uncarved.org blog

Ras Kush on Black Redemption Sound, in Tokyo

Musik Line: Ras Kush: Sound of Brooklyn.

Absolutely awesome interview with Ras Kush about reggae in New York covering everything from the connections with hip hop, soundsystems, Wackies the underdog, Super Cat, Jammyland, binghi sessions and black consciousness. And also the long reach of sleng teng,  Jah Shaka and Xterminator from overseas.

Essential reading and definitely one to print off for the bus/train/tube journey home.

Wackies and Jah Shaka are interviewed at length in this new publication: More Axe #2.

A 150 page perfectbound book featuring some nice archive interviews and writing. Of particular note is the piece on Peter King – Saxon soundsystem’s fast chat originator.

It’s slightly let down by its design and typesetting but is professional produced overall and very readable.

Books on rocksteady and deejays also available. Order via the link.

junior delahaye & jerry harris with original master tape reel

And if that’s not enough Wackies for ya, check out this recent Wackies Alumni radio show in NYC by the man Carter Van Pelt and featuring Jerry Harris, Junior Delahaye, and Prince Douglas reminiscing on their musical history and contributions to the Wackies sound.

Photos by the man named Dubstar.

KEEP PLASTIC PEOPLE ALIVE Petition.

If you have ever been there, you will want to sign this.

woofahmag.com

I can barely believe I’m saying it but the new issue is here and ready to get out to you all!

Believe me it’s worth the wait – up to a massive 92 pages this time and some incredible content that I am completely amazed we managed to secure. And it’s still the same price!

In the shops next week, but you can order direct NOW:

woofah magazine » Buy.

(copies to contributors and allies will be mailed out early next week, or can be got from me in person)

weareie: Finally!!.

Woofah issue 4 just landed at Chateau Droid. The shipment will now cross the Irish sea and reach London early next week.

Hit the link for more info or stay tuned to this channel…

I’m excited – you should be too!

"Quick, Sarge! They're having one of them Bashment Parties!"

“We know there are disputes between gangs, and gangs have affiliations to certain promoters and venues,” Sergeant Strange told the South London Press.“We are taking steps to keep warring – and I don’t use the word lightly – factions apart,” he continued, “This has been a problematic club and the main reason is the type of music that is played . . . ‘bashment’. We know it attracts gang members.”

via Brixton Cops Ban ‘Bashment’ & ‘Funky House’.

(via Gabriel Heatwave on twitter)

Let’s rewind that: “the main reason is the type of music that is played”.

Are we back to heavy metal albums forcing innocent kids to shoot themselves in the head? Really? It’s all down to the malevolent influence of the music, is it? So the most effective way of keeping gang violence under control is to control the music? How come that never applies when there’s trouble at football or the opening of an Ikea store? “It’s the mid-price flat pack furniture. We know it attracts knife-wielding headcases on the look out for a bargain.”

The article linked above is mainly about the inconvenience this caused to the goth/fetish club The Torture Garden which was using the same venue.

Which is a slightly odd collision for me – I have an honorary lifetime membership card for the Torture Garden somewhere (though I haven’t used it for about 15 years). Obviously it’s great that fetish clubs are no longer subject to intense police scrutiny, but I think it’s a bit short-sighted not to note the downside of a climate in which an entire musical genre can be criminalised and events banned. First they came for the bashment ravers…

This is simply yet another admission that the police are unable to maintain public order without resorting to blanket censorship and inconveniencing the majority of law-abiding club-goers.

Also this week: London venue Cargo warned off DJs from playing any Grime.

As first reported by Dan Hancox in Woofah issue 2, the Metropolitan Police’s notorious Form 696 has lead to quite a few events being shut down and general harassment of artists and promoters.

Holy soundsystem culture convergence, Batman!

Lots of sampling and rejigging of the classic film Babylon going on at the moment. Aswad’s “Warrior Charge” tune is of course the sonic conrnerstone of the film.

It features on Dizzee’s Rascal’s latest album (which I have previously yacked about here) alongside Brinsley Forde’s “Can’t Take No More of That” chant from the climactic final scene of the film:

The tune is produced by Shy FX, so it’s a nice meeting of Grime and Jungle dons.

Kevin Martin has been playing the original “Warrior Charge” out in his sets as The Bug with Flowdan over the top.

And now Brinsley has teamed up with top producer Curtis Lynch on a Babylon inspired riddim also:

Check it out at Necessary Mayhem or Dub Vendor.

Of course, people who have checked my Babylon subsite will know that the first use of this sample was by ‘ardkore merchants Satin Storm way back in 1991:

So that’s a little UK soundsystem meme for you right there!

