Tweet
By Steven Jackson
Friday, February 13, 2009
In Kyoto, Japan a Jamaican restaurant doubles as a sound system, serving ackee by day and reggae at night. The waiter/selector gives this reporter his dubplate release of 50 tracks.
On it, Sizzla is singing out-of-key and non-descript. That tune could be fake, but the sound, Rockers Train, may have paid US$1,000 via a middleman for the version. This tune is not alone, Japanese sound systems complain of phony and costly dubplates, which is simply a recording on which the original artiste rewrites some of the lyrics of his popular tune and calls the name of the sound system and the selectors.
Johnny Osbourne's dubplates for King Jammy's Super Power sound system are classic pieces of Reggae history.
What makes Japan especially vulnerable is its language, distance and plethora of upstart sound systems. That makes the dubplate demand high relative to other countries, with prices swinging from "US$300 to US$2,500 per dub", says Shane Brown of Juke Boxx Productions, the outfit which manages deejay Busy Signal.
Mighty Crown, one of the world's largest sounds "avoid(s) fake dubs by voicing the dubs by ourselves", the sound's selector, Masta Simon, tells Splash. "I don't think we have any fake dubs in our box."
Not every sound can afford to privately voice artistes, thus the need to rely on trusty middlemen. But developing that trust can be difficult. So smaller sound systems send colleagues such as Selector Kozou to Jamaica "to learn English, culture and to get nuff links".
"In Japan nuff new sound, and they get dubplate easy, fake can deh deh, but if you get the link it's OK," explained Kozou, also a partner in Sun Town sound system. It's a small sound located in Nara, Japan where bullet trains pass ancient temples as fast as the shines are old. Yet even in that small traditional state "there are 10 sounds systems".
Mainland Japan has 47 states or prefectures, which could translate to hundreds of sounds in the country. Each trying to outplay the other, searching for the latest dub and prepared to spend to get it. Those that can't voice the artistes directly will use middle-men (who could be Japanese or Jamaicans). These men source the artiste and send back the dub (or the dupe) to the client.
"Well in everything you have unscrupulous people," notes Brown via telephone to Splash. He tells of two ways persons fake dub plates. "I have heard dubplates of particular artistes where you can hear when they strategically cut out the name (of the sound) and a different voice chip in-you call those things splicing," he explains. "Also you have sound-a-likes. You have little kids or upcoming artistes who sound like established artistes that do these things. You have unscrupulous people in everything."
Overpriced
Japanese sound systems say they pay more for dubplates, because they don't speak English, and don't bargain. In a New Kingston café, Kozou whose clothes calculate to red, green and gold, tells Splash: "It is because of culture, and no (speak) English. American, Germany and other country sound can get cheaper than Japanese cause they can speak English and learn Jamaican life and link."
He adds that the Japanese are pushing up the price of the global industry. "Some country sound systems would prefer that Japanese spend less and negotiate better prices, so that it doesn't raise the price in other countries."
This has not gone unnoticed by Mighty Crown who secures up to 50 dubplates a month. They agree that Japan is subsidising the industry.
"YES!!! Japanese sounds pay more than any sounds in the world. I think this is unfair," said Masta Simon who secures 85 per cent of his dubs from Jamaica, the rest from Japan. "I hope the Japanese sounds get the same price like other sounds in the world."
Falling demand for dubs
Mighty Crown expects the economic downturn to start affecting business by summer.
".I think the economic crisis will affect us in the next six months time," Simon admits. But Brown says demand for dubplates have already decreased in Jamaica.
"Whereas you used to get five per week, you getting one every other week and that is not always paid dubplates," says Brown. Already local artistes have announced taking pay cuts in order to secure work, which may auger well for Japanese sounds who feel overcharged.
As for relying on the local market, Brown says that market went soft years ago.
"There is less sound systems than five years ago, without a doubt. Gemini doesn't exist again, how many times does Metromedia play, what about Travellers, Exodus, Cyrstal, Climax, Kilimanjaro on so on. At the end of the day you have much less, what you have now is a lot of DJs who carry a CD pouch. That is what they call a sound system," he says.
Even with the market softening, Greensleeves Records president Olivier Chastan says their importance will remain. And wishes classic dubplates could be released.
"It's an important promo tool to spread a new song. It's an amazing art form. I wish there was enough of a market to release those on CDs. Johnny Osbourne's dub plates for King Jammy's Super Power sound system are classic pieces of Reggae history - they should be released," Chastan asserts.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifes...S_PLAY_ON_.asp
Friday, February 13, 2009
In Kyoto, Japan a Jamaican restaurant doubles as a sound system, serving ackee by day and reggae at night. The waiter/selector gives this reporter his dubplate release of 50 tracks.
