''Dance Hall Style'' is the eighth studio album by American

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the ho ...

songwriter and singer

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Ma ...

, released in 1982 by

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and

dub music Dub is a musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican reggae, p.&nb ...

record label Wackie's.

Background

In the late 1970s, Andy and his wife relocated to

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, and a few years later, he and Bullwackie met at the latter's studio, and made recordings of what would evolve into ''Dance Hall Style''. At the time, Bullwackie had founded a record label called Wackie's, which never achieved mainstream success in its home country (

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

), but was very influential in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. ''Dance Hall Styles was slower, deeper, and darker, with

synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

having a secondary influence on Andy's voice. A track from the album, "Spying Glass", tackles racism and intolerance, while another track, "Cuss Cuss", contains the production of piano, organ, and synth tracks turned into a three-way dance and three basslines of a 10-ton rhythm. "Lonely Woman" is an early song Andy cut for

Derrick Harriott Derrick Clifton Harriott OD (born 6 February 1939) is a Jamaican singer and record producer. He was a member of the Jiving Juniors with Herman Sang before embarking on a solo career. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, ...

in 1972, "Cuss Cuss" is a cover of Lloyd Robinson’s 1969 local hit, and "Spying Glass" would be remixed by

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

band

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

on their second studio album. ''

Protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

''.

Critical reception

''Dance Hall Style'' was released in 1982 by Wackie's to generally positive reviews. According to an

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by Jo-Ann Greene, "Andy's own powerful "Stop the Fuss," a new number, tackles the same topic, but adds a strong unity message that Robinson's "Cuss Cuss" decidedly lacked. That's a theme the singer revisits on the emotive "Let's Live in Love," with Andy's delicate delivery beautifully intertwining with the equally delicate and intricate roots reggae riddim."

Track listing

Personnel

* Drums - Oral Cooke, Henry "Snowhite" Seth, Junior Delahaye * Bass - Jah T, Horace Andy, Myrie Dread * Rhythm Guitar - Horace Andy, Toney Alien * Lead - Jah T, Horace Andy * Piano & Organ - Myrie Dread, Owen Stuart * Percussion - Ras Menilik * Executive Producer - Lloyd & Lloyd's Pro Inc. * Produced by Bullwackie * Distribution by Wackie's Bx. N.Y.

References

{{reflist 1982 albums Horace Andy albums