Rubber Soles | 50 Years of Dr. Martens (The Musical)
Dr. Martens
By the time Britain’s skinheads completed their devolution from hard-edged dandies to racist hooligans, their cherished Dr. Martens boots had gone viral. Before long, the list of D.M. devotees would span the length of the screw-up spectrum: “Mods, glams, punks, ska, psycho-hillbillies, grebos, Goths, industrialists, nu-metal, hardcore, straight-edge, grunge, Britpop” and on and on, says Martin Roach, D.M.’s de facto historian. Now, Dr. Martens is marking its 50th anniversary. To celebrate, the company has commissioned covers of 10 “cult” songs from acts like the Human League, Buzzcocks, the Pogues and even the Cold War Kids. (Full details here.) The songs and music videos drop on Thursday at drmartens.com. For an exclusive-to-T taste, watch profiles of three of the cutting-edge acts involved in the project.
Buraka Som Sistema (above)
The band comes from Lisbon, but the sound is imported from Angola, and the dance moves need to be seen to be believed. Buraka Som Sistema covers “Buffalo Stance” by the Swedish singer Neneh Cherry.DāM-FunK
The Los Angeles-based electro funkster covers “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of” by the Human League.The Cinematic Orchestra
This British-based electronic jazz and turntablist ensemble covers “Lilac Wine,” which Dr. Martens credits to Jeff Buckley, but which was actually written in 1950 by James Shelton and was also recorded memorably by Nina Simone.