The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae
nippon.com
nippon.com
Original "under mi sleng teng" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjw7m-BKmQ8
One of my favorites, "The Don" by peter metro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnZuTOH2zoc
90 minute sleng teng mix (here's a bunch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwLKc61dVWQ
related:
Under mi sensi (doesn't actually use sleng teng riddim but it's a riff on the sleng teng chorus): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_dwpUrWkE4
A different riddim (bookshelf), but great example of seeing the DJ at work on a riddim mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyGhjR7CE3k
If you want to explore other popular riddims, the punanny riddim is a good next stop! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UkJRGIpzYM
But it's absolute true that you reggae and dub had a profound impact on dance music music in all its forms from the 90's onwards, both culturally and in the production methods and sound. I'm not sure I've ever heard any of the original Detroit artists reference Jamaican music as an influence, but the entire European side (which then moved back North America) is steeped in Jamaican influence, both directly and via the UK.
Agreed, I've never read anything from Atkins and his progeny regarding Jamaica at all, frankly.
For those interested, though, the cross-pollination of "dub techno" that happened later is quite wonderful (and makes for great programming music). Moritz von Oswald brought reggae to Germany in the 90's and a dubbed out and cold brand of techno flourished from it. I recommend artists like Moritz's own Basic Channel[1] and the newer Echospace[2]
"That UK Sound - Roots Of UK Jungle"
But not all. So quite offtopic, but it reminds me of a related topic, but not as funny or peaceful.
In my youth, this song was popular in the clubs we went
TOK - chi chi man
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xCrhfXjIEvY
We loved it. Very energetic. (my body still wants to dance hearing that riddim)
It was much later, that I learned, what "chi chi man" and "bun them" means.
Burn the homosexuals.
To which the artists say, it is only meant in a metaphorical, spiritual fire. Burn the filthy, gay thoughts. But since gay people get murdered and burned for real in jamaica, I cannot really enjoy it anymore.
(but I did enjoy the dark humor a bit, witnessing real homosexuals sing and dance to that song, while still being ignorant of its meaning)
I bet that this is where many thirty-something people heard it for the first time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2W9YVkkn9U
"Way in my brain"
that's awesome. he's actually mixing! :D
as a vinyl DJ myself, i have to say mixing break beats is the most fun. you can really bounce rhythms around on the 2s and 4s, and the relative sparseness of the percussion lines lets you do some neat things by mixing in and out the highs and mids of two tracks while just playing the bass line of one.
fun stuff, and super cool story. thanks for the links!
most of the segregationists just need inspiration and aren’t as exclusionary as they’ve been led to
We don't know who wrote "Rolling Down to Old Maui" or "Drunken Sailor," other than that they were popular in the 19th century. They both share tunes with other songs that predate them, just like how there are multiple songs that use the same tune as "The Wearing of the Green." Countless people have performed and rearranged them, and the world only benefits from it.
Everything in art is inherently memetic, building upon the work of others and evolving.
"Until the people sing them, the songs, songs are not, and when the people sing them, then nobody knows the author.
Try that your songs end up with the people, even if they stop being yours to belong to others.
That, by melting the heart in the people soul, what is lost in name one gains in eternity."
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Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption ...
cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or equal cultural exchange ...
the concept is often misunderstood or misapplied by the general public, and that charges of "cultural appropriation" are at times misapplied to situations such as trying food from a different culture or learning about different cultures
---
It feels like you want to make a point and I feel like I know what it is, but I could be wrong.
If we both define what's appropriate, and our definitions don't match, how should that disagreement be settled?
Ultimately everything is somewhat of consensus in society, right? I mean, even near-universal truths like "murder is generally bad" or "helping your neighbors is good" are just sort of things most societies kind of agree on.
Sometimes those consensuses (consensi?) change over time. Marijuana was legal for centuries, and then it wasn't, and now it kind of is again.
Sometimes the consensus is crap. In a lot of places there used to be a societal consensus that marrying your 13 year old cousin, or stoning religious heretics to death was cool.
If you've really done the work, and really explored why the groups affected by cultural appropriation think it's kind of a shitty thing to do, and you really just think they're just being crybabies or liars, and you're making an informed decision to disagree then, hey, cool.
