Wayne Wonder, Frankie Sly target ‘happy senses’ on new collab
Published:Saturday | April 23, 2022 | 12:07 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
One can tell that artistes mean business when they do a collab and then step up their game with a well thought-out, GQ-esque photo shoot to accompany the song. Wayne Wonder and Frankie Sly’s recently released single, Party All Night Long, produced by One House Records, comes with various images of the two dressed to do just that – party. And, as they would say, “it is intentional”.
Musically, Wayne and Frankie have been on the same track for a long time and have collaborated before, whether it is co-writing blockbuster hits for other artistes, or by just always being in the same space. Now, they are on a mission to bring light and fun to a happiness-starved dancehall.
“Me and Frankie Sly have been collaborating over the years. We wrote a lot of songs together, such as Deportee [for Buju Banton] and many other songs. We recorded songs before but we never found ‘the song’, so this is ‘the song’. We want to bring a joyful vibe and hope it do the best ... we want to bring back feel-good music,” Wayne Wonder told The Gleaner.
On Party All Night Long, the duo definitely usher in some sizzling summer vibes and the producer, Peter Henry, aka Sky Boss – no doubt a shout out to his profession, a pilot – definitely thinks this song can pass airport and take flight.
“ Party All Night Long is on a Afrobeats riddim fused with dancehall. The beat appeals to all the happy senses,” he told The Gleaner. “We are hoping to increase people’s dopamine and oxytocin levels. Feel-good world music ...that was the whole point of doing this. [I am] looking forward for this to blow up big on main-stream radio all over the US, South America, Central America, Africa and Jamaica. Hoping to get some recognition globally, which I am very confident that it will.”
PLEASURABLE ACTIVITIES
Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter that affects the mood. Healthy levels of dopamine drive people to seek and repeat pleasurable activities. When the brain has a healthy level of dopamine, persons feel good and their motivation increases. Picking up on the whole dopamine and oxytocin, also known as the “love drug”, theme Frankie Sly was quick to belt out a piece of the tune.
“ Just touchdown on the beach and a chill, recline pon a chair with some high grade a build, pop the cork and mek the champagne spill, da beach party yah a shot inna Negril ...”
He added: “We wanted to do something fun after a two-year suppress under this lockdown. We just did a think happy, happy, happy. Darkness already inna the news with all di murder people and then the youth dem just a sing ‘bout it, because some a di criminal dem tun artiste now, yuh see. We just haffi face di reality of it. We use to mek gangsta song, but dem tek it to a different level.. a darker level. So, we were just thinking happiness.”
Frankie Sly, who has three decades of experience in the dancehall, made his recording debut in 1993 with the songs Grab it Up and Six Six. A former member of Dave Kelly’s MadHouse crew, he is best known for the hit Ambulance (Wah Wah Wah)and for songs such as Haters Anthem and Fassy. His passion for music developed during his teenage years at Wolmer’s Boys’ School. Hailing from east Kingston, he now resides in the United States.
Wayne Wonder has, to date, released 12 studio albums and has hit the British pop charts with No Letting Go and Bounce Along. He was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Reggae Album with his 2003 album No Holding Back.
Party All Night Long is available on all streaming platforms