Dancehall 101, Vol. 6

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Danny Browne; Donovan Germain; Karl Miller; Bobby "Digital" Dixon; Jeremy Harding; Patrick Roberts; Winston Riley
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Photographers: Beth Lesser; Marlon "Ajamu" Myrie; Brian Jahn. The defiant, in-your-face outlook of dancehall from the late-'80s onwards is alive and well on DANCEHALL 101, VOLUME 6, which boasts recordings by major dancehall figures such as Buju Banton ("Have Fi Get Yu Tonight"), Shabba Ranks ("Trailer Load a Girls"), Nardo Ranks ("Burrup"), Tiger ("Ram Dance Hall"), Beenie Man ("Big Up and Trust") and Sean Paul ("Infiltrate"). In fact, the lineup on this compilation often reads like a who's who of dancehall. There's some aggression on VOLUME 6, but there is also a fair amount of diversity. General Degree's hilarious early-'90s hit "Granny" epitomizes the goofier side of dancehall, while Panamanian toaster El General treads Spanish-language territory with "Te Ves Buena" ("You Look Good"). Most of the dancehall stars on VOLUME 6 are toasting over hard, hip-hop-minded electronic tracks, but on Reggie Stepper's "Drum Pan Sound" and Ninjaman's "Test the High Power," one encounters softer dubwise-style tracks that recall the days of U-Roy and I-Roy; those tunes are a perfect blend of gruff dancehall-style toasting and dubwise-style rhythms. VP Records' DANCEHALL 101 compilations have been perfect for both novices and seasoned dancehall listeners, and VOLUME 6 is no exception. One of the questions that people who are new to reggae often ask is: "What is the difference between dancehall toasting and dubwise toasting?" In a nutshell, dancehall favors a much harder, more forceful and abrasive approach than the old-school dubwise artists of the '70s (King Tubby, I-Roy, U-Roy, Big Youth, Dennis Alcapone, Ranking Joe). Dubwise was essentially the toasting equivalent of '70s reggae singers like Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh; dancehall, from the late '80s on, has owed a lot to hip-hop's defiant, in-your-face outlook. And that outlook is alive and well on Dancehall 101, Vol. 6, which boasts recordings by major dancehall figures such as Buju Banton ("Have Fi Get Yu Tonight"), Shabba Ranks ("Trailer Load a Girls"), Nardo Ranks ("Burrup"), Tiger ("Ram Dance Hall"), Beenie Man ("Big Up and Trust") and Sean Paul ("Infiltrate"). In fact, the lineup on this compilation often reads like a who-who's of dancehall. There is a lot of aggression on Vol. 6, but there is also a fair amount of diversity. General Degree's hilarious early-'90s hit "Granny" epitomizes the goofier side of dancehall, while Panamanian toaster El General takes the 59-minute CD into Spanish-language territory with "Te Ves Buena" ("You Look Good"). Most of the dancehall stars on Vol. 6 are toasting over hard, hip-hop-minded electronic tracks, but on Reggie Stepper's "Drum Pan Sound" and Ninjaman's "Test the High Power," one encounters softer dubwise-style tracks that recall the days of U-Roy and I-Roy; those tunes are a perfect blend of gruff dancehall-style toasting and dubwise-style rhythms. VP Records' Dancehall 101 compilations have been perfect for both novices and seasoned dancehall listeners, and Vol. 6 is no exception. ~ Alex Henderson

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