Recommend Some Good Digital Dancehall Reggae
high_c
1,384 Posts
I thought I used to hate this shit. If i heard a drum machine or synth I was out. But lately I've been feeling some of these. Don't get me wrong, when they're bad, they're really bad and most still sound like garbage to me but occasionally I hear one that makes me want to reconsider my stance on the issue.Help me out. What's the cream of the crop here? What're the essential tunes?
Comments
Sadly, I only know the real essentials from the old school, but I'd definitely like to expand my collection of this stuff.
MUST HAVE
Wayne Smith - Under Mi Sleng Teng
Johnny Osbourne - Buddy Bye
Nardo Ranks - Burrup
Yellowman - Zungguzung
Eek-A-Mouse - Wa-Do-Dem
Cutty Ranks - limb by limb
Barrington Levy - here I come & Under Mi Sensi
Chaka Demus & Pliers - Murder She wrote
also, I've also wanted to know who did the dancehall version of Toots "Bam Bam"? Not Sister Nancy, it's on the same riddim as Murder She Wrote (I think).
Are there specific eras you're looking for? VP put out an 8-disc set of King Tubby's stuff last year. If you don't like that, you don't like dancehall at all. There are lots of re-licks of older riddims these days, especially stuff from the early 90s. I have a few mixes available at www.italselection.com (under SOUNDS), but it's all stuff from the last few years. Gimme a little more info and I may be able to help you out (you are from Texas, after all).
LoL indeed. If people came on here talking in the same way about hip hop, all hell would brake out.
This place has seemingly endless amounts of mixes..
http://www.xsorbit1.com/users/mdread/index.cgi?board=album
ranging from vintage dub, to more modern Jamaican roots music. Not really awash with digital dancehall, but thought I'd share it anyway.
http://www.firehousesound.dk/
I think most of them has been posted on here before though.
Peace,
Dress
Thanks for the link.
By the way, my wife saw your avatar the other night and laughed out loud. "Oh my god, it's Buster!"
artist: conroy smith
riddim: run down the world
label: youth promotion
Yah, I know/have most of the above and wouldn't call them digital, just dancehall... Chaka Demus is the right era but doesn't have that digital feel... and plus I hate that song cause it reminds of friend's ex wife who was really annoying but that's another story. But Cutty Ranks Seh Me Dun, I love. I guess if that gives you any indication of the kinda stuff I'm seeking...
A gnarly ass syth bassline helps too.
Somebody throw any random 5 tunes out with thinkin too much about it and I'll be happy.
FYI "Sleng Teng" basically introduced the digi era... some 80s Casio for that ass...
A couple favorites from the old school:
Courtney Melody: Bad Boy, Ninja Me Ninja
Tenor Saw: Pumpkin Melody
I think thats Pliers (who got half the credit of Murder She Wrote around the same time)
Check www.italselection.com. There's a link on the News page (front page) to one I did for a blog, and several others on the Sounds page.
When somebody says digital I think early dancehall because it implies a change from the pre-digital
era. So I'd say start with, The Sleeping Bag Dancehall Classics Vol. 1 and 2 if you want early digital.
If you want 90's stuff:
Here's 5:
Murder Them-Ninjaman
Nuff Man A Dead-Super Cat
Dem Gun-Capleton and Bobby Zarro
Pirates Anthem-Home T, Cocoa T, Shabba Ranks
Punnaney Tegereg-Little Lenny
Sleng Teng
also labels will include
Jammys, Exterminator, Digital B, PowerHouse, How U Fe Sey Dat
Plus:
Older:
King Kong
Papa Finnegan And Junior Ranking - Two the hard way
Ninja man
Newer:
Turbulence
Rob symeonn
Lutan Fyah
Jah Mason
And for the hella crazy:
Dr Evil
Also check out some of the newer dubstep coming out like digital mystikz and coki
Coki - Burnin'
DivShare File - 01 Burnin_.mp3
Shinehead
I drop that on the reg, and it gets a reaction everytime... even heads who (unsurprisingly) only know the MJ version.
digital reggae
Double cosine on Come Again and on two of my favourite singers from the 80s digital era: Courtney Melody and Conroy Smith.
Smith's Indian Lady - nice!!
might be more rub-a-dub than dancehall. but a nice piece none the less.
cant believe super cat has not been mentioned. the original DON DODDA CD was my first exposure to dancehall (along with shabba) like 12 -14 yrs ago. Super cat does it for me everytime.
also just picked this CD up from amazon. USED. for cheap. a nice one!!
check out the tracklisting
Disc: 1
1. Rub a Dub Soldier - Paul Blake
2. Herbman Hustling - Sugar Minott
3. Under Mi Sleng Teng - Wayne Smith
4. Briggy Dip
5. Cover Me - Ninjaman, Tinga Stewart
6. Gun in a Baggy - Little Lenny
7. Road Runner - Dirtsman
8. I Just Love My Woman
9. Groovy Little Thing - Beres Hammond
10. Big and Bad - Papa San
See all 20 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Fit Yu Haffi Fit - Black Uhuru
2. Entrepreneur
3. Pumpkin Belly - Tenor Saw
4. Bad Boy Attack - Double Ugly
5. Jump Up - Admiral Bailey
6. Zig It Up - Flourgon, Ninjaman
7. Musical Murder - Sugar Minott
8. Ready Done
9. Rebel Girl - Robert Ffrench
10. She's a Maniac - Frankie Paul
See all 20 tracks on this disc
Obviously your wife has some great taste.
Vybz Kartel...
More freestyles...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxkUyG5A2oE
Seriously, to each their own...but if you can't get with this stuff, then plaese to just give it up.
Kind of fun.
There are so many young guns who are absolutely murdering it right now:
Mavado
Busy Signal
Munga Honorebel
Aidonia
Demarco
Mista Peppa (the first guy to rhyme in Harv's freestyle video above)
And the list goes on and on.
It pains me to see how disconnected most Americans are from what really goes down in Jamaica. And I'm currently in a total wasteland right now here in Austin. The reggae scene here is so entirely wack. I mean, when a Sizzla or Capleton or Anthony B come to town, the real folks certainly come out of the woodwork for it. But otherwise, there are no clubs or radio stations playing any dancehall whatsoever. When I went to Miami a year or 2 ago, it was like I just wanted to listen to the radio the whole time I was there...for it was jamming left and right.
But here, even the people in the public eye who are into reggae make it there policy to only get behind throwback roots shit. I like all of that stuff too at times, but their deliberate exclusion of modern sounds makes me want to scratch their eyes out. There's really no record store either that do the situation much good...and despite posting on message boards till the cows come home, I've never been much of a find-my-music-online kinda dude. Furthermore, that such incredible Jamaican vocalists are being completely slept on in favor of putting lesser dudes like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne on a pedestal makes me want to scratch brains out.
Anyway, thanks for that list of up-and-coming names. I'm definitely going to follow up on those.