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Caspa’s “No Gyal Tune” has been kicking around for much of the year (it appeared on a Fabriclive compilation in April). Next week it gets an official release as part of SMOG Records’ “Smog City Vol. 2” collection. Sourcing inspiration from Jamaican dancehall, this bass track adds some sex appeal to a genre that could often use a little more. Listen to the exclusive premiere of the track here:
Gary McCann, Caspa’s given name, says the title “No Gyal Tune” comes from an expression heard in Jamaican dancehall sound clashes, literally meaning something is not for girls, often because it’s considered “too grimy.”
“I’ve heard the saying lots over the years in ragga and jungle [music scenes] and wanted to make something that had a grimy but bouncy feel,” McCann says of his creative process. “I had the track down but just needed the vocal so asked Rod Azlan to throw some vocals on it.”
Azlan is a mainstay vocalist in the UK dub world, and Caspa should know. His own roots in bass music run deep, back to the days when London’s dub clubs were more overtly connected to dancehall culture. While America’s recent love affair with dubstep has been somewhat scrubbed of its dub and jungle influences, “No Gyal Tune” serves as a reminder of where that booty-shaking bass began. With subwoofer-blowing low end, a BPM pushed past 140, and its strategically deployed vocal chants, it’s a grimy thumper–an equal opportunity one at that.