Toddla T - Skanky Skanky

Alright let's give this it's own thread. I hadn't expected to like this quite as much as I do but I've been caning it over the last few days. It's like Basement Jaxx if they'd taken Jump And Shout as the jump-off point for all their later material, and had actually paid attention to developments in dance music over the last five years.

never liked what ive heard from him before but am interested to hear this. what ive heard from before just seemed like lightweight dancehall pastiche.

yeahhhh I keep meaning to start this but I don't have much to say about it beyond "it's a really terrific, fun summer dancehall album and I'll be playing the hell out of it this year". fav tracks are probably 'butter me up', 'soundtape killin' and 'shake it'. so good to hear tinchy stryder sounding great, over decent beats, again!

surprised there hasn't been much mention of toddla t on ilx so far. i was suspicious for a while, before i heard his stuff, because he dresses kinda like a shoreditch hipster and gets in fashion mags, but these beats are really great. he's also TOTALLY HOTT, i love how he's put a clip of some female djs drooling over how cute he is as one of the skits.

Yeah I was trying to avoid talking too much about dancehall because like The Bug it's obviously fake dancehall. Unlike The Bug it's actually interested in dancing and having fun though. That said I don't think authenticity is remotely what he's going for, he's camping up the skinny Sheffield whiteboy angle quite a lot while also getting some great MCs over the top.

But mostly I didn't want to talk about dancehall because the album is as much informed by bassline, grime, funky, fidget house and post-95 dnb as it is by dancehall.

But yeah I was suspicious as well at first, mostly because reviews and pictures like this don't do him too many favours. But the album is just so enjoyable I'm prepared to overlook that. The second track with Tinchy is great.

ha i was thinking of saying that this album really comes across as "london zoo, if the bug had been going for a fun party album rather than dystopian bleakness" to me. fidget house is probably the most relevant of all the other genres you cite - of course the others are in there as well, though i wouldn't call this a deliberate mishmash (ugh) of them all.

No, it's more he flits from style to style over the course of the album.

Woah that Telegraph article you link to Matt is so wrong:

"Jamaican music is not in good shape. The sound of modern dancehall, which burst onto the worldwide scene via Sean Paul’s success in 2003, has not succeeded in crossing over any further. Generally, it’s too hectic, too aggressive; it’s also increasingly too indistinguishable from contemporary US hip hop and R&B, and often lacks that idiosyncratic, bass-heavy swing that defined its musical ancestors in reggae."

The writer so obviously hasn't listened to dancehall in the last four years or so. Probably the number one reason the dancehall crossover stopped is that dancehall started swinging away from US rap and R&B.

I mean, bad enough when people just start extrapolating conclusions from the most shallow of investigations, but then it so often seems to be in the context "this entire swathe of x is not worth bothering with (not that i've checked it out, but you know that's the point, yeah?), but yo check out this hyped idiosyncratic genre-transcending version of it, it's like so much better!"

No offence meant to Toddla T who I think is great. Though wouldn't it be cool if it was Toddler T who suddenly emerged with a massive crossover album.

Perry's review is terrible and could easily translate as: "oh, dancehall's not worth bothering with any more, those blacks are getting uppity out there, but here's a nice white middle class guy who does the same thing." But then that wouldn't be atypical of the Torygraph.

I've steered clear of TT thus far for the reasons cited above but it does seem to be getting good reviews and not kneejerk ones either so really I ought to give it a listen.

For the telegraph reporter

dancehall in bad shape = I didn't recognise anything played at carnival last year

I stayed in the Chilterns over carnival weekend morelike

its not just broadsheet music critics who think dancehall has been in better shape.

Titchy, even if you agree with the general assessment of quality he's totally wrong about the causes.

It would be like if I said "d&b isn't as good as it used to be because it's too close to jazz-funk".

um...

marcello if you go to 99.9% of d&b nights you may well not like it but it won't be because it sounds like jazz-funk.

ALAS

reminds me of Seeed (but then i don't hear enough Jamaican stuff with the higher-pitched/strained male vocals thing, i'm sure there's a fair bit of it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYYfPS3S438

that's the only track i'd heard, heard it some time last year. RICE AND PEA AND CHICKEN IS NIIIICE.

If any of the rest of it is half as good I'll need to check it out.

I can't hear that at work but I'm assuming Fill Up Mi Portion is entitled Rice & Peas on the album. Or they're related in some way?

