What are people's favourite dancehall rhythms of the year or so...

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Mine are as follows:

1) Diwali - Stephen Lenky Marsden (40/40 Productions)
2) Liquid - Jeremy Harding (2 Hard)
3) Bad Kalic - Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell (Stone Love)
4) Tabla - Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare (Beat Ruut)
5) Clappas - Alex G, Riprock & Dow Jones (South Rakkas Crew)

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:19 (twenty-one years ago) link

of the PAST year or so ... duh!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

DIWALI OWNZ.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:51 (twenty-one years ago) link

you'll like the clappas one, too, in that case

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:52 (twenty-one years ago) link

diwali and hard drive

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

In no particular order: Diwali, Masterpiece, Egyptian (the one on Elephant Man's "Egyptian Dance"), 44 Flat, Hard Drive, Famine.

― JS Williams (js williams), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:54 (twenty-one years ago) link

what's 44 flat? prob know it... who's voiced it?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:59 (twenty-one years ago) link

kokane riddim

― zemko (bob), Friday, 18 April 2003 18:59 (twenty-one years ago) link

http://vprecords.com/albums/221044FLAT.html

― JS Williams (js williams), Friday, 18 April 2003 19:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

anyone got a good source online to hear these? i found a riddim archive at Reggae-Riddims.com but it's pretty woefully incomplete. another one here, but damn it, i want thoroughness.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Saturday, 19 April 2003 18:06 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ward 21 - President of Hoochie Land

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Saturday, 19 April 2003 18:24 (twenty-one years ago) link

I believe that Greensleeves has downloadable snippets for most, if not all, of their rhythm album series.

― JS Williams (js williams), Sunday, 20 April 2003 02:04 (twenty years ago) link

two months pass...

I've been hearing *so many* great riddims via the dancehall shows on 1xtra, most in the post-Indian/Diwali mould but demonstrating a shocking range and diversity within that brief. The quality control is so fucking high at the moment that it makes what seemed at the time like an electro-riddim golden age in '99-00 seem quite tame in comparison.

Search:

Hindu Storm (perhaps the most extreme Indian riddim so far)
All Out (sort of like the tense ravey parts of "Get Busy" rather than the Diwali clapping)
Mudslide (insane, hyper-compressed synth madness, just totally addictive)
Bandalero (twinkling, slinky sitar + handclaps)
Snake (based on R Kelly's excellent "Snake", but a really clever modification of it that I reckon is slightly superior to the original)

The Egyptian riddim is great too - especially on Vybes Kartel's "Sweet To The Belly".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 22 June 2003 11:46 (twenty years ago) link

I downloaded an instrumental of the Baghdad riddim and it's a stormer but I've not yet found a tune which fulfils its potential.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Monday, 23 June 2003 09:59 (twenty years ago) link

I'm not that fond of the masterpiece, nor the martial arts.

I love a lot of the remakes...There's some good stuff on the Java--the Luciano is good, so is the Sizzla. Answer is wicked. Check the Capleton.
Immigration is wicked. Admiral Tibett's "I shall have no fear" is just lovely.
Anthony B on Expo Train is great too.
Queen Majesty rules. Sizzla's "Just one of those days" is my favourite song right now.

I like African Charm and Knockout, but they are a bit crazy. I'm quite the fan of conscious stuff...

www.soundquake.com has tons of samples...

― cybele (cybele), Monday, 23 June 2003 19:26 (twenty years ago) link

All Out = Tai Chi Riddim??

― velimir, Friday, 27 June 2003 00:14 (twenty years ago) link

alright, so i'm kinda green to this whole thing. how do you guys know what riddim the song is being played over? are you downloading tracks? are you buying the riddim collection cds or do they list the name of the riddim on the 45?

and what's the best way to start getting into this stuff? do i need to sift through thousands of 45s?

― JasonD (JasonD), Friday, 27 June 2003 01:13 (twenty years ago) link

type in "dancehall 2003" or "riddim 2003" into slsk and begin to download at will

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 27 June 2003 01:43 (twenty years ago) link

i am quite find of the "socawali" riddim at the moment...you can probably figure out what it is

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 27 June 2003 01:46 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, unfortunately i'm on a mac so no slsk.

but that's pretty much what i typed into limwire. but i hate limewire.

any of you guys gone to jail yet for downloading?

― JasonD (JasonD), Friday, 27 June 2003 01:53 (twenty years ago) link

Jason--I suppose you can dive right in and go to a Jamaican record shop--it doesn't, however, work quite the same way as your run of the mill rekkid shop. They get new rhythms (riddims) in every week and they are normally behind a big ol'counter. Someone is usually playing the records REALLY LOUDLY and you have to ask for a copy if you like what's being played. If you come on the day the new tunes come in, you'll be fighting with people for new tracks. There is never a "listening station"--the whole damn store is damn near exploding with the sound of whatever is being played. The shop keepers tend to like to play around with the tunes--throwing a wicked track on for a couple seconds so the folks in the store will lose it.
Even if you do happen to go in on a calm day, if you ask to listen to something, it will still be played at a deafening volume, regardless of how many people are there.
They don't normally keep stuff in stock for any time at all. It's not as if you can go in and ask for one of last year's hits...once something is sold out, it's gone. If there's a shelf full of 45s, they almost always suck--they're stuff people didn't want.
Not surprisingly, I find these stores somewhat intimidating. At Blacker Dread in Brixton, I had to demand that records be played for me. When I mentioned that I already had a track they were playing, all of a sudden the attitude changed and I got to hear some better stuff. At Treajah Isle records in Toronto, they were somewhat nicer, but it was still a fight.
They do list the riddim on the 45s, but if you don't know what you're looking for, going to one of these stores, needless to say, can be extremely frustrating.
I'd suggest going to a website like soundquake.com--they list all the new riddims and you can search for older riddims as well. reggae-riddims.com is not thorough, but it's a good start to learning about different riddims and figuring out which producers you like. Another thing to do--and what I normally lean towards--is figuring out who you like. I love Sizzla, Capleton, Bushman, Anthony B, Jah Mason, Jah Cure, and a bunch of other artists that fall under the banner of conscious dancehall...I also like a lot of older stuff, and getting into producers like King Jammy and Jack Scorpio helps you get to know the foundation riddims...there's certainly a learning curve, but it really is worth it. When you discover a phenomenal new tune (like Sizzla's "Just one of those days" on the Queen Majesty riddim--a remake of a riddim from the late 60s) it's all worth it.

― cybele (cybele), Friday, 27 June 2003 02:42 (twenty years ago) link

I meant figuring out which performers you like as opposed to producers...

― cybele (cybele), Friday, 27 June 2003 02:45 (twenty years ago) link

I underestimated the "Fuck U Sign" riddim (I decided that's what it's called) just having heard Elephant Man's take and giving him all the credit for its being great. But I just heard Beenie Man's "My Dickie" where he recites "Work It" on top of that shit and it's hot as hell. U&K for sure.

― Adam A. (Keiko), Friday, 27 June 2003 03:16 (twenty years ago) link

thanks dude. those sites are pretty informative. there's some store called Reggae Runnins Village Store in the city, but i'm not too sure it sells records. i'll check out those clips and make my way to the 45 bin at amoeba.

― JasonD (JasonD), Friday, 27 June 2003 03:46 (twenty years ago) link

Jason, I've been keeping track by listening to 1xtra (http://www.bbc.co.uk/) where they'll play maybe five tracks with the same riddim in a row and tell you quite helpfully exactly what the riddim is several times, so you can match up the name of the specific artist's track and the riddim.

The best way to then find copies with Limewire is to type in the artist's name and try and find the track that you're looking for. Mind you I haven't had an enormous amount of success....

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 27 June 2003 04:26 (twenty years ago) link

G-String Riddim - from Elephant Man's 'Making Money'

― nick.K (nick.K), Friday, 27 June 2003 06:50 (twenty years ago) link

whichever the one under Lazah Current's "Whole Heap a Joy" is, that stuff is awesome

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 2 July 2003 14:54 (twenty years ago) link

three weeks pass...

What's the name of the riddim Richard "Shams" Browne produces for the last track on Higher Level and on Sean Paul's "Samfy I"? It's an absolute cracker.

The 20 Cent and Jumbie riddims just out on Greensleeves are pretty excellent too. The quality control is incredibly high at the moment; I only just got Higher Level and I'm shocked at how incredibly diverse and top-notch it is. All over the place!

Hey also can anyone tell me if T.O.K.'s album from 2001 is worth picking up?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 24 July 2003 04:37 (twenty years ago) link

Cashmere!

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 24 July 2003 07:47 (twenty years ago) link

yeah
20cent
baghdad
hindu

― t, Thursday, 24 July 2003 08:38 (twenty years ago) link

At Blacker Dread in Brixton, I had to demand that records be played for me.

yr bloody lucky they even talked to you! i always have a hell of a time in there even tho i borderline know what i'm talking abt, so i use regal records in clapton as the guy in there is really nice and it's abt 10 mins from my house...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 24 July 2003 09:20 (twenty years ago) link

legal records is excellent!

i really like the socawali, sars and sopranos riddims at the moment

― sean g, Thursday, 24 July 2003 13:29 (twenty years ago) link

(simon reynolds in making snarky comment re: dancehall shockah)

(apart from greensleeves - which other labels do good riddim albums or multi-riddim mutli-artist comps? when's the next greensleeves sampler coming out, anyway?)

― etc, Saturday, 26 July 2003 04:08 (twenty years ago) link

There was some song on Bigupradio.com about Poop. I don't remember the name, but I would like to nominate it anyway. It had a fart sample.

― ben welsh (benwelsh), Saturday, 26 July 2003 04:16 (twenty years ago) link

I disagree with Reynolds for two reasons:

a) dancehall is actually better now even than it has been for the past couple of years, at least as far as I can tell (try listening to Comin 4 You! and then Higher Level and then tell me which is the more engaging, captivating listen).

b) "Get Busy" hitting no. 1 strikes me as an event that means more than "listeners are desperate".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 26 July 2003 04:48 (twenty years ago) link

& "No Letting Go" (post-"Get Busy"!) CLIMBING the UK charts!

― etc, Saturday, 26 July 2003 04:56 (twenty years ago) link

Like, seriously, the effect that "Get Ur Freak On" had on dancehall is way above and beyond a near-monopolising obsession for Eastern motifs. What's really noticeable about dancehall riddims now that wasn't true only three-four years ago is the focus on treble/bass interplay. I'm not just saying that the treble has become more prominent or tuneful; the groove itself is increasingly reliant on the melodic detail to derive its power.

Even on something as simple as the Liquid riddim from '01, you can hear how the little Eastern string riff (and you can replace that with a synth riff, a sitar line, whatever) helps create the groove as much as the rhythm does, defining the actually-quite-conventional beats and giving them a new sense of exotic syncopation.

Conventionally dancehall has been all about sparse, spartan melodies and upfront beats but that's really changing; on new riddims like "Mudslide" so much prominence is given to the mindmashing synths that it's hard to remember afterwards whether there were beats or not (this is also the paradoxical secret to "Get Busy" - it's the best use of Diwali despite/because of all the melodic/treble bits designed to distract you from the central handclap rhythm.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 26 July 2003 07:23 (twenty years ago) link

Tim, you should check out the Anthony B version of diwali for the flipside of the trebly synth distraction you describe; it uses deep neptunes style moog riffs on the verses that really bring out the handclaps and timbale kicks to create a kind of off-beat very different from the most rhythm-centric versions of diwali.

ps.Can anyone id this riddim for me? It's really happy, with lots of compressed claps and the melody is carried by a steel drum. I've heard it voiced by Elephant Man with a chorus running something like "badman can't test the rhythm or the rock".

― sean g, Sunday, 27 July 2003 19:15 (twenty years ago) link

Also, when did the Wicked Riddim come out? It's the happiest. most addictive beat ever, all thread-bare minimalism and twinkly like a ca.2000 mannie fresh beat.

― sean g, Sunday, 27 July 2003 19:19 (twenty years ago) link

when i download these tracks i feel like i'm choosing megaman levels or something!!

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Sunday, 27 July 2003 20:11 (twenty years ago) link

cashmere is great, but i've only heard "nah lick". can we do a thing where we match up the riddim with the best mc?

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Sunday, 27 July 2003 20:14 (twenty years ago) link

What I was talking about before can be heard really clearly on Ms Thing's "Regular" (using Dave Kelly's Fiesta riddim - but not the R Kelly "Fiesta" riddim used on Elephant Man's "Jamaica"): the actual beat is just a a low, thumping triplet beat, and there's a bit of diwali-style syncopated clapping, but otherwise the whole groove is pushed forward by string riffs, whistles, flutes etc (it's a fucking great riddim). A lot of the really great riddims at the moment are, beatwise, simple triplets (see also R Kelly's "Snake" - there's a reason this has been ripped wholesale to become a hot riddim right now).

Dave Kelly's pretty good at this kind of ultra-melodic stuff actually, as his gorgeous production on Mis-Teeq's "That's Just Not Me" demonstrates.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 28 July 2003 12:27 (twenty years ago) link

Essential downloads:

1) Sizzla - Love & Affection (Wanted Riddim)
2) Vybz Kartel - Gi Mi Some (Mudslide Riddim)
3) Chico - Hail Di Gals Dem (Va Va Voom Riddim)
4) Capleton - Baghdad (Snake Riddim)
5) Beenie Man & Ms Thing - Dude (Fiesta Riddim)
6) Cobra - Lazy Girl (20 Cent Riddim)
7) Elephant Man - All Out (All Out Riddim)
8) Vybz Kartel - Sweet To The Belly (Egyptian Riddim)
9) Predator & Bounty Killer - Mad (Knockout Riddim)
10) TOK - Wap Dem (Famine Riddim)

The Wanted riddim is a must - a great "Get Busy"-style throb but a real skank feel to the drums (a bit like Wayne Wonder's "Bounce Along"). Sizzla's version is the killer for his whined chorus - "LUUUUUV AND AFFECTSHAAAAWN IS WHAT GIRLS WAAAAAANT!" The Elephant Man version is pretty great as well but I don't know what it's called. Something about fassies being enemies, but that doesn't really narrow it down.

The Va Va Voom riddim meanwhile is just insane - big horns, shimmering Arabic string flares, clattering breakdowns at the end of each measure and about three moments when the groove seems to devolve into a more primal Eastern groove before snapping back into extroverted action. I like Chico's R&B-ish version because she really has to belt it to match the background.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 28 July 2003 13:11 (twenty years ago) link

sweet to the belly is prob my fave dancehall record of the past few months! the liquid rhythm was a beaut too - gimme anything 21st-century w/ a harpsichord motif in it and i'm a happy bunny - plus it's got cecile and sean paul's "can u do di wuk" on it, so is an all-round belter...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 July 2003 13:19 (twenty years ago) link

There's something about the combination of the female murmur "hmm mmm mmmmmm" and then Vybz's chorus in "Sweet To The Belly" that lifts it above all other versions of Egyptian that I've heard (none of which have the female sample).

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 28 July 2003 13:41 (twenty years ago) link

nah, that's what makes it - it's quite a sexy record, but it's funny, too.... partic the bit abt women not wanting men like r kelly - this reminds me a bit of an old track called mavis by merciless, which is pretty funny, too...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 July 2003 13:44 (twenty years ago) link

Oh my GOD Dave have you heard the REBIRTH RIDDIM??!?!?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 28 July 2003 14:06 (twenty years ago) link

The Rebirth Riddim is poptastic!

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:02 (twenty years ago) link

all i know is that i am now downloading something called the...wait for it...R2D2 RIDDIM

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:06 (twenty years ago) link

There should be a separate thread for Most Mouthwatering Things You Get When You Type 'Riddim' Into Soulseek Search. My encounter with the "Eye of Tiger Riddim" was a truly blissful file-sharing moment.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:09 (twenty years ago) link

for a second i thought the rebirth riddim was like jammer or target or someone. the wayne marshall version is ridiculously sugary and pink and plastic. the SOPRANOS RIDDIM is my favourite right now. i love the names, it's like collecting pokemon cards

― sean g, Monday, 28 July 2003 15:12 (twenty years ago) link

can there be a single more pleasurable internet related act (non-sexual division) than typing in "[blank year] riddim" into a search engine?

ha i am also now getting the JEDI RIDDIM

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:14 (twenty years ago) link

BUSH AND SADDAM RIDDIM

(d/l speed 0.8 alas)

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:14 (twenty years ago) link

SADDAM BIRTHDAY PARTY RIDDIM !!!

― sean g, Monday, 28 July 2003 15:15 (twenty years ago) link

wonderful

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:20 (twenty years ago) link

Oh for a mac version of Soulseek. Using Limewire is like pulling teeth I swear.

It's sort of exhausting trying to compress a month's worth of dancehall education into a single night at my parents' computer, but oh so worth it.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:22 (twenty years ago) link

i have heard the rebirth rhythm - it's spesh and then some! oh i love dancehall and it's nice to see other people feeling same this is really making me smile and it's a monday, i have no girlfriend and i am broke so that's really saying something! you've genuinely all brightened up my day - just wish i had a faster internet connection for my mac...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:28 (twenty years ago) link

wow i just got a version of the jedi riddim by TOK where they emulate em's flow from 'business'!

this makes me very happy http://www3.audiomaxxx.com/AudioFiles5/RiddimCD19.ram

― sean g, Monday, 28 July 2003 15:43 (twenty years ago) link

three words for you all: panty. raid. riddim.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 28 July 2003 15:50 (twenty years ago) link

Oh for a mac version of Soulseek. Using Limewire is like pulling teeth I swear.

