Saturday, March 29, 2008

Screen memory /// John Cardiel

Did you notice? You barely hear any good reggae in skateboard videos. Most of the time, you end up with some home-recorded material made by the skater himself, all the way since Jeff Hartsel, with more or less convincing results. Besides the cleverly-fitting Pioneers tune on Sergei Trudnowski's part in Sheeps' Life Of Leisure (Wolves in Sheep Clothing), or Althea and Donna's Uptown Top Ranking jam for Huf in Penal Code 100 A, what stands out? I'll tell you what : John Cardiel's section in Sight Unseen, set to the ferocious spiritual rant of Bobo-dread general Sizzla. For those who didn't know before the VBS series, the one that proved that you don't need to be crazy or have killed somebody to deserve a biopic, John Cardiel is a massive reggae head. These are some tunes he'd like to hear, just one of these days -pivate Sizzla joke- on a skate flick soundtrack. Needless to say you can add your own tunes in the comments...

The top 5 reggae tunes that would
sound good in a skate video /// by John Cardiel


1. Junior Byles : Fade Away

2. Barrington Levy : Rock and Come In

3. Assassin : Surprise

4. Sizzla Kalonji : Talk All You Want

5. Shinehead : Know How Fi Chat

18 comments:

Not The New Stereo Video said...

Am I allowed to comment on my own blog? Don'y know the whole ethics, but fuck it, her's my own reggae list... I went easy on the rare stuff so these tunes stay findable. Besides the Icho Candy one at the end, for all the collectors out there…

1. Burro Banton : Praise Jah (Stereo One 7’’)
More on the “downhill session in the rain / 52 Australian parks in 3 days” kind of vibe. Powerful warrior-style tune !

2. Glen Washington : Rockers No Crackers (From the Joe Gibbs Anthology album out on Trojan)
Same producer than Althea and Donna’s tune on Huf’s part in the FTC video, so definitely good for a reedit.

3. Sizzla : Attack (from the Bobo Ashanti album out on Greensleeves ).
The only possible reedit cut to Cardiel’s Sight Unseen part ? Rabid 2000-style Sizzla in wrongdoers-fighting mood.

4. Lightman : Documentation (from the Spring Time album out on Semi Sounds).
A moody instrumental, made by actually an excellent skater/musician fron Finland (Timmi Valo) who decided NOT to simply emulate his Jamaican counterparts, but add a personal flavor with instruments from his own country as well.

5. Icho Candy : Captain Selassie (Jwyanza 7’’).
Killer nonchalant early-dancehall tune on the Heavenless riddim. Very rare 1983 release. I would imagine any smooth, effortless skater on that. Trapasso ?

Extra ball : Ackie : Call me Rambo 12'' (Heavyweight label)

Not The New Stereo Video said...

Oh and john added one extra ball too : Here I Come by Barrington Levy/Gregory Peck

** said...

I'm not a reggae expert by any means, but Jimmy Cliff in Trilogy and Keenan's part in Paco was epic.

Not The New Stereo Video said...

I was gonna put the Lavar and Ronnie Creager's parts in Trilogy in the list as well, but I was afraid it was gonna be too much reading -it's a lot as it is already. Most definitely two other good exemples for sure.

... And i totally did forget a great classic, shame on me : Keenan's part to Desmund Dekker's "Shanty Town" in Paco.

Still, that's what, a dozen memorable ones ?

Not The New Stereo Video said...

I meant HALF a dozen, actually.

bisounours said...

hého faut aussi que tu me mettes des blank sur les photos là!!
moi j'ai failli te demander comment tu avais fait pour mettre le drapeau jamaicain là....

Not The New Stereo Video said...

aah merrde, j'ai oublie les blanks sur la photo de Cardiel. alors la recette du drapeau jamaicain :

1. tu fais trois slash : ///
2. tu en mets un en rouge, un en jaune, un en vert
3. tu fais rechauffer une heure a themostat 2.

GBoots said...

Didn't someone like Aaron Johnson use a Steel Pulse song in the last New Deal Video...7 Year Glitch?

Thanks for the link BTW.

GBoots said...

I meant Ryan Johnson...anyways it was a perfect fit...reggae works so well in videos.

Not The New Stereo Video said...

7 year Glitch, heh? My New Deal vid fetish stopped around Ron Knigge's part in "Children Of The Sun" ha ha. Totally forgot about this vid, even though it has a full Oyola part, right? Thanks Gboots

hairfarmer said...

Anyone know the name of the dancehall track in the Keenan, Gino and Pupecki roomies section from 411? Been searching for that one for a while.

Not The New Stereo Video said...

It's a cut by Billy Boyo, called Dreadlocks Party. If I recall correctly, you can find it on his album "Zim Zim".
Great early 80s dancehall tune.

hairfarmer said...

Sick, thanks dude! I added a link to this place on my site,
keep it up!

Not The New Stereo Video said...

one more : tenor saw's ring the alarm, upon brad hayes' session in baker 2g

Anonymous said...

Late to the party on this, but I wanted to throw in a mention of Ryan Nix in "the Good Life" skating to "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" by Jimmy Cliff. Great song...

Brad K. said...

What about Huf's part in Penal Code?

Not The New Stereo Video said...

hey Brad, it got mentionned already in the little text above the list : it's Althea and Donna : Uptown Top Ranking. Their one good tune, the whole album it came out on is actually kinda terrible...

Not The New Stereo Video said...

just found this one :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU6xeefFjZs

Ron Whaley, santa Cruz "uprising", to Sister nancy's bam Bam