Watch How the People Dancing: Unity Sounds from the London Dancehall 1986–1989 is a compilation album released on 28 January 2003 through Honest Jon's record label. The album features dancehall singles released through British Unity Sounds record label in 1980s and documents the genre's transition into modern digital dancehall, focusing on the British scene.
| Watch How the People Dancing: Unity Sounds from the London Dancehall 1986–1989 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by | |
| Released | 28 January 2003 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 1:07:29 |
| Label | Honest Jon's |
| Producer |
|
Background
editThe album was recorded by the Unity Sound label workers after the introduction of the early digital sound system. The rhythm tracks were recorded by a Casio keyboard and a four-track cassette recorder, which were later supplemented by vocals and overdubs in the studio. Prior to being released as singles, all the tracks here were tested on the Unity sound system.[1]
Majority of the tracks also contain an instrumental version.[1] The tracks "Pick a Sound" by Selah Collins and "Watch How the People Dancing" by Kenny Knots became early hits in the scene.[2][3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[4] |
The compilation generally received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic critic Chris Nickson described the album's style as "true street-level British reggae from the dawn of the digital era, and all surprisingly good, given that none of the people involved were really musicians."[1] Entertainment Weekly stated that the album is "not the best of the era (see Barrington Levy), but a sweet, bouncy snapshot of a pungent regional scene."[4]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ruddy Ranks, Red Eye and Ribs except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pick a Sound" |
| Selah Collins | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Version" | Selah Collins | 3:13 | |
| 3. | "We Try" |
| Mikey Murka | 3:16 |
| 4. | "Version" | Mikey Murka | 2:49 | |
| 5. | "What a Wonderful Feeling" |
| Errol Bellot | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Watch How the People Dancing" |
| Kenny Knots | 3:28 |
| 7. | "Lean Boot" |
| Richie Davis | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Version" | Richie Davis | 3:01 | |
| 9. | "Ready for the Dancehall Tonight" |
| Peter Bouncer | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Version" | Peter Bouncer | 3:10 | |
| 11. | "You Ha Fe Cool" |
| Richie Davis | 3:04 |
| 12. | "Version" | Richie Davis | 2:59 | |
| 13. | "Ring My Number" |
| Kenny Knots | 3:21 |
| 14. | "Version" | Kenny Knots | 3:16 | |
| 15. | "Back Your Automatic" |
| Mikey Murka | 3:08 |
| 16. | "Control The Dancehall" |
| Mikey Murka | 3:16 |
| 17. | "Version" | Mikey Murka | 2:59 | |
| 18. | "Chuck It" |
| Jack Wilson and Demon Rockers | 3:00 |
| 19. | "Ride the Rhythm" |
| Mikey Murka | 3:19 |
| 20. | "Version" | Mikey Murka | 3:01 | |
| 21. | "Run Come Call Me" |
| Kenny Knots | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 1:07:29 | |||
Personnel
edit- Ruddy Ranks – production, composition
- Red Eye – production, composition
- Ribs – production, composition
- Will Bankhead – artwork, photography
- Mark Ainley – compiling
- Tom Benson – compiling
- Trevor Lewis – photography
- Moritz von Oswald – mastering
References
edit- ^ a b c d Nickson, Chris. "Various Artists - Watch How the People Dancing: Unity Sounds from the London Dancehall 1986–1989". Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ Sullivan, Paul (2013). Remixology: Tracing the Dub Diaspora. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1780232102.
- ^ "Watch How the People Dancing". The Beat. 21: 24. 2002.
- ^ a b "Watch How the People Dancing: Unity Sounds from the London Dancehall 1986–1989". Entertainment Weekly. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
External links
edit- Watch How the People Dancing: Unity Sounds from the London Dancehall 1986–1989 at Discogs (list of releases)