Hopeton "Overton" Brown (Scientist) (1960 - )
Biography
Scientist, born Overton Browne in Kingston, Jamaica, 1960 (and also known as Hopeton Browne), was a protégé of King Tubby, one of the originators of dub music. He came to prominence in the early 1980s and produced many albums during the first half of the decade.
Many newer fans discovered his music when his 1981 album Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires was used on the soundtrack for the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto III (2001). The tracks on the fictitious radio station K-Jah are composed entirely of songs from this album. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientist_(musician) [Sept 2005]
Second generation Jamaican dub mixer
Second generation Jamaican dub mixer and a rival to Prince Jammy. Notable for his theme albums (with lurid cover art) on which he would meet and vanquish protagonists from off-world regions: ie Scientist Meets The Space Invaders, Scientist Encounters Pac Man. Such meetings, derived from the rivalry of the sound clash, are central to the mythology of dub. For origins, seek out King Tubby Meets The Upsetter At The Grass Roots Of Dub --David Toop
The impact of reggae music on mainstream music
LS: What impact has reggae music had on mainstream music?Scientist: "Reggae is the only music that can successfully test any audio equipment. The way that they mix hip-hop and rock-n-roll . . . [it] doesn't have the type of frequency response to really adequately test audio systems. I've worked at some of the best recording studios here in the U.S., and they fail in comparison to the sound you get from studios in Jamaica—like Channel One. Most American studios just can't produce that sound—only the ones with the major European brands like Telefunkin and Tanoys. Only me, Tubby's, or Jammy's have the expertise to modify the existing equipment to reach that certain sound. The industry here in America learned from us big time; they don't want to admit it. I remember Tubby's and I would send records here to America to get mastered . . . and a lot of people didn't want to master it because it would make the cutting heads go crazy, the bass would make the transmitter over-modulate, speakers would start to flapping, especially when Santa Davis played the flying cymbal."
Profile
"Reggae is the mother of a whole lotta music. There is no other music in the world that has the versatility of dub. Dub is a masterpiece of engineering, with engineers using recording equipment to bring about musical changes... this music gave birth to the idea of the remix. "With reggae, when you make a mistake, it finds a place and fits in." So said Hopeton "Overton" Brown (Scientist) when asked to define dub, an art form he's helped shape for over 20 years, first as apprentice to King Tubby and later as resident engineer at Channel One. Dub in the Roots Tradition collects together 15 devilishly good tracks from early in his career when Tubby finally gave the gifted youth, who'd spent a couple of years repairing TVs and radios in Tubby's electrical shop, the freedom to experiment in the studio during downtime. Apparently Scientist would beaver away in the studio at all hours of the night then bring his dubs to the maestro the next day for comment and Tubby would generally reply that the work was weak, that his apprentice still had much to learn. Years later Tubby admitted he was merely pushing Scientist to stretch himself and try harder and that these early sides had been excellent. The proof is in the listening, with Scientist dubbing up a storm on these cuts laid down over 20 years ago by the Soul Syndicate and the Roots Radics on Don Mais' Roots Tradition imprint. His trademark use of controlled distortion, choppy guitar, flying hi-hats and warm, enveloping horns hits you where other dub just doesn't reach and when he works his mixalogical magic on a vocal track, as on Dub Livity, Babylon Fighter Dub or the stupefyingly splendid African Daughter Dub, you better believe respect is due. The three Burning Sounds sets are all culled from later sessions instigated by producer Nkumah "Jah" Thomas during the early eighties, and all have a cleaner, more clinical but nonetheless fresh and exciting sound. Of the three it's Scientist's solo dubs minus Tubby on Dubbing With Horns that impress most, showing that, of all Tubby's many challengers, Scientist was the real heir apparent to the crown.
Grant SmithiesScientist Rids The World Of The Curse Of The Evil Vampires (1981) - Scientist
Scientist Rids The World Of The Curse Of The Evil Vampires (1981) - Scientist [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Track listing
1. The Voodoo Curse
2. Dance Of The Vampires
3. Blood On His Lips
4. Cry Of The Werewolf
5. The Mummy's Shroud
6. The Corpse Rises
7. The Night Of The Living Dead
8. Your Teeth In My Neck
9. Plague Of Zombies
10. Ghost Of Frankenstein
See also: dub - reggae - music - 1981 - Scientist