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The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

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Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#111

Post by nyanpasu64 »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #33
omar_alt wrote: post #3

Most late 20th century western musical movements and the cultural changes that came with them was down to manufacturers of instruments. It was usually a box, synthesizer or effects unit. Surely the R&D for new sounds is what music depends on?

You could create all kinds of new sounds and technologies and they would have no impact if audiences didn't connect with them. 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 rhyth…

From what I've heard, sample libraries of acoustic instruments are a system of presets and directed constraints (inability to replicate complex dynamics, articulation, and pitch bends). I haven't tried physical modeling, and don't know if it manages to escape this issue, or ends up too complex to learn/perform or stuck in an uncanny valley. (This is from the perspective of orchestral-inspired sound design rather than more synthetic compositions.)

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#112

Post by rvense »

dashwehacct wrote: post #90
2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the YouTube comments makes an interesting observation that this is an entirely digital rhythm.

I like to tell people that reggae artists (more specifically dub artists) created electronic music. I don’t know if it’s entirely true, but there is some evidence to suggest this.

Well, electronic music in the broad sense is at least thirty-five years older than Sleng Teng. I doubt, say, Schaeffer and Xennakis were very clued in to what was happening in Jamaica.

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.

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#113

Post by rvense »

redwall_hp wrote: post #74
Simplicitas wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. I'll never forget Darryl Hall saying that music is a continuum, which is why most of the times he allows his Hall & Oates sounds to be sampled by Rap artists ..

If you look into folk music traditions, one recurring theme you'll find is it's generally not clear who wrote a tune or lyrics, and multiple songs often use the same tune. That's the natural state of music, and the current system of so-called intellectual property is an aberration. 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…

I think it was Pete Seeger who said that the greatest compliment he ever received was someone saying "Oh you wrote that song? I thought it was just.. there".

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#114

Post by rvense »

gunfighthacksaw wrote: post #21
lelandfe wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The actual riddim sounds completely uninteresting to my American ears 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!

I remember not getting dubstep (also derived from dub before it’s export to the US and commercialization) because I was listening to it on my PC speakers. 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.

If the speakers weren't taller than you, you haven't experienced dubstep.

(Real dubstep, I mean, that has dub in it - not that mid-range electric razor Skrillex shit!)

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#115

Post by rvense »

Cockbrand wrote: post #89
chrisjc wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quick note to those that were potentially triggered when they read "dubstep"... Early dubstep was based on two-step and garage music, while at the same time heavily based on dub and reggae. 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 u…

Hehe, I remember telling an American friend about 10 years ago that I was really into dubstep at that time. She was appalled and couldn't understand why a somewhat decent person like myself could listen to that kind of music. Much later, it dawned on me that she was thinking of US bro-step like Skrillex, while I in fact was listening to "UK Bass Music" like Benga and Skream and Digital Mystikz and Loefah.

All my homies hate Skrillex!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLlVVKRwk0

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#116

Post by quacked »

JohnBooty wrote: post #78
quacked wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who defines "inappropriate or unacknowledged"?

We all do, including you. It feels like you want to make a point and I feel like I know what it is, but I could be wrong.

Yes, I suspect we know each other's points already, but I always am curious about how this particular element of the topic is defined by adherents of the group-to-which-I-don't-belong.

If we both define what's appropriate, and our definitions don't match, how should that disagreement be settled?

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#117

Post by [deleted] »

JohnBooty wrote: post #73
zuminator wrote: post #25

This is a beautiful example of why people shouldn't be too quick to tag cultural borrowings as "appropriation." They often result in a back-and-forth cross-pollination that bears novel hybrid fruit we can all enjoy.

Agree completely, though, I also don't feel like this sort of (awesome) thing is what anybody is talking about when they discuss cultural appropriation! 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 oppresse…

[deleted]

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#118

Post by asdff »

elefanten wrote: post #94
JohnBooty wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree completely, though, I also don't feel like this sort of (awesome) thing is what anybody is talking about when they discuss cultural appropriation! 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 oppresse…

Maybe that nuance was originally intended, but look around and you will find plenty of claims that wearing dreadlocks, rapping or making sushi at home are examples of cultural appropriation, if done by the wrong person. Actually, that’s a good gut check to test whether emancipatory movements have lost their plot: how often do their prescriptions hinge on identity.

It's gotten to the point where people are even criticized for tanning too much beyond what is supposedly acceptable for their identity.

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#119

Post by okl »

nyanpasu64 wrote: post #106
lelandfe wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice to see some heads on HN! Great list, and RIP The Spaceape. 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 lik…

Technically low-cutting is called highpass rather than lowpass. I don't exactly like the low/high pass terminology myself either though; you end up putting a high pass at a low frequency to remove bass, and low pass at a high frequency to remove treble.

High/low pass = high/low frequency components pass through. Simple?

Re: The Casio employee behind the “Sleng Teng” riddim that revolutionized reggae

#120

Post by winternett »

elefanten wrote: post #107
winternett wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem in enjoying the "cross-pollination" is that it never rewards the founders, and often rewards others that deliberately copy the overlooked artists. 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 innovatio…

Founders being rewarded is completely orthogonal to culture, in this picture. 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…

I disagree. There is a history of issues in the industry, and with audience exposure that makes things much more complex than with certain other genres.

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...

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