Dancehall

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Audio: Dancehall

Dancehall is a Jamaican genre that grew out of reggae in the late 1970s, with a rhythmic “deejay” chant over electronic “riddims.”

Dancehall is a Jamaican music genre that arose in the late 1970s as a faster, more rhythmic, and more “street” offshoot of reggae. Its name comes from the dance venues where deejays performed over powerful sound systems.

A key role in dancehall belongs to the deejay — a performer who rhythmically chants or speaks the lyrics (the “toasting” technique) over an instrumental “riddim.” In the 1980s dancehall was among the first to move to digital beats, becoming the basis for many newer styles. It has had an enormous influence on world popular music: without dancehall there would be no reggaeton, and its rhythms and vocal manner echo in contemporary hip-hop, pop, and dance music around the world.

Cultural Versus

Dancehall

Sub-category:: world

Dancehall is a Jamaican genre that grew out of reggae in the late 1970s, with a rhythmic “deejay” chant over electronic “riddims.”

49%similarity

Atonal Music

Sub-category:: classical

Atonal music is music without a clear tonal center, where all twelve pitches are equal. The revolutionary breakthrough of the early 20th century that discarded 300 years of tonal hierarchy.