For some time now there have been concerns about the changing sound of dancehall however noted music producer and engineer YowLevite says the “new sound” is a natural progression.

Genre labelling

On the topic of separate labelling within the genre or retaining a strict dancehall tag, he noted that using “uncommon” sounds doesn’t automatically make it a sub-genre. He also said it should be viewed as a new kind of music because it’s still dancehall although “traditional dancehall” has always utilised themes from other genres, he shared.

Is the traditional sound of dancehall dying?

YowLevite noted that the emergence of “Traphall” or “Country/Dancehall” doesn’t mean the death of traditional Dancehall music but is mainly due to the exposure of the production aspect.

The uptake of the new sound is driven by the times

The producer added that the popularity of the respective sounds is influenced by the generation at the time and not necessarily by the type of production.

He concluded that certain great songs back then may not necessarily be as well received if they were made today the same way because of the change in sounds and beat patterns.

“It’s a matter of adapting and adjusting while retaining the core elements because that’s what was done in what is referred to as traditional,” he explained.