- Following up their amazing party-breaks-meets-ragga Beats & Bobz mix CD, Dreadzone offer up a new full length artist album for Functional (formerly Functional Breaks). Once Upon A Time (In Jamaica) is the title track to their fifth album release and once again, the 'zone fuse together sounds of ragga, dub, and dancehall with a breakbeat outlook... oh and throw in a few surprises as well!
Original mix
The original tune incorporates a percussive breakbeat with a deep, dubby bassline, echoey keyboard stabs and a typical off-beat piano riff that we've come to expect from reggae. The break switches to a 2-steppy dancehall beat during the second verse, dropping a sub-smashing bassline to wobble the speakers. Vocals are taken care of Dreadzone vocalist Earl 16 as he tells a story about how much the small island of Jamaica has offered to modern music and during the chorus he's accompanied by a sweet trumpet riff, a spooky hammond and a Middle Eastern melody. It's definitely a winner for summer and features proper use of instrumentation and musicality.
King At The Controls mix
King At The Controls... control de worl. On a much darker tone is the remix done by Dreadzone, beefing up the sub-bass line and adding in new variations to the melody. This time the vocals of Earl 16 are replaced by echoed stabs while the rhythm concentrates on a looping break, electro hooks, and harder drum breaks.
Brothers Bud Mix
This mix is a winner and definitely my personal favourite. Brothers Bud utilise a faster and more uplifting breakbeat with more than enough energy to ignite any dancefloor. The vocals are kept intact and for good reason - they're catchy and add flavour to the song. The Middle Eastern melody plays a bigger part in the tune accompanying Earl 16 during the verses and the trumpet licks play their bigger part during the chorus. In the middle, Brothers Bud drop a wicked b-boy electro breakdown featuring a harpsichord doing a solo on a cheeky "Mozart learns how to b-boy" tip.
Mafiatone Mix
Dreadzone member and wicked producer in his own right, Mafiatone represents with his own take which leans towards 2-step breaks with a heavily syncopated drum break adding a new dimension to the rhythm. Earl 16's original vocals are chopped up and a gruff ragga MC spits out new lyrics to suit the new beat. An echoey hook is layered over the top and the bassline is given a noticable wobble to shake the subs.