Might not agree with you but if everybody put that much thought into things the world would be a better place.
how should that disagreement be settled
Example: suppose I like to use slur XYZ because it's funny to me, and I think humor is a great way to bridge the gaps between people, and it would be better if we all decided to simply not let words hurt us. (I actually do feel that way!)
But a lot of people from group ABC feel like it's pretty crappy for me to use XYZ.
I could just simply think they're being oversensitive, and keep saying XYZ but like... is using XYZ really that important to me? It's pretty easy for me to stop using a word. That's a pretty small cost. If it might do some good, or at least make somebody else's day better, fuck it. I'm generally happy to pay that small cost.
There is no meaningful comparison between the use of racial slurs and cultural appropriation.
It’s not even a straw man. They just aren’t analogous.
In another key way they’re absolutely similar: they are modes of expression that (in the eyes of some) harm other groups or (in the eyes of others) are not a big deal. And there are an awful lot of grey areas and nobody agrees on the definitions.
We know that slurs are meant to denigrate.
We not only don’t know that appropriation is intended to do harm. For any given claim of appropriation, we don’t even know that it does harm, nor that members of the group perceive it that way in general.
There really is no comparison at all, and it seems like your argument is that they are similar in that people disagree about them, which is not a meaningful point.
Obviously she meant no harm and saw it as a tribute; a sign of appreciation.
A few people told her why it was not cool. She didn’t really understand/agree. But it’s also like: did she really need to make dream catchers? So, she relented, and just made different crafts.
Moral being: she disagreed with the “consensus”, but still recognized that hey - it really did amount to to stepping on another groups’ toes, at least in their eyes, so why not just stop doing it?
She wasn’t shamed, or canceled, or throw in jail. She just acted in a way she felt was for the common good. Didn’t cost her anything.
> A few people told her why it was not cool.
Were those people Native American?
Reason why I say it's not super relevant in this particular case? As a white person, it would be ridiculous for me to attempt to speak for Native Americans or any other group. But it would be perfectly OK for me to say e.g. "hey, I think a lot of Native Americans aren't cool with white people making 'dream catchers' -- maybe look into that? Also here are some links to Native Americans talking about it?"
I can’t really speak for you. I don’t know your opinions! You didn’t ask me to be your spokesperson. Cool? Makes sense?
But, I remember that one time you said you’re allergic to nuts.
Next year, somebody’s making cookies for the office. He asks what kind of cookies everybody likes. He’s thinking of making macadamia nut cookies. You’re out of the office that day.
“Oh, I’m not sure what kind of cookies hn_ta_234465 likes,” I say. “But I do remember that he’s allergic to nuts.”
Does that make sense? I’m not your spokesman and it would be weird/rude to put words in your mouth. But it makes 100% sense for me to refer to something you’ve already said.
Simple.
Instead, there are a sizable number of Native Americans who would prefer that white people don't capitalize on their spiritual practices. And then there are many who aren't all that invested in the matter, and simply don't care, but you're not going to disrespect or hurt or belittle them by respecting the others.
So there's a pretty clear course of action, for those who are willing to give half a shit about others, but that's definitely a choice that we all have to make on an individual basis.
You can choose not to care, or not care.
You can also tell yourself that you do care but they're being dumb. That one gets extra cool points.
There are no Native Americans making money from such activities? Looks like you do speak for them after all! You can guarantee that not a single one of them sells dreamcatchers.
Are the number of Indians excoriating Westerners for appropriating yoga "sizable", or not?
There are quite a few native americans who find it wack when people, especially those belonging to the culture that took their land and more or less genocided them, co-opt their cultural symbols.
There are also a lot of native americans who don't care, probably some who think it's neato and a lot of native americans for whom the entire issue gets a big old "not applicable" because it's a big continent and "native american" is not a monolithic culture and not all of them give a shit about dream catchers.
Ultimately, it's up to you. You can decide to give a shit about the N% of native americans who feel it's wack for white people to make dream catchers, or you can decide they're a bunch of whiny crybabies who aren't qualified to make decisions about their own culture, and open a big ol' dream catcher factory within spitting distance of your nearest reservation. A lot of people will think you're a dick, and probably a lot of people will think you're a totally cool dude who just owned the libs.
> There are also a lot of native americans who don't care...