Great stuff from 2am last Friday morning, now available courtesy of the rinse podcast. Elijah and Skilliam also present and correct.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Musik Line: Ten years of reggae and dub.

Taking up the challenge of my last 3 posts, Mr Musik Line comes from a different direction. A little overlap but lots of other flavours including noughties UK dub.

Damian Marley – Welcome to Jamrock (Ghetto Youths United 2005)

As I said at the time:

“It’s fair to say that Bob Marley had a load of kids. It’s probably only slightly contentious to point out that, whilst many of them have entered the record industry, not many of them have produced anything of much cop. Chalk one up for nurture in the great reggae genetics debate…

However, I was somewhat chuffed to come across Maestro’s “I’m a Dad” single a while back, on the Ghetto Youths United label, which apparently has some kind of Marley connection. A nice bouncy do-over riddim (yeah yeah I’ll get back to you on which one, it’s late!) with a gruff voice on the pleasures of fatherhood – without sounding too trite about it. Nice!

Anyway, if that was a pleasant surprise, my jaw totally dropped to the floor when I first heard Rodigan play “Welcome to Jamrock”. Easily my favourite for 2005 so far, this is going to be MASSIVE!

Great reality ranty lyris: “come on let’s face it, a ghetto education’s basic, and most of the youth dem waste it…”. HUGE HUGE riddim based around and old Ini Kamoze tune with Ini in the mix: “out in the streets, they call it MURDER”

You need this. Unbelievably there is also a Ray Keith drum ‘n’ bass mix in the offing (allegedly).

Aaaaaand it looks like someone is really getting behind this one for a change. Reggae on the up, hey there’s even a great video. Check it aaaaaaht.”

And yeah all that investment paid off. I guess this is probably the reggae tune of the decade in many ways. If you discount the dancehall flava of Sean Paul and Shaggy, this has been heard by most people…

Grime, garage and jungle mixes followed swiftly afterwards. Damian’s brother Stephen followed suit with the excellent “Traffic Jam” and for a minute it looked like the Marley dynasty was going to prove itself useful again…

Cham – Ghetto Story (Madhouse 2005)

“This a survival story, True ghetto story
This is my story, Real ghetto story
Hey

I remember those days when Hell was my home
When Me and Mama bed was a big piece a foam
An mi never like bathe and my hair never comb”

You can’t argue with Cham over a Dave Kelly riddim – Vitamin S (Fiesta, 2003), Rude Boy Pledge (Stageshow, 2006) – much fun to be had. The Eighty-Five riddim crowned them all though. Was it called that because it was at 85 bpm or because it recalled 1985, the dawn of the minimal digi ragga riddim?

Suddenly this was everywhere – the slightly wonky synth intro announcing many a version excursion. Pinchers’ “Desperate Scenario” donated some balance to the procedings with his higher pitched vocal whilst Assassin’s “Everywhere we go” retaind the gruffness but wasn’t anywhere near Cham’s standard. Yellowman’s cut showed the grandmaster slightly worse for wear but was alright.

Then YT got in the game with his “England Story” – altering Cham’s lyrics of a hard childhood in Kingston to a history of UK soundsystem. Unfortunately YT then re-recorded the backing track for his LP, which isn’t surprising given Dave Kelly’s litigious habits, but made a less powerful track. Me and Paul used the original YT cut as an intro to our “Fast Chat Special” mix for Dave Stelfox’s Resonance FM show.

Then (argh!) Akon and (mmm!) Alicia Keys got in on the act and Cham signed a major label record deal…

Gyptian – Serious Times (Fenz 2005)

OK, comments about “Drop Leaf”-mania aside, I liked this one. I liked it a lot – something about the simplicity of the lyrics and delivery makes it very emotional. I can completely understand why people who got into reggae via industrial or On-U Sound would hate this, or just find its sincerity a bit grating.

A very very young vocalist called QQ had a good cut called “Poverty” on the same riddim. QQ also produced one of the few amazing dancehall cuts towards the end of the decade “Tek It To Dem” which would probably make a Top 40 list if I was doing one.

Jammer did a grime re-rub in his Neckle Camp guise. Paul Meme still rejected this for the Grime in the Dancehall mix, though!

Fantan Mojah – Hungry (Down Sound 2005)

Matt B uploaded a nice mix of the Invasion riddim, which allowed me to hold forth on its origins in the foundation Pressure and Slide.

Fantan’s delivery is fantastic, and at the risk of repeating myself, this was just a great upbeat reworking of an old formula.

