Reggae Gold? No. Ragga Song Spesh

This year marks the 25th anniversary of VP Records' flagship Reggae Gold series. While compilations of recent music seem like an antiquated idea, I think it actually suits genres like Dancehall and Reggae, where so much music is released every year, and where so much of it can, in honesty, be discarded. Sure, the same can be some for probably most genres, but the Dancehall scene has the tendency to churn out a ridiculous amount of music, more so than in any other genre I've encountered. And for a genre that has always been singles-focused (more so in the last 20 years), a compilation can serve as an entry point into what people are listening, and as an introduction to new names in the scene that one might have missed. VP Records are not only an influential label, but they're also regarded as fine selectors.

Now, maybe's it's because I'm beginning to be out of touch with the current tastes in the Reggae world, but I felt like this year's Reggae Gold entry to be underwhelming. Though, it's not without its high points. Hoodcelebrityy's hit, Walking Trophy, is as catchy and charming as it is earnest. And so is Dovey Magnum's Bawl Out (although in a more hyper-sexual manner). Estelle's Better is as good as any modern R'n'B number from the likes of Rihanna, Drake, or any of your favourite US-based artists. And lastly, Sheensea's Nothing Dem Nuh Have Ova Me is a perfect example of why she's one of my favourite current singers in Dancehall



I feel like the rest of the release is filled with mediocre Roots Reggae and Pop Reggae fluff. A problem with modern Dancehall is in how much a lot of it has crossover'd with Mainstream/US Pop music. I don't remember on which forum or Youtube comment section I saw this, but I recall seeing Dancehall being described as "turning into pop music with patois accents". I won't dare to dictate what Jamaican music should like, nor will I pretend to be an expert, but I do somewhat agree with that sentiment, in that it expresses a loss of modern Dancehall's "uniqueness", or "Jamaican character", at least when it comes to its instrumentation.

For the most part, this 25th anniversary entry does not disprove that. I understand that Jamaican music has always had an extremely close relationship with American Rnb (and Hip Hop) music throughout the decades, but some Dancehall artists' (especially producers) mainstream aspirations bring them to imitate their American counterparts too closely, instead of innovating and coming up with new sounds of their own.

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Don't get it twisted, Dancehall still has a lot to offer. To say the contrary would be too narrow-minded. And, to be honest, most of Dancehall still sounds, to my ears, characteristically "Jamaican", taking cues from all kinds of modern music, but still following in the footsteps of King Jammy, Rude Boy Kelly, and the like. And so, "why not make a Dancehall playlist/compilation that I'd want to listen?", I asked myself. And I did.

Terror Fabulous perfoming on one of my favourite riddims, from the 90s

Ragga Ragga Ragga, the other big compilation series, saw its last entry in 2014, which was disappointing, since it was my favourite series of the two. It focused more on the "sound system"/ club side of Dancehall, and did away with the cheesy modern Roots stuff that Reggae Gold will sometimes include. So that's exactly what I will do. A playlist of back to back sound system business, that I'll name, Pat's Ragga Song Spesh 2018.

1. Stylo G - Yu Zimme
2. K More - Washing Machine
3. Ishawna - Mi Belly [Under Wata Riddim]
4. Mavado - Enemies
5. Shenseea - Position [Bashment Time Riddim]
6. Charly Black - Tan Tuddy [Bashment Time Riddim]
7. Mr. Lexx - More Than You [Boom Riddim]
8. Ce'Cile - Indie Gyal [Boom Riddim]
9. The Heatwave feat. Sylo G - Closer to Me
10. Pamputtae - Champion Jockey [Champion Jockey Riddim]
11. Danielle Di - Round A Back
12. Stefflon Don - Senseless
13. NSG feat. Geko - Yo Darlin'
14. Konshens - Bassline
15. Shenseea - Subrosa
16. Shokryme - Selfish [Tropical Bounce Riddim]

The playlist includes tracks from 2017 and 2018. The cutoff point for last year's music is June, when Reggae Gold 2017 came out, which is when Ragga 2017 would also have come out had it not been discontinued. Pat's Ragga Song Spesh 2018 is my favourite Dancehall from that point to now.

One thing you might notice is the proliferation of UK-based artists: Stylo G, K More, Stefflon Don, The Heatwave, NSG. More could have been included, which is not surprising. I feel, through listening to internet radio, as if the UK (London, especially) has been a point of convergence for modern "Afro" music - Jamaica's Dancehall, West Africa's Afrobeats, London's own Afroswing and, to a certain extent, South Africa's Gqom - for some time now. Artists like Stylo G and The Heatwave are veterans at this point, the latter taking a crack at production again these last couple of years, creating one of the best Dem Bow tracks in his and Stylo G's Closer to Me. NSG offers a taste of London in his Afroswing track, Yo Darlin'. The rest ranges from 90s throwback stuff, to club jams, to slower tracks.

