Though admitting he was never a big fan of Studio One music, singjay D-Medz said when he got a “spiritual vibration” to record songs on some of the legendary label’s fabled rhythms, he did not hesitate.
He did eight songs on classic beats like the Real Rock, Far East and Answer for From a Boy To a Man, a mix tape scheduled for release soon.
“I got this spiritual vibration to do something different an’ also pay homage to the foundation. I had some Studio One ‘riddims’ at home, so I start to listen dem an’ begun to write,’ D-Medz told the Jamaica Observer.
Nuh Falla (Bad Company) on the Real Rock is the mix tape’s first single. Other songs include Pretty Flower, Press Button with Sizzla, and Sunday Evening.
Recording to beats from producer Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd’s label is a departure for D-Medz, who is known for dancehall songs like Champion and No Vote. The Clarendon-born artist is familiar with the Studio One legacy, but never considered revisiting its catalog, a strategy that has worked for countless dancehall acts.
“I was never into Studio One, so it was quite surprising when my spirit told me to do so. The songs came out quite beautifully; it was like the riddims was talking to me,” he said.
Dodd was an established sound system man and producer when he started Studio One in 1963. The label helped nurture the careers of most of Jamaica’s major artists, including the Wailing Wailers, The Heptones, Bob Andy, Marcia Griffiths, Ken Boothe, Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, and Sugar Minott.
Dodd died from a heart attack in 2004 at age 72.
— By Howard Campbell
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