Rolling Dancehall & Reggae 2012

Thanks! I'll post Part 2 here (trying to get it finished for tomorrow).

please do! I thought the section on differing attitudes in US, UK, and JA was particularly interesting. Strange to hear that that thoroughly unobjectionable NPR list was controversial. I'm american, and I think these days I'm fairly evenly split between sing-songy and Ward-21 stuff, though I particularly like when Ward 21 collaborate with women singers (Cherine, Natalie Storm, Timnberlee).

Here's Part 2: http://soundclash.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/2011-in-reggae-and-dancehall-part-2/
Would love any thoughts and comments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmEEKpC_Gcs
i guess this is considered "soca," a genre i know nothing about. dancehall or not, it's an entertaining pop song

great piece cybele, i found the bit about kartel in the media particularly interesting.

thanks, cybele!

here are Large Up's top 10 riddims of the year: http://largeup.okayplayer.com/2012/01/10/toppa-top-10-the-top-dancehall-riddims-of-2011/

they're other eoy round-ups were kind of odd. I like that Hollie Cook album as a nice throwback, but album of the year is def a conservative choice.

What are people's thoughts on that whole Prince Fatty production stuff?i've been sent a lot of it last year incl the Hollie Cook, and I can't work out whether I enjoy it or think it's a bit naff.

I've only head the Cook album, which I thought was mostly pretty nice. It sounds a bit like someone taking the New Age Steppers' cover of "Fade Away" (and only that one song) as a sonic template, but I wouldn't want to hear much more in that vein and definitely wouldn't care about it without singing. At any rate, it's a cul-de-sac and calling it the best thing to happen in reggae this year is nagl.

listened to this^ again after posting and it's really let down by some weak drumming. I'm going to repost this Busy Signal track I posted in the sandbox:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8XTJIkq6Ns

what do you all think of Off the Bench?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeNxUGqEuQ4&feature=related

had high hopes for Popcaan, but I think Beenie Man takes it.

actually Popcaan does rather well and I enjoyed most of that whole mix.

I-Octane and Chan Dizzy: Kingdom Come (prod. by Russian)

I don't think I-Octane was mentioned in last year's thread at all, but "Puff It" was great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7DPvMW96c

^^btw, this is r|t|c-baiting "heatwave fodder" but "Murder" >>>> "Kisses" no?

Just listened to this remix and then the original Murder. The original didn't blow my mind, but the First Degree Remix is ace.

Giving 'Kisses' a spin for the first time now, and I'm not sure how I'd rank them. This is a totally different vibe. Much lighter. Much more in the vein of Toi's "You'll Be Mine" or something like that.

But I know nothing about any of this stuff and don't know "heatwave fodder" from anything else. /dilettante

yeah, the Murder remix is lots of fun. I hadn't listened to Kisses since last spring, so I tried it after Murder and it sounded too fluffy. But you're right: it's a different vibe and would sound great again in a warmer, sunnier time like "You'll Be Mine" did too.

don't worry about that Heatwave comment--I was just referring to an old, brief dispute between rtc and lex about Kisses that came up when I searched to see if anyone had posted this track before. I like some stuff the Heatwave do. This round-up is where I heard Murder and it's mostly worth checking out to get a particular angle on dancehall in the UK.

I just meant - who are The Heatwave?

http://www.theheatwave.co.uk/

To book The Heatwave for your rave, party, festival or wedding email t✧✧@elasticarti✧✧✧.n✧✧

RIP Winston Riley.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Winston-Riley-is-dead

After he got shot I kept wondering if he'd recovered or not. Sad news.

RIP. That sucks.

ty to dayo (i think) for posting this on tumblr:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyX_vUfe9jk

oh man weird timing. i came on this thread half an hour ago to show my friend tippa lee one of the videos on here, and we saw that winston riley post. that really fucked tippa up. he had to call his friend osbert maddo to tell him. (although apparently maddo and riley had bad blood over money. riley kinda known for not paying people.)

ALSO, the other weird thing is we had been listening to a great don evans record on techniques that riley had made when i got on this thread.

but, yeah, anyway, r.i.p. winston riley. i've been listening to a ton of techniques stuff the last couple of months.

i've been listening to his stuff all day too.

what a shit day: I just saw Errol Scorcher died too. And I didn't mention it here, but was sad to hear about King Stitt passing on a little while ago.

etc mentioned this track on the ILM eoy voting thread and I can't believe i missed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UztnamgeJw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cO67D3T8-w
totally stolen from robbo ranx's latest show but this is sick -- new kartel-style deejaying with nice production to boot. i'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, will be keeping an eye on this guy

^^^this is far out

nice! love that outro

still catching up on 2011 tracks. Di Genius & Chino:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBd1nIaFT4

nice Melanie Fiona "4 AM" remix with Sean Paul: http://largeup.okayplayer.com/2012/01/27/dutty-duet-melanie-fiona-x-sean-paul-4am-remix/

always liked her "Sad Songs" on Janet Kay's "Silly Games" rhythm too.