So get your RSS (Ragga Song Spesh) feed right here, through the embedded Youtube playlist, Spotify, or Google Play. And turn up the volume knob, please.

Showcase Mix: Boddika's Drum-Machine Music

Do you remember 2011? 2012? Do you remember when Nights Slugs sounded like the future? When Future Garage was still a thing? When the Butterz crew initiated the "Grime Revival"? When Marcell Detmann and Ben Klock were making techno cool again? When the aggro, "bro" side of Dubstep spearheaded the global takeover of festival EDM culture?

A last one: Do you remember when Swamp 81 was one of the coolest, trendiest labels and crews in underground club/electronic music?

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Swamp 81 was founded in the late 2000s by DMZ member and Dubstep pioneer, Loefah. Discouraged by the direction the genre had taken, he started his new label in order to push a sound that aligned itself more with his tastes. The first few releases - notably from Kryptic Minds - are characterized by a return to Dubstep's "roots" (the noisy, aggressive sound was overtaking the scene by then) : the dark and minimal, halftime style.

But the label took a sudden turn in 2010 with its 5th release: Addison Groove's (aka Headhunter) 12" record with Footcrab (and Dumbshit on the B-side). It became an immediate hit in the underground. The Juke-inspired, lo-fi, bassy, drum-machine track sounded like nothing else in Dubstep.

The British had just discovered (or re-discovered) America's "Ghetto Bass" music from the 90s: Starting with Juke and Footwork, then with Ghettotech and Ghetto House; all from Detroit and Chicago. Also worth mentioning, Trap's 808-infused beats was beginning its ascension right about then.

Quickly, Loefah's interests shifted towards this "drum-machine" styled bass music, exploring the past while trying to push fresh, new sounds. Hyped by the two most influential music journals in underground electronic music, Fact Magazine and Resident Advisor, the label also became an influential force. In the early 2010s, Loefah was joined by like-minded producers such as the Hessle Audio co-founder Ramadanman (now known as Pearson Sound), Addison Groove, Mickey Pearce, UK Garage legend Zed Bias, Paleman, Joy Orbison...

And, of course, Boddika.

♪

Boddika's musical origins are in Drum N Bass, as one-half of Instra:mental. The duo was active in the 2000s, initially pushing a sound reminiscent of Metalheadz, and collaborating with Drum N Bass pioneers and heroes, Source Direct and Jonny L. It was good music, but it wasn't anything that distinguished itself from what had been done, and what was being done, in the genre. However, by the end of the decade, they started to explore a more moody, emotional and sometimes cinematic side to their style. Throughout 2009, Jon Convex (aka Kid Drama), the other half of Instra:mental, did a series of podcasts with D-Bridge, taking this style further and further. It came to be known as the "Autonomic" sound, which was the name of the podcast*.

* A good write-up of this is done here

The duo also ventured out of Drum N Bass, and into Electro, Techno and House territory,  dropping all the way down to the 130-140 bpm range. Their last big hurrah before their split was a career-defining LP, Resolution 653, released in 2011, in which they leaned towards an experimental Electro and Techno sound. By then, they had fully assumed a "drum-machine" sound,  taking it to its extremes. Although the duo split, Boddika made this sound his own. In Swamp 81, he found a place were he could foster it. He also released music on other labels such as his own Nonplus+, Sunklo, and [NakedLunch].

♪

The Mix

Tracklist:
00:00 - Instra:mental - Forbidden (Apple Pips)
02:57 - Instra:mental - Futurist (NakedLunch)
05:32 - Joy Orbison, Boddika & Pearson Sound - Faint (Sunklo)
06:46 - Boddika - Crack (Swamp 81)
08:44 - Boddika - Syn Chron (NakedLunch)
11:12 - Boddika - 2727 (Swamp 81)
14:00 - Boddika - Basement (Swamp 81)
15:47 - Boddika - You Tell Me (Nonplus)
19:26 - Boddika - Beats Me (Nonplus)
21:00 - Boddika - Rubba (Swamp 81)
23:37 - Joy Orbison & Boddika - In Here (Sunklo)
26:20 - Joy Orbison & Boddika - More Maim (Sunklo)



This showcase starts with two Instra:mental tracks, Forbidden and Futurist, in order to have a contrast with the rest of the mix. The first track, while being in the 130 bpm range, is incredibly reminiscent of Boddika's Drum N Bass roots. The second is a good example of the "Autonomic" vibe they were doing. Notice how, in Forbidden, the production has a warm tone to it; it's very clean-sounding and polished. In Futurist, their goal is to create a sort of moody reverie, with a "lush" production style. Then, Faint, a collaboration with two Swamp 81 label-mates, goes straight into what I call "Drum-Machine Music", as practiced by Boddika and the rest of Don Loefah' crew.