I think 'Shake It' is my favourite at the moment, coincidentally it's the one that holds the most debt to UK funky.

(xpost - that's one of my favourites Jim, it has a cracking "oh whatever, just get me a Cornish pasty and... some tea" punchline to it)

actually i went off drum n' bass when they started calling it drum n' bass and started making albums that sounded like bad herbie hancock cutouts, i.e. pretty much jazz funk but with samples instead of chops.

it's like everything. jungle was great until it thought it was great.

... and so we come to the end of I Love 1998, next week, Jo Whiley interviews Finley Quaye.

xpost - i dont actually think current dancehall is agressive ENOUGH.

Yeah, understandably (though i check for disc 2 of new forms something shocking) but that was thirteen years ago, the jazz-funk stuff immediately began to recede in prominence about eleven years ago, and has been about 5% of the scene ever since (and when 80% or so of the scene is stern jump up meets techstep hybridism, bad herbie hancock cutouts start to seem almost sympathetic. almost). Which is why I made the comparison.

Someone saying circa 2003/2004 "I don't like dancehall now it's so much like rap/r&b" at least would have made sense, no matter how much I would have disagreed with the assertion.

"Shake It" is amazing, yes. Though I'm having a hard time picking a favourite on this album.

Matt if you love this I have a feeling you'd also love Federation Presents TNT - 3 The Hard Way, though it cleaves much closer to regular dancehall.

http://www.seen-site.com/2008/10/07/federation-presents-tnt-3-the-hard-way/

"xpost - i dont actually think current dancehall is agressive ENOUGH."

I agree with this!

thought his recent essential mix was kinda fire

Mantronix ‘King Of The Beats’ (Simply Vinyl)
Main Source ‘Lookin At The Front Door’ (Wild Pitch Records)
Dr Dre ft Snoop Dogg ‘Deep Cover’ (Death Row Records)
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo ‘In The Streets Of New York‘ (Cold Chillin’)
Nas ‘It Ain’t Hard To Tell’ (Columbia)
Notorious BIG ‘Juicy (Remix)’ (Bad Boy Entertainment)
Smif-n-Wessun ‘Wrekonize‘ (Sound Bwoy Bureill Wreck Records)
Yvette Michelle ‘I’m Not Feelin You’ (Loud Records)
Tupac ‘Do For Love’ (Interscope)
Slum Village ft Busta Rhymes ‘What It’s All About’ (Barak Records)
A Tribe Called Quest ‘Bonita Applebum (Why Version)’ (Jive)
Carly Simon ‘Why’ (Mirage)
Gapband ‘Outstanding‘ (Total Experience Records)
Dazz Band ‘You Are My Starship (Urbanstar Remix)’ (Urbanstar)
Toddla T ft Siobhan Gallagher & Tinchy Styder ‘Butter Me Up’ (1965 Records)
Saint Etienne ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ (Heavenly)
Roisin Murphy ‘You Know Me Better (Toddla T Remix)’ (EMI Records)
Toddla T ‘Better’ (1965 Records)
Talking Heads ‘Girlfriend Is Better’ (EMI Records)
ABC ‘The Look Of Love’ (Mercury)
Electric Funk ‘On A Journey’ (Prelude Records)
Lady Cop ‘To Be Real’ (FFRR)
Cajmere ft Walter Phillips ‘Midnight’ (Cajual Record)
Popular Peoples Front ‘Make It Hot’ (The Popular People’s Front UK)
Basement Jaxx ‘Do Your Thing (Seiji Remix)’ (XL Recordings)
Skream ‘Midnight Request Line (Switch Remix)’ (Tempa)
Supafix ‘Jomsong’ (Earth Records)
Kerri Chandler ‘Bar A Thym’ (NRK/Nite Grooves)
Surkin ‘White Knight 2’ (Institubes)
Mike Dunn Presents The MD Express ‘God Made Me Funky’ (Open)
Crazy Cousinz VS Common ‘Do You Funky’ (White Label)
Alison Hinds ‘Roll It Gal (A Lil’ Bit Funky VIP)’ (1720 Entertainment)
Zed Bias ‘Neighbourhood 09’ (White Label)
Sia ‘Littleman (Wookie Remix)’ (Long Lost Brother Records)
Tell Me ‘Tell Me’ (White Label)
Mr Oizo ‘Flatbeat (Remix)’ (PIAS)
So Solid Crew ‘Oh No (Sentimental Things)’ (Relentless Records)
Wiley ‘Eskimo’ (Kat Records)
Dizzee Rascal ‘I Luv U’ (XL Recordings)
Busy Signal ‘Tic Toc (J Needles Driver Blend)’ (VP Records)
Wideboys ‘Westside (06 Up Norf 06 Mix)’ (Point Blank Records)
Lady Ragga ‘Niche Crew’ (Sub Jams)
DJ Luck & MC Neat ‘With A Little Bit Of Luck (Dub Militia Remix)’ (Red Rose)
Benga Vs M Dubs ‘Bump In The Knight’ (White Label)
Klaxons ‘Not Over Yet (Skream Remix)’ (Polydor)
Juju ‘Punks’ (NarcoHz)
Loefah ‘Disko Rekah’ (Deep Medi Musik)
Mala ‘Alicia’ (White Label)
Roy Davis JR ‘Gabriel (M Beat Mix)’ (XL Recordings)
Fugees ‘Ready Or Not (DJ Hype Remix)’ (Columbia)
Leviticus ‘Burial‘ (Philly Blunt Records)
Toddla T & Herve ‘Shake It (Red Light Jungle Revenge Remix)’ (1965 Records)
Skobbz ‘Sleng Teng (Jungle Mash Up) (Rockers)
Backyard Dog ‘Baddest Ruffest (Pipes & Slippers Mix)’ (Warner Music UK)
Toddla T ‘Rice & Peas’ (1965 Records)
Duffy ‘Stepping Stone (Cavemen Remix)’ (A&M Records)
Philly ‘Love Action’ (White Label)

