Roots Archives Forum

The "old" "classic" sound is gone.

There are loads of musicians these days, even in Jamaica, who are technically much better than the musicians of the 70s...but is a different sound. It doesn't do much for me though.
Is a different time and a different vibe, also, different technology, digital recordings, "new" instruments that sound c***P (sorry...sorry they sound "different"), lightweight, too clean, lifeless, clinical, too "perfect".

This is just a personal opinion. I prefer Hammonds to Tritons, dirty and raw, with bum notes, even out of tune pianos, analogue tape natural cpmpression...but still, can't say Reggae is "dead"..it just changed. Actually, on an international level, Reggae is more popular than ever. Festivals and Sounds all over. Websites, etc....




( how many times has this been discussed here? )

To add to Inyaki's comment,artists and musicians are now coming from a different place spiritually.

Poverty has made a major contribution to the Golden era of Reggae and opened the door for the new artists not to have to go through the same struggle as the veterans.

No more Lean boot or sufferation,artists are now on stage in Dolce and Gabanna.Robbie Shakespeare told me he got paid Kentucky fried chicken for many sessions.

Playing your heart out for your next meal is going to sound very different to playing for your next pair of Nike trainers.

I Spoke to a bass player from Jamaica this year that was playing with Big Youth and Junior Byles at the Garance festival in France,it was his first time in Europe, back in Jamaica he usually plays Jazz at night and is a financial analyst in the day.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

NinoNorrland wrote:ice: With all due respect, claiming that reggae has no future because current reggae doesn't interest you is like claiming that there's no future for clothes because your favourite shirt went out of fashion twenty odd years ago.

who said reggae has no future? I know I didn't...to ask if reggae has a future or not is a strange question anyway because what exactly does "a future" mean?

Rootts wrote: P/S please do not put artist such as Tarrus Riley, Richie Spice, Alborosie and Jah Cure with Junior Byles, Johnny Clarke, Gregory Isaacs and Horace Andy in the same sentence, you will break my heart.

me, you'll make laugh

ice wrote: who said reggae has no future? I know I didn't...

Uhm...you did actually say "the answer is easy: there is no future..." in reply to Mystikal Gongs question:
"With more & more legends of reggae passing on & some aging, what is the future of reggae?"

ice wrote:the answer is easy: there is no future...

ice wrote:who said reggae has no future? I know I didn't...

ice wrote:and by the way: nobody said (at least I didn't) that reggae per se died; I said that ROOTS Reggae and Reggae's golden era died in the mid 80s

You didn't say that in the first place, did you.

Now, I'm not really trying to have a go at you, but it does seem like you keep contradicting yourself.

Mick Sleeper wrote:Tarrus Riley, Richie Spice, Alborosie, Jah Cure and others are the modern day equivalents of Junior Byles, Johnny Clarke, Gregory Isaacs and Horace Andy. Respect to the roots, but stop living (and listening) in the past!

You're so right Mick !

As far as new, up-and-coming talent, I've seen Romain Virgo perform and he was pretty good. He sang a few Alton Ellis covers at the show (the standout was "Breaking Up") and they sounded great. I'm not familiar with Mr. Virgo's releases, which are probably not "roots", but he's got a killer voice and seemed like a nice guy.

I'm personally "stuck" in the past like a lot of other people on the board. But why not? The music was incredible back then (1966-1984) and I keep "discovering" more and more of it every day!

[NOTE: I find that this is true for me in almost every other genre as well (hip-hop, jazz, rock, soul, country), but that's another topic . . . ]

even though things look grim, i'm optimistic there will be a resurgence. it might take 10 or 20 years, but the older styles are too good to be denied.

it has a future.people have their taste for different genres...it would be good if lots rare compilations from labels like count shelly,third world,supreme and other obscure labels reissued.but sadly looks like they will not be.was wondering if slim smith was alive.....how it would have been with this digtal stuff.