Twilight Circus featuring Michael Rose & Brother Culture – No Burial (M Records 2005)

Ryan Moore really went out on a limb with his productions in the noughties – the full story his trip to Jamaica to work with legends like Sly and Robbie is told in issue 3 of Woofah.

This tune was recorded in a few locations and combines the JA and UK roots styles perfectly. You can tell he’s been as inspired by Shaka as Xterminator, and it all has a brightness to it which only comes with hours of studio time and dedication.

The TC back catalogue can be a bit bewildering at first glance, but basically anything featuring vocalists is a “must have” if you like this. Also some wicked remixes on the singles.

Obviously taking the time to produce tunes like this costs wonga, which in the olden days you might recoup through sales, but now…

Chuck Fender – Gash Dem (Jukeboxxx 2006)

More anti-badman chatting, which apparently irked the autorities in JA so much that they banned it from radio. Presumably because they didn’t want to put off the tourists? Or because of all the attention paid to “murder music” from some quarters (which would be bleakly ironic as the song only calls for the metaphysical destruction of gangsters etc). Chuck’s next single was called “Freedom of Speech”.

The Confessions riddim included some other beauties, some of which are included on RSI Radio vol 1, which also features me mumbling away.

Sizzla – Chant Dem Down (Kalonji 2006)

A “one away” from one of the crossest men in reggae. Tip of the hat again to Rodigan, blink and you missed this release. Headnodding beats under a loop from Errol Dunkley’s “Little Way Different”. I guess this must have been an experiment that paid off? More of This Sort of Thing, please!

Collie Budz – Come Around (Massive B 2006)

Guaranteed dancefloor mayhem, especially when backed up with Alborosie’s “Rastafari Anthem” on the same riddim – a do-over (or sample?) from an old Zap Pow track.

Everyone loved this, except it seems for smug white Guardian journalists. It certainly went down a treat when I played it about six o’clock in the morning at that House Party rave.

Manasseh/Ava Leigh – Over The Bridge (Roots Garden 2007)

Now Nick Manasseh is a UK roots legend, but I was a little concerned cos as far as I knew the last female vocalist he’d worked with was Dido. Ava Leigh was promoted as being a mixture of Dido and er… Lily Allen, maybe. So I avoided her when she was playing the beer tent at the Big Chill one year. Stupid preconceptions got blasted again when I heard this, and her “La La La” single. She’s got a great voice as well as being (ahem) picturesque.

So this is one tune on Manasseh’s Levi Riddim, which also features cuts from Luciano & Ras Zacharri (River Jordan) and Jah Mali (Jah Works).

What makes it great is that sparse digital stuff happening in the mix, and the lush stuff over the top of it. Roots Garden haven’t really put a foot wrong, so check them out. Their twelve inch “Showcase” EPs are especially recommended.

Alborosie track – Kingston Town (Forward 2007)

Or the “biddly bong” song, as it came to be known. Alborosie first came to my attention in 2006 with his tune Herbalist which was very top stuff and further distinguished itself by having a half decent dub version on the b-side.

Then it emerged that he was a white, dreadlocked Italian who had rocked up in Kingston and spoke better patois than English. Dave Stelfox got the low down once again.

A whole bunch of great seven inches were released on his Forward label (often in distinctive yellow sleeves, for some reason) and he collaborated with everyone from Sizzla to Michael Rose. His production was bang on too.

And yes, there aren’t any tracks from 2008 or 2009 in this chart. Make of that what you will. I’m sure I have missed some tracks, so eel free to do your own versions or leave a comment…

Consider this your grumpy intermission. Part Two of “The best reggae 45s of the noughties” will follow shortly…

Riddim Albums

20 cuts, 40 cuts, but how many are worth playing more than twice?

Riddim albums made economic sense. If you look at the Greensleeves discog for the end of the 90s they were releasing 5 or 6 seven inches for each riddm, some of which were quite difficult to get hold of. The double LPs were cheap, available and great for mixing. And Tony McDermott’s iconic sleeve designs (see above) were awesome.

But it seemed like producers ended up getting any passing stranger into the studio just to make up the numbers to the magical 20. And sometimes there were 3 or 4 of these riddims a month, often with the same “stars” on them alongside the no-marks, all being paid by the hour. The quality took a dive.

Some of the actual riddims were great (especially Diwali, Martial Arts, Hard Drive). Others were pretty dreadful and boasted generic hateful vocals to boot (my personal worst was the Saddam Birthday / Jailbreak riddim LP).

Having said that, there are still some gems from this era, some of which are collected on the Boom Boom Bashment Mix I did with Paul Meme and Paul’s own Nervous Ragga mix.

