Don Letts

Born in London as a first-generation Jamaican immigrant. He was the DJ at the ＜ROXY CLUB＞, a hub of London punk in '76-77, and gained attention for playing reggae to the punks who gathered there, becoming a key figure connecting punk and reggae. At the same time, he filmed footage in real-time, and in '79, he produced his first punk documentary film, "PUNK ROCK MOVIE." He was also involved in the formation of BASEMENT 5, a pioneering black punk band, and managed THE SLITS. In the mid-'80s, he was active with BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE with MICK JONES, who had left THE CLASH. After leaving BAD in the late '80s, he formed SCREAMING TARGET (named after BIG YOUTH's album) and had hits such as "Who Killed King Tuby?". In parallel with his musical activities, he has produced many music videos and documentary films of BOB MARLEY, GIL SCOTT-HERON, SUN RA, and GEORGE CLINTON. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for THE CLASH's documentary "WESTWAY TO THE WORLD." In '05, he produced "PUNK: ATTITUDE," which delved into the core of punk. As DUB CARTEL SOUND SYSTEM, he continues studio work/DJing, and has remixes of SCIENTIST's "Step It Up," CARL DOUGLAS's "Kung Fu Fighting," etc. He has also released compilation CDs such as "DREAD MEETS PUNK ROCKERS UPTOWN" ('01/Heavenly), which is the soundtrack of the ＜ROXY CLUB＞ era, "DON LETTS PRESENTS THE MIGHTY TROJAN SOUND" ('03/Trojan), which compiles the essence of the prestigious TROJAN RECORDS, and "DREAD MEETS B-BOYS DOWNTOWN" ('04/Heavenly), which conveys the hip-hop scene in NY, Bronx, that he experienced in '81-82. In '07, he published his autobiography "CULTURE CLASH-DREAD MEETS PUNK ROCKERS." He has a regular program on BBC RADIO 6 Music every Monday, "Culture Clash Radio." In 2008, the compilation album "Don Letts Presents Dread Meets Greensleeves: a West Side Revolution" was released. In 2010, he appeared at Metamorphose, and in 2011, he appeared at Fuji Rock Festival as an original member of the reunited B.A.D.