When I was like 15 years old, my buddy and I use to sit in his car every Sunday night and get stupid stoned while listening to the Reggae Makossa show. Makeda Dread (the show’s toaster) turned me on to the full spectrum of sound coming out of Jamaica. The tales of guns, drugs, community, style and consciousness hovering over those heavy, syncopated drum beats literally changed my attitude towards music. It also put Jamaica at the top of my travel list. Sadly, I still haven’t made it to the motherland, but flipping through Beth Lesser’s images of the Jamaican dancehall scene throughout the ’80s is a lot more intimate than I could’ve ever gotten. Or almost anyone for that matter—Beth was an insider and Rise Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture is her testament. Of course being Soul Jazz release means there’s music involved. Essential stuff. The artists that have played a major role in shaping what we’re listening to today: Yellow Man, Lone Ranger, Sister Nancy, Eek-A-Mouse, Gregory Isaacs, Triston Palma, to name a few. See some pix after the jump….
