One of the best songs on last year's great JARV IS... album Beyond the Pale is "Swanky Modes," which recounts a dalliance Jarvis had with a fading star actress in "the days of VHS and casual sex." That song has now been handed over the dub and reggae icon Dennis Bovell -- who's worked with everyone from Linton Kwesi Johnson and I-Roy to The Slits and Bananarama -- who sprinkles his magic on three terrific mixes that are out now as a new single.
The original had a big of a John Barry James Bond theme vibe to it which goes well with Bovell's particular skill set. For the Dennis Bovell Mix, he drops everything out except the bass (now deep sea sonar level), skittering, echoing drums, strings and the vocals. The DubMix takes Jarvis out of the picture but leaves Serafina Steer and Emma Smith's backing vocals, while the Dub Instrumental chops things up further.