Jump + Move + Rock: Wrongtom + Deemas J.’s Digital Dancehall Revival

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Drop your digital needle on Wrongtom and Deemas J.‘s “Jump + Move + Rock” next time someone comes in the room, and try and guess what year you’re tuning into. We’ll wait….’85, you say? ’86? Well, you’re half right. Rarely, if ever, have revivalists conjured the feel of an earlier era of dancehall as well as Wrongtom and Deemas J. do the mid ’80s digital era on their new single, “Jump + Move + Rock,” a riddim with classic Sleng Teng vibes and chatting that sounds like it could have come straight off an ’80s sound tape from top ranking U.K. sound Saxon Studio.

Wrongtom, a producer who remixed U.K. rapper Roots Manuva on the 2010 dub album Duppy Writer, and London deejay Deemas J. have collaborated on an upcoming album In East London, due out Sept. 24 on Tru Thoughts Records, that’s full of similarly fashioned tracks with titles like “South London Dubplate,” “Superteng” and “Old Time Stylee.” To make it extra authentic, they went out and secured the services of Greensleeves’ Tony McDermott, the graphic artist whose colorful designs embody the aesthetic of ’80’s dancehall. Stream “Jump + Move + Rock,” officially released yesterday, and watch the suitably low-budget, East London-shot video below.