare laid brand new bass lines to add further heft and fit OMAR’s songs more closely as it is always better to produce unique instrumentals that fit and artist’s songs, where the riddim and the vocals are unified as one living organism.

Once the beats were finalized and tailored to OMAR’s songs, OMAR recorded his final vocals. The legendary Glen Ricks then added harmonies at Bravo’s SmallWorld studio in Kingston. Glen’s voice completes the picture with a touch of soul and provides warms and musical depth to Be Cool.

Finally, sound wiz Bruno Sourice at Directtone Studio mastered the record. Sly Dunbar has been so blown away by Bruno’s work that he now sends all his productions to him.

OMAR will tour with the Homegrown Band in the Spring of 2015 to defend Be Cool.