rolling dancehall & reggae 2016

interesting piece with a slightly irritating framing ("dancehall lives again"...thanks to a bunch of non-jamaicans): http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/06/mixpaks-dancehall-revival

I'm curious to hear the Palmistry record. The first couple singles are intriguing -- pushing the feyness to the hilt is a clever way to take this route as a white britisher...I think? a whole album might be grating though

From what I'm told Spanish town is the Chronixx tune that's gathering the most momentum atm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8NKur1ztNo

I listened to the Assassin album and it was good but I haven't really returned to it.

haha i was just coming in to post that new yorker piece but less as "interesting" and more as "the FUCK is this TRASH"

like it's basically

1) dancehall was mainstream but formulaic
2) white guys have rode in to save it and make it different
3) drake drake drake for several paragraphs

lol perhaps I was being too generous, but mostly cause I think mixpak on balance do good work and, more pertinently, don't actually push that savior/progression narrative afaik, though I don't read their press releases or anything. I also had pretty low expectations for the fucking new yorker's take on dancehall so this was a bit quelle surprise. Mentioning Drake becoming de rigeur for writing about dancehall (in the anglo-american press) is a sad development, but iirc the piece at least implies that he's exploiting riddim culture as an excuse to jack beats?...not that I'm going to read it again to check that

It's more "because of Drake you can now write about dancehall in the new yorker" i'm afraid.

Mr Vegas about this:

https://www.facebook.com/MrVegasMusic/videos/10154195593144486/?pnref=story

mr. vegas otm

totally

yeah, that's a great video

"They want to bundle us together like we are some wild animals"
dude speaking truth

In other news I was wrong and Vybz' Summer 16 is a total jam.

yeah? I can't get into that one and it's not just the generic title. otoh, Fever is awesome and this new album might be great

I thought that at first too, lol. Then heard it on some mixshows and decided it just wasn't the case.

It obviously falls short of the original Summertime but it's still pretty good.

Ding Dong & Dexta are claiming this summer too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa7X4D4oZx4

Predicting a million pullups.

I guess I'm finally a little bored of the "annual summer" song thing that r|t|c used to criticize in past threads, but I'm more into that one -- nice to hear Dexta on something breezy.
The disconnect of an incarcerated murderer specifically celebrating this summer 2016 was too weird for me I think. I kinda like "Summer 16" as the title of an unasked for sequel in an exhausted franchise though (I don't really hate it that much, just liked that idea)

I like the annual summer songs, lol. It's as simple as that, really. I still think One Phone Call and Fever are better summer songs but I'm not mad at Summer 16.

I used to too! not sure what happened

just mentioned this in the summer jams thread, but Alkaline has really been great this year. the lyrics to this are like Drake without the hand-waving (not sure if that's better or worse), but he's developed enough vocal charisma that it mostly just washes over me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VMd7G0vZTs

damn, here's a bittersweet combination I never imagined we'd get the chance to hear (J Capri & Jahmiel):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZIZXGjSgvw

Zen riddim is interesting in that I didn't really feel it when it first arrived but then I heard it again a few days ago in the blazing June heat and it just felt... right.

re: Alkaline, I'm still loving Champion Boy. Don't know what effect he puts on his voice on that one but the line 'Unless your name Jody-Anne Maxwell you cyaan talk to me' is all time.

ha, yeah that is a great line. I need to revisit the Alkaline I gave short shrift too. He's been a highlight on most of my favorite riddims this year.

agreed on Zen, I can't even recall who else versioned that one right now

They all did, lol. Except Kartel, I guess. Popcaan has a nice version on it but he's not touching Alkaline's.

This Vybz track is such a banger, def my fave of his thus far in 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdcfnlGmZuw

Yeah, it's between that one, One Phone Call and Fever for me atm.

Playlist updated through now.

ILM's Rolling Dancehall & Reggae Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist

cheers ulysses

Gyptian with some summer pandering that works for me on the if-you-can't-beat-em Tropical House riddim:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrcukAPlkRY

new Spice // "Indicator":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4JXsZpmBdI

on the Skelewu riddim, which doesn't sound that much like the Davido song to me but I guess it has a kind of afrobeats feel?

for some reason it took me a while to appreciate this riddim and it seems wrong to not have posted "Roast or Fry" itt, esp the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGdtxQM8TuI

Lifestyle Rich has a video out too. Teetimus's young thug cosplay is kinda too much, but I still love this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3EalnPWaT0

Lol, that video is hilarious. I love it.

playlist updated.

this Alkaline & Mavado joint is going to be huge no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJGvKJopDVc

Most of the other Kick Off versions I checked were kind of a mess (eg, Popcaan), but Busy Signal's is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUOjd6pE3eE

I like a couple of Kick Offs, Tifa's in particular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS28N0jNjXI

Also love Konshens - Gal Dem Sugar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmiD18dyP1I

I think Kick Off might be one of those riddims that works best in a mix context - few of the songs hold up as such but there are a few lively parts on most of them.

I'd missed the Konshens, thanks, that is a good one!

overall I think Kick Off is kind of overloaded (the bit of instrumental you get at the end of the Konshens yt is maybe the best part!), so the versions that come on strong like Popcaan's or Dexta's feel too chaotic to me. I don't hate the Tifa, but I've been pretty underwhelmed by her output as a whole this year -- maybe it's just me but a lot of it sounds uninspired compared to the amazing stuff she was doing couple years ago, which is too bad because so far 2016 might end up worse than 2015 in terms of the lack of women putting out tracks I like. Spice's ongoing video brilliance being the notable exception.

True. I really like Tifa on The Champ (especially) and Moscato though.

yeah I put on Moscato after posting that and had the same thought. Also, whoever Mink Jo is she has a nice version on All Inclusive. But I was listening to a playlist I made at the end of 2014 the other day, and it was loaded with women's voices. J Capri's death was a serious loss, but what is going with Denyque?

Denyque has been good on the Success, Firefly and Cold Heart riddims but there's no breakout hit in sight. Mink Jo is great on All Inclusive, yes. Hope we'll hear more from her soon. On a reggae tip I'm enjoying the Shanique Marie album. Coconut Jelly Man is a jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxyVwCPTFTo

On another note I'm surprised at how much I'm feeling Gyptian's belated Jambe-An-Riddim contribution, Jiggle Jiggle. That's partly because the riddim is a modern day classic, of course. It might also have something to do with me having a tiny crush on one of the dancers in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rt-7WdMWDY

byw, my favourite Mink Jo song is probably this one, with Busy Signal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19657-tV9ZU

*btw

I really like the I-Octane on the Tropical Punch Riddim. Some other nice versions on that too of course (Kartel, Spice etc) but this one is just so... sweet.

https://youtu.be/_2h9VXPdjyM

missed this bouncing Christopher Martin tune back in June:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKinPLrRrR4

lmao: http://www.thefader.com/2016/08/03/mr-vegas-nuh-play-pokemon-preview

also, missed this great, catchy and melancholic Aidonia track in the spring:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyeXy0LMVPo

Mr Eazi
‏@mreazi
My bro @DiGenius1 jus sent me the stuff we did!!! Already sounding like an album!!!! Spiritual!!

airhorn emoji

Never would have anticipated how good Alkaline sounds on these gentler riddims this year, Toll Road in this case--lots of other good versions on this (Tifa, Beenie Man, Chi Ching Ching):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hi7pF3bep0

(that's Block and Delete since embeds aren't working)