Here’s a new mix from me, featuring instrumental versions of tracks from the late 90’s and early 2000’s era of dancehall. I’m blown away by the creativity and versatility from this time period: Danny Brownie reworks an 1800s libretto opera into effortless pop music, R. Pryce takes the "Woo! Yeah!" drum break that would later characterize Baltimore club music and slows it to a hazy stutter and Rohan "Snowcone" Fuller serves up a track wholly based on turning the flanger effects up to 10. Richie Stephens & Mikey 2000’s lovelorn horns would later appear as a sample on Rihanna’s “Work”, and Dave Kelly rewires drum’n’bass into a dancehall framework with barrelling kinetic power. There’s trace elements of what would come to be known as footwork in Christopher James’ “Robbery Version”, and Stephen Ventura offers a hectic 90’s rave breakdown that wouldn’t sound out of place on the Blade 2 soundtrack. Patrick Roberts flips a 1974 disco track into something that sounds like it belongs in the next millennium, and Edison Electric offer an unparalleled corrosive acid house / dancehall hybrid. 

Of course, this mix is deeply indebted to Black culture, and I’ve made a donation to a Toronto GoFundMe raising funds to create a space for Black people to gather with love, food and music - I encourage you to donate as well! 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-black-people-to-have-fun

Tracklist:
Computer Paul - Borderline Version
Danny Brownie - Bad Man Sonata Version 
Seeed - Curefix Version
R. Pryce - Cyclone Version 
Andre Grey - Muddy Version 
D. Marley / R. Price / R. Hylton / R.Smith / H.Lawes  & S. Marley - Khaki Suit Version 
Rohan "Snowcone" Fuller - Bun Bun Version
Richie Stephens / Mikey 2000 - Sail Away Version 
Dave Kelly - Backyard Version 
Christopher "CJ" James - Robbery Version 
Stephen Ventura - Moesha Spurlamentious Version
Edison Electric - Acid Hall Version 
Patrick Roberts - Dance Y3K Version
Stephen Ventura - Throw up yr Hands Version
Kevin "DJ Snoop" Dunkley - Unusual Suspects Version
D. Bennett / N.Staff - H20 Version
Stephen 'Supahype' Davis - Smash Version
Dwayne Chin-Quee, Mitchum Chin - Drumline Version 
Steven "Lenky" Marsden - QV Weaver Version
Paul 'Jazzwad' Yebuah - Little Bit A Everything Version

Versions

For this mix, I compiled dancehall revisions of classical music and opera-referencing tracks; songs that mix famously recognizable melodies and sparse, bass-heavy breakdowns. Most of these tracks came from a time when dancehall was in direct communication with UK-based sounds, creating a feedback loop with jungle, rave, and what would eventually become dubstep, and I love the creativity and versatility of the period, it really felt like anything was possible. 

The genre (and mix) is heavily indebted to Andrew Bradford’s Opera House label, who came to define the skeletal, devastating sound of 90’s dancehall, while also infusing a kind of maximal drama that is also shared by classical music (see: Tchaikovsky firing off real cannons for the 1812 Overture). Hope you enjoy! 

I also wanted to try and back up my cultural consumption with some kind of material support, so I made a donation to support a group of Trans Jamaican artists coming to the US - link is below if you want to donate as well.
https://gofund.me/2f77f7f2

Tracklist:
Left Side - Tall Up Tall Up (Version) [Stone Love Music]
Elephant Man - Tall Up Tall Up [Stone Love Music]
Danny Brownie - Vintage Old Bruck (Version) [Main St.]
Andreas "Brotherman" Christophersen - Classic Riddim (Version) [Minor 7 Flat 5]
Cocoa Tea- Let The Dancehall [Minor 7 Flat 5]
Chalice - Dance Hall ‘Monic [Peace Pipe Records]
Buccaneer - Da Opera [VP Records]
Scare Dem Productions - Eyes a Bleed (Version) [Price Less]
Taxi Gang Feat. Robbie Lyn - 5th Of Beethoven [Taxi]
Classical People - J.D.F (Version) [Opera House]
Marie Claire -  Dancehall Opera [Krush Proof Muzik]
Rainbow Castle Production - Warhead Caan Dead (Version) [Rainbow Castle Productions]
Steely & Clevie - Nine Night (Version) [VP Records]
Buccaneer - Classical Party [Kingstone Records]
The Taxi Gang - 5 O'Clock Version [Taxi]
Mad Lion - Phantopra Opera Hall Mix [Spinnas]
Clifford Smith - Violin Riddim (Version) [In The Streetz Records]
Andrew Bradford - Skettel Concerto (Version) [Opera House Records]
Buccaneer - Fade Away (Version) [Opera House Records]
Honorebel & Alicia - Con Te Partiro [White label]
Black Slate - Mozart in Trenchtown [Unit 8 Records]


Shout out to Henry’s Records in Scarborough, where most of these records were found: https://www.instagram.com/henrys_records/?hl=en

And there's a good retrospective of Opera House Records over here:  https://www.theransomnote.com/music/playlists/gone-to-a-rave-the-wild-bashment-of-opera-house/

Classical Dancehall

Homemade edits of early drum & bass / rave tracks. Frenetic, joyful and dark in equal measure, hopefully a bit unpredictable.

Instead of buying these records, I donated the $ I would've spent to electronic musician Star Amerasu's resilience fund, and I encourage you to do the same below:
https://ca.gofundme.com/f/star-amerasu-resilience-fund

Tracklist: 
Run Tings & Liftin' Spirits  - Invincible (Bee’s edit) 
CFCF - Closed Spaces (single edit)
Monica - Ain’t Nobody (Ain't Armand edit)
Noise Factory - The Fire (Bee’s edit)
Sonz of a Loop De Loop Era - What the… (Bee’s edit)
Aphrodite - Mash Up Yer Know (Bee’s edit) 
A Guy Called Gerald - Alita’s Dream (Bee’s edit)
D’Cruze - Lonely  (Bee’s edit)
Chicane - Sunstroke (Mission Control Mix)
The Dream Team - Sweetie (Remix)
A.G Cook - Idyll (Bee’s edit) 
Gappa G & Hypa Hyper - Slip 
Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights (Bee’s edit)
Kaotic Chemistry - L.S.D
Baraka - I’ll be there (Bee’s edit) 
DJ P - Mystery 
Omni Trio - Thru the Vibe (Bongo Mix)
Cold Land (Denham Audio Raw Mix) 
Octo Octa - Spell for Nature 
Physical Therapy - Buttercup 
Demdike Stare - Patchwork (Bee’s edit) 
Special request - Quiet Storm (Tim Reaper Remix)
Vybz Kartel - Yuh Love (Bee’s edit)

Bee A

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