> You can decide to give a shit about the N% of native americans who feel it's wack for white people to make dream catchers...
Okay, I decide to listen to the group of native americans who don't care. What now? Are you going to respect my choice, or is it still going to be a problem--and if so, why is it a problem, given that you've told me several times that it's my choice?
Let's assume you had chosen a better example, such as abusing a religious symbol as the logo of a nightclub...
But there is also a whole lot of mindless calling-out going on regarding cultural appropriation. Most uses of imported cultural material are not meant to denigrate or minimize and don't do so by accident. "Stealing" culture is a stupid concept. Culture cannot be stolen, only disseminated.
But there is also a whole lot of mindless calling-out
going on regarding cultural appropriation
I mean, what do you want to hear? Literally anything you want to do with anybody else's culture is okay and you don't even have to think about it because it's literally impossible for it to be anything but okay?
There is a middle ground in which we agree that hey, some things are okay and some are better avoided.
The wikipedia clarifies very well the concept of appropriation and how it's not a matter of theft.
Cross-pollination like this is, I dare say, universally loved and recognized as vital.
Generally when people speak of "cultural appropriation" it's a situation where you have a majority and/or oppressing group capitalizing on the culture of a minority and/or oppressed group.
Think of the difference between two prison inmates building on each others' ideas is collaboration, and a prison guard stealing their music.
Actually, that’s a good gut check to test whether emancipatory movements have lost their plot: how often do their prescriptions hinge on identity.
Every belief, good or bad, has a lunatic fringe that takes that belief to some stupid extreme.
If we judge every belief by its most deluded lunatic fringe, then we would be forced to conclude that there are literally zero beliefs or ideas worth subscribing to. The lunatic fringe is always there, and it is always scary and/or really, really dumb.
Learn to recognize the fringe.
I think perhaps the importance of that depends on how... unified the group is, you know?
If there are 3 people at a dinner table and one of them is acting badly, definitely hold the other 2 accountable.
If there are 1,000,000 people in a political party and 1% of them are acting badly, I think the 99% and the leaders are somewhat responsible.
If there's a vague concept like "cultural appropriation" or "cringeworthiness" that isn't owned by anybody, I don't know how practical it is for people using the term to really have responsibility for people that misuse it.
At some point there's just a practical limit I think.
The idea there is a mass movement of people saying other people tan too much is beyond delusional.
That's a pretty tortured metaphor.
Would it be morally ok for the prisoners to steal the guard's music?
What if cultural borrowing is the societal precursor to acceptance and integration?
That's a pretty tortured metaphor.
Would it be morally ok for the prisoners to steal the guard's music?
What if cultural borrowing is the societal
precursor to acceptance and integration?
I hope you are not misunderstanding the concept of cultural appropriation to mean that you should literally never collaborate with or incorporate outside influences? If so then, well, good news - it's not that.
If you know dancehall and even an outsiders view of rasta culture, I read the article as using a bit of trivia as an attempt at a kind of ideological castration of dancehall music by retelling its origins and attributing credit for it not to a black rastafarian man in Jamaica, but to an asian woman in Japan. Rastafarian masculinity is problematic for american black progressives, and the article seemed consitent with their cultural unmooring project.
While the objection to the metaphor a reasonable challenge - that the metaphor has underlying complexity doesn't diminish it for me.
I think the issue, as illustrated in replies to you, is that many people's only exposure to conversations about cultural appropriation are extreme examples brought to their attention by someone seeking to highlight how absurd they are (or more typically, get some click revenue) and not necessarily representative
Folks claiming the idea of "cultural appropriation" is absurd, because they heard that "eating sushi" or "getting a deep tan if you're white" are "cultural appropriation" and so therefore the whole idea is dumb.
It's about as valid as claiming that Linux users are maniacs because hey, I heard there was this one creepy dude at a conference once and he used Linux.
If it is actual members of the culture complaining, it makes much more sense than when non members are complaining on their behalf.
Also various social media algorithms certainly contribute to it, as they favor engagement over all.
Many modern works completely lift sounds and rebrand them as founded by someone else new. That is where the problem lies in modern appropriation. It's sad that social media now encourages people to completely copycat ideas and totally steal credit for innovation...
We should support original culture and artists just as much as those who sample them.
