No Long Talk: Serani Relives the Anger Management Riddim

Ten Years After Daseca’s Breakthrough Riddim, Serani Reflects

Multi-instrumentalist and producer Serani (former one-third of Jamaican producers Daseca) reminisced on the creation, influence and legacy of Anger Management riddim on its 10th anniversary. Though officially released towards the end of 2004, it buss (a.k.a. impacted) in 2005. Made on a PC via a Triton keyboard in not much time (approximately 15mins), it went on to become one of the most memorable, gun finger-raising (critically-acclaimed) riddims of the noughties. The era-defining riddim spawned hits by legends Bounty Killer (“Gun Heaven”) and Sizzla (“No Way”), an establishing star in Vybz Kartel (“War Nah Talk Over”) and kick -tarted the career of a young talent from Cassava Piece by the name of David Brooks, better known as Mavado (“Real McKoy”). Everything was light prior to Anger Management. And things in the dancehall became a helluva lot darker after it ruled the airwaves and the streets. Audio After The Jump…

Serani spoke on connecting with Alliance crew’s leader Bounty Killer after constantly asking Killer’s then-manager Julian Jones-Griffith to play in his band. He also recalls first time in-studio experience with Sizzla who he has “never seen with a pen”. Sizzla didn’t talk much either. “[Sizzla] took a hit of his weed, then went into the booth” and “would just spit,” according to Serant. He reveals Vybz Kartel, who was “always cracking jokes”, only physically wrote two of the four songs on the riddim and, interestingly, how Mavado reminded him of Tracy Chapman.

Based on who Mavado has become, it’s hard to believe there was a struggle to break him. Serani remembers convincing DJ’s to play ‘Real McKoy’. “I thought the song was amazing and I asked all the DJ’s to play it. Bounty Killer always got hits at that time because he was the biggest artist in Jamaica so I wasn’t worried about his song getting the break. When his song got the break, I was telling DJ’s ‘Yo, play the Mavado. Play the Mavado’.” Real McKoy became his breakthrough song. Couple it with Busy Signal combination on the Angrier Management, he got his two hits on the riddim.

Also, based on what the riddim has become, it’s even harder to believe they had trouble getting play. “We were unknown producers at the time. It was a big struggle. We were pushing Mavado and nobody knew him so we had to be fighting and fighting to get the songs played.” Major credit is given to both Richie Feelings and the video, surprisingly as dancehall songs usually buss in the dance or on radio.

Hear the conversation for more invaluable gems plus Kartel’s departure from Alliance, Mavado vs Vybz Kartel at Sting, and Serani’s favourite riddims and artists of 2015.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/236805440″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Follow @no long talk.

Follow @Boomshots

Leave a Reply