CONTRIBUTED
Music producer King Jammy (seated) with his four sons, who all became producers as well. From left are John John, CJ, Jam 2 and Baby G.
Germaine Smith, Staff Reporter
Sometimes we fail to see the value of what we have until outsiders pay attention to it, and our music is one of those underappreciated treasures.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of a milestone in the development of dancehall music, which has quietly slipped under the radar. In 1985, the digital era of dancehall music was just kicking off. A handful of Jamaican producers were experimenting with drum machines, synthesisers and digital keyboards, plus other kinds of what they called 'new' equipment at the time. While they spent hundreds of hours trying out different sounds inside the studios, as much as they probably did not know it then, what they were doing was sowing the seeds which would bear the fruits which the present crop of deejays is reaping.
20 years ago
Though it may be hard to think of 1985 as 20 years ago, it was then that dancehall music was just getting its raw, mechanical flavour and one rhythm which stood out was the Sleng Teng'.
The 'Sleng Teng' was released under the King Jammy imprint and featured several tracks which are memorable numbers inside the dancehall. Wayne Smith's 'Under Mi Sleng Teng' became the anthem for the rhythm, while other tracks like 'Pumpkin Belly' by Tenor Saw, 'Trash and Ready' by Supercat, 'Buddy Bye' by Johnny Osbourne and 'Call The Police' by John Wayne are still hailed as 'foundation tunes'.
While there are different stories about its origin, what is certain about the rhythm is the impact that it had on the music scene. It was not the first computer based rhythm, but the effect it had on the industry set the stage for several more moves along the digital pathway. It is said that over 100 versions of the rhythm were created afterwards by other producers,and the wave of artistes on one particular rhythm became popularised there and then.
experimenting
Clevelend 'Clevie' Browne of the duo Steelie and Clevie, notes that, as musicians, he and Steelie were always experimenting with the digital sounds back then, and, when they heard the 'Sleng Teng', they knew that there was hope and a bright future for the digital music technology.
"Nobody believed in what we were doing at the time, because it was different, but hearing the 'Sleng Teng' and having Jammy believe in the digital sound, this confirmed with us that it could work," he stated.
The man at the helm of the King Jammy label in 1985 was, and still is Lloyd 'King Jammy' James. Reflecting today on the music scene then, King Jammy told The Sunday Gleaner recently, that the times were very stimulating for him as a producer, because of the discoveries they were constantly making in the music.
Going into uncharted digital territory provided them with motivation to keep creating.
"Well the music scene was more exciting then, because dem days we were kind of creating things," he said. "This gave us more incentive and a joy to just do new things. Every day we get up we a do and try new things. It was exciting," he recalled.
In Jammy's opinion, though his was not the only computer-based rhythm of the period, the 'Sleng Teng' took off because the time was just right for it. Similar to later periods in which the 'Diwali' and 'Coolie Dance' rhythms hit the market with their unique sounds, the ears of the public were just waiting for a different sound.
"At that time people was looking for a new sound yu know," he recalled. "A lot of new sounds came, but they came with the same sort of instrumentation and thing like that, so this one now (Sleng Teng) was different from the rest, so it kind of captivate the people dem. Them did want something new and here comes something criss wah dem accept, yu know."
a wave of changes
Not only did the rhythm help to attune the public's ears to a different type of sound, it started a wave of changes inside the recording studio as well. The fact that it was computer generated meant that it shifted the dynamics of the conventional recording session.
Before, a bunch of musicians would congregate in the studio and play their instruments, which were recorded on tracks as the rhythm. The drum machines and synthesisers which were becoming popular at the time shifted the business from dependence on musicians. Producers could just press buttons and sounds could be generated. King Jammy acknowledged this and added that it changed things for him as well, both in terms of musicians and sound quality. The sound of the music got less acoustic and more mechanical.
"For me, mi never really need a lot of people fi play music anymore," he explained. "The machine tek care of it."
"Inna dat period deh, because that kind of music did start tek over the whole thing and the acoustic sound did kinda get old... It was still good yu know, but people hear this new sound so dem a go towards this new sound. Not to beat down the acoustic sound, it is good music, but its just that the new music come around people did just gravitate towards it at the time."
The results were predictable. Less musicians meant less space and, consequently, another development sparked in the period was the springing up of smaller studios in Kingston, a phenomenon which continues today. While others lament about it, King Jammy stated that he saw this as a positive, as more music could leave the country for foreign shores.
"Well it was the start of more small studio building up around the place, cause people never need big studio again fi build music, yu know, every ordinary man just have a studio."
"Mi haffi see that as a positive yu know, cause up to now it still a gwaan. It must be something good fi the world accept that and it still a gwaan good big time," he said.
One more development which blasted off in popularity afterwards was the bundling of artistes on one rhythm. As he recalled, King Jammy packed a long list of artistes on the rhythm, kicking off a trend which is a notable feature of our music today, rhythm albums.
"It was a lot of artistes on it, mi don't even remember, and some people did lick it over and put some other things on it. But that was a new era, a new part of the business," he recalled.
"Dem time deh we never did it before. People never really a deal with a one rhythm album and that is part of the business. And because mi inna this business not only as a producer, mi distribute and dem ting deh, so when we mek an album like that weh can sell, it benefit we too," he recalled.
After the Sleng Teng storm, there was not really a calm. The King Jammy camp pumped out several more rhythms from the Label, plus several engineers who moved on to become notable producers in their own right.
rhythms
Other rhythms which left the Jammy studio afterwards were the 'Tempo', 'Cat Paw', 'Chinatown', 'Punaany' and a good number more. On the producer list, it begins with Bobby Digital, Steelie and Clevie, Mikey Bennett, and other notables. In the family his four sons, John John, CJ, Jam 2 and Baby G, have all stamped their names on notable dancehall rhythms.
To commemorate the 20th birthday of the Sleng Teng, King Jammy has released the rhythm again, this time with a string of younger and fresher artistes recorded on it. While these tunes are bubbling in local dancehalls, he is also releasing a double album with the old version featuring the old acts, and the re-mixed version with the new acts.
"Well mi feel just as good bout it as the first day, because it come back strong. It's just as good as the first time," Jammy noted.
