Straight from Yard with DJ Amber

Greetings Yardies!

The summer is officially over and there’s a lot to discuss about what’s going on a yard. But instead of getting into the doom and gloom of the economy or that the fact that Jamaica is now under attack from the Aeges Egypti Mosquito which carries Dengue fever and the Chickungunya virus; I would rather say ‘give thanks for the rain’ as Jamaica was experiencing drought conditions for several months before August.

Speaking of drought, the summer was also lacking the phenomenon known in Jamaica as the “summer song”. Usually there’s one song that is playing everywhere you turn – whether you like it or not. Either way, this song ends up growing on you until you end up liking the riddim, the lyrics, melody or even just a one line. It’s that song that every selector has cued to “buss the place” inna dance or on the radio; when it’s played, the crowd sings along with the track like a choir. That was missing and the songs which did come close to the above were ‘Nobody Has To Know’ by Kranium, ‘Miami Vice’ by Vybz Kartel and ‘Everything Nice’ by Popcaan. However, apart from ‘Miami Vice’, none of these songs were released in the summer. They came before and were already hot in the streets by summertime, so these aren’t “summer songs” but rather, songs which spilled over.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that songs can maintain a buzz, long after they are introduced to listeners. But as a disc jockey who receives thousands of new music on a daily basis, I resolve to say that the music has become more about quantity than quality. Whether it’s a party song, social commentary or conscious reggae/dancehall type of track, nowadays there are more random artists and producers than there is production and promotion of quality music and artists. In this technology driven era, music production has become nothing more than a hobby for some, while it remains an important business for others.

Personally, I do listen to most of the music that I get in emails and on CDs but honestly a large percent of them won’t be played. This is because of factors such as quality, content and limited time in parties and on the radio.

All in all, it is up to music lovers around the world to give that stamp of approval to artists and their work. So the best thing for them to do would be to make songs that will last a lifetime! Hopefully next summer, a hit will jump at us that is so sweet, it will be on everybody’s lips. In the end, music alone shall live.

Until next time, big up to mi yardies in the UK and Canada.

Walk good!

DJ AMBER