Covering dancehall reggae and reggaeton

pklima · #1 01-17-2012, 02:52 AM

Does anybody else on TB do any, or is it just me? This stuff is very popular in Eastern Europe, DJs in dance clubs spin it a lot, but practically no bands play it. In the countries where most TBers are located it's not as popular, but could still be a good niche for a band to exploit.

Put some Don Omar, Sean Paul or even Sasha and Ivy Queen in a pop band's setlist here, and the crowd goes wild. Even if you have an acoustic lineup.

pklima · #2 01-17-2012, 02:31 PM

I guess it's just me, LOL. Here's some (almost) acoustic Don Omar in a hole in the wall bar. A significant part of the audience was foreigners from various southern lands, from India to Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j1cvahuf74

Could something like this work in your area?

BurningSkies · #3 01-17-2012, 02:38 PM

I indeed have played dancehall reggae. My last band played it as part of every set, my current band pulls a song our two out occasionally depending upon the show.

bass12 · #4 01-17-2012, 02:42 PM

Yep, a couple of the bands I play in will throw in some dancehall. Reggaeton, on the other hand, I don't know if I've ever played in a band - but that's not because the crowd wouldn't like it. I personally really don't like reggaeton much. It's not a groove I like at that tempo (though I do like soca, which is where the reggaeton beat derives from if you look past "Dem Bow"). But here in Montreal there is a pretty big Latino presence so styles such as reggaeton and cumbia go down pretty well with a lot of the crowds. Anyway, cool band - I like what you did with a song that I hate on record!

pklima · #5 01-17-2012, 03:10 PM

Heh, thanks.

What songs have gone over the best with your bands? For me it's been "Danza Kuduro" and Sean Paul's "Get Busy" which I play with a different band. We're adding "Got 2 Luv U" to the setlist next, just need to polish it up. Wondering what else is worth adding...

bass12 · #6 01-17-2012, 03:34 PM

Originals!

It depends on who the crowd is. Definitely Sean Paul (as much as I hate to say it since I'm not a fan). Songs such as "Murder She Wrote", "Who Am I", "Ring The Alarm" and "Heads High" have all gone over well, but non of those are recent hits. In terms of more recent dancehall (with the exception of Sean Paul), I couldn't tell you what might work.

pklima · #7 01-17-2012, 04:18 PM

Yeah, more Sean Paul is definitely a safe choice. He's huge in my part of the world. So is Shaggy, who headlined a major summer festival here a couple of years ago.