SOUTH FLORIDA – Walshy Fire—Grammy-nominated, Jamaican-American musician, DJ, MC, and producer and one-third of the platinum recording act Main Lazer—has launched his first ebook, Artwork of Dancehall: Flyer and Poster Designs of Jamaican Dancehall Tradition (ISBN: 978-0-7893-4576-9, $50.00 US), out in the present day by way of Rizzoli Universe. Order the ebook HERE.
Artwork of Dancehall is a definitive celebration of the distinctive artwork of poster and flyer design within the extremely influential tradition of Jamaican dancehall music, by one of many best-known ambassadors of the style, and the primary Rizzoli ebook to highlight dancehall and Jamaican sound system tradition.
This ebook showcases distinctive non-public collections from Jamaica, London, New York, Toronto, and Tokyo. It provides a glimpse into the colourful world of dancehall. The ebook celebrates the creativity and great thing about DIY flyers. It additionally tells the story of DJs, information, and venues. These components helped make dancehall a musical and cultural phenomenon. This style nonetheless captivates audiences in the present day.
The vitality and vibrancy of Jamaican artwork come collectively in Artwork of Dancehall. The flyers and posters present the creativity and spirit of a tradition that has vastly influenced trendy music. In addition they present distinctive cultural insights that solely unique gadgets can supply.
Jamaica Dancehall Tradition
Originating in Jamaica within the late Nineteen Seventies, dancehall music is a club-friendly offshoot of reggae. The style had a powerful influence on the Jamaican diaspora. It formed the soundsystem cultures in New York and London. This affect helped create hip hop and rave tradition. Similar to graffiti did for hip hop, the paintings for dancehall nights turned essential. The handmade flyers featured distinctive kinds, colours, and lettering. They created a visible language for the tradition.
With cowl design by famous modern Jamaican poster artist Nurse Indicators, Artwork of Dancehall charts the worldwide unfold of dancehall and sound system tradition by way of visible artifacts promoting legendary sound clashes in Brooklyn, London, Washington D.C. and Toronto to the formation of the primary Jamaican-style soundsystems in Japan, with commentary from Walshy and collectors Lee Main DeBoss (New York), Sheldon “Muscle” Bruce (Toronto), Mark Professor (London) and StranJah.
The ebook contains uncommon and little-seen flyers from the late Denzil “Sassafrass” Naar, Jamaica’s unique superstar poster artist, in addition to contemporaries like New York’s Errol “Irie” Myrie.
Artwork of Dancehall can be the title of Walshy Fireplace’s forthcoming second solo album, a strictly dancehall-focused follow-up to Abeng (Mad First rate), his groundbreaking 2019 debut album which paired dancehall, reggae and soca artists from the Caribbean with the rising stars of Africa’s afrobeats motion.