Soca crop's looking a little thin this year but the new Shurwayne's fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_WT5B2eGdI&feature=related

xp, yeah reggae-Fiona is actually my favorite mode for her. I'd love if she did a whole album in a one-drop style, "Like I Love You" from last year was incredible.

anyhow, Ward 21's Monkey Barrel riddim is kind of next level:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKTTwcXDexg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94kFNf7emE0

and Borrow Clothes riddim is a nice throwback:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfQ-CN2PP1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYwoehWj7_M

Monkey Barrel is crazy--Ward 21 are really pushing into some bizarre and intriguing territory. I hadn't heard that Timberlee, but I think that's my favorite version so far.

will listen to the others after I finish this typically stomping Aidonia track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLeRVwfeL8A&feature=related

Borrow Clothes is nice, also liked Suku's "Now" on that rhythm, speaking of Ward 21.

what do you all think of Popcaan's new one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCcC3-VMH_M&feature=related

It's growing on me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU3qhoP9_X8&feature=related

Bacchanalist's growing on me. Strong contender for Road March, i'd think.

lot of great youtubes posted lately! monkey barrel is really cool. like the popcaan but slightly prefer the masicka on the same riddim, some good double-time singing in the verses iirc.

been enjoying the shurwayne and antilles riddim tracks too. soca's a bit harder to find but the tracks i've heard are really catchy

new party shot video out, a little too blatantly misogynist even for a music video but visuals are pretty rare for dancehall so w/e
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrZnDJCi24s

liking a lot of stuff on Priceless Signature:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbPnuAMoC1g

Definitely check out Lady Saw and Lisa Hyper's tracks too if you haven't heard them already (riddim originally came out in November, but I think ^this is new)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ztGwRQbw4

Lengthy article on Buju Banton's arrest and incarceration: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/content/printVersion/3191909/. I was aware there were doubts about this case, but the article lays out a convincing case he's completely innocent.

lot of great singles these days, but aidonia's "lala-land" is just fantastic. such a cool strained flow on that track

name names! I don't know that I've heard anything in 2012 yet that I've been blown away by, though here are some recent songs that I've dug:
Agent Sasco/Assassin "Hot": http://youtu.be/Z9NbzypomEY
Konshens "Gun Shot a Fire": http://youtu.be/kgiukYNLZnY

^^ could you point some of these? and maybe some riddims?

really gotta catch up with this thread. the lack of attention makes me feel like 2012 hasn´t started for dancehall yet...(and surely i'm missing a lot)

Konshens - Bun Satan

i wasn't totally sold on that^ at first, but holy crap does it build up in the last minute

riva stone riddim is my fave so far this year

j'ouvert riddim (khago - peppery) and hot chocolate riddim (tifa - wipe mi up) are awesome as well

2012 has been pretty good so far! I think there's a lot of interesting stuff going on in dancehall right now, working on something about that actually

ok, that Tifa is really nice! realizing I was underrating the year because I hadn't really paid much attention for the past few weeks...

add welding to that jouvert riddim list. other riddims i'm loving so far this year are riva stone and worldwide. that choral-sounding girl in riva stone is such a great touch

oh and this is an awesome dancehall/country track! better than it sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNT6WhVtLyY

this mix from The Large is great

resisting the urge to post a bunch of individual tracks from that (though lots will be familiar if you've been following this thread). do check out Schlachthofbronx & Warrior Queen's filthy Dickie Riddim (http://youtu.be/6yCdwY6nJZo) and Cham & O's only slightly less sleazy Tun Up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx1H-Emnw-A

this video should have been reserved for a Fatima al-Qadiri collaboration or something, but I found it a mesmerizing, awkward solution to Vybz being locked up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMsh8k2PIJE

apologies for bombing the thread, but has ILM talked about Tommy Lee's unhinged style yet?

