Dancehall Essentials

Dancehall Essentials

Though live ska and reggae bands had dominated Jamaican music for decades, the early ‘80s brought the digital revolution to the island country, and suddenly cracking drum machines and throbbing bass synths ruled Kingston's dancehalls. Key tracks like Wayne Smith's paradigm-shifting “Under Me Sleng Teng” lurch atop tinny, digitised beats, while “Dem Bow” sees Shabba Ranks unleashing his fiercest dancehall growl over a pliant riddim. Tough cuts like Shinehead's “Know How Fe Chat” even illustrate the way that the genre would go on to incorporate elements of reggaetón and hip-hop.

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