Tim, are you on OS X? I'm using the cantankerous but totally usable pyslsk. If you've got a couple of hours and don't mind getting your hands dirty you can most certainly get this working. Drop me a line for a "how I got the bloody thing installed" or search on ILE for the Boring Computer Questions thread, there is a good step-by-step written by (I think) Ed.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Monday, 28 July 2003 16:08 (twenty years ago) link

jess: jamaica really has taken the indian thing to strange new levels
mitch: i want to see bollywood star wars
mitch: starring bounty killah
jess: haha
jess: elephant man as han solo
jess: lady saw as princess leia
jess: beenie man as luke
jess: madd anju as r2d2
mitch: hahaha
mitch: elephant man would SO be han solo
mitch: shit, that is good casting
mitch: this needs to go on a thread

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Monday, 28 July 2003 17:28 (twenty years ago) link

iswipe works purty good except for the crashes.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 28 July 2003 18:55 (twenty years ago) link

My last d/l was the Water Lilly riddim which I hoped would be a slick slice of lovers' dancehall to finish a comp CD - and it was! Those aren't just funny names y'know.

Now I'm listening to Finnish fiddle music though, which would be 1000 times greater if it was called the Snork Maiden Riddim or something. But it's not.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 28 July 2003 20:45 (twenty years ago) link

harry toddler's "doom" (which is coming up in slsk as both hard drive and famine riddim) is u & fucking k: ultra-trebbly "guitar" runs and awesome staggering stereopanned drums.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 28 July 2003 21:00 (twenty years ago) link

That sounds like the famine riddim - it's a pearler. I've been looking for more Harry Toddler ever since hearing "Donkey Kick".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 28 July 2003 22:21 (twenty years ago) link

Famine is marvelous. For further proof, check out "Element of Surprise" by Alozade so we can all talk about how great he is.

― JS Williams (js williams), Monday, 28 July 2003 22:39 (twenty years ago) link

alozade has a great voice - kinda adenoidal and weird, plus funny - but he takes slackness to altogether new levels so i find it difficult to play his stuff... i mean, fuck vibes, that's not a great track!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 July 2003 22:45 (twenty years ago) link

anyone heard the Saian Supa Crew track on the R2D2 riddim (it's called "S.A.I.A.N")? french dancehall toasting!

― etc, Monday, 28 July 2003 23:49 (twenty years ago) link

Tim, check Harry Toddler's version of 'Pass The Courvoisier' on the QUAKE RDDIM. It starts with what i'm sure is the Ghostbusters theme. Should be on slsk.

― sean g, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 13:52 (twenty years ago) link

Some more riddims worth checking:
PUPPY WATER RIDDIM. Bollywood strings and a squelchy processed snare that sounds a little like the noise on 'Ice Rink'.
HUM HUM RIDDIM. This is crazy. No bass, just syncopated humming noises used similarly to the stuttering voice samples Mannie Fresh used to record. There's lots of weird glitchy snare hits and scratching!
SARS RIDDIM. Lush lovers rock, particularly Wayne Wonder's version 'You Make My Life Complete'. Typical stylized bhangra beat with a chunky timbale hit that clicks and clacks beneath a beautiful, twinkly synth line.
SOPRANOS RIDDIM. I mentioned this upthread, but it deserves some more attention. It's like a pseudo-bhangra riddim, it has a similar beat pattern to the indian riddims but doesn't use any of the drum sounds or claps, just a huge distorted kick drum that goes BOOOOOOM-boom! The melody is carried by a really nice soft flute. Don't know what it's got to do with the Sopranos, are the names supposed to be descriptive of the riddim?

― sean g, Tuesday, 29 July 2003 14:07 (twenty years ago) link

(just to cover the only other thread about dancehall today...)
sean--you're OTM about the sopranos riddim. niceness.

― cybele (cybele), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 20:10 (twenty years ago) link

The Forensic riddim is pretty simple but devastating - see Sean Paul's "Check It Deeply".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 31 July 2003 05:31 (twenty years ago) link

cashmere = kashmir?

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Thursday, 31 July 2003 12:14 (twenty years ago) link

"What's the name of the riddim Richard "Shams" Browne produces for the last track on Higher Level and on Sean Paul's "Samfy I"? It's an absolute cracker."

Just found out that this is the Glue Riddim - still a total fave.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 1 August 2003 01:20 (twenty years ago) link

three weeks pass...

the coolie dance riddim album is going to be irresistable if it comes out!

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Saturday, 23 August 2003 22:25 (twenty years ago) link

Coming out the 26th.

― JS Williams (js williams), Saturday, 23 August 2003 22:48 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.greensleeves.net/bio/biogcooliedance.html

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Saturday, 23 August 2003 22:54 (twenty years ago) link

Is it just me or has Greensleeves gone into hyperdrive with their rhythm albums? This is, like, weeks after Good 2 Go.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 24 August 2003 04:24 (twenty years ago) link

Hey I don't suppose anyone has a tracklist for Chinese Assassin's 'Time to Kill'? It's a 74 minute dancehall mix that starts with Clappas. It's got the riddims from Elephant Man's 'No Hail Mi' and 'Give Her It Good', and it's got No Letting Go, Sean Paul & Busta, Jenny from the Block!, a great bootleg of Danny English & Eggnog's 'Party Time' (from the Diwali LP) on the Work It beat, the beat from Clipse's When the Last Time, Sean Paul's International Affair.

One of the best riddims has this riff on a plucked string instrument like in Roll Deep Regular and pingpong sounds like in Wiley's Shanghai, but it's too joyous to sound like grime. The first version is sung: "la la lala la/ give me a beat make the Marshal flow/ we sing the sounds to make the whole world know/ dancehall music coming through the door/ here we go-oh here we go/ I love the vibe that the music give/ dancehall music's so positive..."

Anyone know it?

― Keith McD (Keith McD), Monday, 25 August 2003 11:23 (twenty years ago) link

hm talking of spurious garidge conaprisons mudslide riddim uses the same 'okay' bit as dizzee's vexed!

― Chip Morningstar (bob), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 09:19 (twenty years ago) link

the ward 21 album has loads of low-frequency ,blowing-in-the-top-of-bottles noises (great description there, stelfox... no wonder you aint writing anywhere right now) that feature really heavily in a lot of grime, too

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 09:45 (twenty years ago) link

Aahhh I'm glad someone else has discovered mudslide!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 September 2003 00:11 (twenty years ago) link

one month passes...

OH MY GOD SALSA RIDDIM!!!!!

Like 20 Cent meets Rebirth meets Sign meets oh I dunno *everything*. I'm in the first flush of enthusiasm admittedly but right now this sounds like the best thing ever.

Search: Shaggy's "Your Eyes", TOK's "We Won't Stop", Ward 21's "Sick Head", Chico's "Exchange"... or just listen to Robbo Ranx's thursday show at 1xtra alternatively.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 6 October 2003 07:58 (twenty years ago) link

love the chico one. love chico. totally feeling chico's androgyny!

also check kiprich's killer flow on 'my best day'

also *cough* alozade and g-money 'dem no wise' *cough* shockwave riddim

"really useful post, this"

― prima fassy (bob), Monday, 6 October 2003 08:43 (twenty years ago) link

i am sad that there doesn't seem to be anything even nearly as good as "like glue" on the buy out riddim.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Monday, 6 October 2003 09:36 (twenty years ago) link

at the end of the day "buy out" isn't actually that great, it just works really really well w/ sean paul.

Odd how Sean Paul has done the best versions of a number of riddims - glue, rebirth, coolie dance, diwali arguably. Anyone who thinks he's a watered down product is totally kidding themselves.

And there's not enough talk about how amazing he is on "baby boy".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 6 October 2003 09:52 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, i'm completely addicted to samfy i too.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Monday, 6 October 2003 10:57 (twenty years ago) link

Right now if I had to do a favourite dancehall tracks of 2003 list it would look like this:

Beenie Man & Ms Thing - Dude
Sean Paul - Samfy I
Mad Cobra - Lazy Gyal
Chico - Exchange
Sizzla - These R Da Dayz
Sean Paul - Get Busy
Sean Paul - Close To Me
Vybz Kartel - Sweet to da Belly
Elephant Man - Blase
Sizzla - Love & Affection
Vybz Kartel - Gi Mi Some
Wayne Wonder - No Letting Go
Baby Cham - Wha Dat Fah
Kiprich & Preditor - Head Na Good
Sean Paul - Feel Alright
Elephant Man - All Out
Wayne Wonder - Bounce
Chico - Hail Di Gals Dem

Actually I'm gonna be DJing dancehall on Friday night, but I don't have all of these on mp3 so I'll only be able to play half these tracks.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 6 October 2003 11:23 (twenty years ago) link

wherefore 'fuck u sign'?

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Monday, 6 October 2003 11:43 (twenty years ago) link

Oh shit I forgot that one!

Anyway, I gotta add Spragga Benz's "Move" and Vybz Kartel's "Bandwagonist".

Seriously though every time I listen to 1xtra I fall in love with a dozen new tracks. I can't believe the entire world isn't just going crazy over this inconceivable dancehall golden age we are living in.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 6 October 2003 11:50 (twenty years ago) link

Elephant Man - "Fan Dem Off" made me laff with the "Mas Que Nada" quote (is there nothing the man can't utilize?) and screechy mice noises. love the vocal melody of "Blase".

and Chico became my fave vocalist with "So Fly" on the Masterpiece riddim - good to see he's on the rise.

― Paul (scifisoul), Monday, 6 October 2003 16:53 (twenty years ago) link

What's the new Elephant Man track where he nicks the vocal melody from "Eye of the Tiger"? Not brilliant but hilarious.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 00:58 (twenty years ago) link

The remake of Night Nurse is great.

― cybele (cybele), Tuesday, 7 October 2003 02:59 (twenty years ago) link

any recent stuff from tanya stephens and lady saw that i need? from tanya i've only got 'please me' on the tai chi riddim which i think is 2002. as for 2003 lady saw stuff, and i found 'sleep tonight', i dont know what riddim and i'm not even sure it's 03, but i like it cos it sounds a bit like kwaito which sounds a lot like early 90s house.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Saturday, 11 October 2003 12:21 (twenty years ago) link

that's 'fan dem off' i think, tim. the one on gallop anyway

― prima fassy (bob), Saturday, 11 October 2003 15:16 (twenty years ago) link

cesar riddim is my current skweeze

― prima fassy (bob), Saturday, 11 October 2003 15:18 (twenty years ago) link

i'm totally stealing tim's list there and burning it to cd

― rob geary (rgeary), Saturday, 11 October 2003 22:53 (twenty years ago) link

i've been trying to make a dancehall mix for a friend but editing it down to single cd length (even with 80 mins of cdr space) is killing me. especially when i'm still downloading absolutely essential stuff (like the cesar riddim tracks, thanks for the heads up prima!!) as we speak. 2003 dancehall (and probably 2002 dancehall and 2001 dancehall etc etc, i just wasnt listening as hard then) is a source of great comfort and great anxiety. i've never been so certain that 1. there's a near-limitless source of loveable music and 2. i'm missing out on most of it.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Saturday, 11 October 2003 23:17 (twenty years ago) link

Does anyone know what the name of the awesome riddim under Mr. Vegas's "Tamale" is? Luvvit.

Also I'd love some riddim IDs for Elephant Man's "Blase" (pop toon! Love how the intro quotes C&C Music Factory) and Kip Rich & Preditor's "Head Nah Good" (mega pop toon!).

Lenky's new one "Timetravel" is good but not as physical as masterpiece or (obviously and especially) diwali - although it's very enticing because a) it's claustrophobically dense, and b) it sounds like it was recorded underwater, which allows it to bring back the "dub" in a rather unusual manner.

Mitch your mix-cd looked great. I'm still looking for MP3s of stuff like Chico's "Exchange" - fuck limewire!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 17 October 2003 13:02 (twenty years ago) link

Isn't the Elephant man on the Blase riddim? It sounds hella like "Signal the Plane," "Pon the River," and pretty much everything he's done over the past year or so. The Kip Rich is on the Gallop riddim.

― cybele (cybele), Friday, 17 October 2003 15:49 (twenty years ago) link

Cesar riddim IS GREAT!!

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 17 October 2003 16:46 (twenty years ago) link

"Isn't the Elephant man on the Blase riddim? It sounds hella like "Signal the Plane," "Pon the River," and pretty much everything he's done over the past year or so."

You say that like it's a bad thing! Seriously though I take your point - Ele seems to have streamlined his big party-number style such that these sound great in a mix but would probably sound a bit odd stacked one after another an artist album (which may be why neither "Signal the Plane" nor "Blase" are on his next album). That said it's much less exhausting than his gangsta style circa 2000.

Yeah I found out it was the Gallop riddim about two seconds after posting that. I love it, but I wonder if it would be so great without "Mad - Sick - Head Na Good!/Madsickheadnahgood!" over the top.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 18 October 2003 05:28 (twenty years ago) link

how did that set go down with the crowd btw tim?

― prima fassy (bob), Saturday, 18 October 2003 08:22 (twenty years ago) link

vybz's "band wagonist" quotes "can i get a..."!

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Saturday, 18 October 2003 08:31 (twenty years ago) link

"how did that set go down with the crowd btw tim?"

Well I think - I mixed in stuff like "Baby Boy" and "Stand Up" and "Snake" to help digestion, but anyway what I was playing was fairly easy stuff to dance to anyway - TOK's "Dis Means War" (Rebirth) and "Galang Gal" (diwali), Sizzla's "Love & Affection" (Wanted), Baby Cham's "Vitamin S" (Fiesta), Beenie Man's "My Dickie", Elephant Man's "All Out", Vybz Kartel's "Sweet to da Belly"... My boyfriend complained that it was occasionally difficult to find the beat but there were a lot of people dancing so I take that as a good sign.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 18 October 2003 09:38 (twenty years ago) link

I would have danced more but I had just been working, then wolfed down my dinner, then sprinted to catch the train. It was impossible not to dance to Sweet to da Belly though.

― Keith McD (Keith McD), Saturday, 18 October 2003 13:50 (twenty years ago) link

any thoughts on 'def jamaica'? the dmx/sean paul/mr. vegas song is pretty weak. the red and meth track is nice-ish, but it only really turns into dancehall when they're done with it. the ghostface/elephant man track is just decent elephant stuff with about 15 seconds of ghost.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Saturday, 18 October 2003 14:11 (twenty years ago) link

oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck - i think have bought the absolute hands-down, single best dancehall tune in the world ever!!! i'd not seen it in london but unearthed it in jammyland in new york on a last-minute burst of record shopping. it's called soft inside and on the voom voom rhythm, voiced by the truly fucking awesome tanya stevens. as tim f said a while ago about the voom voom, it's pretty insane but this vocal is little short of heart-rupturingly fantastic. real screaming throaty diva stuff like you never heard before. incidentally, if anyone's even vaguely, interested i'm writing a whopping great big piece about tanya, wayne marshall, vybz kartel, ce'cile and assassin right now. it should be published in a couple of months or so and i interviewed ce'cile in long island about ten days ago. she's lovely and gave me one of the best interviews in my career talking about a lot of interesting social/political/gender/sexuality-related stuff as well as the music. also got a v advanced preview of her album and it's amazingly varied with a beautiful, sparse and surprisingly fragile soca tune that i could easily imagine being played by joe claussell, kervorkian and the like....

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 18 October 2003 14:31 (twenty years ago) link

Whaddya think of the Cutty Ranks, Ce'cile, Vybz Kartel, and Mr. Vegas on the same riddim? All nice. But yeah, I'll give you that the Tanya Stephens is crazy good.

― cybele (cybele), Saturday, 18 October 2003 14:53 (twenty years ago) link

i got the ce'cile track, the vybz one, too, and was looking for the cutty ranks one when i stumbled on this... it's an absolute howler of a track and rocks my world like nothing i've heard before, so it's the winner for me!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 18 October 2003 15:03 (twenty years ago) link

Oh, and can I just say that the Ting a Ling riddim is amazing? I want the Jah Mason very very badly.

― cybele (cybele), Saturday, 18 October 2003 15:08 (twenty years ago) link

now i was only joking with the dubstep-shockwave thing but... cesar riddim is on "forward recordings" and the 7 looks like a fabric club flyer and the beat is kinda detroit-croydon and weirdly desultory inna bourgeois western way and it's really cleanly produced a-and how come effin ROUGH TRADE had it first!... b-b-ut i checked the runout groove and stuff, it's even got a JA phone number

o well. in other news !NGOZI riddim! watch out it's tuff!

― prima fassy (bob), Monday, 20 October 2003 18:49 (twenty years ago) link

i am well disappointed that the 'amelie riddim' is just a bite from the soundtrack and not rowan atkinson gabbacrunk or something

is it common-ish knowledge that 'ngozi' is zulu for 'DANGER'?

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Monday, 20 October 2003 19:13 (twenty years ago) link

hey-prima fassy...I noticed that too. Check out www.geejam.com for more information. I don't know whether this is a good or bad thing.

― cybele (cybele), Monday, 20 October 2003 19:48 (twenty years ago) link

argh argh "thinking INDEED LIVING outside the box", it's like some next kevin martin wordsound shit!

dancehall replies with THIS!!

― prima fassy (bob), Monday, 20 October 2003 20:44 (twenty years ago) link

arent "howlers" meant to be bad things?

― prima fassy (bob), Monday, 20 October 2003 20:56 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, I've decided bad. Definitely bad.

― cybele (cybele), Monday, 20 October 2003 22:49 (twenty years ago) link

what is the name of the song and what riddim is it off of where elephant man sings ( de bad man ah enemy, de fassy a frienemy, sum ah them wannabe, i nuh like yu, nor yu nuhhuh like me

i want the name of thir riddim badly it sound tight

― Bigger n Better Boss, Tuesday, 21 October 2003 21:42 (twenty years ago) link

"Lenky's new one "Timetravel" is good but not as physical as masterpiece or (obviously and especially) diwali - although it's very enticing because a) it's claustrophobically dense, and b) it sounds like it was recorded underwater, which allows it to bring back the "dub" in a rather unusual manner."

I think I may have been wrong about this! Vybz Kartel's "Send on Jah" is a great pop song and I love the way there's all these little percussive rolls all over the place. Still not sure if it would light up the dancefloor but I can't say for sure that it wouldn't!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 02:06 (twenty years ago) link

tim did you get my email?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 02:31 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah Sterling I'm replying to it now.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 02:59 (twenty years ago) link

Dosent anyone know the name of the riddim that i asked about in the thread i left on the 21st of october?

