Devin Di Dakta Remembers Robbie Shakespeare

Dancehall deejay Devin Di Dakta says the late legendary bassist Robbie Shakespeare will live on through his extraordinary musical masterpieces.

“The groove I saw him in would be, to me, his legacy for the world. Whenever you listen a track he’s played on, you can most definitely feel his presence,” he told DancehallMag.

The 68-year-old died on Wednesday in the United States after ailing for some time. He had reportedly undergone kidney surgery, recently.

In 2017, Devin Di Dakta, whose given name is Anthony Clarke was, featured on Sly and Robbie’s Grammy-nominated set, Reggae for Her (Sly & Robbie Presents Devin Di Dakta and JL).

The Run Mi Down deejay said that was the last time he saw Shakespeare, but he will always remember how humbling the experience was.

“During the making of our album Reggae For Her, executive producer,  Kaz Asonuma called me one day when Robbie was going to be at studio so I could get the chance to meet him as he was spending most of his time overseas. I can remember I was nervous at first because hey, this is the legend we talking about, but after a handshake and just general conversations in the studio I get to see how chill he was,” he added.

Known affectionately by some as ‘Basspeare’, the late musician was widely regarded as one of the most influential reggae bassists of all time and was known for his iconoclastic and creative use of electronics and production effects units.

Shakespeare worked with Reggae artists such as Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, Black Uhuru among others. He also worked with international acts Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and Joe Cocker.

Devin Di Dakta further said he had a keen ear for detail, and provided mentorship to him while they were working on the body of work.

“I can remember I was recording a verse and he stepped in the room and and stopped me and said, not his exact words, but basically what he was saying, ‘Yeah, it sound good but can you recreate it on stage? If you can then it’s fine, but if it’s too high or low that you can’t do it on stage, then you need to add more of YOU in it.”