via partysandnightlife.blogspot.com

It is rare that I am ahead of the curve on pop music but I have some great steel city FM toddla T mixes and the album is indeed great. (I love how grounded in Sheffield it is).

he looks like a member of arctic monkeys

or does everyone from sheffield just look exactly the same

it is a fairly standard look in Sheffield and has been since about 1980 as far as I can tell.

mix looks interesting but i have neither the HD space or the headspace to process another mix. :|

Matt if you love this I have a feeling you'd also love Federation Presents TNT - 3 The Hard Way, though it cleaves much closer to regular dancehall.

yeah this is a great mixtape. timberlee in particular is wonderful. HOT GYAL-A HOT GYAL-A SWEET LIKE-A HONEY!

"xpost - i dont actually think current dancehall is agressive ENOUGH."

kinda agree, i can't think of any big cuts which are as rowdy as say 'fuck u sign'. actually lady chann's performance on 'your eye too fast' is probably the most aggressive dancehall vocal i've heard in a while. surely i'm overlooking something though.

though live, mavado and serani were much much much more rowdy than on record

does all this love for toddla t mean i should give the last stereo mcs album some more time (he produced it didn't he ?) ?

lol @ that being mentioned anywhere...

re: aggressive dancehall...busy signal's 'wine pon di edge' is as close as i'm remembering recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqvLJLJ6ykg

btw tim, have you heard of killaqueenz? they're australian apparently

lol @ that being mentioned anywhere...

guess i'll leave that cd in the attic then.

whoops i mistyped, i meant lol @ that NOT being mentioned anywhere in his press so far...

no wonder its not mentioned.
i'm wrong, having checked toddla t didn't produce the stereo mcs last album, though they have come close to collab'ing.

i was gonna say surely he's too young to produce those codgers and vice versa

anyone else still listening to this album? i like it more than diplo/switch "major lazer", but that might be a bad comparison?

yes! esp 'butter me up'. and his fabric mix. i've only heard a couple of major lazer tracks but this is way superior

haven't heard his fabric mix yet; his essential mix was a lot of fun. "butter me up" is the best tune on his album, hands down.

yeah, wouldn't say his fabric mix is "omg life-changing, all must hear now", but it's lots of hectic fun and i'll be listening to it quite a bit this summer

this album was a huge let down, loved his earlier remixes but the less dancehall he is the less i can be bothered

I'm still listening to it - as far as Sunny Money anyway. I'm glad it's a mix of interrelated styles rather than dancehall most of the way through. It's loads better than Major Lazer.

I hadn't expected to like this quite as much as I do but I've been caning it over the last few days

OTM

Good album.

