Mr Williamz Presents A History Of Dancehall

10 vital cuts ahead of this weekend's Notting Hill Carnival...

Dancehall remains one of the most pervasive, influential sounds to emerge in the past 30 years.

An absolute phenomenon across South and Central America, it also made huge in-roads throughout West and Central Africa.

Spawning offshoots like reggaeton and afrobeats, dancehall can lay claim to a huge proportion of 2019's cultural DNA.

The root, though, remains the most potent, and it's something you can soak up from almost every window across Notting Hill Carnival.

Sure, soca – and to an extent afrobeats – have made inroads, but dancehall remains carnival's flavour of choice, and it will blaze a trail around West London this weekend.

Esteemed reggae artist Mr Williamz offers up his own personal 10 track guide to the history of dancehall.

– – –

Hugh Mundell – 'King Of Israel' 

The melody's so sweet; at the same time it's such a hard song and a serious song.

– – –

Dennis Brown – 'Oh What A Day'

The feeling of this song – just to hear these songs loud in the Carnival outside is different to hearing it in the club or in the party. It just gives you a different vibe to hear it in an open space at a loud volume. Songs like these, really to me sound different in a different environment.

– – –

Jacob Miller – 'Curly Locks'

'Curly Locks' is a song that I used to listen growing up – it was one of my favourite songs. Jacob Miller is a great artist and has such a big catalogue but you don't really hear enough of some of his singles.

– – –

Micheal Palmer – 'Still Dancing'

It's a song I only really recently heard – within the last few years, and it's a song that I really like. It's a song that I can listen to over and over and over. Michael Palmer is a great singer and i'm just glad to find the song and I would like to hear it in Carnival, you know – loud.

– – –

Supercat – 'Learn fi Ride'

I like it so much, it's a song so descriptive. The story and everything, and the rhythm that it's on – y'know proper roots rock rub a dub vibe, and to hear dem style pon di sound it's like to hear the DJ chatting live on the sound.

– – –

Bagga Worries – 'Ride The Punnany'

This is a song I heard in London growing up in the 90's. When I came to London I would hear this song: it was a popular song at house parties and little jams I was going to.

It's always a song that plays in Carnival as well, so it's a song that really transcends generations, even though a lot of the youth wasn't around at that time it's a song that you hear and it have a nice energy.

– – –

Shabba Ranks – 'Love Punnany Bad'

It's a song that I loved growing up: heavy bass line, king jammy's production. And it just sound like the DJ up on the sound system chatting live and it's just cool and steady and deadly, and at the same time it's still vibes for the girldem and still vibes for the mandem. It's just a rude boy raggamuffin tune.

– – –

Junior Reid – 'Bank Clerk'

One of my favourite – Junior Reid – I just like it: the story and everything and the production and the sound of it.

– – –

Baby Wayne – 'Can't Live So'

One of my favourite song as well by Baby Wayne. He's a great artist but a lot of his songs them never really get hits. That's how the music is: some songs stick out in your mind and some songs don't, and this is one of the songs that stick out in my mind; the message makes you really think and makes you want to listen to the song and think that's not the thing to be involved with.

– – –

Frankie Paul – 'Tu Shung Peng'

It's a big song. Frankie Paul recently passed and he is a dancehall general. It's a song we used to always play when we were youth and always get a big reaction so it's a tune that's still in my memory, and it's a big ganja tune.

– – –

'More Weed' (Remix) by Mr. Williamz feat. Big Zeeks, Frisco, Footsie, Ni'sha is out now https://tenwest.gr/moreweedremix. Catch him performing at Notting Hill Carnival with Shy FX on Monday, August 26th at the Sir Lloyd Soundsystem.

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