(warning: very NSFW video and hateful lyrics):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PAhZxRuq2c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB2Ttw7owLU&feature=related

^still not sure about Tommy Lee: silly & cartoonish or genuinely unsettling?

anyway, this Tifa track is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTa9nb_JgGU

^^ love it. oddly, that 'poolside' riddim instinctively seems the kind of stuff suited for some kind of threatening/deep/male vocal which makes 'hold on' even better for working out of that - biased, imaginary and probably stupid from my part - context.

can't muster enough will to listen to the tommy lee tunes, tbh.

this sounded great yesterday, while working late at night :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bip06lFzLlo

i think you're spot on re the Tifa and the expected gender dynamics. more broadly, no one in dancehall sounds like they're having nearly as much fun as Tifa this year. That faux-dramatic opening--the deep breath especially--to "Ex Man" still makes me chuckle every time.

lol, I didn't exactly sell Tommy Lee did I? idk, the Psycho video is sort of a mesmerizing attempt at being genuinely antisocial in a way I don't think I've seen in JA recently.

and yeah, Dust is nice! Ward 21's new riddim, Bex, is pretty good too, though no one voicing really stood out to me. had high hopes for Deewun with either Timberlee or Tifa, since last year's "Gimme 60" with Natalie Storm was a personal favorite, but I need to revisit them, kind of blended when I checked it out the other day.

another current favorite, Aidonia's "Militancy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqrpyR2t0Ks

going to carnival this wkend for the first time! i'm excited

the first time??? it is the most fun

in the Uk or elsewhere?

in Notting Hill!

do many ppl on ilx go?? i never see talk abt it

i am going to be at the Good Times Bus tomorrow and along the parade route on Monday

Nasty love for me

i just came back from both days at carnival and i'm like whoa

feel pummeled, essentially, but in a good way

norman jay was sick, crowd generally well behaved both days and some of the floats were outrageous. a few of them only had like 5 morose-looking guys nursing beers trailing behind, which was a little sad.

this could be a minute shorter, but I think it's the first thing I've heard from Masicka that suggested he has some range (haven't been paying strict attention tbf):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l79ZapGvhec&feature=related

^nice

cool production here from russian, that no diggity humming is endlessly catchy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH6YjyNjG9c

^my favorite Vybz track this year

My favourite Vybz tune this year is "Lip Gloss" but "Dynamite" is great.

XD XD XD

is there a Fall Jams thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GRFlBCHLHQ&feature=related

new video (which is terrible tbh but I like the song) from the soon to be free Busy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRStNqbR8w&feature=BFa&list=UUu7Zk8EDuzM35hbS_Km7C-g

Cham over these stripped bare Dave Kelly-ish riddims have been such a highlight this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZJdbr7-8Io&feature=related

any other Oregonians read this thread? LargeUp posted this video the other day that was filmed here (somewhere in central OR from the landscape):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCxLJhWO8wM&feature=player_embedded

another great Russian production:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIHtx3qQfKw

This thread is such a browser killer, I think I'm going to stop embeds from here on out. If you haven't yet heard Lady Saw's "HEELS ON" go to youtube or spotify or whatever and do so immediately.

As someone who loves updates on here and listens to every youtube i say NOOOOOOOOOO

just use bookmarks man

Can’t argue with that.

After being super quiet for a lot of the year, Mavado has suddenly put out two great tunes back to back. Not surprisingly these are both Di Genius productions.

Touch Down:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un5AfeA3g4k

That's the clean version^, which I think I prefer. Here's the raw: http://youtu.be/zqi1itkhJc4.

Disrespect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB80acz0JPM

this is rather nice isn't it?

I-Octane & Bounty Killer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGUVQXtZfgk

and another excellent combination (Gappy Ranks & Busy). riddim really evolves on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7RL4zgCeos

I'm not always sold on Masicka's skills, but he manages to find himself on some of the more interesting productions out there, like this from Equiknoxx. The only downside is that they are frequently about a minute too long:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE6S2F7B6lU

Tifa and Spice's "Why Yuh Mad" might be the best thing I've heard all year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdMEBSVj_0s

I want to check out other voicings on this riddim (Dog Bite), but I can't stop playing this.

Konshens put out so much stuff this year I started overlooking his tunes at some point and probably missed some good tunes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLn78Xk_iag

"like a Burger King combo"

more Konshens tunes tunes tunes tunes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Nrc4JDBQQ

http://www.afropop.org/wp/6432/running-down-the-year-part-1/

Someone named Sax*n Baird at afropop worldwide lists some of his fave caribbean tunes for 2012:

Machel Montano – Go Down (Loudspeaker Riddim)

Popcaan – “When Mi Party” (Summer Wave Riddim

Vybz Kartel – ” R U Ready” Ft Stylysh (Buss Up Riddim)

Tnght Riddim – The Heatwave Refix Featuring Mr. Lexx & Nikisha

he also likes Montreal dj Poirier – Soca Road EP

thanks curmudgeon--please post more lists if you find them. I haven't seen any yet. Last year I made a few friends a playlist of my favorite dancehall from the year, so I'll probably post that list here soon and nominate a bunch of it to the ILM poll. Would love to see anyone who reads this thread's lists too--top 5 or whatever.

