Sunday, October 5, 2008

60 MINUTES OF 1984 JAMAICAN DANCEHALL

60 MINUTES OF 1984 JAMAICAN DANCEHALL
Dubroom (DUB) Reggae Video Review




In the year of George Orwell's famous book on the Police State, Jamaica was completely captured by Rub a Dub or early Dance Hall Music.

Channel One Studio's was creating hit after hit with the Roots Radics as their Studio Band, while DJ's and Singers chanted over the drum and basslines of what was then a brand new thing.

It was the time in which digital technologies entered the (Jamaican) Studio's big time. Jammy's produced the now famed sleng Teng Riddim that set the tone for yet another thing: Ragga, or simply Dancehall.

This is where, and when, the video captures the sights and sounds in the Dance during a very exciting time in Jamaica, both musically and politically.

Uncensored, that is. So if you can't stand the sights of marihuana or a reasonable amount of sensual dancing, in other words if you can't stand to be in a Reggae Dancehall anyway, read on what you're going to miss out on.

In one hour, a whole host of vocalists enter stage: singers and DJ's. Tippa Lee, Nicodemus, Yami Bolo, Philip Frazer: just four names out of many great performers.

Especially Yami Bolo (around 32 minutes into the video) is kind of special as he really is still a pickney when in that time but already a great performer.

Towards the end of the video, certain vocalists express the fact that they have taken just a little bit too much beer, which has it's charm. Just like the few minutes wherein there is no music, but another vocalist just plays around with the echo on his voice...

An uncensored look in what was a Jamaican Dancehall in Orwell's year. 1984, a year wherein certainly nuff things were going on!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

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