Dancehall beats

What dancehall is

Dancehall came out of Jamaica in the late 1970s and the 1980s, when reggae got sparser and more digital and the deejay, the vocalist who chants and toasts over the riddim, moved to the front. It spread through sound systems and became the root of a lot that followed, reggaeton included.

Dancehall has its own way of working: the riddim. One instrumental is voiced by many artists, each making their own song on the same beat. A custom riddim can be made for one artist, or as the base for several songs.

The sound of a dancehall beat

• Tempo: 80 to 110 BPM.
• Drums: digital kicks, snares and claps in tight, syncopated patterns.
• Bass: deep and heavy, often the loudest part of the riddim.
• Melody: a few synth stabs, chords or a short lead; the riddim leaves the melody to the voice.
• Space: sparse arrangements, so the vocal can switch flows and own the track.

Writing to a dancehall riddim

Dancehall vocals bounce between singing and chanting. Play with the rhythm of your words and repeat strong phrases: the goal is a hook a crowd can shout after one listen.

A custom dancehall riddim from TH6

Tell TH6 whether you want a riddim for one song or one to build several songs on, and send the references you love. You get one price up front and a riddim built around your voice.

How a custom beat works

1. Send references: two or three songs whose sound you want, your tempo if you know it, and a voice memo or demo.
2. You get one price up front, based on your brief. There is no standard rate, because no two songs are the same job.
3. TH6 builds a first version. You react, and the beat gets shaped around your song.
4. You get the WAV, the stems and an exclusive licence in writing.

More about custom beats

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