The seminal dub and reggae producer delivers an acid meditation on ‘Thor’s Stone’.

Wirral producer Matthew Barnes released his second album as Forest Swords this year, an unlikely collision of pop, musique concrète, drone and hip-hop which FACT deemed fully “worth the wait”, following almost three years of silence since his incredible Dagger Paths EP.

The lead single from Engravings, ‘Thor’s Stone’, has now been reworked by dub and reggae pioneer and studio magician Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, who at 77 years of age shows no signs of swapping the Black Ark for the bowls club. Barnes said of the remix:

“It’s an honour that Lee loved the track and reworked it at his studio in Jamaica. He’s been a huge influence, and has been behind some of the most legendary records ever cut, so for him to want to add his own flair and energy to Thor’s Stone is pretty unbelievable for me, and a genuine life highlight.”

The producer also detailed his European tour next spring, during which he’ll be supporting Mogwai for a handful of dates in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.

FACT’s Angus Finlayson sat down with Forest Swords during the summer heatwave to discuss Engravings and find out why he loves UK pop trio Sugababes.

Hear Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s remix of ‘Thor’s Stone’ below:

Tour dates:

December
28 – Äaniwalli – Helsinki, Finland
29 – Le Guess Who – Utrecht, Holland
30 – De Kreun – Kortrijk, Belgium

January
24 – Bla – Oslo, Norway
25 – Babel – Stockholm, Sweden
30 – Paradiso– Amsterdam, Netherlands [with Mogwai]

February
1 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, Belgium [with Mogwai]
3 – Olympia – Paris, France [with Mogwai]
4 – Batschkapp – Frankfurt, Germany [with Mogwai]
5 – Backstage Werk – Munich, Germany [with Mogwai]
6 – Tempodrom – Berlin, Germany [with Mogwai]
8 – The Deaf Institute – Manchester, UK
11 – The Green Door Store – Brighton, UK
12 – Thekla – Bristol, UK
14 – Belgrade Music Hall
20 – Ikonst – Malmo, Sweden
21 – Radar – Aarhus, Denmark
22 – Jazzhouse – Copenhagen, Denmark
27 – Button Factory – Dublin, Ireland
28 – Caixaforum – Barcelona, Spain

March
3 – Kampagnel – Hamburg, Germany
4 – Ut Connewitz – Leipzig, Germany
5 – Berghain – Berlin, Germany
6 – Baustelle Kalk – Cologne, Germany

April
3 – OT301 – Amsterdam, Netherlands