Unterschied:Reggae/Dancehall???? [Archiv]

Selecta SlipMad

17-09-2001, 21:57

Reggae

Reggae is a music unique to Jamiaca, but it ironically has its roots in New
Orleans R&B. Reggae's direct forefather is ska, an uptempo, rhythmic
variation based on the New Orleans R&B Jamaican musicians heard
broadcast from the US on their transistor radios. Relying on skittering guitar
and syncopated rhythms, ska was their interpretation of R&B and it was
quite popular in the early '60s. However, during one very hot summer, it
was too hot to either play or dance to ska, so the beat was slowed down and
reggae was born. Since then, reggae has proven to be as versatile as the
blues, as it lends itself to a number of interpretations, from the melodic rock
steady of Alton Ellis and the rock and folk-influenced songwriting of Bob
Marley to the trippy, near-psychedelic soundscapes of dub artists like Lee
"Scratch" Perry. It has crossed into the mainstream through the bright,
bouncy "reggae sunsplash" festivals and pop-oriented bands like UB40, but
more adventurous reggae artists, such as Marley and Perry, have influenced
countless reggae, folk, rock and dance artists. Their contributions resonate
throughout popular music.

Dancehall

Dancehall developed in the '80s as "ragamuffin," a hybrid style featuring a
DJ or "sing-jay" half-singing, half-rapping with often bawdy ("slack")
themes. The musical structure is rooted in reggae though the rhythms, played
by drum machines, are considerably faster. By the '90s, dancehall crossover
was common, with many gangsta-rappers incorporating dancehall rhythms
and its rapid-fire toasting. Major dancehall figures include Yellowman and
Shabba Ranks.

Ragga

Ragga refers to reggae in which the backing instrumentation (or the vast
majority of it) is digital. The style is most commonly associated with
dancehall, and while not all dancehall reggae is electronic (and therefore
not ragga), there is a great deal of overlap between the two. "Ragga" is
short for "raggamuffin," originally a term for a Kingston ghetto youth; the
music took on that name as it became the younger generation's style of
choice in the mid- to late '80s. Because of the relatively low costs of
building synthesized rhythms, ragga became the preferred mode for many
Jamaican producers as well, enabling them to turn out thousands of singles
per year, and to craft more adventurous new rhythms instead of simply
borrowing them from old rock steady records. This also led to the
explosion of the "rhythm album," for which different artists would record
their own lyrics and melodies over the same pre-existing rhythm track.
Although ragga is linked in the minds of many with deejay toasting,
straight-ahead singers often address romantic and Rastafarian concerns, and
the two vocal styles are frequently mixed as well. The first ragga record
was Wayne Smith's 1985 single "Under Me Sleng Teng," which was
produced by King Jammy and built around a rhythm that was discovered
pre-programmed on a Casio keyboard. Its impact was immediate, spawning
a host of imitators and establishing Jammy for a time as Jamaica's most
dominant producer. During the '90s, ragga remained firmly entrenched as
the most popular sound in Jamaican dancehalls. It began to incorporate
hip-hop sampling techniques, and several of its artists scored pop crossover
hits in the U.S.; ragga was also an important influence on the U.K.'s thriving
jungle/drum'n'bass scene.