Generally, in electronic music , the machines (or the plug-ins) used to create the music  are tools that serve a whole. Each sound emitted by these machines are building blocks for a composition. Especially now, and recently, everything has to be "polished", rounded. The aesthetic is the mood this "whole", the composition, creates. 

But with Boddika, the machine is the aesthetic. The machine manifests itself, calls attention to itself. Its texture and artificiality are made evident. Notice the raw, unpolished drum sounds throughout the mix, and the sharp hi-hats. Almost all of the drum sounds are dry ("dry" as in "no reverb at all"). In Rubba, even the snares are ridiculously snappy. If UK Garage was all about off-beat "swing", then Boddika has the "swing" dial turned all the way down. It's as if his beat patterns are limited to what an old drum-machine's interface is able to do. The music sounds very "modern", but, like listening to an old Electro track, it's incredibly obvious that a machine is making this sound.

This "drum-machine" approach affects everything. Notice the synths, how they're shaped into twisted, sometimes atonal, forms, going in and out through clumsily applied filters and dials, having a life of their own, almost ignoring the notion of "harmony". Just like the hi-hats, they're razor-sharp and direct. You Tell Me takes this aesthetic to its extreme, with the ear-bleeding LFOs being torn apart and its off-key melodies. And notice the drum-machine jam that is Beats Me, in which the backing speech sample (a "sensual voice" like in an old Chicago House track) is manipulated and deformed as to become incomprehensible. Again, it's the machine, the artificial nature of the music, that is highlighted. It directs and informs the composition.

All of this is done deliberately. As we have seen, Boddika is able to create a "polished" sound if he wants to. But his goal, in the early 2010s, was to create raw and "immediate" beats, influenced by American "Ghetto Bass" music and the UK Hardcore's fixation on the groove (percussion and bass dynamic).

♪

The mix ends with the one-two punch assault of In Here and More Maim. Both were released in 2014 on the same 12" record on Sunklo (his and Joy Orbison's label where they released their collaborations). And both represent, at least for me, the end of Boddika's drum-machine era. Since then, he has transitioned into to a more by-the-numbers techno sound, focusing on releasing other people's music on his own Nonplus+ label.

This aesthetic in dance music isn't exclusive to him. Of course, he takes it to another level, but it's an approach others have also done, whether in Dancehall, in House, or Dubstep. The Swamp 81 crew were simply some of the practitioners.

Showcase Mix : Mala's Bass Mutations

Earlier in the year, Red Bull Music wrote an article, stating: "Why dubstep is back at the cutting edge in 2018".

And Plastician, one of the scene's originators, thinks it might be flourishing soon, or even right now.

Ever since the Brostep explosion dissipated and the style was relegated to the margins of the EDM/Festival culture, the underground Dubstep scene, keeping the spirit of the original sound alive, kept trudging on. The "Dungeon Sound" came and went. Soon after, around four years ago or so, a new school of producers started playing with new sound palettes, taking cues from other genres like Halftime, Riddim, Grime, and Trap, but always staying within the familiar template. The music is essentially the same. Stripped-back, spaced-out beats. Leftfield inclinations. And, of course, a hefty, low-end subbass. All at around 140 bpm.

And while this new school has brought some needed freshness to the genre, the strict adherence to the halftime beat pattern  (i.e. accentuated first and third beat on every measure; typically with a kick on the first and a snare on the third) makes me wish that there was more rhythmic variety. The underground Dubstep scene has always given itself the mandate of "keeping the original sound alive", while worshiping the early players. But, ironically, rhythmic variety is a lesson they could draw from the early days, from before everyone and their mothers started doing the halftime beat.

♪

Enter Mala.

For the uninitiated, Mala is one half of the Digital Mystikz (the other half being his childhood friend, Coki). With their other two friends, Loefah and Sgt Pokes, they formed DMZ - a crew, a label and, eventually, a club night. This South London quartet has always been given the credit in having the biggest part in shaping the Dubstep sound. I don't think that's entirely accurate, but, certainly, when it comes to that older era, no one is more celebrated than them.

While Mala isn't my favourite producer from that time (that would be either Loefah or D1), I feel that his discography gives a great glimpse into why Dubstep was such a great genre in its genesis. I think now is a good time to revisit Mala's early Dubstep explorations (from around 2003-5).

