Trojan Dancehall box set...

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Three discs, 50 tracks, £7. Any good?

― David Steans, Sunday, 14 September 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I was wondering about the Trojan sets en masse. I saw about 12 of them used for $20 each last week. Any to get? Any to avoid?

― JesseFox (JesseFox), Sunday, 14 September 2003 22:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha ha! I made a joke in a recent record review that now dancehall was big all the dub fetishists would be asking for a Trojan box set. Lo and behold!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 15 September 2003 01:56 (twenty-two years ago)

what era dancehall is it?

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 15 September 2003 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

It's pre-digital dancehall. So it don't sound nothing like the dancehall that's big now. If you like any modern pop-y dancehall, you might not be too into this. If you like old dub--and especially if you like rpckers and steppers stuff--you'll like this a whole hell of a lot. As it's Trojan, the sound quality isn't perfect, but it's a good collection. I'd also suggest "If Deejay was your trade" from Blood and Fire--the same sorta feel.

― cybele (cybele), Monday, 15 September 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

cybele, can you do a quick definition and genealogy? dancehall as an term came into reggae when? early 80's? rockers - steppers - dancehall? why has the term endured?

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 15 September 2003 03:26 (twenty-two years ago)

[chanting] Cybele, start a blog. Cybele, start a blog. Cybele....

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 15 September 2003 03:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Cyblog

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 September 2003 04:15 (twenty-two years ago)

yes!

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 15 September 2003 04:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Dancehall is usually taken to mean DJs toasting over dub versions from late 70's and onwards, even though U-Roy, Big Youth etc were doing exactly the same thing at the start of the decade. It kind of morphed into digital dancehall after Under Mi Sleng Teng (1985?).

The Trojan box is good, but not particularly representative.

Rockers is style of riddim based on rocksteady rhythms and popularised a decade later out of Channel One by Sly and The Revolutionaries. King Tubby versioned a lot of rockers at this time.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 15 September 2003 08:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Dr. C: rockers was a term most certainly around in the late 70s though, and not just referring to A. Pablo. Some of that Channel One material is the best stuff ever though: that version of Queen Majesty by (I think) The Jays! "Fade Away"!

I don't have the Dancehall box set but I have a fair slice of stuff on it (somewhere between a quarter and a third I'd guess) and I'd take issue with Cybele's comparison to "If Deejay Were Your Trade": I'd call IDWYT straight ahead roots DJ stuff (isn't the latest track on there from '79? Certainly you couldn't call the Ali Baba rhythm dancehall by any sensible definition), where the bits I know from the dancehall have that high-pressure early eighties sound, where things are getting tighter and tighter, which I alsways associate with the Roots Radics and Junjo. Maybe the material I don't know on that box is older, mind. (Hm also factor in the fact that I'm ususally wrong).

Some of this e\arly dancehall is fantastic but some of it's disappointing. I tend to favour a lot of the actual songs with singers and that because I don't really get the DJ style that was fashionable in the early 80s: often a little monotone for me. (It's easy to forget why Shabba and his contemporaries were such a dose of salts a few years on).

While I'm here I should probably say again that I think that the dancehall from the very late 80s and very early 90s is the absolute business and it's at that age where no-one seems interested at all.

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 15 September 2003 08:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Dr C is pretty much otm in his definitions of dancehall, dancehall is the point where the deejay (mc) bagan to take centre stage in the reggae world and thanks to producers like Henry Junjo Lawes, the rhythm styles became a little rougher and more bouncy, leading nicely up to uber-cheap electronic rhythms like "sleng teng" which prefigure a lot of what's going on today. not knowing the track list of the trojan comp, i can't really say too much about it, other than that cybele (as ever) speaks the truth about pre-digital dancehall being very, very different to the sort of stuff you'll be hearing now, under the same genre name. however, there were some absolutely belting good tracks made in this period, especially by people like Barrington Levy, Yellowman, Eek A Mouse etc. Those lovely folks Greensleeves also put out a fab double-cd out last year called the biggest dancehall anthems 1979-82. it's a great collection of tunes, all well recorded and certainly worth getting a hold of.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 15 September 2003 08:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah Tim - I meant late sixties riddims worked over into the rockers style in the late 70s.

I'm not a massive fan of Dancehall from the late 70's/early 80's - I seem to have to wade through more mediocre stuff than I'd like to find a gem. I do keep meaning to try and spend more time on the dancehall stuff that I have to try and work it out. I have not really explored v. late 80's dancehall - maybe I could cadge a CD-R of yr choice cuts, Tim?

On the subject of Augustus Pablo - I got the 'In Fine Style' comp of (mainly) 12" stuff on Pressure Sounds and it is cracking stuff. Some great cuts on the Real Rock rhythm that I hadn't heard before - do you know 'False Rumour' - Jah Levi/Hugh Mundell? The string synth!

Dave - I've seen that Greensleeves comp. Looks good, but strikes me that there are lots of non-Dancehall cuts on there too.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 15 September 2003 08:58 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah there are, i suppose. but that really does depend on how you describe dancehall in this era. coz it was in its infancy i just figure it crosses over into straight stepping reggae a lot, but, as tim says, you can still hear the music tightening up and heading in the direction digital rhythms eventually really forced it. you have to be a little more loose about your definitions at this time! and in any case it's totally worth the money just for tracks like bathroom sex, morning ride (prob the greatest tune of this period, imho) wha do dem and queen of the ghetto etc if you haven't got them already and it's still a fabulous sunday-morning cd even if you have

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 15 September 2003 09:08 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread reminds me that if I have any spare money for record shopping when I'm in the UK that I wish to accompany Dr. C, Dave and Tim on some sort of Jamaican music expedition at their favorite store(s).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 September 2003 14:58 (twenty-two years ago)

The Salvation Army Shop, Peckham? Good choice.

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Jah Raggett it is. I'll prob be recd shopping before the evening of major ruin if yr schedule permits.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Noted, good sir. :-) We'll have to see how my vaguely planned schedule holds up but nothing had been considered before Said Evening of Ruin itself.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm gonna be in nyc/sf while yr here ned :( however, can give you some good tips re where to go - i'm back on october 17

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GO RECORD SHOPPING BEFORE GETTING SHITTED. or at least go back to base before going out, otherwise: YOU CAN LOSE YOUR RECORDS - THIS = WORST OF ALL HORRORS.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 15 September 2003 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave, when are you in NYC?

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 15 September 2003 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

i'll be in ny from the 3rd october to 10th, then for another couple of days from 14th

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 15 September 2003 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

Can someone recommend some other reggae/dub/etc box sets? think my sis is getting a big xmas bonus this year and i plan on taking her to the cleaners XD

― Tanganyika laughter epidemic (gbx), Sunday, 30 November 2008 22:10 (sixteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.