― Bigger n Better Boss, Wednesday, 22 October 2003 20:36 (twenty years ago) link

Atlantik's 'Lollipop' is pretty cool

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 21:08 (twenty years ago) link

OMG the Thursday 23/10 Robbo Ranx (but actually Seani B) set on 1xtra is fucking amazing - these are the first tracks and they're all great:

Voicemail – Salsa
Shaggy – Your Eyes
Elephant Man – We No Pet Dem
T.O.K –Won’t Stop
Wayne Marshall – Life Lessons
Cecile – Give It To Me
Ward 21 – Sickhead (Big Yard)
Tubby T – Ready She Ready (Big League)
Million Styles – Celebrate
T.O.K – One Night Stand
Sizzla – Whe Dem Wha
Bounty Killer – Sexual Healing
Vybz Cartel – Roll Deep
Vybz Cartel - Too Boasi (White)
Vybz Cartel – Good As Gal (White)
Sizzla – All Is Well (Greensleeves)

The first few are on the Salsa riddim. The Vybz Kartel tracks at the end are particularly awesome.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 01:24 (twenty years ago) link

lenky. dreamweaver.

― prima fassy (bob), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 02:41 (twenty years ago) link

I was about to say: DOUBLE OMG! Lenky's "Dreamweaver" riddim is utterly insane!!! This is the *real* sequel to Diwali.

it's later on in that mix I just mentioned.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 02:51 (twenty years ago) link

I like how Ele's "Blessed" goes from the psycho screams+blinding beats bits into these really uplifting quasi-conscious bits. But T.O.K.'s "Fire" is even better.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 02:52 (twenty years ago) link

i find dreamweaver v impressive but a bit hard to love. every piece on it is super tailored

ele one's great! but i've never really liked tok. who's is the one that starts "lenky, dem like it they like it, if they want let dem fight it"? that's a great one. chico continues to rule. oh god vybz is such a twat tho, first he hates on r kelly and now CIGARETTES wtf, what's really good!

lime cay riddim is terrific, the littoral to gallop's literal

― prima fassy (bob), Tuesday, 28 October 2003 09:50 (twenty years ago) link

I'm listening to Dreamweaver again and I have to say I really do totally love it - like Diwali it's both insane and yet totally uplifting. I hope Wayne Wonder does another drippy ballad on it.

I tend to like the super-tailored nature of Lenky's riddims, if only because it makes buying and actually listening to his riddim albums on a regular basis conceivable. Yeah Elephant Man's is my favourite again - love that descending bass riff in the intro. But all the versions I've heard are great (agreed on Vybz' subject matter but he always *sounds* so wonderful. Looking forward to his album).

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 05:31 (twenty years ago) link

The Dreamweaver is rocking my ass right now. "Blessed" from Elephant Man and "Visa" by Vybz Kartel (CIGARETTE SMOKE IS JUST NO GOOD) both work on different levels. The only riddim killing me like this is still Famine (No one hurt it harder than Lexxus on "Good Hole") or maybe Egyptian (Elephant Man will do any riddim, immediately, even though his performances sound the same. I'm cool with that).

Dancehall is great.

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 05:44 (twenty years ago) link

Prima, why dislike TOK? I love their singalong choruses. "Pengeleng", "Galang Gal" and "Dis Means War" are all great.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 06:32 (twenty years ago) link

Just a wee question: How many folks on this thread are from the UK? I have this theory about popular riddims in the UK vs popular riddims in other places (Canada, US, Germany, Italy, JA, etc.)

― cybele (cybele), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 15:32 (twenty years ago) link

it's like some next kevin martin wordsound shit!

is this supposed to be a good thing or a bad one? i loathe kevin martin and all that bollocks. incidentally, the word "howler" can mean different things to different people in different parts of the country, chip, dear boy. in any case it's merely a figure of speech. one question, though, why is vybz kartel a twat, precisely? i think you might find he's actually generally considered to be pretty damned decent, but hey...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 15:54 (twenty years ago) link

and go cybele, i'm interested to hear this. dancehall needs more theory!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 15:56 (twenty years ago) link

I'm Canadian.

I'd wager that most Americans favor Diwali.

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:26 (twenty years ago) link

Cybele I'm a brit and my fav three riddims this year are probably Bad Company, Sars and Hindu Storm. Do I fit the profile?

― Nathan W (Nathan Webb), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:31 (twenty years ago) link

Mine's Sars, Voom Voom and Egyptian

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

Somebody else knows Hindu Storm! I haven't heard any hindu storm cuts since, like, April though. Is anything floating about that I can find?

Also on closer inspection Vybz is saying he doesn't want cigarettes cos he wants more weed, which is reasonable I think.

Cybele I'm from Australia, I love long walks along sandy beaches, my Australian Idol vote was for Paulini, and my four favourite dancehall riddims of '03 are Wanted, Egyptian, Mudslide and Dreamweaver. But yeah what's the theory?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:27 (twenty years ago) link

What's the riddim with Vybz Kartel's "Roll Deep", Sizzla's "Whe Dem Wha" and Bounty Killer's "Sexual Healing" etc. Cos that's some amazing shit.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:09 (twenty years ago) link

it's still annoying holier-than-man dem reasoning! yeah he's a lovable twat, sly and wry but a bit of a curmudgeon. bit wary of being like everyone else. and i reckon he'd still take a cig off you anyway, that's the main thing

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 30 October 2003 09:15 (twenty years ago) link

"actually generally considered to be a pretty damn decent, but hey..."

haha keep scraping my barrel dave!

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 30 October 2003 09:28 (twenty years ago) link

i love you - you are, in fact, all i come here for

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 30 October 2003 13:44 (twenty years ago) link

it's 02, but the sledge riddim (lexxus's "face it" is all i've heard on it, thanks woebot.com) is total mitch music, yknow that 'diamond in the dirt', beautiful-ugly, signal vs. noise stuff - here it's strings shining bravely through oompa trumpet bass, gradually losing the will to continue - collapsing, detuned.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Thursday, 30 October 2003 18:46 (twenty years ago) link

WOEBOT has put together a nice little package of dancehall 7's to download - apologies if this has been mentioned before - i couldnt be bothered reading the thread.

http://www.woebot.com/

― jed (jed_e_3), Thursday, 30 October 2003 18:57 (twenty years ago) link

ching chong riddim = buggin!

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 31 October 2003 01:26 (twenty years ago) link

People, help a brother out.

What is the name of the riddim on "Badman Surprise" by Spragga Benz, Bounty Killer, Madd Cobra & Assassin, as well as Sean Paul's "Shake That Thing"? It's a burner.

AND

Anyone have a date on the next Elephant Man record?

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Saturday, 1 November 2003 22:00 (twenty years ago) link

dunno bout the date, but there's an enthusiastic review for it in the voice. i desire it.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Saturday, 1 November 2003 22:05 (twenty years ago) link

Rollie, that riddim is the "Surprise" riddim by Troytron. Everyone seems to rate it - I see what's nice about it but I've always found that it drags. Between "Buzz" ("Gimme the Light" etc.) and "Surprise", Troytron is setting himself up as the defender of electro minimalism in dancehall - his productions are all about minute shifts and variations on a repetitive riff/beat - but I find the shifts/variations in "Buzz" to be much more compelling, and it seems to inspire better DJ performances too.

I think Elephant Man is coming out in December. It was supposed to be out in September but was delayed for some reason. Which is a really bad idea in dancehall b/c it moves so quickly! He should definitely take the opportunity to put "Blessed" on there/.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 2 November 2003 00:32 (twenty years ago) link

I'd really like to hear more tracks using the riddim underneath Mr Vegas's "Tamale" - I can imagine it blowing up a lot like "Egyptian" did.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 2 November 2003 03:00 (twenty years ago) link

Hey has anyone heard Elephant Man's (INSANE) new Christmas single? I think it's called "Christmas A Bad Man Holiday" or something (that's how the chorus starts), and it's kinda like "Pon Di River Pon Di Bank", only to the tune of "Ding Dong Merrily On High" and with a great stomping riddim underneath.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 2 November 2003 03:45 (twenty years ago) link

New Ele album was slated for 12/2, last I heard.

― JS Williams (js williams), Sunday, 2 November 2003 06:16 (twenty years ago) link

omg that elephant man christmas song is amazing! i think it's called badman holiday on the badman holiday riddim.

― toby (tsg20), Sunday, 2 November 2003 16:42 (twenty years ago) link

you can hear a clip here:

http://www.soundquake.com/?page=shop/browse.php&svRiddim=Badman%20Holiday&

and the whole track's on slsk...

― toby (tsg20), Sunday, 2 November 2003 16:44 (twenty years ago) link

hey Bigger n Better Boss dude, that's elephant man's 'blase'. it's one of those one-off riddims i think tho, like 'tamale' or 'too boasi'

― prima fassy (bob), Monday, 3 November 2003 08:35 (twenty years ago) link

I love the Spanish Fly riddim so much! It's so chirpy and upbeat!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 03:33 (twenty years ago) link

i can't quite nail what it is about 'girls gone wild' riddim i like, something quite homely and retro rather than the flash of late but t stephens - 'girls need thuggin' rewls

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 09:42 (twenty years ago) link

something to do with the brown/blue label colour maybe

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 09:43 (twenty years ago) link

tim did u ever hear sizzla's one on baba (vybz banwagonist riddim), it was ripe for yr skykicking thing!

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 09:52 (twenty years ago) link

The only thing I've heard on that riddim is "bandwagonist" itself, and that like Spragga Benz'z "Move" is one of those fleeting tracks I loved on first sight and haven't heard since.

Some blogs noted that Sizzla's inclined to lose it and forget to come up with a tune - but I find even those tracks oddly fascinating, kinda like when you hear an 8-bar groove that totally doesn't work but you can't stop listening to it anyway.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 09:56 (twenty years ago) link

mm yeah this one's much like that, especially since the riddim itself is quite slick and frankly vybz owned it, he really defined it, so sizzla's strains just sounded that much more compelling. there is a chorus of sorts but it's more like an addled maunderer's madeleine rather than a structured refrain. puzzling to recognize where he's already been. but always mad catchy

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 10:28 (twenty years ago) link

cybele, what is your theory??

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 20:49 (twenty years ago) link

"addled maunderer's madeleine"

Yes! This is exactly what I love.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 13 November 2003 05:16 (twenty years ago) link

I like how Don Corleon's Trifecta (or Triflecta?) riddim is both quite obviously "Egyptian Part 2" and a deliberate attempt to out-mentalist the Sign riddim. Each time I think dancehall producers have taken these perverse counter-intuitive eastern vibes to their logical conclusion they rise the bar AGAIN.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:01 (twenty years ago) link

Check out the Sean Paul cut "Head Fi Toe" - astonishing!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:03 (twenty years ago) link

To whomever posted about the Ching Chong riddim where did you find it?

― Truth, Thursday, 20 November 2003 05:49 (twenty years ago) link

whomever, you dun know. ching chong's a funny one actually; i heard it on chris goldfinger's radio 1 show, which is usually a nice recap wash the dishes thing ut no one else anywhere is on it. dancehall's so desultory it's fascinating to see what sticks where, i can be a right ingram about it

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 20 November 2003 09:26 (twenty years ago) link

trifector's ok, i quickly get bored of the er throbby riddims (why pf why? i dunno) but there's some inspired xtra stuff on this one! the sparse sizzla one's ACE SKILL BRILL, haha ele spends about 5 seconds listening to the riddim and sez "right, horses please", tanto metro and dev is totally daft punk vocoder drama, daville's meltingly affectionate... i havent heard the vybz but it's totally predictable no?

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 20 November 2003 09:36 (twenty years ago) link

beenie/miss thing- dude is in the rap shops after def jamaica, i think it might blow!

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 20 November 2003 09:50 (twenty years ago) link

I think the Vybz one was pretty much what you'd expect, from memory. "Head Fi Toe" stands out like "Close To Me" stands out like "Feel Alright" stands out like "Get Busy" stands out. Something about Sean's singjay style manages to take the typical flow of the groove and stand it on its head.

If you mean "throbby" the way i think I don't think i could ever get sick of it! That's why I love Wanted riddim so much.

Apparently "Dude" is gonna be the first single off the new Beenie album. If so I'm really pleased - Tropical Storm was pretty disappointing and if Sean's success is anything to go by then straight dancehall is a better option than pasty-faced urban crossover stylings. Not to mention that "Dude" has one of the best chorus's ever, even if it's not actually Beenie's (for my money Baby Cham's performance on "Vitamin S" is better).

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:02 (twenty years ago) link

Riddim id please: Sizzla's "All Is Well". Which is another one of those "Sizzla as the Jamaican David Bryne" inspired moments.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 24 November 2003 08:14 (twenty years ago) link

to qualify my tossed-off remark re throb trubs: obv to disown the throb would be arch mentalism, i dont know if its valid to even make the distinction really... but with dancehall i guess i cleave towards singles-in-a-perfect-world or at least def versions or yeah usually just the anomalous; with throb riddims i guess i was thinking of when a riddim sounds especially amazing in series and flow and where the vocals are subbed and desirable in a sort of generic 'add 2tsp jamaican' way. here it's harder to find personalised memorable versions where they might well disrupt the lovely tyrrany of the beat. yeah i know viral hardcore continuum etc everyone hops and feeds, voracious carnival, thats fun in theory and er dancing and all, but...

sometimes of course it's a virtue when a mc brings the very best out of a throb, say kiprich's one on, oh was it salsa? i mentioned it above. vybz is interesting cos he is v v good at riding in, becoming percussive, and has managed to conflate this into (into, not with) a darting low-slung character. for inst look what he does to panty raid riddim on 'bad man'. but yeah me and throb riddims: 'sweet to the belly' vs egyptian

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 28 November 2003 13:42 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, i'll stick to chapped ellipsis

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 28 November 2003 13:44 (twenty years ago) link

oh i heard sars in the end, as sean said ages ago wayne wonder's spare version is really bewitching but what i like most is it's the only one where you can make out that faint murmuring on the normal dub, if it was called anything else i might take it for crowd noise, hubbub, idle chatter but on a SARS RIDDIM! oh it's ghastly! and behind w wonder's love forever swoons and the piercing emergency-respiration-beep chorus, oh! you see him alone in a leper ward serenading his dying love, unrecognisable only to him by now but she's beautiful, and he's not wearing a mask and he knows he will also die soon but no he'll be home soon. driven home in a somnambulance

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 28 November 2003 14:00 (twenty years ago) link

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 28 November 2003 14:03 (twenty years ago) link

*speechless*

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 28 November 2003 14:09 (twenty years ago) link

"with throb riddims i guess i was thinking of when a riddim sounds especially amazing in series and flow and where the vocals are subbed and desirable in a sort of generic 'add 2tsp jamaican' way. here it's harder to find personalised memorable versions where they might well disrupt the lovely tyrrany of the beat."

I suspect I'm much more enamoured of hearing multiple versions of riddims mixed together because that's pretty much the only way I hear new tracks so it's now the primary way I *experience* dancehall. And I think that's why something like Dreamweaver appeals to me more than maybe it does you - hearing the new element of the tailored riddim come in at the same time as the new DJ (bouncy piano for "Visa", strings for "Hot Like Fire", screams for "Blessed") makes the contrast within the "changing same" much more marked, and allows the mood of the set to shift while using the same riddim. Whereas it tends to prevent a definitive version from emerging.

That said I can totally sympathise with your preference. As I said just upthread I really like the fact that all of Sean Paul's tracks sound like one-offs.

I've yet to hear anything on Sars! There's never anything on Limewire.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 29 November 2003 00:38 (twenty years ago) link

my experience of dancehall is much the same tho, haha oh if i go on like i'm a shophed it's cos i'm too boasy = envious at slsk etc or simply to give a diff perspective. i'm a rap luva disgruntled at vinyl kulcha at its lowest ebb, and grime is hardly the black plastic whirlwind one would like it to be, frankly, so dancehall provides a certain solace. "i can be a right ingram about it". but i wouldnt want to give the impression i dont love the things you love, far from it; what's key here is the word that stuck most in my craw later once i posted, 'memorable', and how i might use a def version as a glyph for remembering that experiential rush. but before we fall down this tangent let us remind ourselves how much lenky looks like ned raggett, and back away slowly

funny u should mention dreamweaver cos as much as i felt blessed's intro chico's 'thick and thin' is by far my favourite now. more on that elsewhere

― prima fassy (bob), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:06 (twenty years ago) link

"the concept of the definitive text corresponds only to religion or exhaustion" yep aaaand yep!

― prima fassy (bob), Saturday, 29 November 2003 09:10 (twenty years ago) link

I'm gonna say stuff on all that later but can I interrupt proceedings to say: Elephant Man "Can't Stop We Now"!!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 1 December 2003 02:45 (twenty years ago) link

hm. counterruption!

― prima fassy (bob), Monday, 1 December 2003 04:44 (twenty years ago) link

my fave customisation of dreamweaver right now is assasin's "girls alone," just because of that squelchy 303 or whatever it is under the verses. it's very timbaland.

― rgeary (rgeary), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 09:26 (twenty years ago) link

that "one tump" rhythm is bonkers. it's like 2-step dancehall. wait! no, it's totally ska. haha, everyone seems to want to put laser sounds on it, appropriately. it makes my heart rate go up involuntarily.

― rgeary (rgeary), Tuesday, 2 December 2003 09:35 (twenty years ago) link

Mad Instruments Riddim = the new Coolie Dance surely (only with handclaps)? I mean that in the best possible sense.

Elephant Man's "Nah" in particular is great. I have a soft-spot again for T.O.K. ("Hotter Fire") though because they increasingly sound like some sort of South American marching band.

Fuck me I cannot BELIEVE the torrent of amazing stuff!!!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 02:39 (twenty years ago) link

Prima that site is invaluable! Serenade Riddim! And you were right about Ngozi too.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:12 (twenty years ago) link

Greensleeves should sell subscriptions to the riddim comps.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:15 (twenty years ago) link

it is IMPOSSIBLE to find any dancehall comps from this year around these parts. though i found the bollywood riddim album mixed with the metal comps.

