Wilful Skilful

Although not known for a large dancehall following, Australia does have pockets of fans in major cities like Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Leading the charge Down Under is Dasvibes, a Jamaican artist/producer who has lived in Queensland for 16 years.

‘Dancehall Nice Again’, his latest project, is a compilation album featuring songs by artists from Jamaica, Guyana, Latin America, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

“While Jamaica and the Caribbean are the foundation, we are targeting global markets including Australia, the US, the UK and Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Pacific, and Asia. Dancehall is now a worldwide language, so the project is intentionally designed to connect with Latin audiences, Afrobeats listeners, reggae lovers, and global dancehall fans,” said Dasvibes, who appears on 10 of the 11 songs on ‘Dancehall Nice Again’, which was released on October 25. 

Turbulence and Wilful Skilful from Jamaica, Binghi Ghost out of St. Croix, Charly B from France and Yellow Marshall from Guyana are some of the artists Dasvibes shares the mic with. 

While Grammy-winning dancehall acts like Sean Paul, Shaggy and Beenie Man have toured Australia, Dasvibes admits it has some way to go to achieve mainstream acceptance.

“In Australia, dancehall is still underground but full of passion. You’ll find sound systems, Caribbean culture festivals, island communities, and DJs pushing the music. People are hungry for authentic dancehall, not just commercial pop fusion,” he revealed. “When they hear that raw Jamaican energy blended with international talent, they connect with it immediately.”

Dasvibes is from Seaview Gardens, a rugged community in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, known for producing artists such as Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer and Dexta Daps. In 2023, he had a big hit in Australia with the EDM song, ‘Stickmen Toys Rock’.

WRITTEN BY HOWARD CAMPBELL