That Montano track has shown up on at least one other list I saw. My girly taste means I like Natalie Storm ("Rock the Runway") on Loudspeaker and Gaza Slim ("Independent Ladies" raved about a bit upthread) on Summer Wave more.

"Kartel may be in jail awaiting trial, but that hasn’t stopped him from dropping a few singles."

lol

love this thread, rob (and indeed others who post regularly) - gave me one of my top five? top three? songs of the year - Psycho by Tommy Lee, also Vybz Kartel Lip Gloss, very highly placed in my year-end tunes.

interesting to hear your love for Psycho! Tommy Lee really should have come up more itt--he seems like basically the biggest thing to happen in JA music this year, for better or worse. While horrorcore dancehall isn't a thing I would have thought I would enjoy, I have come to like Pyscho too, though after hitting a run of his tracks where he seemed to be trying to expand his repertoire unsuccessfully, I stopped paying attention. Until the other night when I checked out "Shook" and "Uncle Demon" which are both pretty great and in the same vein as "Psycho." Also, dude gets credit for making some genuinely disturbing videos (as well as inspiring the video for "Why Yuh Mad").

Well I'm a sucker for supernatural vengeance, which, added to that incredible delivery, made it a song totally impossible to resist for me. 'Sparta send some cyanide and 'bout two drum a gunpowder' is a line that's been in my head loads this year - 'unhinged' was the word I think you used - good word for it. Will check out those other two. Haven't really been keeping up with... anything really, so was good to go through a load of recs on this thread this eve.

yeah, I love that "cyanide" line too: a weirdly refreshing change of pace from gunman lyrics.

There's probably a really good essay to write about how Lee's use of Jamaican/Caribbean folklore about the undead (duppies, Haitian zombies, demons, etc). If nothing else, the youtube comments for his videos are always interesting--I have no special knowledge of JA culture, but Lee does seem to be pressing some buttons in genuinely shocking ways, not unlike Vybz Kartel's skin-bleaching but easier to stomach from a US perspective.

And he's got a new one out. Surprised to find myself really into the second half. Swerves from horrorcore to goth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip3IQ6cbduM

cheers rob. yeah i was thinking about Psycho - there's something about that attenuated bo diddley beat and the claustrophobia of a community populated with ghosts and duppy and zombies and general fear that makes it very atmospheric. didn't really realise Jamaican horrorcore was a thing - is there anyone else aside from Tommy Lee doing it? Oh yeah, it's just got to the second half in that vid - that's great! Like you say, it makes a change from gun stuff - and with the supernatural so close it feels a bit more vulnerable, man diddling about with powers that will kill him for temporary gang supremacy/survival - like another favourite line from Psycho 'Mmm, duppy worst thing you can see, dem send duppy for me'.

And yes, continuation of the whole duppy/supernatural strand in reggae is interesting.

LargeUp's Top 10 tracks of the year (their album list is awful):
1. Konshens -- "Gal a Bubble"
2. Mavado -- "Cyaa Hold Me Again"
3/4. Cham -- "Tun Up"/"Lawless"
5. Popcaan -- "The System"
6. Potential Kidd -- "Yah Suh Nice"
7. RDX -- "Jump"
8. Konshens -- "So Mi Tan"
9. Tommy Lee -- "Psycho"
10. Bounty Killer & Cecile -- "Ride"

Honorable mentions:
Mr. Vegas -- "Bruk It Down" and "Party Tun Up"
Busy Signal -- “Kingston Town,” “Come Shock Out” and “Artiste”

http://largeup.okayplayer.com/2012/12/21/toppa-top-10-the-best-dancehall-singles-of-2012/

Great list, though definitely too male-dominated--I have 3 Tifa songs alone on my 2012 favorites playlist. I hadn't caught that Mavado/Di Genius tune (came out last December apparently), and I've been ignoring Busy's new roots album but that Kingston Town song is niiice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cHCDW60cIM

I checked out "Shook" and "Uncle Demon" which are both pretty great and in the same vein as "Psycho."

ha, those are actually the same song. I think I meant "Goat Head" though it's << "Uncle Demon/Shook" and "Psycho"

didn't really realise Jamaican horrorcore was a thing - is there anyone else aside from Tommy Lee doing it?

I'm not aware of anyone mining the same territory as Tommy Lee. After listening to a bunch of his stuff over the past couple of days because of your posts, I'm hoping he's got good management that can steer him well. I almost never like hearing him on a riddim that has lots of other versions--he really benefits from tracks that are as chilly and warped as his lyrics. It could be comparable to the way Cham has made such a big impact this year by sticking to a very particular style of riddim, or, as more of a cautionary tale, how Mavado pretty much only sounded good working with Di Genius.

Buss a Blank also worth your time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qaml2SbnPI

new thread, all welcome: rolling dancehall & reggae 2013