dd528
Well-known member
Happy New Year first of all!
I mostly lurk on here without posting, but suddenly this seemed the natural place to turn, as there's always some pretty deep musical knowledge on display on these boards. Couldn't see another thread dedicated to the topic, so here we go.
Having listened to roots and dub reggae for years I've decided it's time to start checking the music that's come out of Jamaica since 1980, which mostly means dancehall. I'm way out of my depth though, so I'm seeking any suggestions as to where to start.
I was recommended (and am enjoying) this Terror Danjah mix which has a lot of early and mid-90s stuff on it. Also I picked up the Sept/Oct issue of Wax Poetics which has interesting interviews with Beres Hammond, Sugar Minott, and Gregory Isaacs in it. I'm familiar with the latter's earlier (non-dancehall) work, but the rest is a black hole for me.
Those interviews have thrown up a few other artists too, but I think they're pretty limited to the period when dancehall was evolving out of earlier stuff. I'm interested in that for sure (I've been thinking about checking out one of Trojan's box sets covering that era), but that still leaves the whole of the last 20-odd years untouched. A mate has passed a copy of Sizzla's Black Woman And Child on to me, which is a starting point, I guess. Only picked it up today so I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.
Also, I have to admit that danchall's reputation precedes it somewhat. I'm happy to give anything a listen from an academic perspective, but any records that are over-the-top with misogyny and homophobia aren't likely to get much rotation for pleasure in my house. So more righteous tips would be appreciated
Although if anyone has anything insightful to add about slackness in Jamaican music, that's definitely a conversation I'm very interested in having, as it's not something I've really had opportunity to discuss before.
I mostly lurk on here without posting, but suddenly this seemed the natural place to turn, as there's always some pretty deep musical knowledge on display on these boards. Couldn't see another thread dedicated to the topic, so here we go.
Having listened to roots and dub reggae for years I've decided it's time to start checking the music that's come out of Jamaica since 1980, which mostly means dancehall. I'm way out of my depth though, so I'm seeking any suggestions as to where to start.
I was recommended (and am enjoying) this Terror Danjah mix which has a lot of early and mid-90s stuff on it. Also I picked up the Sept/Oct issue of Wax Poetics which has interesting interviews with Beres Hammond, Sugar Minott, and Gregory Isaacs in it. I'm familiar with the latter's earlier (non-dancehall) work, but the rest is a black hole for me.
Those interviews have thrown up a few other artists too, but I think they're pretty limited to the period when dancehall was evolving out of earlier stuff. I'm interested in that for sure (I've been thinking about checking out one of Trojan's box sets covering that era), but that still leaves the whole of the last 20-odd years untouched. A mate has passed a copy of Sizzla's Black Woman And Child on to me, which is a starting point, I guess. Only picked it up today so I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.
Also, I have to admit that danchall's reputation precedes it somewhat. I'm happy to give anything a listen from an academic perspective, but any records that are over-the-top with misogyny and homophobia aren't likely to get much rotation for pleasure in my house. So more righteous tips would be appreciated
Although if anyone has anything insightful to add about slackness in Jamaican music, that's definitely a conversation I'm very interested in having, as it's not something I've really had opportunity to discuss before.
