What can be said about music today that has not been said before? What is the importance of this genre or the next one to be unearthed? For me the value of a music review is the context in which the reviewer can relate to the music.
My tastes in music have almost all been derivative of disco and post punk.
Hearing reggae/lovers rock/ska for the first time, I was too young to appreciate the genres’ beauty. Almost 2 decades later the beauty reveals itself in a most curious way. I will spare you the onion/butterfly analogy and just say that by rediscovering and listening to songs from my childhood, I have found a wealth of music not new per se, but the appreciation and understanding is new.
How did I arrive back at the beginning again?
In the late eighties, I was knee deep in electro, synthesizer pop and pre-industrial music. A few years later that fandom was completely hypnotized by early Acid House and English/Belgian Techno records. The insistent and perfect rhythms providing a solid backbone to the warm bouncing bass lines.
At around the same time rock was very interesting to me as well; The Jesus and Mary Chain release "Automatic", a year later Sonic Youth stand up perfect with "Goo", and yet another year later My Bloody Valentine dumbfound the entire rock community with "Loveless". These three records would have a profound effect on my taste for the next few years.
Across the pond, what was being called Hardcore [which was a precursor to drum’n’bass and breakbeat] was sampling Northern Soul and American R&B to reconstruct techno into a new abstract shape that was quite refreshing to my ears. The beats were tough and at insane speeds, the bass was deep and bubbly. The vocals all sounded like helium was present in the studio when the engineer pressed record.
Then it happens, Joey Beltram’s "Mentasm", Acen’s "Close Your Eyes", and Human Resource’s "Dominator" all have the same hoover type synthesizer sound that forever changes how I will choose my records. The sounds fuels countless imitators and births that famous sound that will grow into drum’n’bass' trade mark.
Drum’n’bass [d’n’b] emerges and it is unlike anything before it. The genre is built around reggae, techno, hip hop, jazz, and the limitless possibilities of sampling. I become reacquainted with reggae around this time period. The vocals on most of the d’n’b tracks from around this time period 1993-1996 all feature Jamaican Patois and toasting atop the elastic rhythms and throbbing basslines. The music will change but this brief time period in the genre proves to be influential on my musical palette.
In other areas of my musical growth I discover, around this same time frame, the wonder of the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds", The Velvet Underground, and of course, the Beatles' "Rubber Soul". I begin to think that maybe there is something to looking back to the past for understanding sounds from today.
Immersed in nightlife, the music being played at various clubs I frequent during peak hours is cold and synthetic and exciting to hear. I notice however a sharp contrast to the music being played at the end of the night. After parties around this period take on a "low key" guise and the DJ’s all spin the same music to come down to: hip hop, IDM, soul, and roots reggae. Artists like Desmond Dekker, Gregory Isaacs, Horace Andy, and Dawn Penn all become instant favorites.
I start perusing record stores for more sounds like the artists being played and come across an amazing label Blood and Fire. I hear something in their catalog that I cannot place my finger on. It turns out to be Dub. King Tubby, Jah Stitch, the Congos, and Scientist all offer worlds filled with countless reverb, delay and endless echo chambers. The sounds took me back to my childhood. Hearing it imitated on the Grace Jones records played on my mom’s stereo. It all clicked.
Those sounds my mom played in her workshop, in her car, the records my older sister played on her turntable all just fell into place. I had not discovered anything new, but actully became reacquainted with the past.
The cyclic in my musical journey makes this post possible.
For your listening pleasure:
Paulette Williams - My Island
Judy Mowatt - She Kept Talking
Marcia Griffiths - Don’t Let Me Down
Lloyd Parks - Little Better
Jennifer Lara - Ain’t No Love
The Soulettes - Bring It up
---Mr. Mark
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