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:17 (twenty years ago) link

Is the Vybz Kartel album supposed to be in stores? I've found other GS stuff, but none of the stores around here are carrying VK.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:18 (twenty years ago) link

Hot Girl Riddim! Wireless Riddim! etc. etc.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:40 (twenty years ago) link

BTW the riddim on Sizzla's "All Is Well" is apparently the Cool Face riddim.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:40 (twenty years ago) link

is now when i just admit i gave up in september?

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:41 (twenty years ago) link

tim is that sizzla tune kind of slow with an effect on his voice on the chorus?

― gaz (gaz), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:44 (twenty years ago) link

ah, no i'm thinking of something else, sorry

― gaz (gaz), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:46 (twenty years ago) link

Ice riddim is awesome.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:53 (twenty years ago) link

Jess - don't give up! It just keeps getting better!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 03:56 (twenty years ago) link

I just heard someone (was it Paul Sci-Fi?) big up myself, Zemko, Ingram and some others on the Robbo Ranx show! ROXOR!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 05:26 (twenty years ago) link

haha!

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 14:08 (twenty years ago) link

usually I check the archives, but since this was live thought it high time

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 14:13 (twenty years ago) link

i've lost my mix cd. :,,(

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 14:28 (twenty years ago) link

Tim: But hasn't there always been a torrent of amazing stuff?

― cybele (cybele), Wednesday, 3 December 2003 14:43 (twenty years ago) link

tsk zzzz cybele! you can't honestly say dancehall doesnt have a totally giddy larval carnival vibe right now that it didn't have b4. but yeah secretly i do pine for some old dark boomy 94 gullyness... which is when sopranos or new brain riddims come along and cater

ooh anyway i dunno about babycham stealing fiesta but he totally wins on d kelly's nu 'pretty pretty' fake fiesta riddim!

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 4 December 2003 00:18 (twenty years ago) link

(can be heard early on in goldfinger's resurgent bbc radio 1 show last week btw)

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 4 December 2003 00:20 (twenty years ago) link

also wireless riddim has harry toddler doing 'donkey kick' again

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 4 December 2003 00:28 (twenty years ago) link

tim otm re: em - "ycswn"

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Thursday, 4 December 2003 00:49 (twenty years ago) link

wireless riddim is unbelievable! it works great with creeper on that paradisevibes sampler too.

― rgeary (rgeary), Thursday, 4 December 2003 01:22 (twenty years ago) link

Cybele - Prima's post pretty much captures it. I didn't follow dancehall pre about 2000 and even then my knowledge up until '02 was sketchy, but in retrospect while I enjoyed it I don't think I really clicked with the dark electro-minimalism and gangsta-menace that seemed to dominate circa 99/00 (think "bellyas" - this may also be why I'm not so keen on "surprise").

The shift over 01/02 into this technicolour world of ALL PARTY ALL THE TIME mentalism is what has allowed me to embrace it so utterly - this is seriously and absolutely my favourite music right now. It plays to pretty much every one of my weaknesses, combining the energy and showmanship of hip hop with the anthemic accessibility of pop with the brazen and menacing sexuality of 2-step with the rhythmic danger of jungle with the hypnotic repetition of house or techno with (and maybe this is the most important part in terms of why dancehall *right now* seems so vital) a sort of unabashed and untempered joyfulness whose vehemence exceeds anything since the glory days of rave.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 4 December 2003 03:45 (twenty years ago) link

I love how any time any of the 1xtra DJs play Bling Dawg's "Propoganda" (on Dreamweaver) they have to replay the mental wail in the first few seconds over and over again.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:19 (twenty years ago) link

is robbery this year? recommend me some versions if poss.

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:25 (twenty years ago) link

father i will avenge you with x amount of hot tunes

man i have sorely underrated bare nose coolie riddim! bit like mad instr or coolie dance but better imo. please check the beenie man one, it's deranged, like a 50s african doowop ghost train! also tell me its name thnx

and butter riddim, the throbdrop is crazy

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 18 December 2003 13:57 (twenty years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Thunderclap riddim - search Vybz, Bounty and Elephant versions. It's a bit like a sequel to 20 Cent, though I've yet to find a version as good as Mad Cobra's "Lazy Gal". Elephant Man's is as crazy as you'd expect, mind - the fastest I've heard him rap, I think.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 13:37 (twenty years ago) link

OH MY GOD AMAZING RIDDIM ALERT: go listen to Seani B's set on 1xtra (www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/) - the first riddim he plays is awesome! Particularly Spragga Benz's "Guns & Girls" and Elephant Man's "Cant Gwaan a JA". Will try to find out what it's called - it sounds like hi-speed gamelan with rave whistles!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 13:55 (twenty years ago) link

Oh so this is the Ching-Chong riddim which has been mentioned before. It's still amazing though!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 13:58 (twenty years ago) link

More great stuff: Suncycle - You Know (don't know what the riddim is, but it's more alien drama plus pop choruses)

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 14:15 (twenty years ago) link

Tim OTM. Seani B's Mixlab show on 1xtra is the best radio show I know of at the moment.

ok I'm ultra late to the party but the Fiesta rhythm and the follow-up by the same guy ('Pretty Pretty' is it?) are both grebt.

An oldie but goodie = Bookshelf

― Jeff W (zebedee), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 17:44 (twenty years ago) link

Is Pretty Pretty just the muddier sounding version of Fiesta with the guitar bit? I like it but it lacks Fiesta's sparkliness a bit.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 00:07 (twenty years ago) link

sounded quite nice for christmas tho

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 02:29 (twenty years ago) link

i think "famine" and "kashmir" might be my fave riddims from last year, all things considered. i knew i was un-pop at heart.

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 02:31 (twenty years ago) link

1. famine
2. pharoah
3. kashmir
4, egyptian
5. bollywood
6. clappas
7. sars
8. coolie dance
9. sign
10. cure (ha ha)

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 02:35 (twenty years ago) link

Famine's pretty pop though Fiddo. Not as pop as Rebirth, but pop. (I would think you'd love Rebirth though!)

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 12:13 (twenty years ago) link

chrome riddim is triffic too, do check the beenie and bounty killer in particular. ninja man - 'modern' on senseless sounds totally dj/rupture, so there's another one for u fiddo! also why has no one followed me up for lime cay (key?) riddim, c'mon dudes you trust me right?

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 12:37 (twenty years ago) link

wait fiddo u were first with panty raid riddim, i think i prefer that one better than the ones on yr list. u no like?

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 12:41 (twenty years ago) link

Prima I don't have that much choice over which riddims I get to hear. I'm sure Lime Cay is great though.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 13:09 (twenty years ago) link

yeah my sympathies, but you could always just dig a lil bit harder

;)

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 13:36 (twenty years ago) link

oop, soz. HARDER

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 13:38 (twenty years ago) link

(i just found that thru google just now btw, so don't even try it with me!)

― prima fassy (bob), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 13:45 (twenty years ago) link

sorry I'm slow to post, but Cobra "Whappen To Dat?" (Ching Chong riddim) and Assasin "We A Bad From" (Lime Cay riddim) are personal faves, at least enough to run out to Beat Street in Brooklyn during the mad pre-Xmas kaos to buy on 45s along with too many but almost enough others!

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 19:05 (twenty years ago) link

haha yeah the cure riddim.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 19:16 (twenty years ago) link

Tim, you should be getting your arse down to the More Fire nights at Deep 11... the guy who puts on that night imports a couple of hundred 7's from Jamaica every fortnight, so it tends to be quite fresh.

― OCP (OCP), Wednesday, 7 January 2004 23:47 (twenty years ago) link

way cool paul! but you gots to run out and get the mad cobra lime cay too, i've raved on that so long it's practically my theme tune

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 8 January 2004 12:33 (twenty years ago) link

Okay I'll listen to Lime Cay when I get home then! Sorry for not being vigilant enough Prima!

"Tim, you should be getting your arse down to the More Fire nights at Deep 11... "

I've always *meant* to go to More Fire, I just never get around to it.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 9 January 2004 01:28 (twenty years ago) link

Prima those samples of Lime Cay sound good but I can't really get a feel for it from them to be honest. I think I need to hear a full version or a string of tracks in the mix. The Assassin one is nice though.

Currently I'm really liking Fear Factor riddim - Elephant Man interpolates "La Isla Bonita"! And that sly flute in the background is intoxicating. Half the DJs seem compelled to do these odd but addictive descending-note raps (a la the "Sexy ladies..." bit in "Get Busy") on it, like they're being deflated. (see here). Oh oh oh! The mix on there has this great instrumental section at the end with some sexy spanish guitar! Yes!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 9 January 2004 11:55 (twenty years ago) link

Ha ha so many of these riddims now sound like surgical splices - marmalade riddim is definitely the bastard offspring of egyptian and sign. Is it Alozade who does the second rap on the mix on the Paradise Vibes site?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 9 January 2004 12:10 (twenty years ago) link

I suspect that Prima will be a bit peeved at me for this, but:

BHANGRA MIX OF BEENIE MAN'S "DUDE" - YES!!!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:01 (twenty years ago) link

you big silly. i'm always ready to have the smirk wiped off my face

bit braindamaged after hearing sizzla over mark ronson 'ooh wee' yesterday, mind

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:13 (twenty years ago) link

if it's not too forward: i eagerly await your hearing qv weaver

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:15 (twenty years ago) link

bhangra mix is exactly what you'd expect - big anthemic party music ahoy!

ah so you *are* rob them co! I thought there couldn't be two insufferably knowledgable dancehall smart alecs on spizzazzz. 'Spesh after the "Sweet to da Belly" reference.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:17 (twenty years ago) link

i'm not sure about your emphasis on dancehall's selfcannibalism, not more so than like, rap say. i mean ok the riddim torrent def makes it seem that way but it's frequently less opportunist than something like usher 'yeah'

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:19 (twenty years ago) link

big up original Rascal revealer !:
Pop-Eye 1/9/02

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:23 (twenty years ago) link

That's true but I think it's more noticeable with dancehall than it otherwise would be because you can so easily separate the riddim from the songs - you can more easily trace the line of sonic swiping because you don't have vocals and choruses getting in the way. I should clarify that I really enjoy the surgical splicing aspect though - marmalade is great!

"Yeah" is super-opportunist but all the better for it. I love the idea of R&B blatantly stealing from crunk to stay relevant.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:24 (twenty years ago) link

hm for me only the time-related closeness makes things obvious, but i dont quite hear the surgery, it feels er organic albeit in a hyperaccelerated timelapse photography way. i mean course i like the theft too, but 'yeah' took me a while to get into just cos of the numbing blatant rip of youngbloodz 'damn'. i like it now which is good cos it's gonna be HUUUGE

unrelated really but i really liked dave kelly actually sampling the ratatat intro of brainless riddim to use on pretty pretty, v slight but that doesnt happen often

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:35 (twenty years ago) link

(shucks paul, wrong thread but i was gonna ask you are there any other ike yard releases apart from 'a second' and 'night after night'! also do u know what happened to the argabright reissue program or should i ask ingram)

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:38 (twenty years ago) link

I guess it's in certain specific sounds or approaches cropping up - that slightly wooshing sound on the kick in Marmalade makes me vibe straight back to 20 Cent. It doesn't sound really obvious except I think I've listened to all of these grooves so much that I've internalised them and now they all seem to reference eachother in my head.

The splicing thing was just about the way you get some riddims which seem determined to fit in as many different popular tricks as possible. Why just have tablas when you can also have sitars, rave synths, flutes, spanish guitar, flaring strings, booming bass and rattling snares *as well*?

It was a slow week in my singles review column the other week and I wanted to just write about "Yeah" and how inescapable it was destined to be, but my editor made me write about the worst singles of '03 instead, which was much less fun.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:41 (twenty years ago) link

then again i dunno if i would ever see dancehall surgically apart from maybe lenky, maybe i have a patronising jamaican arcadian bricoleur thing i should get seen to

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:42 (twenty years ago) link

(totally off-topic) is it just me or is Beenie Man quoting a lot of Elephant Man's tunes at the moment? It seems like an odd move considering his stated objective is replace him as King.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:44 (twenty years ago) link

"Why just have tablas when you can also have sitars, rave synths, flutes, spanish guitar, flaring strings, booming bass and rattling snares *as well*?"

haha qv weaver is on soundquake, is there any chance u can fit some gushing in today in the next 20 minutes!

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:45 (twenty years ago) link

is this for beat mag btw, your stuff is a bitch to find on there?

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:47 (twenty years ago) link

It's in the 100% section where all the dance and hip hop is. But it's not very good anyway so don't try too hard.

Okay I'm going to look for this qv weaver thingy now.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:49 (twenty years ago) link

i like the beat stuff! tho hardly surpising that i like it when u get bitchy

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 14:54 (twenty years ago) link

Ha ha the QV version of "Blessed" is great! I wish I had better sound quality 'cos underneath the static and ele's overly loud voice on the file the groove sounds smashing. The Dude remix is on similar lines actually. "Hot Like Fire" sounds really good too. I guess they all would be.

I now hope that every dancehall track ever gets a bhangra remix* - it could be like the equivalent of America's obligatory Thunderpussy Extended Remix on every 12"!

* Okay maybe that wouldn't actually be such a good idea.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:01 (twenty years ago) link

AH but you are so right about Pickney's "Naa Force You" - bizarre! Brill mixture of stripped back darkness and total exotico weirdness a la Cashmere/Kashmir. And Pickney sounds insane. Need to hear a full version of this.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:11 (twenty years ago) link

i'm so glad, it's exactly the sort of illstarred b-side curio that i was banging on about re throb riddims. like some walter gibbons waylay, only blessedly coltish

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:36 (twenty years ago) link

gibbons, see i've still got donkey kong on the brain

― prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 15 January 2004 15:38 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah I do know what you mean - with "Naa Force You" my reaction is, "well, do i even *want* to hear any of the other DJs' versions?". But because my intro to most dancehall is by hearing the versions back to back I'm kinda preprogrammed to expect and enjoy the continuity.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:31 (twenty years ago) link

(altho having said that, that chrome riddim is very fun to dig about in! tons of interestingness, sizzla turkish, bounty killer spiky, chico melo, bling dawg... god probly every single one kinda different. so er yeah i love this one for the continuity too)

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 16 January 2004 07:35 (twenty years ago) link

One of my favourite dancehall tracks of late has come completely out of nowhere it's called "Girls Alone" by Assassin, which I found on a Strictly the Best comp (vol. 31, I think). It has a stomping, heavy sound with squelchy synths and overdriven steel drum sounds. I can't put my finger on the reason, but it sounds quite unique when put up against most '03 dancehall. Maybe it's that it's the only version

Of course nothing tops Ward 21's "Petrol." The construction of this track is so ingenious -- the contrasting tonal and rhythmic schemes of the two voices, the reintroduction of simple melodic elements at key points. Brilliant!

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Friday, 16 January 2004 08:07 (twenty years ago) link

hi f-o-s! dunno if u mean the only version that sounds particularly like that or on that cd but that's dreamweaver riddim by lenky, who you are right, has a v distinctive sound. i'm quite shocked a dreamweaver riddim album hasn't come out actually! u can hear soem more here tho:

http://www.yardbeat.com/index.php?12&backPID=12&swords=dream%20weaver

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 16 January 2004 08:32 (twenty years ago) link

i know tim smashed it with the david byrne thing, but when i said sizzla turkish i realised: david bowie - yassassin!!

"i'm - not a moody guy! but such a life i've never knooown"

― prima fassy (bob), Friday, 16 January 2004 08:35 (twenty years ago) link

Ha ha Sizzla fits so many absurd comparisons (or comparisons with the absurd?). Didn't Sterling compare him to Bertolt Brecht and Jarvis Cocker in the same sentence?

I wouldn't be surprised if a dreamweaver riddim album was still set to come out. Egyptian was released, what, six months after it first surfaced? Or maybe Lenky's planning some special producer release given his raised profile. Although if he doesn't hurry up he'll come back to find Don Corleon's totally stolen his thunder.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 16 January 2004 13:20 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, I realized I hadn't finished my sentence until after I'd hit "submit." Thanks for IDing the riddim in question!

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Saturday, 17 January 2004 08:07 (twenty years ago) link

one month passes...

a-ha-hand so dreamweaver riddim lp emerges on vp records, including 4 qv mixes

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 10:21 (twenty years ago) link

(and not the best qvs either grumble grumble)

― diva fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 10:25 (twenty years ago) link

about bloody time. I actually found dreamweaver riddims on Limewire prior to this album's release, which says "tardy" better than anything else I can think of.

Still have mad love for it though, spesh "Blessed" and "Hot Like Fire".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 26 February 2004 11:07 (twenty years ago) link

it's supposewdly been out for a few weeks, but so far I haven't found any shop in London with a copy in stock. I've found all three of the post-"Dreamweaver" releases in the Riddim Driven series but not "Dreamweaver" itself. Grrrr

― Jeff W (zebedee), Thursday, 26 February 2004 11:15 (twenty years ago) link

I actually think the Diwali-Dreamweaver-? is one of the more interesting precipices in music right now. Maybe I'm just an ignoramus but I can't think of much that actually sounds like these grooves and I can't wait to see where Lenky or some other enterprising producer might take it next. That's why Dreamweaver is still so compelling (and likewise for Diwali such a long time down the track) - it feels like sonic frontier music.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 26 February 2004 11:20 (twenty years ago) link

so are the first batch of this years riddims hitting the shops now (or at least getting their proper releases)? the names dont fill me with too much anticipation - blackout, chrome, chronic, crystal clear, danger zone [though if this samples kenny loggins all bets are off], grindin [surely this can't be 2004?], perilous, qv, project x, celebration, red alert, ying.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 13:47 (twenty years ago) link

i'd reply to tim's post but continuum talk is really fucking hard for me! somehow my sympathies right now definitely lie more with the qv tho, maybe a regress into more er natural sounds but retaining the kinesis and notional mash? less tech... but then something hot will always come along to disprove me

those riddims are struggling to reach 7s just recently, i guess february would always be a fallow time but there's a bit of tetchy stagnance about. not sure what strongo means by 'proper releases' but don't hold your breath for riddim lps, besides chrome

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:55 (twenty years ago) link

grindin's just a name sadly, i got all excited too! it's a bit art of noise that one with sort of robotic swoony voices, like... like downcast yul brynner android cowboys gunfighting at the ok chorale!

