New Dancehall

[sus]

does that make you Will Ladislaw?

I didn't wanna say it but I'm glad someone said it for me

 

[Benny Bunter]

First good dancehall tune of the year. Roze don is a bit of a moron and this song is moronic but if you've had enough beers you might enjoy

 

[Benny Bunter]

Would you still call it dancehall in or is it something else by now?

 

[luka]

definitely still dancehall.

 

[luka]

that one is squarely in the dancehall tradition. wouldnt sound weird to anyone in the eighties or nineties.

 

[Benny Bunter]

He doesn't do the autotune vocal psychedelia thing is probably why. Not a particularly good vocalist but he's got some fun songs, more danceable than a lot of stuff around atm, but that trap influence is still there in the beat.
This was a big one from last year in a similar vein:

In general though, I think the trap influences are becoming more truly integrated into dancehall rhythms than before, as opposed to just being bolted together or layed on top of each other, if that makes sense. More of a true synthesis.
Hard to describe how though.

 

[Benny Bunter]

How about this?

 

[Benny Bunter]

Listening to something like that, I don't think it's too much a stretch to compare a lot of the new sound's ghostliness to 70s dub. Heavy bass has come back into the sound again too over last couple of years, albeit in a different form (quite drill-ish in this case)

 

[luka]

i got barty into trap dancehall by sending him the time cow article about it. he was rude about it at first but i told him to persevere. have you read it? i liked it becasue it describded the social conditions it emerged from. the phone scammers and that.

 

[Benny Bunter]

Yes, it's a really good article, the only one of its kind afaik. I'd been meaning to ask Barty what he thought about it actually, considering the complete dearth of good writing about modern dancehall. I appreciated that even though he doesn't rate the music, he takes it seriously and seems to have a good understanding of where it comes from, the social conditions as you say. But the music has improved massively since the time that article was written though when it was in its infancy.

It would be good to combine that that drier social analysis approach with the Neon screams style actually.

 

[luka]

as i say he was dismissive and rude at first but i forced him to like it

 

[luka]

i thought it was interesting that the centre of power had moved from kingston to, you know, wherever it was

 

[luka]

and im convinced that music and crime are even more strongly linked than ever now that you cant sell records

 

[Benny Bunter]

Montego bay, primarily

 

[Benny Bunter]

Though now I think it's more east side Jamaica, that's where Skillibeng is from for example along with a load of others

 

[Benny Bunter]

Popcaan is from St Thomas as well, so maybe the shift started when Vybz Kartel brought him in late 2000s?

 

[forclosure]

@Benny B might be of interest to you and some people here https://supanytro.co.uk/shop/ols/products/tip-inna-it-laalee-live-in-london-early-bird

 

[Benny Bunter]

@Benny B might be of interest to you and some people here https://supanytro.co.uk/shop/ols/products/tip-inna-it-laalee-live-in-london-early-bird

Thanks, but I live in Spain. You should go though and report back to us all

 

[luka]

Benny is a upper echelon top dollar Gigolo in the Seville region. By day he drinks in bars and reads modernist poetry,
by night he 'escorts' ladies.

 

[Benny Bunter]

How about this?

Sent this to Barty and he described it approvingly as an example of the "Central-Asian-goat-herder-ification of Jamaican music"

Made my day that did.