Dubstep hadn't yet become formulaic back then. There were two rules: around 140 bpm (emphasis on "around") and subbass. That was it.
People brought they're own styles to the table. Influences ranged from UK Garage - notably its 2-Step variant (hence the "step" in "dubstep), Jungle, Drum n Bass, Minimal Techno, Broken Beat, Dancehall and Dub Reggae.
Mala and Loefah have stated in interviews that, at the time, they were simply looking for something new, something fresh and exciting. It wasn't necessarily to invent or come up with a new genre, but to participate in a scene that encouraged new ideas, at a time when Drum N Bass, UK Garage, House and Techno had become, according to them, creatively stagnant.

♪

The Mix

So here's a showcase mix of Mala's music. A selection of some of my favourite beats of his, that I feel give a good idea of his sound. Also note that a lot of tracks were released under the "Digital Mystikz" moniker, but the duo rarely produced tracks together. These are all Mala productions.



Tracklist

00:00 - Mala - Changes
04:36 - Digital Mystikz - Misty Winter
07:02 - Digital Mystikz - Chainba
09:22 - Mala - Bury Da Bwoy
11:54 - Digital Mystikz - Neverland
14:53 - Digital Mystikz - Awake
18:06 - Digital Mystikz - Conference
20:50 - Digital Mystikz - Da Wrath
23:07 - Digital Mystikz - Walkin' with Jah
26:00 - Mala - Alicia

His drum sounds have an earthy tone to them, sometimes even going for a tribal feel. Compared to almost all electornic music, they lack a certain polish, but their rawness gives them a lot of character, a lot of grit. They're accompanied by shuffling, offbeat hi-hats and an array of percussive sounds. And all of that is propelled by a bouncing subbass made for sound systems.
The music is dark and haunting; meditative and apocalyptic. Notice the melancholic instrumental samples paired with the Jah/rastafarian vocals. And notice the ominous piano notes in Bury Da Bwoy. But Mala's groove gives it a dynamic energy that still sounds unique, and that works for both the skankers at the rave and the head nodders listening at home.
The second half  of the mix, especially, showcases the rhythmic variety that Mala practices. Notice how in tracks like Neverland, Awake and Da Wrath, it isn't the first and third beats of every measure that are accentuated. The music has more of a "jump-up" feel rather than a halftime one.
Tracks like Conference and Walkin' With Jah go into some warped, tribal affair and broken beat patterns. The former making use of hand-slapped afro-percussion samples. And the latter, using the sounds of distant, rolling tribal drums, and all of it backed-up by a gurgling, cavernous subbass leading to atonal strings.

♪

In the early 2000s, music like this made people think about what rave music could be, and what electronic music could be. By revisiting early Dubstep, even the current players could think about what Dubstep can be, and, I hope, free themselves from the stranglehold of the formulaic halftime beat pattern.

Lastly, Mala's music, putting the emphasis on the percussion and bass, also fits with the current trend of "Percussion/Bass" music of the underground UK scene, showing how the same sort of musical tendencies, elements and ideas can come out in new genres with fresh results. Anyone who enjoys the current tribal and percussive sound should find something that they like in, not only Mala's, but early Dubstep's body of work.

List - Current Favourite Mixes of 2018

Vromm - CBR Podcast 3



Peverelist w/ (MC) Koast  - Tectonic Takeover on Radar Radio


Madam X - Lab LDN (Mixmag)



Dany Rodriguez - EPM Podcast 104



Sync 24 - RA.614 (Resident Advisor Podcast)



Lockhart and True North on Radar Radio (5th April)



Mr K and Samba w/ (MC) Crazy D - Keep Hush Live: New World Audio



Foxmind - Exclusive Mix for DJ Seansa



Basic Rhythm - Future Funk 001 Mix

UK Techno / Bass/ Percussion Bass / Hard Drums - The New Hardcore

I'd like to expand on my thoughts in the "What is the New Hardcore?" article - which ended with an "I don't know" remark - by reasserting two possible answers that I had given:

"... Is it in the rolling, subbass-y beats of techno-meets-dubstep being pushed out by Kaizen, Livity Sound, Version, Timedance, etc? [...] Is it in the highly percussive, bassy works of labels like Nervous Horizon, Sans Absence? ..."

Those two styles, I think, represent the Hardcore sound right now. And as is usual with new styles of music, they have no official names, as they are barely discernible scenes in the immense, ever-growing and constantly-morphing world of electronic music.

