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There isn't much praise given to Casio keyboards in the history of music, but one of the most significant riddims to come out of Jamaica was allegedly built from the Casio MT-40. King Jammy and Wayne Smith introduced the first fully computerized riddim to the world: Wayne Smith's 'Under Me Sleng Teng'. The riddim was an instant hit and several artists were put over top of the track.
The most notable early Sleng Teng track (with the exception of the original) is Johnny Osbourne's 'Buddy Bye' which was later the anchor track on his album 'Mr. Buddy Bye'. Another Jammy produced hit on the riddim is 'Pumpkin Belly' by Tenor Saw. Other excellent mid 80s Sleng Teng tracks include Sugar Minott's 'Jam in the Streets' and Papa Faith's 'Maniac'.
Jammy would celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the riddim with a slightly updated version called Sleng Teng Resurrection. The Sleng Teng has become one of the most used riddims in dancehall - all thanks to a Casio.The Lowdown:
Wayne Smith 'Under Me Sleng Teng'
from 'Under Mi Sleng Teng' (1985) (MP3/CD)
Johnny Osbourne 'Buddy Bye'
from 'Mr. Buddy Bye' (1985) (MP3/CD not available)
Tenor Saw 'Pumpkin Belly'
Sugar Minott 'Jam in the Streets'
Papa Faith 'Maniac'
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For the first post in this blog's section dedicated to dancehall, I chose to devote a two post arc about the Stalag Riddim (concluding next post with Sister Nancy's influence on hip-hop). The Stalag Riddim is, possibly, the most used dancehall riddim with well over a hundred versions over its 30 year lifetime. The origin of the Stalag Riddim is 1973's 'Stalag 17' by the Techniques, produced by Winston Riley.
The bulk of the classic dancehall songs recorded on the Stalag Riddim are from the early 80s, including two of the most recognizable dancehall singles of all time: 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm'. 'Bam Bam' from Sister Nancy's 1982 album 'One, Two' (which is full of classics) is a sure-fire party starter and a popular sample source for 90s hip-hop. Similarly, Tenor Saw's immortal 'Ring the Alarm' is one of dancehall's most played singles.
Not as widely known as 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm', but a giant hit in Jamaica, is Big Youth's 'All Nations Bow' from 1982's The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style'. One of my personal favorite versions on the Stalag Riddim is 'Love is the Light' by dancehall veteran and Massive Attack co-conspirator Horace Andy. Andy's vocals are fit for almost any riddim, but they work wonderfully on this track.The Lowdown:
The Techniques 'Stalag 17'
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam'
from 'One, Two' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Tenor Saw 'Ring the Alarm'
Big Youth 'All Nations Bow'
from 'The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Horace Andy 'Love is the Light'
