4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
When Reggae Went Digital
In 1984, the corner known as Big Road was a crossroads for the economically struggling Waterhouse community of Kingston, Jamaica. There was sporadic violence from warring political factions and crime from local drug gangs. It was also a spot where neighborhood musicians, including the singers Junior Reid and Half Pint, and the vocal groups Black Uhuru and Wailing Souls, would congregate.
Noel Davey, then 26, was an aspiring musician who played the melodica, a wind instrument with a keyboard. He could perform, by ear, any popular song of the day. 'People saw a certain talent in me,' Davey recalled, 'and said, if this youth had a keyboard, he would do a lot better.'
George 'Buddy' Haye of the Wailing Souls told Davey he had one at his home in California and promised Davey that when he returned to the United States, he would send it. After a time, Davey received a Casio MT-40, an electronic keyboard programmed with 22 instrument sounds, a mini bass keyboard and six preset rhythms, one of which formed the basis for a revolution in Jamaican music. 'I got that instrument for a reason,' he said. 'It brought about a big difference in the music.'
Before the year ended, Davey had recorded 'Under Mi Sleng Teng,' with lyrics lauding marijuana (sleng teng) over cocaine ('no cocaine, I don't wanna go insane') written and performed by Davey's friend Wayne Smith. The song, reissued on seven-inch vinyl by an independent reggae label, VP Records/Greensleeves, this week to commemorate its 40th anniversary, is believed to be among Jamaican music's earliest digital productions. The new sound was initially referred to as digital reggae to differentiate it from traditional reggae music. Davey and Smith's creation is likely dancehall reggae's most 'versioned' riddim, used in over 500 songs according to Riddim-ID, a website that catalogs the reuse of these instrumental backing tracks.
'I never heard anything like the 'Sleng Teng' before — it wasn't played by a band, it was just a continuous repetition of a keyboard,' said Johnny Osbourne, who had a hit using the riddim with 'Buddy Bye.'
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