- CLAUDINE HOUSEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Managing director of Sniper Productions and Studio in Flankers, Montego Bay, Al Simpson, fixes a computer, one of the crucial pieces of equipment used to produce music there. Computers have come to play a huge role in the recording process.Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain"
- Bob Marley (Trench Town Rock)
MUSIC IS one of the most powerful human expressions. The wailing of the saxophone, the beat of a drum, the tinkling of the keyboard all contribute to the soul and power of music.
Live performances are a part of Jamaica's musical history. However, due to technological advances, the actual playing of instruments, especially for recording, has increasingly been pushed to the backburner.
Younger generations of Jamaicans are now used to going to a party and hearing a computerised beat being played.
However, older generations grew up listening to live music and of course the musicians who played those songs remember the more 'lively' days.
"Older music is more authentic music. It's done in a recording session where musicians play at the same time. These are the music that stand out and last from one era or another. Other computerised music plays for two or three months and dies out. Our music is played together and has melody. The computer stuff is more of a hype, not a more lasting music," said Lloyd Parkes, bass player and leader of Lloyd Parkes and We The People Band.
LACKING SOUL
It is not only the players of instruments, but also the singers who recognise the change in feel.
According to Beres Hammond, the computeised music "lacks soul".
Musician and producer Sly Dunbar states his preference, while acknowledging at least one benefit of the computerised sound. "It's true the live music has more soul, more feeling than computerised sounds. I like live that's where I came from, but computer is easier and faster to edit," Dunbar said.
Frankie Campbell, manager and bass player for Fab 5 says "A lot of computer-generated music is not live music anymore. Most of your stuff isn't live anymore, but its still played by the musicians. It sounds warm and nice. Acts such as Ziggy Marley and Bunny Wailer still use live recordings. Internationally, rock and country, they do live recordings all the time. In the late 1990s past 2000, a lot of persons went back to playing live. When it's synthesised its too mechanical".
MECHANICAL RHYTHM
"Synthesised means its mechanical, like the mechanical drum. A lot of the riddims out today are done by computer experts. They find a pattern and make a song; they don't know notes. Forty years ago, you had to play live - there wasn't the technology. Now, one man can sit and record an entire album," he said.
"In the '50s and '40s, there were big recordings; everyone sat in a studio and you rehearsed. It took hours to do it live. Technology now allows you to do it piece by piece, whereas once it was once a one time recording. Computers are limitless you can get more out of them. One person can stay home and put on drums, bass and such until it piles up. A lot of people who are not musicians can do that, once it sounds okay and its a pattern," Campbell said. "There are hardly any instruments; its very sparse. Everything is so precise there are no mistakes. The human element is missing."
As Dunbar puts it, "The difference is that the computer is more accurate than a live band. Live music has more feeling to it that the computer. The computer has to be programmed to do that. A lot of drummers can only play for a few minutes straight. The drum machine can play longer. I use both, computer and live."
RISE OF THE SYSTEM
According to John Constantinides from the University of Montreal on www.debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/constantinides2004.htm, "The rise of the sound system in the 40s and 50s contributed to the decline of the live band format during social gatherings in Jamaica. Dances became the domain of the new technology as a result of a few specific historical facts. Firstly, the types of music played by live bands in Jamaica in the '40s encountered severe competition from the fresh sounds of the U.S., due to their lack of connection with the urban realities of a growing number of Jamaicans".
"Secondly, the economic issues limited the live band's commercial appeal. It was much cheaper to hire a sound system which employed one or two men, and could play the non-stop music people wanted to hear all night long," he writes.
However, there are those who prefer the more synthetic sounds.
Jason Henriques from Coppershot Disco says "The rawness of the computer-made sound cannot be duplicated. Sometimes live bands sound too nice and musical, not raw. First problem with having a band is that they can't recreate the sound of the tracks, because the tracks are built in the studio by somebody who found a sound and tweaked it, so that it is so weird no one can duplicate. That's the first problem with dancehall shows usually. It doesn't really affect it, but it would sound better if it sounded like the tracks."
Jeremy Harding, producer and manager for Sean Paul, claims that the notion of computerised music is misguided : "The concept of computerised music is a misguided one. If you go to a studio is actually musicians you are going to see there. There are all keyboards there and a person playing; you don't just press a button and music comes out, that's a misconception. You still have to play instruments. There are still musicians playing with dancehall acts. Look at Nigel Staff he plays keyboard for Don Corleone.
"The logistics of using live musicians is very cost prohibitive. There is the expense of renting the studio, engineers to mic up the instruments and the time it takes is cost consuming. It doesn't make sense to have seven persons when one person can do it," Harding said.
He claims that "The lack of soul you can have that argument, but don't attribute it to the technology. Attribute it to the calibre of artistes. Everywhere in the world they are using compressed music. All the music that comes from North America is computer. Down here we have moved to it. But it still depends on the quality of the musicians. You can say past musicians were more expressive, current musicians are not accomplished. If you're not an accomplished act, then a certain chemistry is lost. If the musician is shy, the band makes the sound better to bring more energy".
BANDS IMPORTANT
Nonetheless the computers have caused a decline in the use of live bands in studios. However live bands are important for stage shows.
"Live in-studio activity is cut out a lot. Trumpets and such are cut like 90 per cent. A lot of them are not getting work as they used to. On stage, they still need live bands. People want to go and see live bands. Beenie Man uses a live band people don't want to go and see Beenie Man on stage alone doing tracks," Frankie Campbell said.
"You can only do certain things with tracks. You can either play it or stop it; its not fun. Older audiences don't want to go and hear pure disco, they want to see people create music they can dance and listen to. They want to see a person performing," Campbell said.
Parkes concurs, saying "Live band in the studio has declined, but not on the road. When its being recorded in the studio you still need a live band. I used to do recording every day in the '70s and '80s, myself and Sly Dunbar. A keyboard player now can play bass, guitar and piano; it's compromising us. Live music in the studio is not like first time. But for live shows, it is always present. If you go to a show and see your favourite singer being backed by tracks ,then its not as nice. From inception, it was a singer and a liv band. Even the dub poet needs his backing. You still have live bands coming into the picture, such as Live Wyya".
The power of music to hit you and take away all your pain is still there, a blow that persons are eager to go out and feel through a live band.
