Peer to Peer with Trinity aka Mother Dubber
Cultural relativist, crate digger and self-described retired raver, Trinity, aka Mother Dubber, now adds exhibitionist to her impressive list of titles and accomplishments in music.
VP: Please can you introduce yourself to our readers?
MD: My name is Trinity a.k.a Mother Dubber and I consider myself a social observer, anthropologist and DJ. I was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland within a unique period of the city’s history. Geneva at the time was the European city with the most occupied houses and squats per capita, and I technically grew up in one myself. I always described my childhood as extremely poor yet extremely happy due to the constant vibrant energy, highly musical environment and endless stream of diverse and interesting characters I always encountered. At the young age of 13, I was already heavily involved in the local rave and clubbing scene, my favourite venue being the former dirt-encrusted club K-BAR which predominantly played jungle, breakbeat, reggae and dancehall. My life was forever changed. I no longer associated reggae music to my boring elderly family members but now as something contemporary and a part of my identity.
VP: You have recently been working on an amazing exhibition showcasing art from the visionary veteran Jamaican producer and recording artist Lee ’Scratch’ Perry, how did that opportunity come around and can you tell us more about the project?
MD: Indeed, however, I must be precise that the exhibition was actually put together by the venue, Cabaret Voltaire, and the official visual art estate of Lee Scratch Perry. The venue is a legendary art space where the infamous “Dada” movement was birthed. It was a space of pure experimentation, freedom and intuitive expression and the artists there came from all over Europe to flee the First World War as Switzerland was neutral at the time. I strongly believe that there was no better place to showcase Perry’s first solo art exhibition in Europe and parallels can be found between the Dada philosophy and Lee Scratch Perry’s practice. I was initially contacted to simply play some tunes during the exhibition opening and after further discussing with the team about my own musical knowledge and long involvement in the sound system scene in Switzerland and Europe for almost 20 years (I am part of the OBF family since 2006), they decided to have me on board as co-curator of the public program, which kicked off last Saturday featuring of course OBF Sound System (they transported their sound system from France for the evening), Jman and others. Specially curated playlists were also created for the evening by Pinch, Mo Laudi and Mungo’s Hi-Fi. The most exciting and exclusive part of the day however was the dub-siren building workshop by Rig Smith and hosted by myself. Despite the complexity and precision required, to our surprise, every single one of the 30 participants left with a siren that worked without the slightest problem or issue! It was overall one of the most varied and colourful events I have ever been involved in!
VP: Lee ’Scratch’ Perry’s catalogue runs deep and spans many decades, which release from The Upsetter has really resonated with you and why?
MD: I couldn’t answer which release resonates with me the most, as there are just too many, however, there is one very obscure Lee Scratch Perry release on On-U Sound called “Flush-It” which I find extremely interesting from a black music historical perspective. I simply love how he extended this tradition, essentially creating the reggae dub version of “Constipation Blues” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
VP: Are there any plans to tour and where can people find out more about the exhibition?
MD: I certainly hope so! The exhibition was just recently extended to the 5th of January 2025 due to popular demand, so if any of your followers happen to be in Zurich in the upcoming months, do make sure to stop at Cabaret Voltaire to have a visit! You can read more about the exhibition on the official account of the Lee Scratch Perry Visual Art Estate (@leescratchperry.art).
https://www.leescratchperry.art
Exhibition Photos: https://www.instagram.com/leescratchperry.art/