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:59 (twenty years ago) link

of course qv is lenky too tho, so... i suppose he looks more like arthur baker than ned

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 15:03 (twenty years ago) link

omg, vybz's "picture me and you" is u&k!!

riddim okay, but the chorus!:

"picture me and you/you and me/k-i-s-s-i-n-g/picture me and you/under the tree/f-u-c-k-i-n-g"

he then goes on to mimic chingy and reference nesquik chocolate milk.

i weep bitter tears over "grindin" (though it sounds pretty good by yr description.)

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 15:14 (twenty years ago) link

thats ok, i'm still weeping over what danger zone might have been. damn you maverick etc

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 15:27 (twenty years ago) link

actually rereading this thread i reserve my bitterest tears for the fact one tump riddim never saw light. stupid jamaicans

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 15:35 (twenty years ago) link

wtf is wrong with you people?? how can anyone honestly be more interested in fucking bonnie prince billy or ryan adams or any of the other shit ilm seems contented with these days???

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:13 (twenty years ago) link

Bonnie Prince Billy's versioning over the Kris Kristofferson Riddim is u & k OMG!!!!!

My favourite 2004 riddims are both Soca - the Cello (massive low cello moans, Soca goes Goth, mmmmm) and Trample (EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS). Dancehall-wise it's all about Blackout this 5 minutes - pitter-pattering pink elephants.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:33 (twenty years ago) link

tico i downloaded both those soca tracks you put on the rolling 2004 singles thread and was affronted.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:34 (twenty years ago) link

hey I'm back on slsk so I'm working on it mr hulkington (but am trying to d/l sun city girls albs too, but that's not v ILM either).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:35 (twenty years ago) link

Yes I'm treading a lonely path on this one. My sweet tooth and I are very happy though.

hold on does that mean you d/led "Anita Dick"?? I even put a disclaimer on that one!

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:37 (twenty years ago) link

i think so! mostly i am thinking of the one that refs "take on me" (or did i hallucinate that?)...i kept expecting a b-list celebrity to come out and start chatting me up about a cruise line.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:39 (twenty years ago) link

No no that one was on PopNose too! Don't download "Anita Dick", then. Or the one that's an advert for the West Indies cricket team over really naff 80s piano house.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:41 (twenty years ago) link

b-but that one sounds great!

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:42 (twenty years ago) link

yo if we get too meta we'll have the experts in saying how yah dahling they totally agree and dancehall, nay, jamaica itself is 4ever fab and guitars suck and oh whoops! never mentioning any tunes

― prima fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:47 (twenty years ago) link

and sigh yeah i have no good nu tunes to recommend just now

― prima fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:48 (twenty years ago) link

yeah i was downloading a bunch of stuff but the prick signed off

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:49 (twenty years ago) link

damn was just gonna ask for something like a top 5 riddim thingy.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:50 (twenty years ago) link

eh yr probably better off waiting, julio...prima's right that it's all semi-boring clonk-clonk stuff around right now

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:53 (twenty years ago) link

grr ok!!! i'm piqued, gimme 3 hours for some rice and peas action at the usual spot

― prima fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:56 (twenty years ago) link

ok well Trample on queue.

x-post: er, does this mean you're fapping prima?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:58 (twenty years ago) link

poss ten thirty-ish yeah

off to work i go 4 now

― prima fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:02 (twenty years ago) link

Best Trample tune is Faye Ann Lyons - "Lose Your Way" I think.

My favourite Blackout one is Sean Paul having a go at it - "Bounce It Right There" I think it's called, it should be a single, better than that Sasha one anyway.

I'll tell you what I want to hear and that's some really stern conscious stuff, especially since the whole rest of London is at a FAP and I'm not.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:03 (twenty years ago) link

d/l blackout as we speak and therefore not at london fap yet.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:20 (twenty years ago) link

struggling to find the vybz one jess reps but i like the s paul best so far of the blackouts. vybz has 2 on this one grr

― prima_fassy (mwah), Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:40 (twenty years ago) link

tom, for new soca riddims check for the dhol riddim (i've only heard two tracks on it, a straight female soca thing and the mega banton/soca guy one-- it's got plain/real-sounding calypso drumming and thudding electro drums and a flickery little synth line thing.) and the road riddim (fast, standard soca riddim but lots of horns) and the drunk man riddim.

― William Wiggins, Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:53 (twenty years ago) link

and totally find the new denise belfon/lexxus - jump track. i think you would like it and it's an amazing song.

― William Wiggins, Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:55 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah the Dhol is really good, I think non-Soca people would like it actually as it's quite rawly rhythmic for the genre). I think I've got a couple of the other ones you mentioned, I have a backlog of about 12 tunes I downloaded in a frenzy and haven't had time to sit and listen properly too, how could I resist a Drunk Man Riddim though?

Another good straightforward one is Gone Against, again quite 80s sounding with lots of shimmery little plinks and twangs. "Talkers" is the best tune on that but I forget the vocalist, one of the women who does quite a lot.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 26 February 2004 20:07 (twenty years ago) link

(There's another one on Gone Against too which is called "PMS", it is awful, like a really bad 'un-PC' stand-up guy.)

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 26 February 2004 20:08 (twenty years ago) link

drunk man riddim doesn't seem very soca to me. it reminds me of very sweet and fun 80s dancehall and is very easy to move to. the little flexes of ascending violin are what make it.

i'm not sure i've heard anything on gone against.

― William Wiggins, Thursday, 26 February 2004 20:20 (twenty years ago) link

vybz's "picture me and you" is u&k!!

Robbo played it on his Thursday show 1XTRA just now!

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 26 February 2004 21:00 (twenty years ago) link

that vybz cut that jess talks abt is really great: did manage to follow the i-n-gs for a bit but have always been terrible at following the words (all to do with delivery): of the 14 cuts I d/l, sean paul, vybz's and sizzla too were excellent but I didn't think there were any particurlar duds.

will get on to dhol during the weekend.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 27 February 2004 16:08 (twenty years ago) link

gone against is very pleasant. i remember hearing sherline's falking men song on the radio last saturday. she sings very softly and beautifully and everything fits together.

i got that pms one, too, which you were right about.

― William Wiggins, Friday, 27 February 2004 20:55 (twenty years ago) link

re: the dreamweaver talk upthread, what are everyone's fav cuts? I've not heard that many but I absolutely love Vybz's track 'Visa' (esp. the "Cigarette smoke is just no good/I am just a ganja man...."

Sean Paul's track "Big It Up" on Dinner Fish has been a recent favourite also (old as I'm sure it is; I bought my copy in November then forgot about it. I'm always rather behind the times as far as dancehall is concerned, so it's bound to be quite a bit older!

rocking Vegas' "Hands In the Air", too. Not sure what the riddim's called but it's overtly Bhangra styled, haven't heard anything else on it but I'm keen to discover some more!

also: my fav dancehall tune of the last....ages...has gotta be TOK's "Tell Me If U Can". One of their cheesier tunes, over the top high pitched rnb style vocals, etc. but as always flouting something typically aggresively....male, I suppose (falsetto chorus, "I'm not looking for a girl to be the only one in my world/AllI want to do is have some fun/And then come back to you/TEEEELLLLL MEEEEEEE IT'S OKKAYYYYYYYY...". On the Fresh Ear label, again I'm not sure of the riddim and I haven't heard anything else on it.

TOK s&d?

― OCP (OCP), Saturday, 28 February 2004 11:17 (twenty years ago) link

chico dreamweaver 'thick and thin' 4EVER WITH ALL MY HEART

― prima fassy (mwah), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:13 (twenty years ago) link

Chico is my alltime fave singjay so of course I luv "Thick And Thin", but my other top Dreamweaver is Assasin - "Girls Alone"
also love T.O.K. - "F.I.R.E."

― Paul (scifisoul), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:30 (twenty years ago) link

yay mine too!

― prima fassy (mwah), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:04 (twenty years ago) link

Salsa - Dreamweaver - Trifecta - Mad Instruments

makes the past 6 months an especially golden sequence for dancehall since many great cuts on each riddim (see all chat above!)

― Paul (scifisoul), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:35 (twenty years ago) link

my fave Chico is "The Man Is Yours" on Jeremy Harding's Medina riddim from way back in '98

rocks my world: witness the majesty!

― Paul (scifisoul), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:41 (twenty years ago) link

i wouldnt know, i only got into dancehall this year to fuck stelfox off

(JOKE)

ooh have u seen mad instruments on 7s! i'm waiting on the ele, vrooom

― prima fassy (mwah), Saturday, 28 February 2004 22:01 (twenty years ago) link

haha!

prima if you're telling a joke then do the winky emoticon:

;-)

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 28 February 2004 23:23 (twenty years ago) link

I want the T.O.K. ! word is early March (soon)

― Paul (scifisoul), Sunday, 29 February 2004 00:32 (twenty years ago) link

more weird new riddims! example - check Spragga Benz on Drama riddim:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tracklistings/silverstar/silverstartracks.shtml

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 21:23 (twenty years ago) link

I love "Picture You & Me" is great but I might just prefer Ele on the same (awesome!) riddim interpolating "Staying Alive". What's the riddim called?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 5 March 2004 05:07 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, I like Gone Against a lot too. I also wanna grap more Heart Attack rhythm, all I have right now is "Milk & Honey", whcih is great.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Friday, 5 March 2004 05:24 (twenty years ago) link

tim - it's the blackout riddim.

― etc, Friday, 5 March 2004 10:01 (twenty years ago) link

btw, I have a friend who wants a comp with only female MCs - any particular tracks I should look out for?

― etc, Friday, 5 March 2004 10:06 (twenty years ago) link

haha yeah that staying alive bit is good. great way to end a riddim alb.

yesterday I got hold of the dremeaweaver riddim. I like nicky b on that as well.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 5 March 2004 10:40 (twenty years ago) link

where did you get it from, Julio?

― Jeff W (zebedee), Friday, 5 March 2004 11:15 (twenty years ago) link

oh slsk jeff.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 5 March 2004 11:38 (twenty years ago) link

revive!

red alert riddim synth slabs is goody, senseless is really nice too (thanks to prima for recommendations).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 12 March 2004 17:18 (twenty years ago) link

ah but who indeed can say if they really were recommendations, maybe i ws picking random tunes to be abstract writerly about

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 12 March 2004 20:59 (twenty years ago) link

oo yeah julio check red rat riddim, if one squints ones ears u can almost pretend it's milford graves doing session work!

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 12 March 2004 21:03 (twenty years ago) link

suely no one would ever accuse you of abstraction.

slsk is not giving up the goods these days. i may actually have to venture into a store or two this weekend in nyc.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 12 March 2004 21:08 (twenty years ago) link

my favorite new soca riddim i've heard is abduction (i'm ninety-nine percent sure it's 2004). the denise belfon track, with a robot voice announcing the name of the riddim at the start, is the best one, but i'm not sure the name of her track. it has all these overworked drums and what i think of as a real, proper soca beat. and her voice is so deep and strong and she wants a man who can work from sunset until it is dawning.

i really want to hear the snow cone riddim because it has a cool name and soup riddim, for the same reason.

― William Wiggins, Friday, 12 March 2004 21:36 (twenty years ago) link

Anyone heard the Soca 24-7 rhythm? I only have one track (Rusty-"Pull Over") and it's this great half-circus/half-happy hardcore-y thing.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Friday, 12 March 2004 21:55 (twenty years ago) link

WW, I have that Denise Belfon track labeled as "Fu Wukaman".

Does anyone know what rhythm Augusta's "Stupidity" is?

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Friday, 12 March 2004 21:59 (twenty years ago) link

gone against!

― William Wiggins, Friday, 12 March 2004 22:05 (twenty years ago) link

soca mix down, which has all of the soca riddims mentioned so far, i think.

― William Wiggins, Friday, 12 March 2004 22:07 (twenty years ago) link

dirty south is crazy!

― William Wiggins, Friday, 12 March 2004 22:08 (twenty years ago) link

Bang Bang is really great too.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Friday, 12 March 2004 22:11 (twenty years ago) link

god i can still not get my head around most soca

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 12 March 2004 22:30 (twenty years ago) link

Try Busy Tone, it's a little less violently upbeat, more dancehall-y. Luta's "Land of My Birth" is real good.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Friday, 12 March 2004 22:35 (twenty years ago) link

(ww = sean g? if so where's a good spot to cop soca, i know of an okay place in shepherds bush but otherwise...)

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 12 March 2004 22:49 (twenty years ago) link

clarity: abstract ego vs limp-id haw haw

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 12 March 2004 22:52 (twenty years ago) link

jess: red alert and senseless are available on slsk, so is drama but not the one with mad cobra on vocals.

I really wanna buy some of this stuff now so I'm prob gonna start rec shopping, just have to make the time.

thanks to ww.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 12 March 2004 23:42 (twenty years ago) link

"ah but who indeed can say if they really were recommendations, maybe i ws picking random tunes to be abstract writerly about"

Prima I hope you didn't take my comment on yer blog to heart!

+ I thought WW=DK.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 14 March 2004 12:45 (twenty years ago) link

i've been downloading a bit of dancehall, esp lady saw. my fave tune of her - though i don't know when it was released - "is strange feelin"

― jesus nathalie (nathalie), Sunday, 14 March 2004 13:59 (twenty years ago) link

right, i'm not sean g and don't know where to buy soca records in london.

― William Wiggins, Sunday, 14 March 2004 18:49 (twenty years ago) link

oh. but... the email addy?? ok whatev

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 15 March 2004 14:07 (twenty years ago) link

still digging the Cure riddim with Ce'Cile DJing. pretty good piece on dancehall in Salon this weekend

― ken taylrr, Monday, 15 March 2004 20:09 (twenty years ago) link

*in own wor;d and ignoring rest of thread*
hurrah, found a copy at last. It's magnificent, natch.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 12:15 (twenty years ago) link

in own *world*, I meant to type...

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 12:18 (twenty years ago) link

oh if u like cure riddim, do also try hormone riddim sometime

cecile cux tho

― prima fassy (mwah), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 12:52 (twenty years ago) link

cux or sux?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:11 (twenty years ago) link

cigh.

― prima_fassy (mwah), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:16 (twenty years ago) link

prima cecile is good! d00d!!!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:21 (twenty years ago) link

ahh fool that i am for glossing over vybz 'send on'! this mustve been the last good tune vybz did... it just aches. like it's this boasy pastorale to weed but vybz is too smart to not know better, just the intro i mean he does this dialogue to himself of all his sly catchphrases etc and you wonder cos he goes on just too long just slightly monotonous. but then it dawns on him, drips down his back and freezes halfway: "i told them i never went to high school (why you do that?) but i went to school high (ok) [deep pause] time...less. [far away now, weak] (you know...)" [BEAT DROPS LIKE IT WALKS IN ON HIM] now u might not know vybz always says "timeless", the cocky fuck, but the way it comes out here is ohhhh! SEND SEND SEND SEND ON, SEND ON AND NEVER HANG ON show me a better song of addiction i dare cos u there isn't one

― prima fassy (mwah), Sunday, 21 March 2004 02:30 (twenty years ago) link

except he's still dropping peerless zingers like "lenky get higher than the martians on mars/ milky way galaxy stars /that's why you only get 8 bars"

― prima fassy (mwah), Sunday, 21 March 2004 02:42 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah I love that tune to death - so emotional!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 21 March 2004 12:31 (twenty years ago) link

sen on is a great track - and it is "sen on", not "send". the original 7 was misprinted, as very often happens. still, it makes sense either way. i also really like tanya stephens on that rhythm - can't remember exactly what the track's called - ready fi me, or something similar?
loving the french vanilla right now, too. greensleeves will be putting the album out and it looks like it'll be pretty strong but for now i only have tanya, ward 21 and alozade.
anyway, i only dropped in here to refer to something cybele (one of the few people here who has anything useful to say about this music) said on this thread and am leaving again.
however i have to add, fassy, that i'm not even using these boards any more and will have no impact on your life whatsoever (unless you buy any of the newspapers i write for), so would you please keep your sarcastic, effete, unpleasant and, i'll say it again, creepy comments about me to yourself.
i don't know what the hell your obsession with me is, but get over it. for the record, i don't have much of one with you. in fact, when you're not right under my nose, i really couldn't care less about you - get it?
*sigh* i just wish this worked the other way round.
anyway, you're still not man enough to say anything to my face, so just shut it, okay?
if you do suddenly find a spine, you can mail me at the address below and we can sort this out. i don't like antipathy and confrontation, even with people i have no respect for. it's a waste of my time, so i'd rather resolve whatever the issue is. again, i don't have one with you if you just pack this shit in.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:04 (twenty years ago) link

For the first time in a while I listened to a good long stretch of Bobby/Jabba/MassiveB on H97 last night. Was anyone listening?

I heard some interesting tracks:

Vybz K riding the updated "I'm Still In Love" riddim.
I think it was Elephant Man on a remix of the Usher track "yeah" (speeded up about 4-5 bpms).
And also a remix of YingYang's "salt shaker", but I couldn't recognize the dj's.

Anyone seen these tracks released anywhere? I was wondering if the reggae scene is becoming more like hip hop with white label "exclusives" (dubplates not withstanding) circulating among dj's, and offered in limited quantitys at certain record stores.

I know the remix for "get low" was official and all, but was just wondering about the others. Who knows, maybe they were just mixing acappella versions over the instrumentals?