INDEED

still resisting this in (unnecessary it seems) fear that its a bit diplo-y.

re: "aggressive dancehall"

its also the beats. im no dancehall expert but so many beats seem really thin and textureless. no heft.

don't resist

Mr Versatile has the best voice ever

Agreed. I love how he talks exactly the same in the skits.

disapprove of the "Queens of Noise" being included on this tho

just popping in to say that i would smash with gusto and that "shake it" is dope - i like the random piano interlude and the buried fake strings towards the end and the synth line in the second half

l8r

wonder if he's worth checkin out at Fabric tonight

MrVeeeeee@TODDLAT Mr veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
8 minutes ago from web in reply to TODDLAT

TODDLAT Who's on yoyo?
16 minutes ago from mobile web

MrVeeeeee MI JUS DONE EAR MI SELF PON 1 XTRA.....TINCHY, MR V, TODDLA T TUNE OFF SKANKY SKANKY BIIIIIIIIG!
19 minutes ago from web

yeah, wouldn't say his fabric mix is "omg life-changing, all must hear now", but it's lots of hectic fun and i'll be listening to it quite a bit this summer

― lex pretend, Thursday, July 16, 2009 8:23 PM Bookmark

so HEs the one who produced that new jammer single? fucking awful.

In fairness, the groove itself is fine, it's Jammer that ruins it.

Also lol in the video I swear he's dancing with Cuddles the monkey.

Can't believe the fabric mix didn't place in any of the year end lists I've seen ... This mix is fucking killer and keeps getting better the more I listen to it.

otm! it's rad

new single with shola ama and j2k is SWEET

http://www.nme.com/nme-video/toddla/910849403001

he's done a track with róisín murphy too but i'm damned if i'm going to listen to an iphone recording of vinyl uploaded to youtube.

cool looking fwd to hearing it! the weather this wkend seems right to bust out his fabric mix as well

there is house piano! and shola's voice is just >>>>> on it - it's one of those tracks that's so good at doing the whole homage-to-golden-age thing that it becomes the kind of classic it reveres

This is like a really good house remix of classic-era Sugababes, which is no bad thing. Shola Ama's voice sounds so different! I guess that's because it isn't pitch-shifted upwards and sounding as trebbley and fizzy as I'm used to.

finally listened to this! love it

http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=14266

New album out in August, yay.

Toddla T - Skanky Skanky

srsly

http://www.clashmusic.com/files/imagecache/big_node_view/files/images/toddla-t.jpg

"take it back" really is such a great summer jam, surprised it hasn't been picked up more. seem to have heard it on lots of radios too

Glad that "Cherry Picking" is finally going to see the light of day for those of us with no turntables. :D

Haha that picture would put me right off if I were approaching this for the first time, he is at least aware of how ridiculous he appears and that comes through on record.

Take It Back is great yeah, kinda wish it had a proper 90s rave beat though, the existing drums are a bit weedy.

he has a slot on radio 1 doesnt he? weird how that happened. but i heard one track he did off the new album, with mavado i think? it was actually really good.

leaked.

it's a vg album

Why the heck is this not out til the 22nd of August? Perfect summer album

I get to see him play on a beach in about a week, should be the perfect setting.

Okay, this rules. My new "getting ready to go out" album.

http://ninjatune.net/article/2011/jul/18/ninja-tune-on-leaks

Ninja Tune on Leaks

Posted 1 hour ago

Ladies and gentlemen, it's with much disappointment that we can now reveal the identity of the person who leaked the lovingly crafted albums by Toddla T and Thundercat. In the end, it was a German journalist called Benjamin Jager, who writes for Backspin Magazine.

We're not sure what motivated him to give away two whole albums - both of which have taken years of effort, money and passion to make. Maybe he believes, like the angry, ill-informed people who send foul-mouthed emails to us when we ask them to remove illegal links, that record labels should be consigned to history, and that artists make all their money from other sources anyway. Maybe he believes that other people's work is worthless, and that everything and everything should come for free. Whichever of these offensive myths he's taken with, the truth is the same. Neither we, nor any other label, can afford to invest in interesting, forward looking new music, if the end result is that it's given away free online.

Nice of them to call him out. It should be done when it can be done. But really, for them to act as if they weren't expecting it to happen and pretend it wasn't inevitable is kind of silly.

personally i'm surprised, and annoyed, that it was a journalist. makes it harder for the rest of us. i don't know why any journalist would do that.

For all we know, it could've been a summer intern who just saw it lying on the desk.

if it's watermarked with your name, it's your responsibility

This is fun and all that but kinda lacks the riotous charm of the first one. Bascially what I'm getting at is "needs more Mr Versatile".