Artist/producer Dasvibes is basking in the positive response to ‘Dancehall Nice Again’, his compilation album which was released in November. It contains songs by artists from his native Jamaica, Guyana, Latin America, France, Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Dasvibes, who lives in Queensland, Australia, credits the project’s cosmopolitan cast for helping it appeal to a diverse market. He appears alongside the artists on 10 of the album’s 11 tracks.
“The album’s been resonating strongest in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, the UK, and Canada especially Toronto and London where the dancehall and reggae scenes are deep-rooted. Australia’s also showing love, with the TikTok community pushing tracks like ‘One Life’ and ‘Nine Night’ into viral territory,” he said.
‘One Life’ features Turbulence, while ‘Nine Night’ is a collaboration with Nine Barz from The Gambia and General KK from Nigeria. Dasvibes added that ‘Reda Than Red’ (with Charly B), ‘Bring That Come’ (with Wiski D), ‘The System’ (with Teacha Dee) and ’Ambitious’, which is done with Wilful Skilful, are enjoying “heavy DJ rotation.”
Charly B is from France, while Turbulence, Teacha Dee, Wiski D and Wilful Skilful are Jamaican.
Dasvibes was born in Kingston and raised in Seaview Gardens, a tough working-class community that has produced Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Dexta Daps. That is where he started his music career as a sound system operator over 20 years ago.
He has lived in Australia since 2009 and is part of the country’s growing dancehall colony. In 2023, Dasvibes had a sizable hit there with the song, ‘Stickmen Toys Rock’.