On it, Sizzla is singing out-of-key and non-descript. That tune could be fake, but the sound, Rockers Train, may have paid US$1,000 via a middleman for the version. This tune is not alone, Japanese sound systems complain of phony and costly dubplates, which is simply a recording on which the original artiste rewrites some of the lyrics of his popular tune and calls the name of the sound system and the selectors.
Johnny Osbourne's dubplates for King Jammy's Super Power sound system are classic pieces of Reggae history.What makes Japan especially vulnerable is its language, distance and plethora of upstart sound systems. That makes the dubplate demand high relative to other countries, with prices swinging from "US$300 to US$2,500 per dub", says Shane Brown of Juke Boxx Productions, the outfit which manages deejay Busy Signal.
Mighty Crown, one of the world's largest sounds "avoid(s) fake dubs by voicing the dubs by ourselves", the sound's selector, Masta Simon, tells Splash. "I don't think we have any fake dubs in our box."
Not every sound can afford to privately voice artistes, thus the need to rely on trusty middlemen. But developing that trust can be difficult. So smaller sound systems send colleagues such as Selector Kozou to Jamaica "to learn English, culture and to get nuff links".
"In Japan nuff new sound, and they get dubplate easy, fake can deh deh, but if you get the link it's OK," explained Kozou, also a partner in Sun Town sound system. It's a small sound located in Nara, Japan where bullet trains pass ancient temples as fast as the shines are old. Yet even in that small traditional state "there are 10 sounds systems".
Mainland Japan has 47 states or prefectures, which could translate to hundreds of sounds in the country. Each trying to outplay the other, searching for the latest dub and prepared to spend to get it. Those that can't voice the artistes directly will use middle-men (who could be Japanese or Jamaicans). These men source the artiste and send back the dub (or the dupe) to the client.
"Well in everything you have unscrupulous people," notes Brown via telephone to Splash. He tells of two ways persons fake dub plates. "I have heard dubplates of particular artistes where you can hear when they strategically cut out the name (of the sound) and a different voice chip in-you call those things splicing," he explains. "Also you have sound-a-likes. You have little kids or upcoming artistes who sound like established artistes that do these things. You have unscrupulous people in everything."
Overpriced
Japanese sound systems say they pay more for dubplates, because they don't speak English, and don't bargain. In a New Kingston café, Kozou whose clothes calculate to red, green and gold, tells Splash: "It is because of culture, and no (speak) English. American, Germany and other country sound can get cheaper than Japanese cause they can speak English and learn Jamaican life and link."
He adds that the Japanese are pushing up the price of the global industry. "Some country sound systems would prefer that Japanese spend less and negotiate better prices, so that it doesn't raise the price in other countries."
This has not gone unnoticed by Mighty Crown who secures up to 50 dubplates a month. They agree that Japan is subsidising the industry.
"YES!!! Japanese sounds pay more than any sounds in the world. I think this is unfair," said Masta Simon who secures 85 per cent of his dubs from Jamaica, the rest from Japan. "I hope the Japanese sounds get the same price like other sounds in the world."
Falling demand for dubs
Mighty Crown expects the economic downturn to start affecting business by summer.
".I think the economic crisis will affect us in the next six months time," Simon admits. But Brown says demand for dubplates have already decreased in Jamaica.
"Whereas you used to get five per week, you getting one every other week and that is not always paid dubplates," says Brown. Already local artistes have announced taking pay cuts in order to secure work, which may auger well for Japanese sounds who feel overcharged.
As for relying on the local market, Brown says that market went soft years ago.
"There is less sound systems than five years ago, without a doubt. Gemini doesn't exist again, how many times does Metromedia play, what about Travellers, Exodus, Cyrstal, Climax, Kilimanjaro on so on. At the end of the day you have much less, what you have now is a lot of DJs who carry a CD pouch. That is what they call a sound system," he says.
Even with the market softening, Greensleeves Records president Olivier Chastan says their importance will remain. And wishes classic dubplates could be released.
"It's an important promo tool to spread a new song. It's an amazing art form. I wish there was enough of a market to release those on CDs. Johnny Osbourne's dub plates for King Jammy's Super Power sound system are classic pieces of Reggae history - they should be released," Chastan asserts.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifes...S_PLAY_ON_.asp