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Monday, 22 March 2004 15:06 (twenty years ago) link

check Robbo's Monday show archive of this week for some great post-Mad Instruments Soca-ragga riddims - + rave bass flava in effect!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/1xtra_aod.shtml?dancehall_mon

from Vybz "Call Mi Fi Dweet" onwards

and I swear when I tuned in live I heard a snatch of "this one goes out to the ILM massive" or did I? haven't got back to that point later in the show yet

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 25 March 2004 16:25 (twenty years ago) link

oh, fuck it i'll dive in again. the usher refix is not elephant man, it's baby cham. sadly, to the best of my knowledge, it isn't even being released. i do have it and it's pretty wicked, but it's not sped up, to my ear. the beats are just a lot spikier and compacted - there's more going on in each bar and the great bass drop on the offbeat works brilliantly with lil jon's massive synth walls. i've been playing it non-stop, although baby cham's toasts actually sound quite sluggish and lazy and his presence mainly consists of that daft "wah-waaaah!" phrasing of his. and you're spot-on paul, that show was great. really enjoyable and made being chained to the word processor writing the TOK piece pretty bearable.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:08 (twenty years ago) link

Nina Sky's "Move Your Body" (on Coolie Dance) is great - I never thought that riddim could sound so *eerie* as it does here!

Stelfox I *still* have to finish making you a cd! I officially suxor.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 26 March 2004 04:40 (twenty years ago) link

tim i just got the french vanilla rhythm album, try limewire for a couple of tracks on this rhythm you'll like it

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 11:34 (twenty years ago) link

isnt french vanilla a bit... gay?

― jeremy jordan (cruisy), Friday, 26 March 2004 11:43 (twenty years ago) link

bun effete effete man

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 26 March 2004 11:47 (twenty years ago) link

fassy, as ever your wit and mental acuity dazzles me. all this attention really flatters me. obviously, i do understand that you'd know much better than me what words mean (i'm only a professional writer, after all), but does "effete" mean gay to you? if so, i suggest you buy yourself a dictionary.
anyway tosspot derailments aside, french vanilla is a good rhythm if you like acoustic guitars, bubbling bong noises and all sorts of backwards bits, etc. the beat kicks, too. saying it's gay is a bit daft - the more flamboyant dancehall gets, the better it is for my money.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 12:08 (twenty years ago) link

fassy, as ever your wit and mental acuity dazzles me. all this attention really is more than i deserve. obviously, i do understand that you'd know much better than me what words mean (i'm only a professional writer, after all), but does "effete" mean gay to you? if so, i suggest you buy yourself a dictionary.
anyway tosspot derailments aside, french vanilla is a good rhythm if you like acoustic guitars, bubbling bong noises and all sorts of backwards bits, etc. the beat kicks, too. saying it's gay is a bit daft - the more flamboyant dancehall gets, the better it is for my money.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 12:11 (twenty years ago) link

oh i havent actually heard it

― jeremy jordan (cruisy), Friday, 26 March 2004 12:22 (twenty years ago) link

in that case, i'm completely lost

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 12:24 (twenty years ago) link

daaaave did u get woebot to delete his comments box like u did your farewell thread? dont think i didnt see u not caring about me there! sigh. you are a very special chap.

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 26 March 2004 12:46 (twenty years ago) link

i wanted that thread deleted because i didn't want it to become a mass diss of robin - i don't mind a good argument, but i do object to being associated with a really unpleasant, thuggish character assasination of someone who didn't even pitch up to defend himself (and why would the poor guy after 300+ posts tearing him to fucking pieces). regardless how much he pissed me off he didn't deserve that and i've told him as much in person.
as far as i was concerned, asking for it to be deleted was the decent thing to do.
as regards you, i really don't know what the hell i've done to spark your vindictive little campaign... as regards the comments on matt's site, yeah they were about you, but only because you've turned yourself into the poster boy for everything i find loathesome about this attenuated internet-based, greedily grabbing, p2p-fuelled way of consuming music.
bottom line, i don't like you but i'm quite happy to ignore you and get on with the business of talking about *music*... think about it, what's more interesting, dancehall or you? which do you think i'd rather talk about?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:12 (twenty years ago) link

if you need a hint, my next series of articles will *NOT* be about bob zemko...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:24 (twenty years ago) link

you will be writing no more pieces on bob? you have seemed quite engaged with the subject recently

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:43 (twenty years ago) link

not thru choice

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:47 (twenty years ago) link

as I recall, robin's character wasn't the only thing that people laid into.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:52 (twenty years ago) link

anyway, back to dancehall one thing i was quite surprised to find out was that TOK are in fact extremely middle-calss boys who met at tow of kingston's poshest schools. i didn't expect this at all. further explains that uptown-downtown tension going on in dancehall now

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:54 (twenty years ago) link

well, julio we can't find out now and the only thing that matters is that i would very much like to clear any bad atmosphere and STOP all this tiresome fucking bitching

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:57 (twenty years ago) link

man i luv the way u painted me out to your, er mates: "imagine hating buying records! wot a wanker eh guys" u said (yeah dave yeah mate buying records is great waheyy, fancy another!), haha what do u think i do 4 fux sake, "oh dear another 9 7s on qv weaver to battle the shop guy for! sigh this terrible destiny of being forced to spend money!" dave like u know full well i purchase records, i dont even download anyway, but hey get this: IT DOESNT MATTER. i hate how everything's a realness issue with you, i'm just not at all interested in aaaah like constantly sententiously averring my identity by championing causes all the time, i like music... fuck it, i like people enough not to be intoxicated with myself all day... yeah maybe my, i dunno, pseudo-exoticism is just as deluded as yours but whatev.

― prima_fassy (mwah), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:01 (twenty years ago) link

god both of you grow the fuck up

i dont think either of it would be so bad if the pseudo-intellectual card wasn't drawn every other play

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:02 (twenty years ago) link

in laymans terms: don't try it

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:03 (twenty years ago) link

p.s. yo dave i got yr email, but since i'm not going to have a home for a few weeks, i won't be able to reply with any timeliness.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:06 (twenty years ago) link

fassy, you know full well that i download stuff, too. there is a happy medium to be hit, like i tend to use it as a test-drive for things, to be honest. download it, if i like it, go to shop fully armed with knowledge of what i want and what i don,'t... no problem there. dowloading can be useful and it saves people getting rooked fucking stupid and buying stuff they don't want, but i do think loving music does mean that you should eventually put something into it, like a bit of cash, a bit of time, your body at adance etc... anyway, in summation, i am not against p2P wholesale, as i am sure you are not against buying music, really.
however, when you say things like "buying music hurts my heart, i do think" it's a bit fucking stupid. but us disagreeing isn't really the problem for me (if it was i'd spend my whole bloody life arguing with people and probably have no friends at all). the problem is that you can't say anything to me without it being really unpleasant, dismissive, sarcastic and completely personal. just feels weird: i don't bloody know you and you do not know me, so why the fuck are we fighting? if we met each other on a bus or in a pub we'd probably without knowing who each other was we'd probably end up having a really good conversation about all the stuff we have in common, for fuck's sake, so can we please try to be civil to each other? when you're not being a twat, i actually think you're pretty clued up.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:19 (twenty years ago) link

er, I don't know what the hell is going on here, but.........thanks for the tip Dave. where, may i ask - if it's not in violation of some secret of the trade - did you pick that Usher/Baby Cham up?

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Friday, 26 March 2004 16:24 (twenty years ago) link

it was sent to me by one of the guys who commissioned the mix - unfortunately via mp3, so i don't even have the vinyl!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 16:39 (twenty years ago) link

hot97 is playing it, you've got the mp3, and it's not being released? that's sooooooo not fair!! but, kudos to you for getting the goods.

btw, now that "i'm still in love" is such a big hit, have there been any versions coming out that have caught your ear? one more great dj cut would be excellent. i love the history of this riddim: alton ellis>trinity>althia&donna>seanpaul&sasha>??who's next??

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Friday, 26 March 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

it's one of those things you shouldn't really share, otherwise i'd happily email it to you, but if you dig around on soulseek or something, then you'll quite likely find it...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 17:04 (twenty years ago) link

shouldn't share because they *may* release it...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 17:05 (twenty years ago) link

i dunno about i'm still in love, but that whole steely & cleevie album of joe gibbs stuff is great (old to the new) - has made me very happy for a couple of years now... there's a beautiful version of i'm not ashamed by culture on it

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 17:14 (twenty years ago) link

no problems.....if it's on slsk though, they BETTER release it soon....actually, why wouldn't they release it?

Given that: #1 song/reggae is hot/baby cham up&coming

a'fraid da lawman hassle perhaps.

i always resisted buying that album even though i'm a fan of S&C and Joe Gibbs. i dunno, it just didn't make sense or didn't add up or something. maybe, i'll break down next time i see it.

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:12 (twenty years ago) link

it is a proper commissioned mix but i think there was a glitch of some sort and the label backed out of releasing it. it's weird and i really don't know the whole story but i can find out if you're interested. the more i think about it the more intrigued i am now, too, to be honest. i think the s&c album makes sense bearing in mind the studio 1 thing they did a few years back; just another great producer being revisited. trust me it's a nice record. the duets are probably the best part of it and there's quite a bit of gyal action, which i'm a total sucker for...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:06 (twenty years ago) link

OOOH, do find out!

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:45 (twenty years ago) link

Repeating my blog post to say: Vybz's "Tek Buddy Gal Part II"!!! And Tundra riddim!!!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 27 March 2004 12:47 (twenty years ago) link

tek buddy 2= tunda clap btw

― prima fassy (mwah), Saturday, 27 March 2004 13:12 (twenty years ago) link

i love kid kurupt on the tunda klap and ce'cile, too. which reminds me, if anyone's interested, i have a mix going up on hyperdub.com over the next few days. it's really just an experiment with decks and a new bit of software but sounds alright i suppose. the tracks are left to play long and i've tried to get a few different styles in there, from Chrissy D's soft, pretty stuff to Bounty Killer being all loud and shouty, as he's wont to be - oh, and there are some explosions, gunshots, elephant noises and famous figures of bum literature, too!

Charles Bukowsi - Flyleaf
Time Travel Rhythm
Bling Dawg - Head Up High/Chrissy D - Share My Dreams
French Vanilla Rhythm
Alozade - Eyes On Me/Tanya Stephens - Ready Fi Me
Dreamweaver Rhythm
Bling Dawg - Propaganda/Vybz Kartel - Visa
Marmalade Rhythm
Bounty Killer - Hey Yallow/Tanya Stephens - Pop It Off
Hindu Storm Rhythm
Vybz Kartel - Fashion
Tunda Klap Rhythm
Kid Kurupt - Combining/Ce'Cile - It's On Tonight
Trifecta Rhythm
Tanto Metro & Devonte - Mi Want It/Ward 21 - 24-7/Lady Saw - Pretty Pussy
Mad Instruments Rhythm
Vybz Kartel - Real Badman/Zumjay - A Wi Gal Dem/TOK - Hotta Fire

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 27 March 2004 15:52 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, i heard the usher/babyC track again and they shouted out that it was a Triple Crown remix. And i rec'd from slsk.

again, Big Up for the tip!!

hearing it again there are some extra on-the-beat kick drums - like diwali - that make the song sound faster.

― pheNAM (pheNAM), Saturday, 27 March 2004 17:38 (twenty years ago) link

ah well, you found that all out for yourself and i remain blameless!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 27 March 2004 20:58 (twenty years ago) link

My copy of the first "Tek Buddy Gal" claims to be on Thunda Clap - presumably this is Tunda Clap? it's vaguely post-20 Cent with strings 'n' things.

"Tek Buddy Gal II" starts with an accordian intro and then is completely minimal drums stuff a la "Never Leave You" or Coolie Dance.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 29 March 2004 04:42 (twenty years ago) link

II is on a different rhythm to the original tek buddy gal, i don't know what it is as i've only heard it once and don't own it...
and Tunda Klap/Tunda Clap/Thunda Clap is obviously the same rhythm! it's just that there's very rarely a consensus on how these things are spelt, with even the version on a 45 not being definitive because they can be spelt differently from single to single. i tend to not stick with a name until there's a greensleeves/vp rhythm album out, then whatever they spell it as becomes the standard, or if this aint the case go with the majority. anyway, this is really bloody boring and nerdy... don't stress it tim, it's hardly important when jamaicans can't even make up their minds how tanya steph/vens is spelt! talking of which, she's wicked on the chrome/krome/crome(!) rhythm, versioning the melody of crystal waters' gypsy woman... also, cheers for mentioning nina sky tim, i'd not heard this until the weekend, it's GREAT... weird, ghostly and fab...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 29 March 2004 08:43 (twenty years ago) link

lordy "tek buddy gal II" is tops. that ce'cile track dave listed on tunda klap is also great

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 29 March 2004 11:17 (twenty years ago) link

it's probably one of the strongest records i've heard by ce'cile in long time. she sounds so much more convincing when she's melodic, to this ear at least, unlike tanya who can do both amazingly well. btw, i met cybele last night!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 29 March 2004 14:47 (twenty years ago) link

not that it matters, as dave says, but for the rekkid:

http://www.greensleeves.net/pics/grelcd748.jpg http://www.vprecords.com/catalog_images/vp2249.jpg

― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 29 March 2004 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

does anyone know who does the graphic design for the gsleeves riddim albums? they are easily my faves of the last couple years.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 29 March 2004 17:10 (twenty years ago) link

I don't usually stress it Dave - I was just trying to work out the confusion over the two versions of "Tek Buddy Gal". I half-suspected the second version was misnamed because I can't even find a tentative connection between the two in Vybz' performance.

I finally found full versions of both Vybz's "Picture Me & You" and "Real Badman Never Afraid", both of which are tops. It's always great to hear two performances over the same riddim by the same DJ which manage to sound so different. Vybz has that host of voices to draw upon of course, but Blackout is a riddim where you can really hear the post-diwali attention to differentiated melodic nuances paying off massively.

I *am* getting a bit overloaded on Vybz though - he's all I can ever manage to find!

Dave: when you play "Propaganda" do you loop the intro over and over like Robbo Ranx does? I *so* would if I was playing it even though it would be blatantly derivative - Bling Dawg sounds so fucking cool!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 29 March 2004 21:35 (twenty years ago) link

rah soz i never knew there were 2 tek buddies! but there it is on slsk. see if ragga's getting more like rap at all its in how records and radio are getting totally bypassed by mixtapes now

― prima_fassy (mwah), Monday, 29 March 2004 22:01 (twenty years ago) link

well maybe not totally with radio but at any rate the purchasing chain is 1000 x more cryptic and fucked than it was last year. they say its cos everyone got signed and its all majorlabel presha holding it back like sean paul 'feel alright' 4 instance, but i dunno

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 29 March 2004 22:06 (twenty years ago) link

I guess by the time Sean Paul's next album finally drops it'll be too late for "Close To Me" or "Head Fi Toe", which is a shame cos they could totally be pop crossovers, esp. the former.

The issue of what ends up on albums and what doesn't is interesting/intriguing. I don't know how it works. I really like Sizzla's Rise To The Occassion but if I had to make an album based on all the recent Sizzla material that I've heard I'd only include maybe four cuts from it (where the fuck was "Love & Affection"?). Mind you Greensleeves seem to be turning into Don Corleon in-house job when it comes to artist albums so I guess it's not such a mystery.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 00:24 (twenty years ago) link

french vanilla is my fave at the moment. it's good and scattered but the basic rhythm is pronounced enough that it holds together very well. the acoustic guitar hints at something like a flamenco-dancehall meld; it doesn't really go in that direction but someone hearing this rhythm might be tempted to haul off and try that. all the effects and tiny bits feel neptunes-y but they're sanded down to miniscule snippets apart from one keyboard bit. other than the guitar it all sounds pleasingly artificial, like the guts of a laptop opened up to daylight.

― rgeary (rgeary), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 02:32 (twenty years ago) link

i wish every rhythm album would include an instrumental! most of the time it'd be a throwaway but it would be fun to hear that first then listen to everyone having at it.

― rgeary (rgeary), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 02:33 (twenty years ago) link

The issue of what ends up on albums and what doesn't is interesting/intriguing.

i think at this point there is something similar to the hip hop mixtape ethic going on, where those songs dropped between albums serve to keep the artist's name alive (and they get to release hot tracks as soon as they're done, which must be satisfying); and where there might actually be a fan backlash if an album includes too many tunes already out and mixtaped.

― rgeary (rgeary), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 02:36 (twenty years ago) link

these people have the best taste in dancehall ragga
rip their stream by streamripper you'll get id3 tags of whos plaing
96kbps though but the best riddims

http://www.raggakings.net/

― serge, Tuesday, 30 March 2004 03:29 (twenty years ago) link

does anyone know who does the graphic design for the gsleeves riddim albums? they are easily my faves of the last couple years

On the three albums I've got, jess, the artwork and design is credited to a Tony McDermott.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 09:32 (twenty years ago) link

he's been doing the artwork for greensleeves for time, but i love them, too... i really like the way each one is themed to the name of the rhythm, the blocky use of colour etc... it makes these rhythm albums real nice artefacts, keepsakes.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 10:08 (twenty years ago) link

three weeks pass...

Firefly Riddim!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 25 April 2004 08:54 (nineteen years ago) link

second mudslide and baghdad.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 25 April 2004 11:53 (nineteen years ago) link

perilous riddim has grown on me recently, particularly the Young Phoenix cut "No Drugs" (how old is this kid?!), Capleton's "she's my baby" and Ce'cile's "New Year New Fuck".

oh and both Vybz cuts on Marmalade are pretty good, too. "Tattoo" and "Cut Ya Speed". Is it common for an artist to voice a riddim twice? Would they both be done at the same time, or just if the first is really popular, or? I noticed Vybz did two on Blackout, as well...

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 26 April 2004 01:07 (nineteen years ago) link

and has anyone heard anything on Salt Shaker (ie. the ying yang twins instrumental)? I've only come across the Tanya Stephens so far but....it's growing on me!

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 26 April 2004 01:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Vybz is starting to make it his trademark to voice riddims two or even three times on a regular basis. Other DJs do it sometimes to but no so regularly. I think his done two versions on French Vanilla as well.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 26 April 2004 02:25 (nineteen years ago) link

I love "New Year New Fuck"! Ce'cile was amazing live.