Any knowledge or innovation could be “stolen” and used by someone else, whether its origin is cultural or not.
Using the possibility of value extracting theft as a reason why (certain) people should never find inspiration in (certain other) cultures… is just bigoted and nonsensical. It’s racist territorialism.
Especially when all culture is built on something that came before anyway.
If reggae has been around this long yet Sting, UB40, Boy George, Snow, 311, Sublime, and Matisyahu are probably the people most Americans would think of as the best musicians making reggae music, it might show a bit of inherent cultural bias for both the industry and listeners...
Hence, if Sting stole musical licks from specific performer(s), that's a problem. If those people would've been entitled to compensation but for the fact that they were poor island countryfolk incognizant of their rights, that's a problem. But if he just borrowed his musical aesthetic from reggae or from "Jamaican culture," that seems morally uncontroversial to me. Maybe musically derivative, but that's a matter of taste.
https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+cholo+culture&sourc...
The actual riddim sounds completely uninteresting to my American ears. But the novelty and catchiness obviously connected to millions of people at the time.
Dub and reggae are a part of the so-called soundsystem culture. That booming bass line is meant to be heard over an enormous PA system (often home built) designed to rattle your bones!
When I finally played it through my hifi it was like a whole sonic landscape suddenly appeared and only then did I finally get it.
Digital Mystikz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9H3i0T1iN4
Spaceape - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfyRjyKj05I
Goth Trad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12dJbE_xxw
Listen to some of the early dubstep and you'll start to understand that parent probably didn't mean Skrillex, etc...
BBC Radio 1's original Dubstep Warz session is a great introduction to the original dubstep - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RyOlkDgy2g
Kode9's recently released Dubstep Warz behind the scenes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_wmgpQO6iQ
You can find proper sound system culture in the states, though not much is happening since COVID. Tsunami Bass has an enormous PA and Reconstrvct hopefully will be back one day. Analog in Brooklyn did have a whopping home built system but it was sold off and the club is under new management these days.
Here's a glimpse into what this sort of stuff is like at a show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8037wYWZkU. That's the Dub Livity system.
The DJ cuts (low pass) out the bass line, teasing the crowd, until the 2:05 mark, as the MC toasts. The bass shakes everything – you can feel it in your bones. It's visceral. You can see why it was, and is, and continues to be a spiritual thing for many people.
I suppose they're not 100% intuitive or self-explanatory, but I can't think of a better alternative.
Can't believe my eyes I'm seeing this on HN. You can get the same experience at home with a SubPac. I'm not exaggerating!
I really feel this loss in many ways. I've yet to find anyone that can match his prophetic lyrics, ominous voice, and Jamaican patois (combined with Kode9s and The Bug's music). Although I find all of the Spaceape material indefatigable to listen to. Self titled "Spaceape", Backwards, Kingston, etc.
So young... Very sad indeed :(
Red Eye - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yKxn54lXW8
Goblin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd3s_jubB_s
Spongebob - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIpc817U_R4
Burial is my go-to focus music... it's so atmospherical that it immerses me another place where I can really focus, and pump out my work. Specifically a couple of mixes
Seems like there has always been a strong connection between Japan and Dub music, and may even be the same for dubstep (the original, non-"brostep").
Same is true for other places like Brazil, France, UK (obviously). I've heard that Dub music isn't or never was very popular in Jamaica, and it was always other places around the world that really embraced it and sound system culture. Maybe even keeping it alive.
(Real dubstep, I mean, that has dub in it - not that mid-range electric razor Skrillex shit!)
<3 the 'digital raggae' electronic pre-dancehall sound
(sSund system owner here)
And also spawned a huge amount of music: https://www.whosampled.com/Wayne-Smith/Under-Me-Sleng-Teng/s...
I find the simple casio rhythm delightfully engaging and catchy! But that may be because I've heard it in so many reggae and dancehall songs I associate it with now. But the first time I heard those songs, they immediately caught my ear and made me want to dance.
