Se Me Mimi Meme

Flexman - Dill Dill Dill

Limb By Limb is one of the staple dancehall tracks of early bubbling along with anything on the Bam Bam, Murder She Wrote, or Fever Pitch riddims. It's shown up on like every 90s mixtape I've heard and the words Dill Dill Dill are littered throughout battle tracks. It chops up so nicely, almost tailor-made for the genre. I guess Cutty came through to a DJ Moortje show in Rotterdam back in the day only to get mad at the DJ for playing his song too fast. Pitching things up can be risky territory so it's understandable, but this is still a classic. If your not an audiophile this is a good transition from dancehall chunes to getting the dance floor weird, but unfortunately for those of you who are I only have this at a lower bit rate. Since it's such a straight forward remix it really wouldn't be too complicated to make your own version anyways.

Gyals, Gyals, Gyals

Gyptian - Hold Yuh 2010

All my favorite Dancehall tracks in the past year seem to have two things in common, one being that they all have YUH in the title, the other being that they are all totally wussy. In the best way though. Hell a lot of my favorite Reggae songs from the past are too, falsettos or not. We can't be Gaza thugs all day, and the bedroom is supposed to be as important as the club. Or the Couch, or inna the road, or under di garage, or under di tree...

Via The Heatwave, with whom I share the opinion that both Busy Jafrican Riddim tracks are the best Jamaican exports in the world right now.

No Cocaine

Hard to believe this thing is 25 years old now. I think I remember having trouble breathing when I first heard it. Made me less afraid to dive into Dancehall at the time when I swore by The Heart of the Congos. I still do swear by that record (it's basically my favorite of all time, or something) but I also swear by Smith and Jammy trying to remake an Eddie Cochran song on a Casio. They failed pretty miserably at that, but I'm grateful for them paving the way for digital riddims a quarter of a century later. Happy birthday Sleng Teng Riddim.

(FYI the exact date that this tune was first dropped was February 23rd 1985 by Jammy at a soundclash on Waltham Park Road in Kingston. I just felt like giving it some love no matter how late I might be.)

Drunken Daggering Fist

Buju Banton - Can't Count (Shaolin Temple Riddim)

This doesn't seem to be on the CD and is probably a few years old but I've been enjoying it lately. I also fuck with Kung Fu flicks pretty hard and while it's not as interesting as Sinogrime its got funny synths. Macka Diamonds performance is cool too.

Don Dadaist

DJ Posh E - Dada Supercat Bubbling Remix 2006ish

It's a shame the last 30 seconds don't go on for about 10 minutes longer.

Yuh

Vybz Kartel - Thank Yuh Jah 2010

Dude has been sick with the slow jams lately.

Nobody Move

DJ Moortje - Nobody Get Hurt (from I'm Back 1997)

This track is really interesting to someone like myself who never had a background in Drum and Bass, yet listens to plenty of music that was affected by it's existence. Discovering Bubbling has led me to rewind to the early days of Jungle to find missing pieces of the puzzle, but I haven't spent much time with DnB outside of a bit of DJ Zinc and DJ Hype. Even then it's not really for me, but Moortje pulling up Yellowman's Breakbeat hit like it was the Murder She Wrote Riddim is exciting as a parallel between genres. Technically and historically there's plenty to compare the two in a Venn Diagram, which forces me to backtrack down the paths I missed first time around and never particularly cared about. Questioning relevance is even more confusing and if the theory that technology=genres is right it will only get more so.

Sensi Addicts Only

Vybz Kartel - Weed (Gutter Riddim 2009)

I recently started paying more attention to the Riddims from the other islands in the Caribbean and this one out of Grenada is solid. Something about the down tuned xylophone with the muted dying trumpet sort of suspend things in time, like a snippet of Carnival caught in a tape loop. Vybz vibes pretty well with things, and his performance seems to be over a slightly bolder mix. Bunji Garlin's Mad Carnival is worth hearing too, but we're a few months too early for that.

People People Still Wanna Cuss Cuss

Cuss Fix Riddim (2009)

Cuss Cuss was first preformed by Lloyd Robinson in 1969 and since has been one of the most versioned riddims in Jamaican history. The 80s Roots Radics version was actually the first early Dancehall song I remember making an impression on me, and I've collected a good deal of performances and alternative mutations since. A lot of my recent Bubbling listening has led me to pay closer attention to current riddims that aren't "Mickey Moused". I'm particularly impressed by this 2009 version, with a new set of claps and some backwards loops that breathe a new life into the 40 year old tune. Almost sounds like the original getting sucked into itself. It's hard to hide the association with old-school roots business, but this brand new fix is face-lift to the original dark theme. I'm honestly not all that impressed with most of the vocal versions, so I just put up the instrumental. Not really sure who I would want to hear over this.

Give It To Me Plenty

DJ Moortje - Money

This is my shit right now. So is this. And this. Moortjewatch 2.5.

Gyal Dem

Lady Saw - Get Over (Rainforest Riddim 2009)

I'll be the first to admit it, there is a ton of very misogynistic music on this site. I don't know if I'm just too desensitized or what, but the serious lack of female-oriented music on this site makes me look kind of like a dick. Really though, the words "I beat that bitch with a bat" aren't running through my head all day, and I probably listen to Ce'cile as much as I do DJ Deeon. My reaction isn't as thoughtful as some peoples, but Lady Saw's brazenness on this track should help a little. Definitely a different tone than her grim classic Sycamore Tree, she's got more a bad gyal Trina attitude if anything here. Always known for being "controversial" if controversy involves talking about safe sex and being a woman Dancehall musician, this one goes straight for the jugular (or maybe groin area). The eeriness of the Rainforest Riddim doesn't help us poor males ether, combined with her shit talking I'm at least feeling pretty emasculated. It's a man's, man's, man's world, but I don't think Lady Saw is willing to be the woman to care.

