JAMAICA – REMIX CULTURE – LISTENING

Spotify Playlist Link:

https://open.spotify.com/user/jdr5000/playlist/3NUiPFRbw4Qs3hPF4MMliN?si=ZzPkJrfoQrqLMj_ucQ4xEQ

“Bargie.” [date unknown]. The Jamaican Calypsonians. This is a classic Jamaican mento song. Instrumentation
includes drums, maracas, guitar, banjo, and marimbula (metal-key bass instrument). The song can be counted in
groups of 4, with emphases on beats “4” and “1.” Note the “off-beat” phrasing of the guitar and banjo, which
can be counted “1 and-2-and 3 and-4-and.” Mento lyrics are often lighthearted (this one is about cooking food)
and sexual double-entendres quite common.

“Ska-Boo-Da-Ba.” 1966. The Skatalites. This represents the genre of instrumental ska. The song is from the
Skatalites second studio album. Instrumentation includes guitar, upright bass, piano, trumpets, trombones, and
saxophones. Ska’s lilting feel comes from its displacement of the shuffle rhythm (which normally emphasizes the
downbeats) onto the “upbeats.” Beats “2” and “4” are also given added weight through the placement of the
bass drum. The song follows a format typical of jazz, in which 1) the thematic tune or “head” is played by the
horns, 2) instrumentalists take improvised “solos,” and then 3) the ensemble concludes by repeating the head.

“007 (Shanty Town).” 1966. Desmond Dekker. This represents the genre of rocksteady, which became
associated with the Jamaican male “rudeboy” subculture. The feel and instrumentation are similar to that of ska,
but the tempo is slower and vocals are emphasized over instrumental improvisation. Note lyrical references to
James Bond (agent 007) and the film Ocean’s 11, both of which were admired by rudeboys.

“Trenchtown Rock.” 1971/1973. Bob Marley and the Wailers. This represents the genre of “roots” reggae. The
tempo is slower than ska and rock steady, and the instrumentation is reduced to electric bass, guitar, keyboard,
and drumset. The rhythmic pattern, in which the drummer omits beat “1” but accents beat “3,” is called “one-
drop.” Reggae is vocal oriented and does not typically feature instrumental improvisation. This track was
produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry, who would later become a major contributor to the dub genre. Lyrics indicate
the influence of Rastafarianism, identification with the poor masses, and the healing effects of music.

“Fire Corner.” 1969. King Stitt. This track represents the practice of deejaying at Jamaican sound systems
(mobile dance clubs). In order to promote music and excite dancers, deejays would talk or rhyme (“toast”) over
instrumental versions of songs. Stitt was a popular and prolific deejay whose work was commercially released
for the first time in this series of 1969 records.

“Baby I Love You.” 1974/1975. Jacob Miller. Augustus Pablo, producer. Rockers Records [re-released in 1992 by
Greensleeves Records]. The original credits, reflecting Pablo’s Rastafarian beliefs, read: “Produced by Augustus
Pablo (Produced by King Selassie I through his divine powers working through I and I to manifest these
inspirations.)” This is the song on which Augustus Pablo and King Tubby created their famous dub “King Tubby
Meets Rockers Uptown” (see details below).

“King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown.” 1976. Augustus Pablo and King Tubby. This represents the subgenre of
reggae known as dub. This track is King Tubby’s remix of Jacob Miller’s “Baby I Love You” (included above for
reference), which was initially produced by Augustus Pablo’s Rockers label. King Tubby uses mixing techniques
of delay and echo to great effect here, stretching out Pablo’s melodica (end-blown keyboard) lines, and making
the drums appear to play in double time. Bass and drums are typically emphasized in dub. The term “riddim”
refers to a unique bass and drum composition. The particular riddim used here has been re-used many times to
create new “versions” featuring different artists.

“Inglan is a Bitch.” 1980. Linton Kwesi Johnson. This track, produced by Dennis Bovell, represents the genre of
dub poetry. This genre, most closely associated with Bovell and Johnson, consists of dub versions in which the
poet (Johnson) recites politically-charged verses over music. The poetry is sometimes intercut with instrumental
sections.

“Dem Bow.” 1990. Shabba Ranks. This track, produced by Jamaican duo Steely and Clevie, represents the
subgenre of dancehall reggae known as ragga, which is characterized by digitally synthesized backing tracks.
Shabba Ranks was one of ragga’s first international stars. The lyrics, which equate supposedly “deviant” sexual
behavior with submission to Western colonialism, reveal strains of homophobia and conservatism beneath the
apparently irreverent and anti-establishment exterior of dancehall culture. Ranks chants the words rapidly in a
gruff Jamaican patois, recalling the earlier tradition of “toasting” over dub records while also building a stylistic
bridge between dancehall and rap. The rhythm of this track, derived from Afro-Christian kumina drumming,
became so iconic that it is now known as the “dembow riddim.” Reinterpreted by Puerto Rican DJs, the dembow
rhythm would form the backbone of reggaetón, a globally popular Spanish language dancehall-rap hybrid.