Here's just an MT-40 playing the present. To me that's super catchy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq7B4MFbmgU
Dancehall riddims are tuned for the dancehall and, occasionally, the car show. It's a vibe and atmosphere that doesn't translate well to headphones. I can listen to 2 DJs in a clash go back and forth for hours with just 1 riddim. But after 1 play of Cash Money riddim, for example, I'm pressing FFWD for something else. Because the moment is gone.
ok, let me try to make it more interesting.
you seem to think riddim is something from the past. you may remember the music from "run the world" by Beyonce. that riddim is called "pon de floor" riddim. it was created by diplo. (warning nsfw video).
riddim is essentially coding patterns for music. since each riddim has a name it creates a DSL that lets DJs and MCs go meta with the music and focus on making the most catchy sound.
another interesting aspect is it's free from intellectual property. it makes for a good example of the impact of free culture on creativity.
You better believe Diplo got paid by Beyonce to use Pon De Floor in a track.
My point was that riddims unfortunately aren't as free. But the culture around them uses them as if they are (at home, at small parties, in mixes for friends etc), until they're not (on the public internet, played at clubs, in mixes played on radio etc)
The actual riddim sounds completely uninteresting to my American ears
In 2002, the "Diwali Riddim" came out, which is the basis of several popular songs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali_Riddim
the original beat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMASjABxHWE
Sean Paul - Get Busy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPQ3o14ksaM
Lumidee - Never Leave You (Uh Oh) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k03HK88HhmU
Rihanna - Pon De Replay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEauWw9ZGrA
Wayne Wonder - No Letting Go (0:30 to start the actual song) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT1XhnfMT5c
---
Another big one is the Coolie Dance riddim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d31drv0VQsU
Move Ya Body - Nina Sky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYbMvAB66KM
Culo - Pitbull ft. Lil Jon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-vUCIm04M
Americans might best know it as the bassline from Sublime's Caress Me Down (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_LP4IU6XD4).
But you might really love the lyrics of Tenor Saw's Pumpkin Belly, which a song of the "old time proverbs":
"Whatsover you want / You have to work very hard to gain."
Here is a video where Wayne Smith tells how he found the preset on the keyboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM2qMdop890
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kVhWClUZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOMZlVLh1Ts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9mrs1Ge8fo
then there's stalag riddim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4fjGwVpbm0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbQX0QmngYg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3d4Efp5TMc
and my favourite heavenless riddim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBRzaoUe3y8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQXPTRIsEII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJGa2-qBsSI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MmIP16H5jE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0BxPQIypnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=himuq_-TM-A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpgl8oK869E
then there's answer riddim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4bN_lmTGRk
Overall these riddims are played at so called soundsystem parties - basically huge amount of subwoofers that your body shakes. Earplugs is a must else you'll get tinitus like I did. Stranger part is no photos are allowed and a lot of music isn't released online - it's overall kinda secretive subculture.
It blew my mind when I came to such party first time.
Sounds like something I'd enjoy watching, just like 80s warehouse parties with early acid house.
Jah Shaka is the first one I've ever went - has been playing for like 50+ years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMURjgim0Z0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IohY9uO3H8Q
Ruapuke Roots festival in NZ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj2gLczlSCk
Alpha Steppas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjy3MPvKOjQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLaY7-ggQ6E
Generally what you hear above is called a dub plate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaJ0d6btxSM
Also worth noting - got dinged for smoking spliff - cannabis with tobacco and not pure cannabis...
https://www.engadget.com/2015-12-04-casio-and-the-sleng-teng...
This is a very interesting story, and it's great to see Okuda acknowledged for her work and hear more details about that. Casio is a great example of a company that I just took completely for granted growing up and seemed completely opaque and impersonal to me. It's so cool to see the individuals that are behind all of those things. My brothers and I had an MT-40 when we were kids, I loved playing with it, and had no idea it had an impact like this.
From the same author (the editor of the site):
Tough and Timeless: Ibe Kikuo and the Development of the [Casio] G-Shock
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g01192/tough-and-time...
....
Background on nippon.com:
The site has its background in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Echo which was funded by Japan's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Later on it was funded by the Nippon Foundation, and renamed into the Nippon Communications Foundation:
https://foundation.nippon.com/en/about/outline.html
Funded by a generous grant from the Nippon Foundation ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nippon_Foundation
(eh, read for yourself; it turns weird and dark.)
Today however, synthesizers can create any sound imaginable so we probably reached the end of the cycle. Who knows what will guide the future of music.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2014/10/16/roman_mars_99_...
