This weekend saw the sad loss of Winston Riley, one of the sweet voices behind the Techniques songs, the producer behind the Stalag riddim and the mind behind the seminal Techniques label.
The Stalag riddim(s) (so good they made about 5 versions) is a true foundation instrumental that surely held a part in bringing reggae into mainstream culture and introduced many an ear to the sounds of Jamaica. Almost 20 years after its 1974 release, Winston Riley’s productions started creeping into US hip hop, becoming the sample du jour and taking the Stalag and Tenor Saw’s ‘Ring the Alarm’ worldwide.
Here are 10 tunes that owe their dues to Winston Riley, some taking just snippets of the Stalag brass (Gang Starr), while others use a full on riff (Raggasonic) or vocal sample (Fu Schnickens):
Too $hort – Blowjob Betty (1993, samples ‘Bam Bam’)
For all who complain about the lyrical content of dancehall, Too $hort is even too much for the hardened Aidonia fan. This one lifts the Bam Bam brass riff & bassline.
Main Source – Just Hangin’ Out (1991, samples ‘Bam Bam’)
Fu Schnickens – Ring The Alarm (1991, samples ‘Ring The Alarm’)
A true fu-schnick knows about Winston Riley.
Raggasonic & NTM – Aiguisé comme une lame (1995, samples Stalag 17)
The French rap outfits knew what was going on too:
Fat Joe feat. Grand Puba & Diamond D – Watch The Sound (1994, samples ‘Ring The Alarm’)
Fat Joe just goes for Tenor Saw’s vocal, ‘Watch the sound, man a tremble…’
Da Bush Babees – Pon De Attack (1993, Samples ‘Ring The Alarm’)
DBB go down the same route as Fat Joe, using the vocal cut ‘pon de attack’. The group hailed from JA and Trinidad, so they knew what was up, and even make reference to Super Cat’s ‘Come Down’ and Ninjaman’s ‘Murder Dem’ in the tune.
Slick Rick – Mistakes… (1991, samples ‘Double Barrel’)
This one is more like a reference than a sample, going for the ‘I’ of Dave & Ansel Collins’ famous declaration, ‘I am the magnificent’.
Chilli D & Dope Stuff – The Magnificent (1987, samples ‘Double Barrel’)
This one is a straight-up scratch tune taking its name from ‘Double Barrel’, working in a heap of other vocal samples including the classic 45 Kings and Herman Kelly.
Kardinal Offishal – Maxine (2001, samples ‘Bam Bam’)
Canadian- rapper brings his offering a little later, and he’s now pretty well known for his caribbean-inflected hip hop. This tune also references Wayne Smith’s ‘Under Mi Sleng Teng’ and takes the chorus’ melody from Willie Williams’ ‘Armagideon Time’.
Kam – Bang Bang (2001, samples ‘Bam Bam’)
This one turns Sister Nancy’s original into a gun tune, replacing Bam for Bang, get it?
For a nice (and personal) write-up on Winston Riley’s contributions to JA music, head over to Big Black Barry.
