LargeUp Premiere: Wildlife! x Ward 21, “No Future”

Words by Jesse Serwer—

It was definitely a great moment when the burgeoning punk rock scene met up with its Jamaican cousin—reggae—in mid ’70s London. The union added musical depth to punk, and its influence was felt in Jamaica, too, leaving us with awesome stuff like “Punky Reggae Party” and The Clash. And it still resonates today, as seen by the latest project from Swiss producer Wildlife! (a/k/a Samuel Riot).

Wildlife!’s Roxy Reboot—the title is a reference to the London club that was ground zero of the punk/reggae exchange—is a full-length LP with new versions of reggae classics featuring veterans of the late ’70s London scene, and punk covers by current dancehall acts. Definitely our kind of thing.

Our own Natalie Storm puts her electrofied garrison dancehall spin on The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go”; members of The Boys (these Boys, not these Boys) cover Gregory Isaacs’ “Night Nurse.” For “No Future,” Wildlife! got one of our favorite dancehall groups Ward 21 to put their spin on the quintessential punk anthem “God Save the Queen.” The Sex Pistols-inspired tune has Ward deejay Kunley McCarthy sneering like a garrison Johnny Rotten.

Stream below, and check out a full album sampler here. Roxy Reboot drops March 4…