The '80s With the death of Marley, toasting DJs like Yellowman were beginning to come to rival the singers. The Brits took note. Soon, the dancehalls were being rocked by a new British sound. DJs like Smiley Culture could flex between patois and Cockney, scoring in the British charts with the innovative and original 'Cockney Translation'; meanwhile, Papa Levi, who could toast in quick time, put his 'Mi God Mi King' at the top of the Jamaican charts. At last it wasn't embarrassing hearing British DJs like Tippa Irie or singers like Maxi Priest, who rolled with the Saxon sound system. Aswad managed to log the first Brit reggae chart-topper with 'Don't Turn Around' in 1988. And JA artists felt cool enough to record in London with producers such as Fashion's A-Class team, or dub masters like Adrian Sherwood and Mad Professor. Mafia and Fluxy were also starting out on their quest to becoming super-sessionists and producers. Artists such as Daddy Freddy and Longsy D helped create the digital fusions of ragga-hip hop and skacid respectively. Others like Soul II Soul, Ray Simpson and Phillip Leo branched into R&B and dance. Whilst various major labels signed and subsequently dropped reggae artists, it was the internationally-connected indies like Greensleeves, Fashion and Ariwa, which gave a home to new, old, and dropped artists. Jet Star became the world's top distributor of reggae music. Britain managed to produce some strong-selling international acts like Aswad, Steel Pulse, Maxi Priest, and UB40, currently the world's biggest-selling reggae act. Incidentally, the latter two are the only reggae acts to have topped the American charts The '90s After the domination of the dancehall DJs, such as General Levy and Top Cat, and thumping digital rhythms, the mood by the mid-'90s was swinging back to roots and lovers sounds. Although artists like Neville Morrison have hit the top of the reggae charts with tracks such as 'True Friends', despite Britain's long reggae history, its artists have fared less well in the global marketplace dominated by the majors. Whilst some of the larger record labels like Sony Music have taken the music to another dimension and signed artists such as Shabba Ranks and Patra, the Brits have not attracted the same level of major label interest. When Sony signed Danny Red in 1994, he was just about the only British roots artists they'd signed for over ten years. Typically, after the release of one album, 'Riddimwise', he was dropped. Arista signed the Shock N Out team featuring Lloyd Brown and Tippa Irie, but they did not get past one single. Whilst MCA has managed to successfully promote CJ Lewis, who has found moderate success through two albums, with the exceptions of Maxi Priest and UB40, no other Brits have had a long and productive career with a major label. Not that the indie route has all the solutions. Except for someone like Janet Lee Davis, who's had a long career with Fashion, most British artists keep their career profile alive by recording for various producers. Hence it's not unusual for even relatively successful artists such as Top Cat or Peter Hunnigale, who have their own labels, to be represented on various other record labels. Labels such as Ariwa and Fashion have made headway in many international territories with British products. And whilst the underground dub scene relies on roots stalwarts such as Jah Shaka and younger converts such as Alpha & Omega, the same increased use of digital technology which led to the creation of jungle music is currently being applied to dub, with artists like Dreadzone, Zion Train, Rockers Hi-Fi and Lionrock fusing dub with techno and dance music. After many years often marked by poor production and bland copies of what came from Jamaica, it's now becoming almost superfluous to talk of British reggae as a separate entity - much of what's made in Britain today is quite comparable to what comes from Jamaica. What seems lacking is that cachet most punters attribute to Jamaican artists and records. Until that prejudice can be overcome, perhaps the strength of British musicians and producers lies in taking the music into new territories by infusing their own multi-cultural experience into the music and creating exciting new forms and genres. After all, it's what the Brits are best at. > | 1 | 2 | 3 |