Wed: 06-18-08
The Month In: Reggae / Dancehall
The Month In by Dave Stelfox

To this end, respected reissue and archive label Soul Jazz has recently pulled together a collection of tracks by a duo that perfectly illustrates British street music’s inextricable links with soundsystem culture. Starting out as deejays for North London’s Unity Sound, Flinty Badman (Trevor Destouche) and Deman Rocker (David Destouche) split off to form the Ragga Twins. Jacknifing deep-rooted Jamaican vocal sensibilities together with tearing rhythms, predominantly provided by producers Shut Up & Dance, these brothers blended dancehall with both hip-hop and rave, in the process providing many of the movement’s most explosive moments. Soon to be anthologized on Ragga Twins Step Out– out in a few weeks– songs including “Hooligan 69″, “Spliffhead”, and “Ragga Trip” may sound somewhat dated by today’s standards. However, this is far from a sticking point, bringing about rushes of fond nostalgia and providing a valuable document of a pivotal period.

Moving forward to the present day, Kevin Martin’s work as the Bug has come on leaps and bounds over the past couple of years, first blurring the lines between dancehall and experimental/industrial electronica (always a pretty porous border if you take an open-ended view of such matters) and now grime and dubstep. Following his 2004 album Aktion Pak (Rephlex/CD/UK), the soon-to-be-released London Zoo (Ninja Tune/CD/U.S.) keeps this producer’s corroded, futuristic vision of dancehall intact but also shows a friendlier face. Also, there’s a strong sense of reggae’s past at play. Accordingly, contemporary badman tunes such as “Skeng” (featuring Killa P & Flowdan) and Jah War (feat Flowdan) rub comfortably against Punany-era King Jammy-influenced tracks including “Angry” featuring veteran UK MC Tippa Irie and “Insane”, voiced by long-time collaborator Warrior Queen. Overall, it’s cohesive and infectious homage to the versatility and resilence of Jamaican music.

Meanwhile, back in Kingston, Donovan “Don Corleon” Bennett is back after a reasonably quiet patch with two fresh riddims: one sweet one-drop number and another aimed squarely at the dancehall. Secrets (7″/Don Corleon/JA) hosts Jah Cure singing his heart out on the gorgeous “Miles Away” and perennial Month In favourites TOK dropping a delightful version entitled “So Cold”. The pick of the bunch, however, comes from Buju Banton with “Sleepless Nights”, a cut that sees the veteran deejay eschewing guttural toasting in favour of heartfelt melody. It’s a prime example of one of Jamaica’s best performers at the top of his game. Double Joint (7″/Don Corleon/JA), on the other hand, is a curious affair, harking nack to the structures of late-80s digital but using contemporary garage-influenced sounds. Stripped back to the bone, the beats offer a minimalist backdrop for a host of artists, including Alaine, Vybz Kartel, and Pressure, but the top turns come from Bounty Killer with the typically uncompromising “What U Think” and the criminally underrated Bling Dawg with the storming “Grudge”.

One of a growing number of rising AutoTune-enhanced stars, Demarco has reputedly signed a $1,000,000 deal with Koch Records, but that hasn’t stopped hit turning out music on domestic shores. Beautiful Lady (7″/JA), the latest of his home-market singles comes courtesy of super-producer Christopher Birch’s Birchill Records continues an apparent unstoppable run of releases and isn’t light on the quality, either. Glossy almost almost robotic, it’s a strangely robotic and inhuman gal tune, but absolutely contemporary given that the T-Pain effect has almost entirely engulfed Jamaica at this point.

Japanese label Bacchanal sticks to the classic approach, updating the classic Tempo riddim with two new voicings from potty-mouthed female deejay Spice and long-serving stalwart Pinchers. Despite not reinventing the wheel in any way, they’re both great, the revitalised Bad Tempo instrumental giving the original a welcome shot in the arm in the shape of thumping percussion and steely key stabs. In the frts instance, “Bedroom Bully” finds Spice in an especially demanding mood, brandishing her prowess between the sheets like a weapon. “Names & Faces”, however, shows Pinchers at his best, that inimitable flow skipping over the beats like a wet pebble. After the fallow period of recent months and the resulting closure of record shops all around the world– the latest in a long line being the Ladbroke Grove branch of London’s famous Dub Vendor operation– new music like this, available on a variety of hard-copy formats, offers plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Until July, it’s over and out. Happy listening.

Okay that’s actually most of the article except the intro; something i rarely do, but hey: my printer is broke so i gotta make do with online options…. The full Month In… was originally published here:

Pitchfork website