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Monday, 26 April 2004 03:00 (nineteen years ago) link

oo i dunno firefly! london heads shd be aware i saw 3 copies of that dreamweaver riddim lp in reckless soho, they must be promos sold off by ppl who get stuff sent cos i've only once seen it on sale

that vybz tekk 2 is on a riddim, not a one off, it's called 'ello ello' or something like that and everyone's on it

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:50 (nineteen years ago) link

Like OCP I'm really digging 'marmalade' right now, my faves are lady saw, vybz and ward 21 (with the culture club cover, pretty fucked up overall) but the whole thing is really working well as a record, like dremweaver.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 26 April 2004 20:47 (nineteen years ago) link

i need new mix cds or full albums or something. (i'm not about to start collecting 7"s)

i keep listening to things and they're all over the same ol' last years riddims. i'm getting totally bored and know there's better stuff out there.

any suggestions of things to pick up? any sites that sell current mix cds?

― JaXoN (JasonD), Monday, 26 April 2004 21:35 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm a bit saddened that Greensleeves have changed their design layout with the Red Alert rhythm album.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 00:18 (nineteen years ago) link

Really? I think it still looks great.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 00:19 (nineteen years ago) link

I don't dislike it at all but the previous design was ultra-classic as far as I'm concerned.

Prima, the Fire Fly (it's two words actually) cut I heard was Vybz's "Hype Pon A Girl". Good hard-hitting Indian feel to it, natch. Audio sample on this page.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 00:32 (nineteen years ago) link

The Greensleeves website says that Blackout, Worried and Cold Fusion rhythm albums are coming soon.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 01:17 (nineteen years ago) link

tim did u hear firefly on 1xtra or something? it's cool, i like it but i'm curious that it might not be old. i'm irrelevant ok! but that 'hype pon a gal' lyric was way better on tundra and you know this maaan... the sizzla on tundra u must hear

― prima fassy (mwah), Thursday, 29 April 2004 10:20 (nineteen years ago) link

cheers fassy i've been wondering wtf that vybz rhythm was... it's got into my head so bad that i bought and edith piaf box set on the cheap the other day, accordions rock in dancehall... marmalade is cool julio but the best thing about it is the design of the rhythm album, absolutely fab.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 29 April 2004 10:25 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah I think Fire Fly might be old, it's got a very '01 intro, but then it sounds a lot like Trina's "Rewind That Back" I think!

Yeah Vybz's flow on it almost sounds like it's been digitally slowed down from "Hype" but I'm not sure.

Will look out for Sizzla on Tundra though...

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 30 April 2004 02:09 (nineteen years ago) link

... Thanks Prima, "Live Up" (Sizzla on Tundra) is great!!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 30 April 2004 03:47 (nineteen years ago) link

hey Mad Instrument (s) is finally out now... at last I have T.O.K. "Fire Fire" (aka "Hotta Fire") and will get the Beenie Man track soon
("Haters" is not as good a title as "Mi Nuh Like Yu Neither")
yippie I can move on to some new riddim desires

― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 30 April 2004 03:59 (nineteen years ago) link

hotta fire is a blistering track - played it the other night in a dj set, mixed out of vybz' real bad man and zumjay's ah wi gal dem, before going into a bit of soca - it absolutely tore the place up. on the soca tip, i'm loving the trample rhythm, especially fayann lyons' lose your way and bunji garlin's jump up. also look out for destra garcia's bonnie & clyde on another rhythm i know nothing about. it interpolates a fuck-off chunk of aha's take on me as the chorus and is probably the most dementedly cheerful tune i've heard all year.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:00 (nineteen years ago) link

in the interest of full disclosure, i have downloaded all the soca i've been listening to lately as i am absolutely skint.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:04 (nineteen years ago) link

JUDAS

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:05 (nineteen years ago) link

shut up! it hurts not to buy it, but i have no money and a big tax bill. in any case stop moaning at me and download some of the soca i just named. you'll like it!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:08 (nineteen years ago) link

seriously, the destra track and the fayann lyons one will rock your world

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:08 (nineteen years ago) link

i'm on it.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:09 (nineteen years ago) link

just get on the trample rhythm, period. there's lots of good voicings!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:12 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah "Hotter Fire" is great - real street festival music!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 30 April 2004 10:26 (nineteen years ago) link

ms thing is shit on the mad instruments, btw, which is the shame as i quite like the idea of her. and might i just add that i can't believe people haven't been going berserk about predator's mad sick on the red alert... this is an stone-cold killatune. so aptly named. it's the best version of this rhythm i've heard yet; almost like grime, but crisper, less big dark holes in the production and absolutely pummelling tough

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 20:58 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah yeah but the zumjay!

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:00 (nineteen years ago) link

i like this one better i'm afraid - you're right though, zumjay has really risen up the ranks lately and done a ton of stuff i've liked

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:10 (nineteen years ago) link

but the predator is all imprezzzzive production and blah atlantic futurism compared to the zumzum! what happened to the stelfox who loathed shockwave riddim and flirted with tok anarchopop?

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:16 (nineteen years ago) link

cheque bounce: bring cyash! a predator, dem a debitor

actually this one's not as unfun as i remembered, but still!

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:26 (nineteen years ago) link

just think it's a great use of the rhythm - and it's funny, i don't actually like tok on the red alert that much - for pop chops i'd head to mr vegas and irishman

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:39 (nineteen years ago) link

and for anarchopop you really should check out that destra soca track i mentioned above, it's nuts

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:44 (nineteen years ago) link

nah, it'd take me all day. where's a good soca shop anyway?

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:55 (nineteen years ago) link

there's one inside a container on ridley road market

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 21:58 (nineteen years ago) link

but i really know shit about it - just buy comps etc and as i've given in re downloading during this hopefully brief financially challenged period, i've decided i can justify it better if it's stuff that i really wouldn't know where to get. quite fun actually, i've learnt a shitload about yiddish folk music and highlife!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 30 April 2004 22:03 (nineteen years ago) link

hm after 16% downloaded i think i'll stick with boogie pimps for my anarchopop! ow my head. but see what u think of this lil crumb

― prima fassy (mwah), Friday, 30 April 2004 22:36 (nineteen years ago) link

can't do it fassy - is it a windows file? i'm a macster, so maybe why. btw i have got to the bottom of the tekk buddy 2 conumndrum. it's not even called that. it's called buddy no dun and it's on the aollo yallow rhythm, which makes me think it was made for bounty initially, possibly a warlord thing. ele's great on it for the 1st time in ages.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 1 May 2004 10:25 (nineteen years ago) link

ah yeah its a wma soz. right right i did hear a bounty on that, 'man a killa'? i think vybz's is still the best on it, defo his best one since waaaay back last year altho there was the fantastic 'the fantasy' on takeover the other week. ele is exempt from hate for now thanks to 'bun up' radio edit on mad instr, the only one on that riddim i can about stand actually!

― prima fassy (mwah), Saturday, 1 May 2004 18:33 (nineteen years ago) link

"fantastic 'the fantasy'" sheeesh revoke my keyboard pls

― prima fassy (mwah), Saturday, 1 May 2004 18:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Tim, do you have a good dancehall or soca sorce in Australia or do you get everything on the internet?

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Saturday, 1 May 2004 19:33 (nineteen years ago) link

no hate for ele in these quarters anyway, more a vague feeling of disappointment, these days. still, he's holding about a 20/80 blistering/dull ratio as far as i can see and the 20 per cent that's good is as good as ever. yeah, there's a shitload on that yallow rhythm, so i've found after a bit of searching and bounty's is fucking great, hence the name. where did you check it, fassy? internet or out in the real world? may have to make a call to dub vendor as it does appear to exist on the internet, but 1) i'd rather buy some stuff 2) i can't dl any even to check it out due to shitey mac p2p applications.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 1 May 2004 20:33 (nineteen years ago) link

ugh i just cant keep up anymore

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 1 May 2004 22:26 (nineteen years ago) link

there's a tear in my beer and it's for riddims, dear

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 1 May 2004 22:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Is the Grand Ole Opry doing minstrel bits again?

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Saturday, 1 May 2004 23:26 (nineteen years ago) link

jess, i've just done 2 audio cds chock full of stuff, red alert, french vanilla, marmalade, dreamweaver, time, travel, mad instruments, hindu storm, perilous, chrome and i'll send you them, too if it'll stop you crying - sure we can work out a trade.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Sunday, 2 May 2004 11:46 (nineteen years ago) link

alternatively i'll just do a full traclist and post it, then you can hunt them down yrself

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Sunday, 2 May 2004 11:49 (nineteen years ago) link

here it is. needless to say, i wholeheartedly endorse all the below!

The Great Bashment Giveaway #1

Tunda Klap
Tekk - Vybz Kartel
Combining - Kid Kurupt
It's On Tonight - Ce'Cile
Dreamweaver
Visa - Vybz Kartel
Propaganda - Bling Dawg
Girls Alone - Assassin
Hindu Storm
I Always Think About You - Sizzla
Bless & Protect - Spragga Benz
Fashion - Vybz Kartel
Perilous
She’s My Baby - Capleton
Indian Gal - Elephant Man & Busta Rhymes
New Year New Fuck – Ce’Cile
Red Alert
Only Takes Love - Sizzla
Never Leave You Lonely - Mr Vegas feat. Irish Man
Don’t Trespass - Lady Saw
Mad Sick - Predator
Coolie Dance
Genie Dance - Elephant Man
Give It To Me – Ce’Cile
Unknown Language - T.O.K
Mad Instruments
Ah Wi Gal Dem - Zumjay
Real Badman - Vybz Kartel
Hotta Fire - T.O.K

The Great Bashment Giveaway #2

French Vanilla
Style Ya Want - Tanya Stephens
Do Your Thing – Alozade
Girls Gone Wild - Assassin
Wanted
Mr. Wuk More - Bounty Killer
The Streetz - Spragga Benz
Gal You A Lead - T.O.K
Marmalade
Why - Ward 21
Whole World - Predator
Cut Yuh Speed - Vybz Kartel
Pop It Off - Tanya Stephens
Blackout
Picture Me And You - Vybz Kartel
Gyal Role Call - Bounty Killer
Want Something Strong - Kid Kurrupt
Time Travel
Head Up High - Bling Dawg
Roll In - Assassin
Share My Dreams - Chrissy D
Tundra
Hype - Vybz Kartel
Bad Mind - Round Head
Live Up - Sizzla
Trifecta
Mi Want It - Tanto Metro & Devonte
Breeda - Bounty Killer
Pretty Pussy - Lady Saw
She's A Ho - T.O.K

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Sunday, 2 May 2004 15:12 (nineteen years ago) link

dave: don't suppose you'd do this for a poor, broke slskless aussie 100kms from the nearest semi decent record shop too?

― mullygrubber (gaz), Sunday, 2 May 2004 21:41 (nineteen years ago) link

HAS ANYBODY HEARD PARADISE RIDDIM? It's based around "Gangsta's Paradise". Check out Gailann's "Let You Know" and Ghetto Flex's "Jouvert Paradise"

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Sunday, 2 May 2004 21:46 (nineteen years ago) link

Colin/Mully, there's a good Melbourne store on Johnston St Fitzroy that stocks a lot of international stuff including dancehall but I can't remember it's name right now. Anyway it's right near The Laundry. But they only get CDs and even then only a few months after the fact, and expect to pay typical import prices. I end up getting all my stuff from the internet yeah and then will crack and fork out for albums/comps.

Dave do you still even want that comp I was gonna make for you? You seem to have everything I have and more.

PS. Everyone's got mad love for "Picture Me & You" and yeah it is a great cut but I secretly love Vybz's other version "Real Badman Nevr Afraid" just as much - some really great on-point rhyming over the staccato string section in this one.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:25 (nineteen years ago) link

dance music sux

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:26 (nineteen years ago) link

thanx tim...i'm about 100kms north of sydney though! there's Unsound but those one rhythm discs are like $46!!!!

― mullygrubber (gaz), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah I feel you, there's no way I can justify buying rhythm albums at the prices you're expected to pay over here.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:33 (nineteen years ago) link

and theyre so repetitive. why would anyone wanna hear the same words and beats for like 5 min. pointless

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:36 (nineteen years ago) link

bad day CAss?

― mullygrubber (gaz), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:44 (nineteen years ago) link

no...bad few days.

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:45 (nineteen years ago) link

you can use the sheepfuxors thread to whinge if you like. leave these poor folk alone ;-)

― mullygrubber (gaz), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:48 (nineteen years ago) link

why would i go there? i can 'whinge' where i want you can go somewhere else and be bitchy and stupid though

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:51 (nineteen years ago) link

i was actually trying to be nice. whatever.

― mullygrubber (gaz), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:53 (nineteen years ago) link

well if that what you call being nice then i feel sorry for you.

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:57 (nineteen years ago) link

CAss, Mullygrubber was being perfectly reasonable. Barging in to a thread and dismissing its contents is one thing, but this thread isn't even about dance music (dancehall is kinda like a Jamaican fusion of reggae and rap).

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:07 (nineteen years ago) link

oh ok. i didnt know that. but thats crap also .

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:08 (nineteen years ago) link

So strange that someone who professes to be into punk would dismiss other music as being overly repetitive.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:25 (nineteen years ago) link

not really cause punk is not at all repetitive. NOT AT ALL ACTUALLY WHAT THE HEL ARE YOU SAYING.

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:27 (nineteen years ago) link

I declare you a complete fiction.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:35 (nineteen years ago) link

i meant repetitive as in repeating the same line throughout the whole song. obvioulsy you dont know much about punk music. cuz its not at all repetitive.

― CAss (CAss), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh you meant the special kind of repetitive. Not the same themes, same words, same chords, same beat, same bassline repeated over and over. Not that kind at all.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 2 May 2004 23:50 (nineteen years ago) link

blue moon? Something like that. They also stock bhangra/reggateon CDs...

If you're interested in buying dancehall vinyl, I can put you on to the guy I go through who imports a couple of hundred 7's every fortnight and is friendly and reasonably priced....

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:11 (nineteen years ago) link

Ha ha please don't - I'm poor enough as it is and must avoid any and all temptations!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:30 (nineteen years ago) link

i found a reggaeton cd at work the other day! i'm a bit scared to buy it though. it seems a bit...shady.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Hahha, Jess, is it Reggaeton Jamz?

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Monday, 3 May 2004 01:41 (nineteen years ago) link

And Tim, don't wanna tempt you further, but there are usually good Greensleeves deals on Ebay ( http://search.ebay.com.au/ws/search/GetResult?button=Search&ht=1&saavailabletocountry=15&satitle=Greensleeves&sbrexp=WD2S&sosortproperty=1&ssPageName=WD2S )

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Monday, 3 May 2004 01:43 (nineteen years ago) link

What do I have to do to get a copy of that hella awesome lookin' mix up thurr? I can be a really cool e-friend.

― djdee2005, Monday, 3 May 2004 01:43 (nineteen years ago) link

Don't know if anyone else has already mentioned it, but Thriller Riddim is more great Tunda Klap-ish business.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Dave was so right about the Trample riddim btw

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:20 (nineteen years ago) link

and has anyone heard this Nina Sky track "Move Ya Body Gal", apparently Lumidee part 2 on Coolie Dance?

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:26 (nineteen years ago) link

(oh, this was meant to come before my last message. Posting issues, whatever.)

is it just me or is dancehall in a bit of a slump right now? Aside from Chrome and Blackout I can't think of any riddim in the last six months that lives up to any of the best stuff from the last year or so (Egyptian, Diwali, Coolie Dance, Fiesta.... almost anything mentioned upthread)... maybe some of the newer stuff is just taking a while to grow on me, but I've not come across any voicings of...anything, really, that have the kind of immediate appeal of Egyptian Dance (or Get With It Girls, Sweet To The Belly, I Will Love The Girls....), Get Busy (or almost ANYTHING on Diwali! the Wayne Marshall, TOK, etc. etc.) or Feel Alright (etc. etc.)

― ocp (OCP), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:27 (nineteen years ago) link

(oh, and I guess Trifecta should get an honourable mention as a good recent-ish riddim, but even then it's pretty old....)

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 3 May 2004 06:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Heh, if that's true it'd be great cuz I'd get a chance to try and catch up.

― djdee2005, Monday, 3 May 2004 08:24 (nineteen years ago) link

i think you're more or less completely wrong, ocp.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 11:14 (nineteen years ago) link

not being rude or anything, but there's been a lot of good stuff out recently. just look at all the stuff myself tim and mr fassy have posted above. surely that's enough to keep you going!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 11:15 (nineteen years ago) link

i think we have to be careful with our proximity to this music sometimes, esp what with how much more of our attention we have to put in. (sorry, not to say ocp is a casual new jack or anything btw!) i would sympathise with ocp's position tho, for me it's been much more of a picking off great singles year than albums(=riddims), and the singles ive come to love are on a par with 03 definitely. but the riddims don't evoke that hungry dizzy swirl so much. part of this is the stopstart release schedule this year, like ive grown resentful of french vanilla and marmalade sitting there stagnant for weeks where before they'd be part of the torrent, and you could take them as you please. it makes them feel more like statements rather than sketches and personally i wouldnt try and convince anyone of ragga supremacy with these really

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 11:58 (nineteen years ago) link

i know its always a singles year for me tho, but this year they just feel like amazing singles and not 03's fond dancefloor synecdoches

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:02 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah i can see your point - i said this back in february, that i was finding stuff a bit patchy both in terms ofquality and most importantly in the way things were being released. still, i'm happy with the good dtuf i've heard this year and alos think that rather than dancehall being in a slump per se, we should maybe think that last year was just an idiotically good one, with everything arriving at the right time, major label interest/confidence at an all-time high, dancehall really fucking swaggering with bomb tune after bomb tune... it was never going to be able to keep that up. also it's worth considering that dancehall having been such a success story lately, whether major-label interest/transatlantic uk-us commercial potential has actualy slowed things up a bit...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:05 (nineteen years ago) link

what i' kinda meant to ocp's statement is that what's good is as good as ever and that i'm still finding this music way better than anything else out ther

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:07 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah the blacker dread grinch did grumble that it was all the big labels' fault. i'm not sure i can imagine how true this might be tho, unless it was rather the little labels deciding to be more business minded and trying to play the hype game after last year instead of just flinging stuff out?

i thought nina sky was lumidee at first! but anyway it's not a millionth as good! it sucks for making me remember 03

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:10 (nineteen years ago) link

god, sack my typist - put it down to a bank-holiday hangover... hope the above makes sense. yeah, i think that might be the case re the smaller labels. it certainly appears they're sitting on stuff more and longer

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:11 (nineteen years ago) link

i hope its something enchanting like the pressing plants used up all the plastic in jamaica

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:13 (nineteen years ago) link

or dave kelly lost his favourite bouncy ball

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:15 (nineteen years ago) link

or or tamagotchis finally caught on and no one cares about music now

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:17 (nineteen years ago) link

re plastic i don't think that would matter too much, to be honest. mate of mine that i work with is an old don reggae writer and was telling me the other day about them using tyres in pressing plants there. reckons he has a totally unplayable old 7 with grooves and then a big lump of tread on it! there was a story about them doing the same at trax records back in the early, early house days, too. not seen any evidence of either, but don't really care. its a nice story all the same.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:18 (nineteen years ago) link

has to be the tamagotchis

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:18 (nineteen years ago) link

pitch it to the times! you'd be a celebrity by the time anyone in jamaica found out

― prima fassy (mwah), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:23 (nineteen years ago) link

you know, on past record of trying to get broadsheets to take dancehall seriously, i reckon i'd have more chance of that going in than something proper, so i'd rather not try - they'd probably go for it.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 12:35 (nineteen years ago) link

i think you're more or less completely wrong, ocp.