The first one is, in a practical sense, techno, but it's a "UKifed" version of  techno. Generally called "bass" and/or categorized as "uk techno", it's the continuation of the early sound of South London-era Dubstep (circa 2003-5), to my ears. The most important labels in shaping the sound are Swamp81, Livity Sound and Hessle Audio. Labels pushing this sound include: Kaizen, Mistry, Timedance, Durkle Disco, Jelly Bean Farm, Artifice Music, Circular Jaw, etc, etc.

The second one is very percussive - almost tribal-like - with influences from UK Funky, Gqom and even Soca. On Soundcloud, most often than not, "percusion bass" and "hard drum(s)" tags are used to categorize the uploaded mixes and tracks. The most prominent labels are Nervous Horizon and Sans Absence.

Just like Dubstep and Grime were once both part of the "140 sound" diaspora in the early 2000s (before becoming solidified genres onto their own), so should "UK Techno" and "Percussion Bass" be considered as being part of the same "bass" diaspora of the current "UK" scene. I put "UK" in quotation marks because, although the sound still revolves around the UK sound system tradition of "Hardcore", people from all over the world practice it already.

Typically around 120 to 130 bpm, the music is (sub)bassy and percussively inclined. What matters here is creating a rude, weighty groove - and that is the defining characteristic. A track's structure usually follows the conventions of Hardcore (as seen in Drum N Bass and Dubstep) - 1) an intro, 2) a drop, 3) a bridge and  4) a second drop.
It can be tribal and ostentatious, or meditative and moody (or anything in-between). It can put the drums at the forefront of the mix, or let the subbass breathe out.  It can be influenced by the thumping percussion of Gqom and Soca, the deep pulse of Techno, or the bass dread of early Dubstep. And when it comes to beat patterns, it can throw some Baltimore Club and Vogue in there too, for good measure.
Like Jungle and Drum n Bass at their inception, it's a bastard sound, taking cues from everywhere, respective of current tastes.

Ok, but what does it sound like? Or, better put, what can it sound like? Remember, no formula is set in stone yet, so let's look at some examples...


First, a perfect example of  "UK techno": the duo Silas and Snare's Biometric on the Manchester-based label Kaizen. Heavy and prominent syncopated kicks, a sliding subbass (like in old-school Dubstep), and Techno synths:





Second, a perfect example of "Percussion Bass" (or "Hard Drums"); this one from London-based label, Sans Absence. The label started out as a sort of UK Funky revival collective, but has been leaning towards this style in the last year. French producer Noire serves up the track 2nd Guessin', a monstruous, ravey, Soca-like percussive exercise:





Hessle Audio co-founder, Pearson Sound, released a defining track two years ago, XLB: snappy, syncopated drums and a rolling subbass in an huge build-up, with a big mid-track drop:




Peverelist, Livity Sound boss, who started his raving days as a Jungle head and his production career in Dubstep way back in 2007, made what is probably my favourite track from last year, Wireframes: A dizzying, bouncing groove with an immense subbass. The Detroit Techno vibe in its second half brings it to another level:




Ploy comes up with some techy tribal sound, Ramos, on the forward-thinking UK label, Timedance. "Selecta!":




Montreal-based Martin Bootyspoon's bass-heavy, menacing, Vogue-inspired beats can also be found in a UK Techno/Percussion Bass DJ's arsenal:




Someone like Neana, member of the Night Slugs crew (another influential London label), might have a more "neon-coloured" take on the sound. This time, with Neans Anthem:




Lastly, a track in this sound can also be more subdued, but still be endowed with that signature UK rudeness (i.e. a Dancehall and Hardcore influence, typical of UK sound system music ). Drum N Bass producer, Henry Greenleaf, dropping all the way down to around 125 bpm, does just that with In Same:
 


Further listening (links):

Fox - Big Man Ting (Meta Remix) (Unreleased)
Bash & T (Julio Basmore and T.Williams) - EC (2018, Conch Records)
Beneath - Special Offer (2018, Mistry)
Denham Audio & MC Serocee - Masta Blastah (2018, Durkle Disco)
Alex Coulton - Ambush (2016, Tempa)
Hodge - Light Wave (2017, Livity Sound)
Piezo - Keera (2017, Swamp81)
Tessela - Glisten (2018, Whities)
Cousin - Ruff Draft (2016, Swamp81)
Markee Ledge - Make Your Move (Addison Groove Remix), (2016, Skeleton)
Randomer & Hodge - Second Freeze (2016, Dnuos Ytivil)
Soreab - Bifle (Lamont Remix) (2018, Beat Machine Records)
Percussion Bass/ Tribal:
Lava Dome - Closer (Galtier Remix) (2018)
Jaymie Silk - Immersion (2018, Frite Nite)
Rushmore - Rolling O's (2018, Merge Layers)