"Nite Klub" - Rico Rodriguez

“Nite Klub” (PDF) from The Specials album, The Specials

By the time that the British ska revival had reached American shores, hip hop had already established itself as the new wave of popular music in the States. Ska remained an underground subculture as documented by American filmmaker Joe Massot whose shadowy concert film, Dance Craze, presented the youthful energy of artists from the 2 Tone record label that would eventually influence MTV programming and, consequently, eighties pop music. The film was bookended by an extended performance of the song “Nite Klub” by The Specials that served as a frame around the cultural moment.

Following the lineage of Caribbean music with sociopolitical commentary, “Nite Klub” confronts the opulence and disparity of British nightlife during economic turmoil. An original song written by The Specials’ primary bandleader and keyboardist, Jerry Dammers, it also features the work of Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez. The two musicians continued to collaborate through the later variations of The Specials, as well as on Rodriguez’s own recordings for Dammers’ 2 Tone record label.

Here is a YouTube video of the film Dance Craze while it lasts…

Recommended reading: Ska’d for Life: A Personal Journey with The Specials by Horace Panter. Published by Pan Books.