In 1962, at the age of nineteen, Leonard Dillon moved from the small coastal town of Port Antonio to Kingston Jamaica in search of work. After living in a shack there, and then struggling as a migrant worker in Florida, Dillon found find his way back to Jamaica where he met Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston. With their help and vocal backing, he recorded sides for legendary producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and his Studio One label.

Dillon then formed the Ethiopians, after spending time and rehearsing at the Ethiopian Reorganization Centre. The group went on to become one of the most popular vocal groups of the ska, rocksteady and early reggae periods.
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“Open the Gate” was one of his solo recordings for Coxsone Dodd and features the Sound Dimension as the backup band. I love this track, not just for his understated vocal performance and harmonies, but for the driving bassline, deep sense of spirituality and head bobbing rhythm. This is a classic, spiritual song that deserves so much more attention. ​

What happens when you combine a sampling machine, the production team for the bands Yes, ABC and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and a music Journalist? Well, you get the Art of Noise.

​Often considered avant-garde musical artists rather than a band, the Art of Noise created some of the most memorable dance songs in the early to mid-80’s and had a lasting effect on the electronic music industry.

The Art of Noise was formed in 1983 after several of the members finished work on Yes’s comeback album 90125. They soon released their first single “Beat Box” which was a strikingly percussive number that matched the robotic movements found in the flourishing breakdancing scene. This song became a hit on the urban dance charts.

A year later, the team would release their first full length album Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? The first single from that album was “Close (to the Edit)”. It was a reference to the Yes song “Close to the Edge” and became their first major hit in the UK. It was slightly more melodic and musical than “Beat Box” but still had a hard driving beat.
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This song always makes me think of summer, maybe because it was released in late June, or because of the line “To be in England, in the summertime, with my love…” either way, I thought I’d share this breakdancing and “body popping” classic.

Although “Shack Up” peaked at #4 on the 1975 Billboard Club Play Singles chart, this track, like the musicians who wrote and recorded it, nearly fell into obscurity. Twelve years later with the increased use of samplers, Hip Hop artists like Public Enemy and Stetsasonic turned this one hit wonder into one of the most sampled songs in history.
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I love this song, not just for the fantastic break and dance-ability, but for what the first verse implies. It seems especially poignant during this pandemic and the continued fight against racism and police brutality.

Racial equality is an issue that is close to my heart and something I have fought for throughout my life.
As a white male though, regardless of my friendships, familiar relationships, conscience, actions and deeds, I will never know what it means to be a person of color in the United States of America. I can’t have that perspective, even though I have experienced a decent amount of social isolation, having grown up with alopecia.

Do I think things have gotten better since the Civil Rights act of 1964 and the United States is less racist? The data implies this is true, but we are not nearly where we should be almost 60 years later. We are still very far from that “Great Society” MLK, LBJ, JFK, Medgar Evers, Lincoln and millions of others have fought for. 

In many ways things have gotten worse, especially in my beloved New York State. Segregation in our public schools actually increased, and as a society we seem more divided than ever before. Do the media and more specifically social media have a hand in this? Yes of course.

I have friends and family members who proudly and righteously work in law enforcement and feel exactly the same way I do. They love all people but understand the need to reform the way we vet and train our law enforcement officers. They agree that race has come into play for some of these tragic deaths, but that it is more specifically woefully poor training. Currently, in many states you can be a gun toting officer in less than 6 weeks of mostly classroom preparation! They feel with the correct training that you would see a vast reduction in these atrocious and heartbreaking events.
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I think during this highly politicized time, we need to be much more objective and reflective. If you are someone who is not an African American or person of color, I think it’s important that you reflect on your thoughts, your inaction, listen to African Americans and to take a stand to squash racism and inequality whenever you see it. And if you are an African American or person of color, take the time to put yourself in that officer’s shoes and know that they are trying to do a job to protect society and that you should not assume they are racist. You should also know that they are on the front lines often fighting against a system that has stacked the cards against them and made their already difficult split second choices even more difficult than before.