Dave I don't think it's a matter of being right or wrong! I never claimed to make any kind of absolute statement as much as I was just saying that I haven't really been feeling the newer stuff (and I think I'm fairly up to date...)

― OCP (OCP), Monday, 3 May 2004 14:54 (nineteen years ago) link

i did clarify it... i think there's a lot to be happy about and the quality of music is as good as ever, just coming more in dribs and drabs now, that all. but if it's just opinion, then hey, you think what you think

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 15:16 (nineteen years ago) link

this thread isn't even about
dance music (dancehall is kinda like a Jamaican fusion of reggae and rap).

I know why Tim is saying what he is here...and yet I like the odd juxtaposition of these two assertions.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 3 May 2004 15:54 (nineteen years ago) link

mully - e-mail me at davestelfox@yahoo.co.uk and we'll try to work something out... maybe try to find a way to ftp it or something

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:20 (nineteen years ago) link

Dying Fetus, "Born in Sodom".

WHUT? NOT DANCEHALL?

― uh (eetface), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:21 (nineteen years ago) link

uh, what? anyway mully, just thought, you'd better head it up so as i know it's you or i'll delete it without opening it

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:24 (nineteen years ago) link

just a joke.

now I realize the confusion on the whole Aguilera thread, as when I mentioned dancehall music, I was referring to music that gets played in dance halls or aka clubs...unaware that a genre of the same name (dancehall) already existed.

― uh (eetface), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:26 (nineteen years ago) link

Thanks Dave! message sent.

― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:17 (nineteen years ago) link

The other thing about '03 was that it was the point when a lot of former dilettantes (like myself) started to pay a lot closer attention to dancehall than they had previously, such that you could enjoy, say, Diwali, Egyptian, Fiesta, Coolie Dance and Mad Instruments as if they all came out at roughly the same time, when in fact you're talking about an expanse of maybe two years between Diwali blowing up and Mad Instruments dying down.

From a riddimatic perspective, I think the biggest problem at the moment is that two many of the tunes are slotting into that vague patch between Egyptian and 20 Cent - Tunda Klap, Marmalade, French Vanilla, Thriller etc. these are all really good riddims but their interconnectness takes away something of the out-of-leftfield bizarroness of last year where stuff like Wanted, Mudslide, Coolie Dance, Fiesta, Ching Chong etc. would suddenly appear and take things in a different direction; certainly it was the radical inconsistency (in a positive sense) of dancehall which distinguished it from the other forward thinking groove scenes (crunk, grime). Whereas now I think the scene has almost settled into a post-Don Corleon quasi-Eastern consensus. What makes Chrome and Blackout so memorable is the way they deviate from that, the former with its rusty pipe shoddiness and the latter with those glorious Partytime-style staccato hits.

Like Dave I don't think this is indicative of a falling off though: a huge chunk of the big '01/early '02 tunes fall into a similar patch between Liquid and Martial Arts. Perhaps it was just that late '02 and '03 was a period where the scene was unusually fragmented in terms of knowing where to go next.

(also, as much as I've always applauded it, the DJ-as-fitness-instructor meme seems a bit limited now, which is I suspect why people are getting annoyed at Elephant Man a bit)

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 3 May 2004 21:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Wow this thread has been the most amazing resource! Thanks to everyone who contributed, this is bookmarked foreva. I keep going back and forth between it and soulseek...wonderful.

― djdee2005, Monday, 3 May 2004 22:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh you stepped in it now, dee. Stelfox is gonna get mad. ;)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 3 May 2004 22:14 (nineteen years ago) link

Haha don't worry! On my 21st birthday next week I return home to Chicago and will spend all my hard earned cash on every bit of this shit I can snatch up! I'm doing preliminary research.

― djdee2005, Monday, 3 May 2004 22:16 (nineteen years ago) link

phew, i've resurrected the blog and have reviewed every track and rhythm on the 1st cd there. djdee if you cut and paste ir here i will chop your fucking arms off - the link is worldofstelfox.blogspot.com

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 23:49 (nineteen years ago) link

i am pleased to hear the blog is back

― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 3 May 2004 23:50 (nineteen years ago) link

just kidding re the cutting and pasting thing, btw, but please don't . also re the soulseek thing, to hell with it.... i've downloaded a ton of soca over the past month and will be doing more in the not too distant as i'm broke.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 3 May 2004 23:52 (nineteen years ago) link

I think the biggest problem at the moment is that two many of the tunes are slotting into that vague patch between Egyptian and 20 Cent

yeah, nice one Tim. Worried riddim is case in point.
(although I've gotta say I like it. TOK's "Miss Hypie Hypie" in particular.)

― OCP (OCP), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:04 (nineteen years ago) link

worried is just dull - it's not an interesting rhythm in any way shape or form. some of the voicings are okay, but it was never going to be that big, because it just lacks something.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:13 (nineteen years ago) link

Well that's the problem innit - they're often great riddims, but they're not as stunning as they would be if we hadn't heard so many familiar riddims beforehand. It's like dancehall producers have absolutely nailed this particular microstyle and are now waiting until a new paradigm arrives to bust it again. But I'm expecting a lot of the next batch of riddims to fall somewhere between Mad Instruments and Coolie Dance.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:13 (nineteen years ago) link

x-post there btw. I've momentarily forgotten whether I've heard/have Worried - which might be telling!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:14 (nineteen years ago) link

BTW there's a list of '04 riddims and versions here - can people in the know (or with slsk) please check out and report back??

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:16 (nineteen years ago) link

Are there any good soca publications/websites? Socanews seems to fairly worthless and the only way I'm even remotely keeping up is slsk.

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:36 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm expecting a lot of the next batch of riddims to fall somewhere between Mad Instruments and Coolie Dance.

well, we can live in hope... anyway stop talking about this stuff i need sleep!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:40 (nineteen years ago) link

Well it strikes me that making riddims is a bit like speculating. I imagine that a lot of these post-Egyptian/20 Cent riddims are the result of producers gambling on the success and longevity of those riddims to apply to their own similar subsequent productions. If I wanted to make a hot riddim right now the huge success of Coolie Dance and Mad Instruments, not to mention the increasing soca crossover, would loom large in my mind.

Plus soca-fusionism generally constitutes the absurd decadent peak of the dancehall=uptempo party music equation that has increasingly defined its last few years. After that there would *have* to be an elastic snap back in another direction.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:53 (nineteen years ago) link

There's quite a lot on realplayer here http://www.paradisevibes.com/Music%20Part%202/Music%20Part%202.htm

you'll also be pleased to know that there afre a few tracks on about three-quarters of the rhythms in that your on limewire, tim

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:59 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah Limewire has improved dramatically wrt dancehall lately - suddenly riddims I couldn't find at all last year (Voom Voom, Hindu Storm) are present in abundance, and the new riddims eg. Red Alert, Perilous etc. appear quick smartish as well. It's just a bloody shame I have to visit my parents to download anything.

Now if it can only pick up wrt grime I will be a v. happy man.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 01:07 (nineteen years ago) link

wtf? i did not type that! it was supposed to read: "you'll also be pleased to know that there are a few tracks on about three-quarters of the rhythms this list you posted on limewire, tim." glad you made sense of it anyway. it's a good thing for sure, bearing in mind my current inland revenue-induced poverty and everything.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 01:09 (nineteen years ago) link

I feel you on the poverty point

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 01:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah Limewire has improved dramatically wrt dancehall lately -

http://www.versiontracker.com/php/search.php?mode=basic&action=search&str=soulseek&plt%5B%5D=macos&jumptoCat=0

― OCP (OCP), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 03:30 (nineteen years ago) link

worried is just dull - it's not an interesting rhythm in any way shape or form.

you're pretty antagonistic Dave! it is neither here nor there, agreed. Certainly it's nothing new or innovative but the TOK cut is quite charming in its own way.

― OCP (OCP), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 03:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Why would I do that?

Anyway, thanks for all the info! Consider yrself bookmarked.

― djdee2005, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 07:18 (nineteen years ago) link

good glut of the smaller-older-but-grr-unreleased riddims on that page tim! senseless, rain drops, vegas on karachi, chico on wrought iron i repped b4, all v good. the vegas is top 5 for prima's year so far! vybz, capleton on chronic, vybz/wayne marshall on simm card are pretty enjoyable too in retrospect to what's new now. bah they picked the most boring ones on that drama riddim stream on paradisevibes....

― prima fassy (mwah), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 08:47 (nineteen years ago) link

ocp, if i'm being antagonistic it's toward the rhythm, not you - it's boring, that's all. and i was messing around with djdee, he knows what it's about and hopefully took it as lightheartedly as it was intended

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 08:48 (nineteen years ago) link

sadly the soulseek you posted for macs crashes horribly, it's so unstable it's just not worth bothering with for me, though i do know people who've managed to get it working on pre OS9 systems.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 08:50 (nineteen years ago) link

woe on dees bot

― mullygrubber (gaz), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 08:51 (nineteen years ago) link

the paradise vibes site's kinda okay if you're stuck with a mac and having to listen to these things via realplayer - also gets love from me for the gratuitous butt pictures. it's one sleeveart trope that never fails to make me laugh.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 09:05 (nineteen years ago) link

sadly the soulseek you posted for macs crashes horribly, it's so unstable it's just not worth bothering with for me, though i do know people who've managed to get it working on pre OS9 systems.

I'm on 9.2 and it runs pretty well... rarely crashes (I often leave it running overnight without any problems) but it does have pretty limited features. How I long to be able to browse other people's files!

― OCP (OCP), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 10:25 (nineteen years ago) link

actually, 9.1

― OCP (OCP), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:35 (nineteen years ago) link

― djdee2005, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:26 (nineteen years ago) link

that mr. vegas/irishman track is faaaaaaaaaabulous

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:03 (nineteen years ago) link

Um Chico's "Wrapped Up" is so gorgeous. Its on the Brush Fire riddim and its so so wonderful. I am so terrible at describing this stuff, but there's this little synth-flute line in the middle of the chorus ahhhhh its so great.

― djdee2005, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 23:02 (nineteen years ago) link

*Finally* tracked down some Barbershop riddim tracks - Vybz's "Bandwagonist" and Shabba's "Just Do It" (still looking for Sizzla's version). Forgotten how much I loved this riddim! It's got that same eerie skank vibe that makes me love Wanted riddim so much.

Plus i agree with OCP that TOK's "Miss Hypie Hypie" is fab - it's like an Eastern version of Wicked riddim, oriental party fun vibes.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 03:01 (nineteen years ago) link

Tim: Thoughts on "Wrapped Up"? (if you've heard it, or the Brush Fire riddim)

― djdee2005, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 03:02 (nineteen years ago) link

Haven't found it yet. But (as usual) Prima was so right about Wrought Iron riddim! Search Capleton "Seek & Search" Stop-start martial law mania.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 03:08 (nineteen years ago) link

When I first heard the steel drums, I was afraid "Seek and Search" was gonna be really corny but its not at all.
Great song.

― djdee2005, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 05:47 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm downloading a "Cry Me A River" riddim...please tell me this is as good as it sounds.

― djdee2005, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 05:58 (nineteen years ago) link

This is like opening presents on my birthday.

― djdee2005, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 06:07 (nineteen years ago) link

fassy was also absolutely 100 per cent correct re the lime key rhythm - it's awesome: slow, slippery beats with massive splashes and gurgles. i'd LOVE to hear this on a big system. it would feel ilke you were drwned in sound, literally! dunno of any 7s in london, do you fassy?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 08:48 (nineteen years ago) link

and, yeah, jess that mr vegas and irishman is my No1 toppermost getting up in the morning tune right now.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 08:49 (nineteen years ago) link

yes this is fantastic, I bought the 7' with mad cobra MCing (at rough trade, covent garden) (like i said on the listening thread on ile, my first dancehall 7') on it (recommended by fassy) and was listening to it last night.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 09:01 (nineteen years ago) link

i'll be able to pick it up in hackney, then, i'm sure.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 09:08 (nineteen years ago) link

"littoral to gallop's literal" is the fave of my puns too but shh let's never speak of it. i dunno, lime key mightve been and gone in proper shops! it was in rt for ages and i was dying to press it into someone's palm and there was julio. i think soul jazz might still have a couple... oh there was a riddim lp of dodgy providence, regal definitely had some of those. distributed in the uk by vengeancerecordings@hotmail.com

― prima fassy (mwah), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 09:19 (nineteen years ago) link

and wrought iron and chronic are out this week!

― prima fassy (mwah), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 09:23 (nineteen years ago) link

i totally missed out on that but it's really, really great - BIG BIG sounds. luvvit!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 09:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Can never find mp3s of lime cay :(

I'm enjoying Arribba riddim at the moment - standard tribal backing but what makes it is the mournful spanish trumpet which makes me think of the sun setting on a man on horseback riding down a ravine. Vybz, Ele and Bounty should do a version called "The Three Amigos".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 21:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Chronic is great, yes.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 21:34 (nineteen years ago) link

btw dave, big up for not glossing over the "chi-chi man" stuff in the t.o.k. article

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 21:41 (nineteen years ago) link

i rarely read the "edited" versions of my US work, jess coz it often hurts my heart and head, jess, so am most concerned about whether the pictures were any good - were they?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 22:10 (nineteen years ago) link

also cheers for the shout (had to really talk abt it coz there's a big feature in the mag abt franki knuckles - wld have been a bit off to gloss over it even i i wanted to, which i didn't - just hope i don't get killed now).

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 22:13 (nineteen years ago) link

the pics were okay as i remember, nice big shot of the four of them across the first two pages. like a dancehall tiger beat haha

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Where was this article?

― djdee2005, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:13 (nineteen years ago) link

the new xlr8r

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:14 (nineteen years ago) link

another magazine i stopped buying

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:15 (nineteen years ago) link

I'll buy this one in support of D-stelz and his dancehall knowledge which he has so generously shared.

― djdee2005, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:31 (nineteen years ago) link

this should arrive in australia in, oh, 4 months

― mullygrubber (gaz), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah I was just pondering that myself.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 23:52 (nineteen years ago) link

this should arrive in australia in, oh, 4 months

melb peeps, readings gets $11 air freight issues of xlr8r.

― OCP (OCP), Thursday, 6 May 2004 02:19 (nineteen years ago) link

Chronic riddim is spacy and awesome.

― djdee2005, Thursday, 6 May 2004 05:25 (nineteen years ago) link

a dancehall tigerbeat aint so far-fetched! see here!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:48 (nineteen years ago) link

the bug....

― OCP (OCP), Sunday, 9 May 2004 04:51 (nineteen years ago) link

finally got my hands on the lime key rhythm album - some great stuff on here. cheers for bringing it to my attention fassy.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 13 May 2004 09:57 (nineteen years ago) link

Maybach riddim is pretty great: a skank-like groove a la Barbershop or Wanted, *plus* the door-slam sound from "Grindin". Vybz's "Remedy" is pretty funny to boot.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 13 May 2004 12:23 (nineteen years ago) link

i'm going 45 shopping tomorrow - there was a shitload of stuff in the shop i got the lime key album from but i had to go out so couldn't hang about.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Thursday, 13 May 2004 14:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Picked up some nice stuff today

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Passa Passa rhythm! sort of ragga-metal

Not sure if this is an old one or new. Also there seems to be some controversy about the right to use this particular name.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Monday, 17 May 2004 11:47 (nineteen years ago) link

i can't stop listening to "send on".

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 17 May 2004 12:06 (nineteen years ago) link

People should take me up on that Maybach tip - it's great! - but instead of downloading Vybz's "Remedy" first grab TOK's "Sex on my Mind", which deserves to be a huge R&B crossover hit. Sparse riddims like this are *so much better* for pop tunes than eg. the latest slice of Vendetta kraziness.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 22 May 2004 02:36 (nineteen years ago) link

you're right - it's a bloody CHARLESTON! makes me think of flappers!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 22 May 2004 12:06 (nineteen years ago) link

anyone reckon we should start a new one of these threads as this one's getting stupid big now and even taking a while to load up on broadband?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Go for it. I'll lock this one and redirect it once you've started a new one.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:38 (nineteen years ago) link

Job done, can you put a link back to this one from the new one, too, Ned? Coz there's some good info on here, still.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:46 (nineteen years ago) link

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 22 May 2004 21:24 (nineteen years ago) link

I shall, hold on...

*new thread here*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 May 2004 21:26 (nineteen years ago) link

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