No Argument, No Conversation

Busy Signal - Whine Up Whine Up (Round of Applause Riddim) 2009

This riddim has an interesting drum palette and is perfect for Busy. Synths are replaced by little falsetto outbursts. On a Jamaican snap music tip.

If you haven't yet, you need to watch Busy's six track video medley Hottt ed.

Bubbling Roots

Pretty cool old school DJ Moortje interview with footage of him driving through tunnels. The footage of General Levy sounds like Eephing. The second part contains some more talk about the speeding up factor that seems to bother a lot of Dancehall artists when applied to their own music.

Skank if Your Skankin, Bubble if Your Bubbling

DJ Memmie - Memmiemix

A pretty killer Bubbling mix that might not have much in terms of chipmunk remixes otherwise known as "Mickey Mouse Style", but it's still pretty great. There is a moment towards the end that goes Kawina, Merengue, slow dance Batchata. It's Kind of nuts.

Rubbarubbarubbarubbarubbarubba

New dance in Jamaica pointed out by Heatwave. Looks like Jerkin on Valium to me.

Power D

Free Power D Compilations (not direct link)

Zouk producer Power D is nice enough to give away a bunch of his productions, including a massive 10 year retrospective the Best of Power D 1998-2008. He's the man responsible for the Ghetto Zouk compilations, but also a lot of French Dancehall and other things in between. Definitely a mixed bag, but there is some nice grimier moments mixed into all the wussy stuff.

Still Strawed

Paille - Week-End Lan Rivé ft Byronn (from Mots Pour Maux 2007)

Paille aka Straw Man got his nickname from being too drunk during Carnival, or as the locals of Martinique would say he got "strawed". I've heard some cool words for inebriation but that has got to be the weirdest one. As far as production goes, this is a bit more what I expected French Caribbean Dancehall to sound like if it was maybe on a more traditional Zouk tip. By that I mean not freaky Trance Riddims like Krys, and not even the almost Coupe Decale sounding stuff. My shitty translations of a few interviews concluded that he's as big a Reggae fan as he is a Kassav fan, so all the Accordions are here a reason. Mots Pour Maux is a pretty fun party vibe album that I've sort of been using as an upper to combat the grimness of Gwadada while I'm strung out on this French stuff.

And She Liked It

Busy Signal - I Fucked Your Girl 2009?

I somehow missed this on Ghetto Bassquake a while back, but luckily I was reminded by Spoek Mathambo (who I didn't know had a blog! ). I think I like this even more than Elephant Man corrupting Drake. Busy crossed Katy Perry's little "look at me, I had a bisexual experience " stunt with a thoroughbred duppy and the babies were hideous. One of the funniest songs I've heard in a minute

Montreal Mad Again

DOWNLOAD

I think dude is a little late for the celebration but they do things differently in Canada. Contains the Wipe Out Riddim.

As Nasty as Fi Wanna Be aka Daggering Fuss PT II

Original lyrics to Vybz Kartel and Spice's Ramping Shop

Well, yuh haffi ram it hard

Di cocky nuh fi lie

Damage it fi spite

Not becah mi pussy tight

Suppose mi put it pon di lef

Gyal yuh tek it pan di right

Censored for radio revised lyrics to Ramping Shop

Well yu ha fi rev it hard

Drive it full speed and crash it if you like

Da gear stick ya feel rough

Put di car inna di garage

Drive in front way or back it up

Til di headlight show.

Some listeners will claim that these lyrics are 'cleaner' than the original since Kartel and Spice are pretending to be talking about driving rather than sex. The lyrics are 'suggestive' rather than sexually explicit. But even without knowing the original lyrics, it is quite clear what the version is supposed to suggest. The gear stick is obviously meant to be a penis. The garage is the vagina in which the car is parked.

(From the Jamaican Gleaner March 29th 2009 "Daggerin' With Cleaner Lyrics")

I've been trying to keep up with the censorship issues in Jamaica and trying to pay less attention to the Pon De Floor video internet controversy. The Broadcasting Commissions ban states "There shall not be transmitted through radio or television or cable services, any recording, live song or music video which promotes the act of 'daggering', or which makes reference to, or is otherwise suggestive of 'daggering'." Now, throwing tables at women is not something I support, but free speech and sexual dancing between consenting adults is. Notice I said consenting, and that first part is sort of complicated when I hear Man to man, gyal to gayl dats wrong in the Ramping Shop intro, but hey I chose to listen. How these cleaner lyrics about "cars and garages" will stop people from bending over I have no idea, and I think Horace Andy said it best: “I don’t think it’s right to play those kind of lyrics on the radio, cause if you beep it out, the kids still know. My daughter is four years old, and she knows every word of Rampin Shop.”

Interestingly enough, the Gleaner article points out the Latin origin of the word vagina which means sheath or scabbard, a housing for a knife or DAGGER. What surprises me is that most vulgarity in Jamaican culture that I'm aware of is more rooted in physical repugnance (like "bloodclot") rather than Germanic words like "fuck" which are a lot closer in relationship to "dagger" for they both involve some kind of striking (or thrusting).

To be continued...