I think the Roland TB-303 is the best example of what is being talked about here.
It was made by Roland to simulate bass guitars but spawned entire genres of dance music because of its unique sound.
Some people have a certain fluency with sound and music. It's not about training, although training will bring it out if someone has it. But it seems pretty innate. And it cuts through in a way that the work of people without the fluency doesn't.
Roland used to be masters of this. Their rhythm and bass boxes seemed like stupid failed toys, but they had a magic that wasn't obvious until they were handed to people who didn't try to use them in the "proper" way.
That's fluency from two sources - something the original designers somehow had (until Roland stopped being that kind of company) mixed with the feel the pioneering users had.
This story is another example of that.
Compare with - say - Yamaha's attempts to sell physical modelling synthesis. There was much money spent, a good selection of instruments produced, but it failed to cut through. Possibly because it ended up being a system of presets and directed constraints that limited imagination instead of opening it up. (Or possibly not. It's a mysterious process.)
> ... the box was largely written off as a failure after just 18 months of production. It was released alongside the TR-606 drum machine as an accompaniment for guitarists, but with unrealistic sounds and a difficult interface the box got little traction upon release. [1]
It became the source of a signature sound in dance music, which remains extensively used today and can be heard in tracks with mainstream chart success. It's terrible interface is somehow part of its charm and it has been cloned in many formats.
This is probably the best way to experience it in a browser [2]
[1] https://djtechtools.com/2015/12/02/history-tb-303-rolands-ac...
https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/topic/11993-vl-1...
> Among music fans, there is a widespread belief that the Sleng Teng bassline was derived from Eddie Cochran’s “Something Else” or a song by the Sex Pistols, but Okuda denies having had any particular recording in mind. “I did use to listen to a lot of British rock, so I’m sure there must have been songs that influenced me. But really, the bassline was something I came up with myself. It wasn’t based on any other tune.”
But this video about Sleng Teng Riddim says otherwise
> She did give another clue. 'It was a 70s British rockstar, and if you heard the song it would be instantly recognizable, she said.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Hko8LRdyo&t=400s
The song is "Hang on to yourself" by David Bowie, released in 1972. When it came out many commentators said it was heavily reminiscent of Eddie Cochran.
So there's a clear line from Cochran to Bowie to Reggae. Stories about cultural references and echoes, etc. are really fascinating.
(Also, completely OT, but the voice on the Traxploitation video really sounds like the guy doing FabFilter's demos & tutorials. Does anyone know if it's the same guy??)
It feels natural and organic. Human creativity building on and growing what came before.
The original is good, but the remix is something else.
Still have no idea what a sleng teng is though.
a little better sound quality here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtoCjkZYxJ8
(or perhaps I just haven't found it yet?)
I had no idea until now where the sample came from.
Artists aren't profiting massively from sampling. Even from making music in general. Actually, most artists don't get paid at all when uncleared samples are involved, and especially because of the predatory system of music publication. The ideal like they are the ones who should be sued worries me about a wrong take on the art overall. Perhaps Casio should have given her a bonus, because back then because of Sleng Teng, they sold a lot more units.
If we buy a piece of music equipment with presets on it, the license for usage should be 100% included in the purchase, or not included on the device at all.
Copyright is one of the biggest things that threatens music innovation moving forward. The Sleng Teng riddim was indeed influential to reggae for many years, but it was not a game changer because Reggae had existed long before it and even well before Casio. To say that Casio or Okuda Hiroko made the riddim and influenced reggae was a bit of a stretch... The vocals, use, performance, distribution and choice to use a Casio keyboard on the song were all by Noel Davey. To say a preset on a keyboard he used was responsible for a cultural era totally ignores what inspired Hiroko to make the preset.
To try to credit a preset as a cultural influence on reggae discredits all of the other aspects of riddim culture and tools that existed at that point too, Linn Drums, the DR550, The Effectron II, etc... So many things influenced reggae. As someone who was there during the era, Sleng Teng was a great track, but to say the preset revolutionized reggae is like saying modems influenced Internet culture.
Reggae is specifically a Caribbean music art form that has grown from the 1940s and spread across the world against great resistance, and the heritage and innovation behind it is specifically due to the artists that made each song...
Otherwise, we should probably credit Ableton and a bunch of synth plug-ins for pretty much every preset used on almost every dance track made now...
