Jamaican Echoes

TEMPO VAI DIZER ECHO SOUND SYSTEM (ST2 Records) 2005


Formed by the producers Pedro Dubstrong (Chocolate Musics DJ, well known for his mixtapes), Gustavo Sola and the multi instrumentalist Gustavo Veiga (from Veiga & Salazar), Echo Sound System is not just (another) reggae band, nor is only just a hip-hop group, but a collective production that reaches not only several Jamaican branches, but also many other influences.

Do centro de SP mandando ver pro mundo inteiro / frequencias e efeitos em estéreo brasileiro, which means something like Stereo Brazilian frequencies and effects / sent from the heart of São Paulo to the whole world, says Jimmy Luv in Todos Um.

The trios name clearly shows their intentions. Inspired by the sound systems culture and echoing several Jamaican musical styles, Echo Sound System uses technology to promote the re-gathering between reggae and rap, two musical genres very close to each other (after all the rappers descend directly from the Jamaican toasters). At the same time, the trio manages to show both the music from the smoky island and raps spectrum range.

Their debut album, Tempo Vai Dizer (ST2 Records), mixed by Ganja Man and Tejo (Instituto), matches all these several styles. From the rocksteady tune Só deu ver(de) to the hip-hop Punnani, the album brings also the reggae Pas Tester and the rub-a-dub I & I, among others. In addition to Veiga, responsible for the acoustic guitar, bass, flute and harmonica, Gema and Andrés Salazar plays the bass and the saxophone respectively.

Getting to know the Jamaican sound systems is crucial to the understanding of reggaes importance to todays world music. Since the Ska era, back in the fifties, till todays dancehall, every night, in some corners of Kingston, powerful sound systems are assembled to promote the charge-free parties, held in open-air areas. These itinerant parties are the most respected way of musical propagation in Jamaica, serving as a test field for new singers and new songs.

Naturally, there has always been competition between the sound systems, each one trying to show the latest tunes. Not by chance, it was a Jamaican, DJ Kool Herc, who first brought speakers to play music at the streets of Bronx. After that, came Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and the rest is history

Despite their respect for the past, Tempo vai dizer does not sound vintage at all. The fancy production brings actual references, mixing them with others to produce a very original sound.
Echo Sound System, raiz com Futuro which means something likeEcho Sound System, roots and Future , as it is said in Pas Tester.

The smart drum programming, the distinguished timbres and the flying ambiances makes it evident. Another differential is the good use given to effects borrowed directly from Dub (such as delays, echoes and reverbs), which never sound exaggerated nor out of context. Not only in tracks like Bom Filho and Kaya Monkeys (safari dub), where the influence of dubmasters like Scientist are obvious, these effects are used in the whole album.

The hip-hop beats are either sustained by bass lines (Leão de asas) or by drum samples that come straight from the seventies reggae (Pas tester). The reggae tracks, however, follow the opposite way, accepting some rap elements. The MCs Funk Buia (ZÁfrica Brasil). Jimmy Luv and Arcanjo (Familia 7 Velas) along with the Frenchman Pyroman (ex- Assasin), take turns on the vocals, mixing funny, spiritual and social speeches.

Todos um, a dancehall like hip-hop, already released on a vinyl compact in 2004, has got Funk Buia at the microphone. Só deu ver(de), is the b-side of this very same compact, pressed on a 7-inch format, such as the classic Jamaican releases. While Arcanjo warns um minuto pra explodir one minute until the explosion in the strong track Inna Babylon, Jimmy Luv flood us all with his sincerity in the groovy Replay.

It is very common in Jamaica for singers to make different versions of the same song, using new lyrics and melodies created over the same musical background, what, in Jamaica, is known as riddim. Following this tradition, in Original style Pyroman sings over Stalag, riddim immortalized by Bam Bam, in the Sister Nancys version.

In addition to the regular Echos collaborators, the Jamaican General Smiley, from the Michigan & Smiley Duo (famous in the 80s for dancehall hits such as Diseases and Rub a dub style), also plays a part in Tempo vai dizer. Even though this was not the intention, the mix of languages internationalizes the sound, what makes it possible for the Echo Sound System to find its place abroad.

General Smiley who got to know the Echo Sound System through the groups page at the website My Space (www.myspace.com/echosoundsystem), took part in the project from a distance. His jaw breaking part, along with Funk Buia in Rockie Rock (co produced by the Swiss Romanowsky, from the collective Future Primitive Sounds) is one of the albums highlights. In the vinyl special edition, the track is remixed by The Turbo Trio, a parallel project of BNegão, Tejo and Alexandre Basa.

After 21 tracks, Tempo vai dizer is not tiring at all. Favorite Song closes the album in such a good mood that ends up making the listener to wish that the interludes were complete tracks, just to have a little bit more of its taste. Or maybe wish that the CD was a vinyl record, so that after all the songs are played, you can play the other side as well.

Bruno Natal / November 2005