Dancehall's Metamorphosis

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

"Dancehall is dead" declares Dennis Howard in his most recent blog entry on Monday, September 6, 2010. He rationalises this bold statement by accurately drawing our attention to the fact that "the music which has been produced over the last 10 years, hardly bears any resemblance to the original sound of dancehall." From knowledge gained through his own integral, intimate involvement, Dennis explains how and why this has evolved.

He says that during the 90s, Jamaican music was transformed "into a fusion sound, mixing dancehall, rock steady, ska and reggae with, hip hop, soul, salsa, meringue, bhangra, rock and R&B to create some of the big international hits of the period." He supplies us with an impressive list of international chart-topping songs which exemplify this mold, including, among others: Murder She Wrote by Chakka Demus & Pliers, House Call by Shabba Ranks, Boombastic and Oh Carolina by Shaggy and Close To You by Maxi Priest.

Dennis attributes this trend to a renewed interest in Jamaican talent and sound by major record companies in the United States who believed that this fusion was imperative to winning crossover appeal and hence the critical mass base, necessary for international success of the product. This period, Dennis posits, "marks the end of the dancehall era as the most dominant genre of Jamaican music." He claims that straight, hardcore dancehall music and artistes have not had any significant success outside of Jamaica. He suggests that even within Jamaica, their songs enjoyed only fleeting attention due mainly to media hype, and never attained the kind of sustained mainstream popularity of Reggae and fusion songs like Rock Away, Lord Give Me Strength, Fire Pon Rome, and Not An Easy Road, among others.

Concluding his argument by analysing the current Jamaican music trend Dennis says: "In Kingston the fusions of the 90s continue in the 21st Century and what has emerged is a new sound lead by producers such as Sly & Robbie, Steven McGregor, Skatta Burrell, Daseca and Don Bennett, who have all forged a new mixture of hip hop, pop, soul, electronica, techno, reggae and dancehall to create the new sound of 'one beat' ... the drums taking centre stage."

While I have attempted here to reproduce the main elements of Dennis Howard's thesis, it is such an excellent piece, well researched and thus providing us with substantial examples and evidence to back up his analysis, that everyone who has even a nominal interest in Jamaican music and culture should read it in its entirety. In fact, I think this literary piece is going to be seminal, given the current flux within our local music fraternity.

To introduce my views on the issues raised, I have to admit that my interpretation of our musical history is somewhat different. For instance, while we carried it to a different level, by creating four musical genre, in 10 years, it was not unique to have had a flowering, of our creativity and cultural manifestations on the eve of, and decade following our independence in 1962.

History has ample proof, that when a people move to a more advanced political and social system, this is normative. Jamaicans entered the decade of the 60s with a lot of hope, aspirations, creativity and innovative energy pent up for over 300 years. I think our dynamic musical legacy at the dawn of our independence must be seen in this context.

Secondly, our modern music has always borrowed and adopted from many other popular music genres. To some extent, this is what has always made it so dynamic; helping to define our cosmopolitan sensibilities.

Thirdly, economic imperatives have always driven our musical trends. As Dennis himself always emphasises, the unique characteristic of our music industry is the sound system at its base. Demands from this sector is what filters through to the mainstream and not vice versa.

There were many times in the past when significant changes in instrumentation, musical structure and technology, were introduced by musicians, artistes and producers, precipitating accusations by some of their fans of cultural dilution and sell out. I distinctly remember such groups as Third World and Bob Marley prominent among such groups having to defend similar criticisms. In his book Marley & Me, Don Taylor addresses the reaction in Jamaica to Bob Marley's Kaya album, which was produced in London in 1977. "Many felt that he needed to return to Jamaica, as soon as possible, so that he could get back the special edge to his music."

In summary while Dennis' description of one of the current music trends is quite accurate, with its overwhelming emphasis on the drums, I am not quite sure that this music does not still fall under the rubric of dancehall reggae. Not having a new name, in no way minimises its creativity. Reggae music has so many streams that it is little wonder that some seemingly bear no resemblance to the original works. That's the core of its dynamism, so there is no need to fossilise one genre to create another.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com