Define Roots. Define Dub. Define Dancehall. Define Ska. etc etc

[leggo rocker]

For the new updates gong onto RA I am working on some text that introduces, defines, explains and gives examples of the different reggae genres.

To make this accurate, I wanted to ask the experts here how they define each genre.

What makes Ska Ska and Rocksteady Rocksteady?

What is Roots? When is a tune Roots?

I'd also like any historical knowledge or anectodes (stories about things that happened int he past) any of you have on the origins of these genres.

Post your answers here on this thread so others can comment on, argue with, correct or support your views.

Here are the genres we need to work on:

Ska
Rocksteady
Roots
Dub
Dancehall
DJ
Nyabinghi
Lovers Rock

Plase add any you think I have missed - BUT only if they fit within RA's remit of 1970 - 1985 material.


Go Deh guys and girls!!!

[pf]

If you put ska and rocksteady you should also include an early reggae category, the fast reggae as opposed to roots reggae.
What makes ska ska is that the snare beats in the 2nd and 4th times while bass has the accent in 1st and 3rd beats. It would be long to write.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska
Rocksteady is the same but slower, the bass has a more elaborated patter than just the walking bass, horns are not so prominent, influence of US soul vocal groups...
You must have heard that the summer of 66(?) was too hot to dance ska so they had to slow the tempo so rocksteady was born. Also they say that rudies wanted a slower rythm to dance more cool and dont sweat their suits...stories...

[Well Charge]

There seems to be a constant slowing down and speeding up of reggae rhythms throughout time, maybe it does have to do with temperature - ska slowed down to rocksteady, which speeded up to early reggae, slowing down to roots once again, then you have steppers which is once again speeding things up, rub a dub - nice and slow again, bogle - more energetic once again.
Also, in the UK steppers reggae lasted longer than in JA, and dancehall evolved into the faster jungle music, maybe because it's cold in the UK?

[ranking trevor]

Hail

First of all i not going to be to technical pon explaination ie 'snare beats in the 3rd and 4th'. the reason why, is because i&i know peer youth who fist time listen too reggae music need to first understand the music in simple/ uncomplicated terms - ya nah see it. Ok.

I-man would start with Mento but i know RA love the sound from 1970-1985 so mi a go lef dat.

SKA - starting from the early 1960's, coming out of the jamacian r&b/boogie blues sound. ska ska ska, very fast almost carrying jazz sound. consisting of instuments such as horns, saxophones, piano, bass guitar and trombones.
ska had alot of famed musicians, people like, Eric "Monty" Morris, Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, Guitarist Ernest Ranglin, Prince Buster, Derrek Morgan, Delroy Wilson....

Ska's tempo is said to have appealed to the restless Jamaican Ghetto youth, and was always the music of the poor.

Theophilus Beckford is widely considered by a lot of people to have cut the first ska tune, in 1959 "Easy Snapping"

Cluet Johnson AKA "Clue J" was played a significant role in the development of Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's sound of the late 50s to establishing a classifiable Jamaican musical sound. Clue J's regualar stage greeting - skavoovie, lead some to belive this as the start of the term Ska.

One really definate ska tune cut (and my personal favorite) was Justin Hinds & The Dominoes "Carry Go Bring Come" cut on a tresure isle label in 1964 also used on the king edwards sound system.

One of the last great ska tunes, widely recognised as Sir Lord Comic's "The Great Wuga Wuga" 1967 on WIRL JA 7''. - this tune was actually a musical advertisement for his sound system

The biggest, largest and most difinite sound of teh whole ska-era, was almost definately The Skatalites of 1964-65 which only held together for 14 months.

Members of the orginal skatalites (1964) are as follows : -
Tommy McCook, Rolando Alphonso, Lloyd Brevett, Lloyd Knibb, Lester Sterling, Don Drummond, Jah Jerry Haynes, Jackie Mittoo, Johnny Moore, Jackie Opel, Doreen Shaffer

Later Members of the skatalites (2006) are as follows : - Lloyd Knibb, Doreen Shaffer, Lester "Ska" Sterling, Karl "Cannonball" Bryan, Vin Gordon, Devon James, Ken Stewart, Kevin Batchelor, Val Douglas

ROCKSTEADY - is often considered to have acquired a more sophishicated and smooth sound which bloomed from the mid-late 60's and allowed singers, vocalists and harmony based groups to really shine as the speed of the music slowed down in comparisons to predecessor SKA. Rocksteady relied on a dominant drum and bass guitar, Less dominant horns which ruled the ska sound. And overall alot of listers and reviews agree that Rock Steady was perfect for romantic group vocals and harmonic tones.

