The 80s are maligned by many "serious" music listeners, who generally hold that it was a decade of cocaine, tech worship and disposable tunes. Now that we're entering a new era of same, it's instructive to look at the ways 80s music got it right. And it did! Often! Ska captured white England's attention sometime in the late 50's. These culture-starved hooligans fell in love with the Jamaican take on American R&B and formed cultish subcultures that remained faithful on through the reggae era. However, purists bristled at the introduction of synthesizers in the early 80s. For tons of non-Jamaicans, this is where they get off the train, thank you! The overt sexual imagery and aggressive riddims of what became dancehall alienated Marley acolytes. But there's nothing good about looking for 'purity' in anything other than beer. Aside from the cultural implications of [mostly] white men decrying what Jamaicans actually like, there's just a huge amount of incredible reggae, dancehall and hybrid breaks-type stuff that simply hasn't had its time in the sun. You know about Sly & Robbie, but do you know about Rhythm Killers? So, lately I've been digging this record U-Neek by Eek-a-Mouse, released in 1991. He gained a little notoriety recently for releasing a forgettable track on Soundcloud with an unforgettable hook "Banned from reggae, the Marleys banned me from reggae" -- I'm paraphrasing, but it was something like that. Eek-A-Mouse is a big guy with a little voice, and his music is consistently creative, politically contrarian and texturally innovative. Speaking of 'purists,' plenty of selectors and producers alike in Jamaica were loath to embrace hip hop -- it was a process that happened slowly. When Eek-A-Mouse released U-Neek, I don't think it landed the way he would have liked. But no worries, it's incredible. It's lightly produced with a sense of humor and takes plenty of risks. It's got that bouncy, clean, late 80s-early 90s sound of DX7s, SP1200s, spray paint and optimism. I love these lyrics! Pops into my head when I'm feeling particularly full of myself, which is of course the marker of a great hook. The "uuhnn-na-na-uhhnn-na-na" chant is weird and awesome. A reminder that musical ideas should be committed to "tape" before deciding whether or not they work. "Let the Children Play" has a timeless chord progression that calls New Order to mind and another perfect hook -- "Let them play, let them play ..." -- just try not to sing that in your kitchen after it's done! I'm in love with those pads in the background, which were ubiquitous from Duran Duran to Erasure to ... everything else ... they sound a bit like the Kawai K3. The K3 is a fascinating synth that combined digital oscillators, very lush analog filters, and an utterly impenetrable editing system. I was lucky enough to hear one at a good friend's old apartment in Brooklyn. It is, however, the property of a non-keyboard playing dominatrix so I'm not likely to get my hands on it soon. That's life!
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