In turn, the singers began adopting the call-and-response hooks and improvised couplets of deejays, creating a whole new hybrid style of singing they called “sing-jay.” Those vocals became a defining feature of dancehall, along with harder, sparer rhythm sections and an emphasis on “slackness” (raunch or decadence).Īnother major driver of dancehall’s development, as a culture and artform, has been the competitive sport of soundclash. But in celebrating the best of the best, separating the tangled ingredients that make dancehall so consistently brilliant-a fearless approach to sexuality, an experimental approach to sound technology, a military approach to lyrical wordplay, a joyful approach to resistance-is like cutting open the drum to see what makes it go bang.ĭancehall became a subgenre distinct from other styles of reggae around 1977, a time in Jamaica when deejays (equivalent to stateside MCs) were becoming as prominent as singers. That’s not to mention related terms like “highly rated,” “strictly the best,” and “tougher than tough.” It is doubtful, in fact, whether there has ever been another musical genre or subculture so uniquely focused on rankings, ratings, and constantly updated scorekeeping of who is king, queen, or even “don of all dons.”Ĭompetition may accelerate innovation in dancehall it’s what makes the culture such a bottomless wellspring of new rhythms, choreography, fashion, and slang. This version can be heard on "Dancehall Style" by Luciano.“Top ranking” is a phrase so common in the lexicon of dancehall reggae, it could almost be punctuation. Another example is King Jammy's own 2005 relick of the riddim, called the Sleng Teng Resurrection Riddim. "Ninja Mi Ninja" by King Kong used this version. Numerous versions of the riddim were made, for example the 1985 version by Harry J called the Computer Rule Riddim. The Sleng Teng Riddim is currently the most used riddim ever.
Wayne Smith and Noel Davey brought the riddim and the lyrics to King Jammy, who used them to create the Sleng Teng Riddim and the first tune recorded over it Wayne Smith’s 1985 hit "Under Mi Sleng Teng". Wayne Smith had already written some lyrics inspired by Barrington Levy’s 1985 hit "Under Mi Sensi". Messing around with it, they created a rudimentary riddim based on the rock and roll preset. In late 1984, Wayne Smith crossed paths with Noel Davey, who owned a Casio MT40 keyboard. Lee "Scratch" Perry started experimenting with digital riddims in the early 1970s, but the groundbreaking Sleng Teng Riddim would be the riddim that changed reggae music overnight.
The Sleng Teng Riddim was the riddim that revolutionised digital reggae music back in 1985.
0 kommentar(er)
