Thursday, June 25, 2009

Torment for your ears

  
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About nine years ago, I had recently become proficient at African drumming, having played regularly for a year or so. I also discovered the most recent (at the time) trend in Jamaican reggae. I do have dreads. I'm not a Rasta. My dreads are more related to my devotion to Siva. Rastas and Shaivites do share some roots, but this is all beside the point. I've always had a big fondness for reggae, especially rub-a-dub style. What I discovered nine years ago was Dancehall, at the time, virtually unknown in the U.S. What it amounts to is that someone records some, "beats", and they get passed around to deejays or emcees, however you like to say it, and they rap over it in Jamaican Patois. I heard it, and really liked the fresh sound, and the crispness of the patois.

I'd leave drumming, with the rhythm we had played still rolling in my head, and set lyrics to them. It occurred to me that I could make a short record, put it here and there into the right hands, and maybe get a few bookings. I'd use a few of the solid drummers I drummed with, to back me up. It was such a fresh, and addictive sound, I knew the time was ripe for it, and people would eat it up. I had just met P.J., and knew he had a recording studio in his basement, so I asked if he would help me with this project. I played The people a couple of excerpts from my newly purchased Dancehall c.d.s, and they looked at me cock-eyed, mouths agape. They found the music reprehensible, but that was back in their Puritan days. P.J. agreed to help.

Not long after that, a big gust of tumultuous time swept me up, and deposited me roughly here today. I lived with the people for a number of years, and never embarked on this project. That may sound pathetic, but in fairness, I'm a meglo-maniac. I do alot of shit, and pine for what I can't. About a year ago, I borrowed P.J.s eight track recording thingy-mabob.
He's lent it to a lot of people who did nothing with it, and a lot who have began their careers with it. If he lends it to you, and you don't use it quickly, he takes it back, and it's very hard to get it again. About two years into the nine years it took me to get it together, Sean Paul blew up big in the mainstream with his dancehall stylings. Hell, even that Hasidic Jewish guy, Matisyahu blew up. Have you heard that, Matisyuhu? It was the final nail in the coffin of this dream. Dancehall is now old hat. Please enjoy my debut. This is my first original piece, it's all me on the instrumentation, and vocals

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