This article kind of highlights a major part of the discussion surrounding cultural appropriation, it's the ideal that something needs to be linked to "more favorable or esteemed" cultures to be more noteworthy or humanized.
Reggae is uniquely Caribbean in origins, artists faced great struggles to make the music and most did not get paid anything notable at all. Others are free to integrate the ideals however they want, but the origins, credits, authenticity, and history should not be re-written just to make a new story.
Authentic history of the Sleng Teng Riddim and Riddim Culture-
This is why many labels in the past would simply get their existing artists to "hijack" reggae themes into their music, because the islands were isolated geographically from public awareness in the early days.
But consider it from a very basic level - pressing a key and getting a 440Hz A is a sample - you can't practically stop people from recording notes - where does that stop if other more complex samples are stored in a keyboard?
If there is one easily identifiable preset that is present in literally hundreds of songs, I'm not sure why it should be so offensive to recognize it as an innovation in itself. For example, the DX7 electric piano preset, the "Lately bass" on the TX81Z (which in turn was obviously inspired by the bass sound in a Janet Jackson song), or The Ultimate Soundtracker, of which derivatives have been used for literally tens of thousands of songs.
I don't see how recognizing the influence of these things is somehow disrespectful or that the recognition somehow discredits all the other innovation involved. As an extreme example, can't I say that the TB-303 revolutionized house music without discrediting artists like Phuture? To recognize that the technology was important and influential is somehow the same thing as saying that the artists and their ingenuity and innovation is not? Because I think the syrup is important, I'm ignoring or discrediting the pancakes?
There's lots of Reggae and Raggamuffin music made in Japan and some of it is really well-made and authentic. (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8aZI0aqR4c)
i've never heard the term 'sleng teng' but i could guess and remembered exactly what tune it would play from 40 years ago. iconic.
Big reggae fan here (old reggae) but Mike Love, "Permanent Holiday" is quite something:
Just from the top of my head in case some here don't know them (if I start looking in my archive I'll find lots of stuff)... Not all "roots" but it's old stuff.
Zap Pow, "This is Reggae music": (I used to start my reggae compilation with this one)
Bunny Wailer:
Errol Dunkley:
Ranking Dread:
https://youtu.be/hkM14QObC9o (this one is really cool for the song talks about many OG reggae artists)
Jo Jo Bennett:
Marcia Griffiths:
https://youtu.be/ZA9FUDw3TNk (the theme is not "roots" but, darn, she's a good Jamaican reggae singer)
Max Romeo:
John Holt:
Horace Andy:
Linval Thompson:
Roots reggae was the only music I played my baby was in the hospital. So much so, I actually created a Spotify playlist of all of the songs we jammed together to.
Let me know what you think https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1qp5AfSmmKLwefGyaJfLxP
Most of the Soul Jazz Records samplers are on Spotify, well worth a listen. Unfortunately Spotify is missing many of the older/rarer tunes. There are some collectors who record their 45s and upload to Youtube:
- https://www.youtube.com/c/VROCKET/videos
- https://www.youtube.com/user/jahbuzzz/videos
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfvSuY0GF6i7yPCX2qnrw5Q/vid...
- https://www.youtube.com/c/aeon23/videos
If you are into more funky Reggae stuff check out Jackie Mittoo.
Awesome, I'll check them out! Appreciate it!
It's full of my/our favourite roots, and includes most of those artists! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1qp5AfSmmKLwefGyaJfLxP
There are many artists working low key on different sounds, but right now the industry is pushing the bubble-gum-gangster sound that is most popular right now... You've got to search real deep on YouTube for the best stuff.
But it is ignorant and dismissive to place anything after an arbitrary date under the label "not decent". Plenty of wonderful stuff.
I'm certain you'll agree that for example Lee Scratch Perry produced wonderful music until the day of his death (August 2021). What he did with The Upsetters is magic. But even the albums he made in the months before his death are far more than "decent".
There's a thriving scene in Hawaii with great music coming out to this day.
This one features two amazing vocalists, Irie Love and Fiji (George Veikoso)
It is wut it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZVF7QWjs44
Then there's New Zealand:
Katchafire: Way Beyond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjKLocagFPw
I could have picked dozens of other great songs.