Music Video: Babaman - Tentan Di Fermarmi

I am always amazed at how well reggae and its various offshoots (ska, dancehall, ragga, etc.) seem to travel around the world.  If you have read more than a few of my posts, you will note that I post a lot of German reggae.  Well, today I will give you a tasty bite of Italian dancehall.

Hailing from Milan, Babaman has put out 10 albums of pretty decent quality music.  His track Tentan Di Fermarmi, from his 2008 album "Dinamite" is a nicely representative sample.  It has slick, heavy beats, intense vocals, and plenty of typical dancehall bravado. 

Music Video: Casino Royale - CRX (lo rifletto)

I wasn't sure whether to put this song in among my "Blast From the Past" selections, or here with the more contemporary selections.  After all, CRX (lo rifletto) was originally published back in 1997.  However, this track from Italian group Casino Royale stands pretty much apart from time - as does the band, which continues to tour regularly.  Casino Royale first came to my attention back in the early 1990s as a pretty decent ska act.  As with many of the better ska acts out there, though, they metamorphosed into something completely new and different.  While their old stuff was good, I think the change to a hybrid of trip-hop, dub, and electronica was for the better.