From a BBC article
So named because so many of the records were deemed unfit for radio airplay and therefore were suitable only for the dancehall. And the controversy didn’t stop there.
Dancehall reggae established itself through characters like Yellowman and General Echo and a penchant for slackness (as bawdy lyrics were known). This deejay-led, largely computerized, upstart music seemed to epitomise the 1980s with dub poet Mutabaruka maintaining, "if 1970s reggae was red, greed and gold, then in the next decade it was gold chains". So far removed was it from the gentle, almost hippification of roots and culture, that purists furiously debated as to whether it was genuinely reggae or not.
But this was the whole point. Dancehall represented a new generation of reggae’s primary audience reclaiming the music for themselves after ten years of roots’n’culture that: A) had not done a great deal to change the way they lived; and B) it had been adopted so thoroughly by the international mainstream it didn’t seem like "theirs" any more. This was a new wave’s way of reacting to the harshness of their environment and drew on hip hop’s brashness to express themselves with an impatience not seen in roots reggae. It needed a radical approach to shake reggae out of its seeming complacency and dancehall opted for the apparently obnoxious to satisfy nobody beyond the sound system crowds. Producers like Henry Junjo Lawes and King Jammy’s made deejay records that were as raw as those audiences wanted, with deejays like Yellowman, Josey Wales, Lone Ranger, Eek-A-Mouse and Brigadier Jerry. Not that it was all deejays, but singers such as Barrington Levy, Little John, Cocoa Tea and Frankie Paul had to struggle to be heard.
Of course the rapidly developing studio technology played a big part as it meant records could be made quicker and cheaper, with it becoming far easier to version a rhythm once it was made. This in turn allowed a flood of new talent into the business ensuring that dancehall reggae would continue to stay fresh for years to come.
Here are some of our favorites tunes from the Dancehall era
Articulo publicado por la BBC
Llamada asi porque muchas de sus canciones con letras fuertes y controvertidas no eran consideradas inapropiadas para ser tocadas en la radio, y por lo tanto solo aptas para escucharse en las salas de baile (dance hall). Y la controversia no paraba alli.
El reggae 'dancehall' se establecio con personajes como Yellowman y General Echo, con una inclinacion por un lenguaje algo indecente (slackness). Este tipo de musica era principalmente promovida por DJs, tenia un alto componente computarizado y es representativa del reggae de los 80s. El poeta Mutabaruka mantiene, 'si el reggae de los 70s era rojo, verde y dorado, el de los 80s era de cadenas de oro'. Estaba tan distante del reggae sutil de 'roots and culture' que los puristas argumentaban con disgusto si el 'dancehall' era genuinamente reggae o no.
Pero ese era el punto precisamente. Dancehall representaba una nueva generacion de aficionados al reggae que se aduenaba del genero despues de 10 anhos de 'roots and culture' que: a) no habia hecho mucho para cambiar sus condiciones de vida y b) habia sido adoptado internacionalmente por las distintas corrientes musicales que ya no lo sentian como propio de ellos. El Dancehall constituia una forma nueva de reaccionar a la crudeza de su ambiente y adoptaba la dureza del hip-hop para expresarse con una impaciencia que no se veia en el 'roots and culture'. Se necesitaba algo radical para sacudir al reggae de su aparente complacencia y el Dancehall opto por lo molesto que solo satisfacia a los propios artistas, sin mucho reparo por nadie mas.
Productores como Henry Junjo Lawes y King Jammy grababan numeros tan indecentes como la audiencia los demandaba con DJs como Yellowman, Josey Wales, Lone Ranger, Eek-A-Mouse y Brigadier Jerry. Esta corriente no solo se limito a DJs, cantantes como Barrington Levy, Little Joh, Cocoa Tea y Frankie Paul tuvieron que adaptarse para ser escuchados.
Por supuesto, el desarrollo tecnologico en el ambito de grabaciones jugo un papel importante en el desarrollo del Dancehall. Represento que la musica se podia hacer forma mas rapida y mas barata, de esta manera era mas facil versionar un ritmo una vez creado. Esto permitio un torrente de nuevos talentos en el mercado asegurando que el estilo Dancehall seguiria fresco por los anhos venideros.
A continuacion algunos de nuestros numeros favoritos de la epoca del Dancehall...
Saludos
En Esta Edicion / In This Edition:
- Sister Nancy (Jamaica) - Bam Bam
- Barrington Levy (Jamaica) - Looking My Love
- Terry Ganzie (Jamaica) - Welcome The Outlaw
- Pan Head (Jamaica) - Punny Printer
- Echo Minott (Jamaica) - Lazy Body
- Cutty Ranks (Jamaica) - Open Up
- Nadine Sutherland/Terror Fabolous (Jamaica) - Action
- Apache Indian (UK) - Chok There
- Super Cat (Jamaica) - Don Dada
Haz Click Para Escuchar / Click To Play
