Rocksteady Remixed: Echo Slim x Bob Marley and The Wailers, “Bus Dem Shut”

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Complex Magazine just published a Top 10 countdown of the best Bob Marley remixes on their website the other day. The list was inspired, in part, by the recent release of Legend: Remixed, a new UME/Tuff Gong release featuring official reworks of Bob’s biggest classics from names like Z-Trip and Thievery Corporation, several tracks from which were featured in the article. Perhaps the compilation and the list should have waited, though, because we just heard what is easily one of the best Bob remixes we’ve ever encountered, blowing most of their inclusions out of the water.

Echo Slim‘s remix of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Bus Dem Shut” juxtaposes the rocksteady-era tune’s melodies with some heavy, distorted drums, turning the track into a raw hip-hop instrumental without losing the soulful feel of the original. It’s nothing too complex, just a seamless blend which makes great use of this often overlooked gem’s catchy piano melody and “Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba” refrain. Echo even put together a tight video for the track, using old footage in which the Wailers appear to be performing the song (though we can’t tell for sure).

Download the track here, and watch the video below: