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paradyme
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Joined: 02/01/05
Posts: 131
paradyme
Registered User
Joined: 02/01/05
Posts: 131
02/02/2005 3:38 am
Marley is the man, but he may be one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. Reggae is about feel above all else. While there is method to the madness, I would immerse myself in as much Jamaican music as possible- Incidentally the word reggae was started by Fred Hibbert (Toots from Toots & the Maytals)

What kind of reggae style are you looking for? Here's a breakdown of a few different reggae derived styles that I've worked with:

Ska- faster, upbeat, syncopated rhythms, quick and infectuous. Best known artists: The Skatellites, Tommy McCook, etc.,
-within Ska is the 2 Tone British style characterized by the Specials
and Madness, etc.,
-American Ska/Punk: Operation Ivy, Crimpshine, etc.,
-3rd Wave: The Toasters, Less than Jake, etc...

Rocksteady- slower than ska, some beginnings of the reggae leanings of later
artists like Marley (although Marley's early work was definitely ska/rocksteady)
more vocal harmony than Ska. More influenced by American R&B and Northern Soul- greats here: Toots and the Maytals and the man himself: Desmond Dekker and the Aces.

Roots Reggae- mid tempo, generally downbeat, lots of minor keys, the key with roots is the lyrics. Almost always, roots lyrics are Rastafarian. Marley is probably somewhere in this category.

Dub Reggae- my favorite- repetitive but minimal lyrics, very heavy groove, lots of echo and sound effects. Dub is the most interesting textured style you'll hear (in my opinion).

There's also Dancehall and Ragga, which are more modern and pop oriented.

That's all I can think of for now... for good samplings of these styles, check out any of the Trojan records box sets- reasonably priced and just plain AMAZING music.

Hope that's of at least some use.

peace
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