dancehall misconception

[culture]

There's a fair amount of conscious digital-80s/90s dancehall about. As for roots post '85 - I reckon: Culture, Burning Spear, Israel Vibration did a pretty great job.

Dancehall music is not a no-go area for me but It has to be 'conscious', ..ok there are some bashment, ragga, dancehall vibes that have delivered a couple head-bopping moments ect.. but all the bad boy, slutty, gangster ragga - they can keep that.

[Javier]

Alright Mod !!!

In the end, this is a place for music lovers, with good knowledge (or seeking it)

A subforum for dancehall would not harm no one
There is no forum for dancehall as this is for roots.

Maybe we can start with 85-95 sth like that

Bless !

[flashman]

I'd be happy to do that to. I can't seem to get into the Blood and Fire board, which is less restrictive in it's topics, so I'd be into talking dancehall right here too. And I do love the period Javier is talking about! 86-99! Love it.
There's plenty of 'roots' lyrically speaking in that time period. Even people who are always judged as being slack or gangster, like Ninjaman, have some good conscious tunes. What people who don't venture beyond '85 miss is the development of vocal styles and great vocalists and djs that came later.

Dancehall and Roots are not mutually exclusive.

Me, I'd rather listen to a clever slack tune than a trite roots tune, and both things do actually exist!

[rokkimake]

Hi, ya all digicrap lovers. So ya gonna conquer dis ya site.
Always had me wondered how people loving real reggae riddims can stand that musically inferior rubbish after '85 with those banal drum machines and especially nauseating synth bass lines whether the songs are conscious or slack.

Of course, i know this whole website is about Roots, but having a sort of 'off topic' Dancehall forum wouldn't harm no one.

I think it is too narrow concept to call all the reggae between 70-85 Roots, 'cause 79-85 era was great real Dancehall. Somewhat overdoing I'd say that strictly roots means a trio singing about sufferation in a solemn way.

But of course man must found a Dancehall forum if the public so wants, but there is no need me to read it.

[Roots Archives]

Hi, ya all digicrap lovers. So ya gonna conquer dis ya site.
Always had me wondered how people loving real reggae riddims can stand that musically inferior rubbish after '85 with those banal drum machines and especially nauseating synth bass lines whether the songs are conscious or slack.


Roots Archives wrote:
Of course, i know this whole website is about Roots, but having a sort of 'off topic' Dancehall forum wouldn't harm no one.

I think it is too narrow concept to call all the reggae between 70-85 Roots, 'cause 79-85 era was great real Dancehall. Somewhat overdoing I'd say that strictly roots means a trio singing about sufferation in a solemn way.

But of course man must found a Dancehall forum if the public so wants, but there is no need me to read it.

Then it is obviously not for you to read

[vtov]

Funny thing is, that I was thinking about a subforum for dancehall or ragga myself last week.
Of course, i know this whole website is about Roots, but having a sort of 'off topic' Dancehall forum wouldn't harm no one.

Yes - support for the next forum. Maybe just call it digital or ragga with no time period so that post-85 roots can still fall under the main.

No worry about classification - if someting is posted in a 'wrong' forum then the mods can just move it.

Many subjects will cross over or fit in either - no problem ...

[Dubbaddikt]

Imo dancehall is getting confused with Slackness which followed the Roots explosion of the 70s, where lyrics stopped being about conscious themes and became about sex and girls and guns.Interestingly this slackness also ran parallel to the massive increase in the Cocaine trade on the island in the early 80s(see Laurie Gunst's excellent book "Born Fe Dead" for more about this.)
Not dissimilar to the gangster rap coming out of NY City at the same time, NY being one of the centres for the burgeoning Crack Cocain trade.
As someone else pointed out dancehalls(places where people go to dance) have been around for a long time, its the style of the music that changes.

[flashman]

So...are we gonna have one? I can start by saying how much I'm liking the White Mice album Basic Replay reissued and Little Kirk's Ghetto People Broke, which I've had since the late 80's but have been delving into again. Great stuff. No offense, but it just seems ridiculous to shun this stuff. I guess I just have expansive taste as opposed to restrictive taste. Jamaican musicians did amazing things with the musical technology.
As for rokkimake's comment about "real dancehall", that's funny!!! Tell the multitudes of Jamaicans for the past 30 years that their dancehall music isn't "real". Should get an interesting response there.

[kalcidis]

I don't have a problem with that era being discussed here. I listen a bit to it myself and enjoy it on and off. But really ... doesn't the discussions about this thrive at Blood & Fire and DHR?

As long as the discussions on the 70's and early 80's don't drown at RA then I have no problem with other eras being included. Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one in the world enjoying a good bubbling rub-a-dub rhythm... and then I log in at RA and I see some discussions on this music I love. Don't want to lose that feeling.

[jahsteppa]

Cant get onto B+F forum either, so will stick 2 this great forum root archives......

I just love JA music in al its forms, but mostly love the local (JA) stuff from 60's onwards up til now, and the UK stuff from 60's up til now.........just love the whole sound system/dancehall culture......its all music..

Ppl should not diss JA music produced after '85 - they dont know what they missing.......this was the era dont forget, when Frankie Paul, Half Pint, Coco T and countless other greats plied their trade in there own distinctive style of reggae - i.e. Dancehall - covering vast ground lyrically, not just love songs, or slackness, but roots, culture and reality vibes too...

Ppl who say reggae died with Bob Marley are just shallow and dont have a hint or a clue about this music.....

Bless Up