Collectors/Downloaders

Collectors over-value the music and turn it into a game of speculation and acquisition rather than, y’know, listening.

They have always been around, but until the noughties their presence at least ensured the continuation of record shops. Now ebay has come to the fore you can amass a record collection worth thousands of pounds without actually having to meet anyone except maybe your postman.

Glutonous downloaders devalue the music by acquiring vast quantities of it for free. Don’t worry about the quality or context, look at the size of my iTunes collection!

Neither of these processes (both of which I confess I have been guilty of to a minor degree at times) result in any money going back to the creators of the music. Which brings us nicely to:

Tuff Gong photo by pixelskew

The end of vinyl production in Jamaica

As detailed by my man Dave Stelfox in the Guardian

The medium shouldn’t affect that message, but it does. There is simply less chance of making money out of music now that it has all dematerialised, so less people are interested in getting involved with making it. Also, even by reggae’s usual meagre standards, investment in marketing/promotion is at an all time low. Apparently Vybz Kartel’s latest album sold just eight copies during its first week of release.

I have an emotional and a practical attachment to vinyl, but realistically this is a losing battle.

Drop Leaf

It’s OK as it goes and undeniably popular, but just a bit too twee for me.

The main issue with this riddim is that it basically killed off the “relick reggae” there is so much of in my “best of the noughties” chart. Instead everyone did “tasteful” tunes with plucky guitars or strings and over-emoted. Or they entered the realm of the…

Soca Autotune

Towards the end of the decade it all got a bit more ravey, bit more soca, bit more r ‘n’ b. Which actually sounds alright when I write that, except hardly any of the tunes did it for me. I’ve got lots of love for what Heatwave are doing with their whole Caribbean Rave thing, but I just had to sit this dance out. I really hope this isn’t because it coincided with me entering my forties, but you never know.

Homophobia Hysteria

Look I don’t like homophobia any more than you do. I don’t buy those records, I don’t play those records out, I’m not known for shying away from expressing my views on the matter.

I’m not going to defend people’s right to spout hatred of gay people on some kind of cultural-relativist ticket either, but you would be a bit dim if you didn’t look at the context of anti-gay legislation in JA.

I could write a lot more about this but it usually kicks of a huge ruckus in the comments box and I think we’ve all made our position clear on the issue over the last ten years. And yes, it does seem to have settled down a bit now.

One thing that pisses me off is that coverage of reggae in the media in the noughties was either snide or hysterical. Which is a bit galling for me, as someone who thinks a ton of good things have been happening.

Speaking of which:

Pisstaking Journalists

Yes it’s ridiculous that some white people like music made by black people.

And hilarious that Collie Budz, a white guy who grew up in Bermuda, makes reggae himself.

And we’re all really pleased that you have transcended the disadvantages of a public school upbringing to become a broadsheet journalist who writes so knowledgeably about the music and culture you so clearly love.

Cultural Raiders

Yay! It’s a global village! Even though I’m in my twenties and I live with my parents in affluent Surrey, I can still simulate the sounds of being a Kingston Ghetto Sufferah by the power of my sampler! Look at me posting up pictures of reggae soundsystems on my internet profile! Here’s my latest tune, it’s called “Jah Yardie Lengman Spliff Ackie Lickwood Skank”.

The best example of this for me was some breakcore producer who made a tune called “Battyman” which got released on vinyl without anyone actually knowing what the word meant. This prompted a wise old cove on the C8 discussion forum to comment: “You like sampling Capleton because he sounds so angry. He is angry AT YOU!”

Dance Crazes

“Bad man forward bad man pull up” was a tune. We all had a laugh watching Paul Meme “signal de plane” off the instructions from that Sean Paul poster sleeve. And “Dutty Wine” was alright. But after that, every single bashment tune had to have its own increasingly contrived dance craze.

And yes, it is a bit rich for me to be slagging of Jamaican people for making tunes that go down big time at Kingston dancehalls and across the globe. Sorry.

Needless to say, with “daggering” it all ended in tears. Actually, not just tears: broken penises.

“Festival Reggae”

A relatively new development. Live bands performing their own songs for an international festival audience. There are a few of these around and they all seem to have quite good press agents. I’m reluctant to name them because I am sure they are all very nice, but it just seems a bit lifeless to me.

I guess this development springs from the recognition that you can still make cash out of live performances if not record sales. As Matt B points out in the new Woofah (soon!) – it’s probably nice enough on a sunny afternoon in a field, and might even act as a “gateway drug” for some. But otherwise it all seems a bit surplus to requirements.