THE SOUND OF STONEBRIDGE

A run-down area of social-housing in the Harlesden area of north-west London, the Stonebridge estate had by the turn of the millennium achieved quite a notoriety for unemployment, drugs and guns.  But despite – or even, because - of these negative factors, it also spawned a lively music scene, drawing from dancehall, garage and hip-hop.  Central to this sonic melange has been the Suncycle project, founded by the deejay Chukki Star’s enterprising cousin Chad Williamson, aka Dolamite.

     With tunes like “Agony” and “Thug Life”, Dolamite has proved himself a convincing deejay in the rockstone-voiced tradition of Burro Banton/Nicodemus, but the most successful of the performers to have emerged from this large collective of over fifteen members has been Gappy Ranks (b. Jacob Lee Williams).

     In common with many of his Jamaican counterparts, Gappy Ranks had a decidedly precocious start in music, recording with the highly-rated Ruff Cut Band when only 11.  Despite experiencing considerable hardships after leaving school, including a spell of homelessness, he went on to develop his talent with the Suncycle crew. It was there that he came into contact with Cash Money and Redman (the UK rappers, not the American hip-hop legends), with whom he was to collaborate on “Less Informer” over Germaine Forde’s lethal “Taliban” rhythm, recorded at the Stingray studio in 2002 (as was the equally strong “Taliban Slam” cut, the most impressive General Levy outing since the erstwhile Tipatone, Vigilante and Java deejay’s initial hits of the early 1990s for south London’s Fashion outfit).  

     Gappy’s subsequent “Mountain Top” and “Heaven in My Eyes” for the Peckings camp in west London significantly broadened his appeal, as did 45s for other UK-based imprints, including Maximum Sound, Stingray, Ajang and Charm.  Nevertheless it was the masterful Put the Stereo On album produced by the Peckings brothers for Greensleeves that really brought his talent to the attention of the wider world.

      Another talented figure Gappy Ranks surely came into contact with as part of the Suncycle crew was the singer Tubby T (b. Anthony Johnson), a legend on the local dancehall scene, though sadly under-recorded when he suffered a stroke in 2004, subsequently passing away in hospital.  The best example of Tubby’s work on record for those who never had the pleasure of hearing him live in a dance remains the bleakly realistic “Tales of the Hood”, a combination effort with Cash Money and Redman, which appeared on the other side of Gappy’s “Less Informer” 45 for Germaine’s Forde’s Ajang label.  Nevertheless, a couple of his releases on Jamaican imprints are also well worth checking – “Ready She Ready”, on the flip of Bounty Killer’s “Healing” (Big League), and employing a sonorous Jazzwad rhythm,  “Misery” (Stardom Product).   

     A further indication of the Suncycle crew’s credibility on the global dancehall scene was the willingness of veteran Jamaican dancehall star Spragga Benz to contribute to their Levels (Brokwile Part 3) album, a collection that also includes offerings from such Stonebridge stalwarts as Gappy Ranks, Dolamite, Shortie Kwarmz (only 10 years of age at the time of the recording!), Kanny Kedar, Carla Marie, Redman, Vigilante, Sarita, Veno Floss and Cash Money.  Silver Star, a top London sound system with an international following, then added another 48 tracks to the original 23 for their megamix version of the set, and brought in the likes of Super Sass, Ashai, Landa Boo and Armani to give a pretty comprehensive overview of the considerable musical riches that this one area of north-west London has to offer. 

Peter Dalton

 

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