Groups that really shone in the rockstaedy genre were groups like ; -
The Paragons(One of my favorites), The Heptones, The Gaylads, The Kingstonians, Toots & the Maytals, Justin Hinds & the Dominoes (One of my favorites), The Silvertones, The Jamaicans.

Independant Singers that really shone in the rockstaedy genre were groups like ; -
Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, Phyllis Dillon (known as the Queen of Rocksteady, Delroy Wilson.

Two Significant Rockstaedy recordings that really stand out as paramount, are as follows: -

Alton Ellis' "Girl I've Got a Date" cut on a "Treasure Isle" label in 1966

The Pagagons "The Tide Is High cut again on a "Treasure Isle" label in 1967

I-man haffi come back to this thread for the dancehall/dj part

JAH LOVE

[Lion]

Don't forget the roots.
Calpyso
Mento
R&B
Shuffel
Ska
The borderline between the styles are small and big at the same time.

Lion

[ranking trevor]

hail

lion, iman know alot about the earlier stylee

for examnple boogie shuffle/jamacan R&B - artist like neville esson, owen gray ect

and Mento....... calypso cant really be implimented as it is of trinidad and tobago and has a big spanish influence as oppsoed to mento with the influnce of our AFRICAN ansestors who were slaves in the slave trade.

I would have gone into a large breakdown on the earleir stuff like shuffle and mento as i have a big passion for them but Roots Archive doesnt really like these stuff or have a preference for it... they want 1970-1985. so i just comply. you nah see it.

Anyway, peer love

JAH LOVE

[Lion]

I man like all the music from Jamaica if it's Jazz,mento,ska etc still to day Dancehall and Roots.

It is realy hurt me when people only looking small part of Jamaican music.

Play the Shuffel of Theo Beckford : Walking down King street.
(The man from Trench Town)

Lion

[ranking trevor]

HAIL

It True

It hurt me too when people nah show respect to teh earlier stlyes !!!!!

my father was a mento player - count lever

and my brother played alot of shuffle/ska

People need to fimiliarise themselves with all reggae styles and be more versitile.

Reggae is just a broad term for the music, to me reggae music which covers ALL the styles even the unrecognised is a total way of life.

Everyday when iman Wake up i play all kinda different styles.

1 day it could be mento

next day it could be shuffle

i love eveyting

and as the bredda lion said it really hurt me when certain foundation reggae style nah get appreication dem desreve.

JAH LOVE

[Lion]

Wicked Trevor,
Grow up ina musical family ina Trench Town.

One Love

Lion

[Litelet]

Ites breda...
I woud add some points...

About the Ska, there is a wide difference with reggae... and I wouldnt call out the snare drums that seems to vary a bit... you can find few "one drop ska" with only snare drum on the third...

For me, a constant and definitive difference is the guitar beat (tchic) that is on every half count...
1 - tchic - 2 -tchic - 3 - tchic - 4 tchic...

I dont know the name of dis half time in english, in french its a "croche".
The reggae has a guitar beat on the 2nd and 4rth counts...

1 - tchic - 3 - tchic

If you add to this a One drop drum beat (TUM) you get the early reggae and one drop riddim:

1 - tchic - TUM - tchic

yeah... looks stupid, but its true...

I would define rocksteady in comparison of SKA for his tempo, his more mellow atmosphere and lyrics that always are joyful, talking about love, life and joy... no politricks!

That's how I would define "Roots", maybe the most widely used word...
Roots for me is "conscious" for the lyrics, means politically invested, or relgiously invested...
Sufferer's style is roots...

Still a riddim can be, for me, roots...
In this case, its most of the time a heavy drum and bass section... really heavy, playin in a non commercial style, something heavy and ruff that give a vibration skank in the belly...


Dancehall is a "squared drum style"... kind of balance betweem kick and snare... Somethin VERY simple that let almost all the importance to the vocal...
Same guitar beat as reggae, but the drums add a kick on the first time, making it more reggular

TUM - tchic - TUM - tchic

Generally the third count is played on the snare drums, sometime (especially in the 80-83 dancehall) they use snare + kick as the one drop...

But I dont take all what I said as universal...

guidance