DJ Explosion Ina Dancehall Style – Techniques

Rough-edged energy runs through DJ Explosion Ina Dancehall Style, a 1986 Techniques set that catches dancehall in that crucial mid-’80s DJ boom, when the mic men were moving fast and the rhythms had to keep up. Charlie Chaplin, Cutty Ranks, General Archie, Johny P, Sister Bev and Super Cat all get their turns, and the selection leans hard into toasting, talk-over swagger and direct-cut party talk rather than anything polished. The track names alone tell the story: “Premier Plaza, ” “Fishman Lyrics, ” “Raggamufin, ” “Lyrics Banton, ” then Super Cat’s “Cry Fi Di Youth, ” which lands like the sharpest cut in the bunch. With the Techniques All Stars version closing it out, this one feels like a snapshot of the sound system era when the DJ was very much the headline act.