Using Dancehall Produce Techniques!!

I was Hoping Someone Could Elaborate on Some Dance hall/Reggae Production Technics for me???

what style, from what era. and what you aiming for. there are loads just tell an example of a song you have in mind.

skalawa wrote:what style, from what era. and what you aiming for. there are loads just tell an example of a song you have in mind.

I was thinking Along the Lines of Sizzla's- "Black Women and Child" and "Praise Ye Jah" also His Work With Bobby Digital (Not Rza,The Dance Hall Producer"). OH Yeah! And Capleton Too! I like his Productions!!

Take for example Capletons track "Blazing hot" from "Reign of fire". There's alot of hectic percussion in the background, but almost all the main instruments are aligned with the kick pattern, and the snare is almost non-existant.

I was working with an african musician recently, and he was telling me that west African music doesn't emphasize even beats much at all, for them it's the kick and then the other percussion around it. It's American music that loves the 2 and 4. Also, they use weird time signatures and such.

Makes sense for Jamaican music to have come from that in some way.

Try sequencing (or at least thinking) in 2/4 time as opposed to 4/4. Listen to those beats... most are two beats per bar, at least the underlying feel.

Also notice that while in standard reggae they accent the upbeat (even numbered eighth notes) with a rhythm guitar or keyboard ride, in a lot of contemporary dancehall this seems to happen only on one of the two upbeats in the bar, or if it happens on both they will use a different sound for each one. Also they don't use the traditional instrumentation that much, they use a fukkked up tom or synth or something.

So give it some shuffly 2/4, use far out hardazz sounds, and pepper it with some African rhythm patterns as per elmaco's post.