Contents - Beth Lesser

and the dance. “People like Soljie, Bunny Tom Tom, Earnest from Channel
One,” Dwight commented, “these engineers are active in the dancehall. They
don’t just study the book. They had experience in the field, in the street. They
go around the sound… and capture the whole vibe of what people reacting to.
So, they brought it into the studio and enhanced the production with those
vibes - all those delays, the delayed timing, the EQ. It affects the dynamic,
you know. That’s what the engineers were able to bring out.”
kenneTh and The Showdown lpS
On any given day, Channel One was full of people coming in and going
out, or just standing around watching. Chuku was the studio manager. If
you wanted the book time at the studio, you had to go through Chuku who
would take the payment, mark down your time and give you a receipt. When
you came to work, the gateman Zebbe would let you in. All day long, Zebbe,
the studio’s front line defense against chaos, sat by the inside wire mesh gate,
keeping out the loafters and allowing in authorized personnel.
Channel One was a high traffic area. When not in use, and even frequently
during sessions, Channel One was often overrun with ‘loafters’. Some of the
idlers just wanted to beg money or a spliff. Some desperately wanted a turn at
the mic and a chance to record. Some just wanted to hang out with the artists.
Sometimes it was hard to work under these conditions. Sly and Robbie didn’t
allow it. They kept their sessions under strict control.
The uniquely Jamaica ‘loafter’ constituted a certain percentage of the personnel
in any ghetto area. Made up of unemployed men, these aimless individuals
milled around any place where something was happening on the off
chance there may emerge an opportunity to obtain some money, however
small, however acquired – earned, borrowed, found. If no money came out of
it, at least they had been entertained by the events.
These loiterers, old and young, were an important part of the economy of
the ghetto. Always available to do odd jobs, they sometimes ended up with
full time employment or found their way into a de facto apprenticeship. But,
for the most part, loafters were considered to be lazy procrastinators who
never quite got around to finding gainful employment, and thus, tried to live
by sponging off others.
For Jojo, who admits that his main interest in reggae was always to make
a living, loafters got in the way and harassed the artist, created an obstacle
to business. “The problem we had down at Maxfield [Avenue] was the constant
begging. And when the musicians come there to do their work, it’s like
they couldn’t leave in peace with whatever money.” However, for Kenneth
Hookim, the presence of throngs of idlers in the studio area created a vibe,
encouraging the singers and deejays, producing a more live, dancehall like
atmosphere during recording.
With Jojo in New York, and Ernest busy with running things day to day,
Kenneth had taken over the job of auditioning the new artists. Kenneth had a
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