Reeewind: A Journey into Sound System Culture, 10/03/09 – New York

Oct 12, 2009 Features, Reviews

Story and Photos by Quoc Pham

A show at the Amazura is like an expedition into another musical world, far from the spotlights of mainstream media. This time, I was able to rally a crew of hardcore sound system fans despite my usual inability to convince any of my friends to take the trip deep into Queens and shell out fifty bucks for events that usually start after most venues’ last call. With its smoky and stuffy atmosphere, deafening sound system and overbearing intensity, a major event at the Amazura literally requires mental and physical preparation.

Irish and Chin have been notorious for staging mega productions worldwide, the most legendary being their prestigious world clash series held in New York, London, Jamaica and Antigua. With “Reewind: past meets the present”, their concept was to combine a vintage rub a dub show headlined by the legendary King Sturgav Hifi with the star power of popular contemporary artists such as Capleton, Luciano and Beenie Man. The bill also advertised U-Roy, Brigadier Jerry, Charlie Chaplin, General Trees (all of whom were affiliated with the sound in its heyday) and Mighty Crown Sound who was entrusted with the task of warming up the audience. With such a stellar lineup, this was undoubtedly the most anticipated dancehall event of the year and it was clear that it was going to be a memorable night.

In Jamaica, sound systems were more than just entertainment, they were literally community institutions at the center of local economy and popular culture. Ever since the early Ska days, they have been the driving force behind the birth and evolution of the Jamaican recording industry and played a crucial role in developing artists from local poor communities. With the explosion of Dancehall in the wake of Bob Marley’s Death in 1981, a new generation of sound systems spearheaded by the likes of Stone Love, Killamanjaro, and King Jammy’s took center stage and dominated the Jamaican music industry over the next two decades.

During the  Dancehall era, sound system performances known as  “Rub A Dub” dances were widely popular. These dances  typically featured multiple deejays (the Jamaican equivalent of MCs in hip hop culture) consecutively showing off their lyrical skills in an attempt to seek out respect and recognition from the often unforgiving crowd.  Spontaneous and competitive by nature,  they were good indicators of raw talent and became the location of choice for scouting and developing new artists. Being a feature deejay on one of the island’s major sound systems was a sure path for popular success and an eventual recording career. To this day, most well known recording artists begin their career by earning respect and proving themselves  in the “Zinc fence jungle”.

King Sturgav Sound System, also known as Sturgav Hifi was the brainchild of the illustrious deejay U-Roy. Also known as “the originator”, he is widely credited for pioneering and popularizing “toasting”, a vocal style which consists of jive talking and rapping over popular records during sound system dances. After a stint deejaying on Duke Reid’s Trojan Sound in the late 60s, he gained notoriety later on King Tubby’s Hometown Hifi- Tubby’s sonic experimentation and dub aesthetics proving the perfect support for the development of his unique vocal style. By transforming the art of animating a sound system dance into a musical form in its own right, U-Roy laid the foundation for an entire new generation of artists and became a major influence on the early rap scene (Disco/Electro/Break Beat) and the later American hip-hop movement. When he created Sturgav sound, it became defacto one of the top deejay academies on the island.

With so much history in perspective, I had very high expectations for this event. When we arrived at the Amazura, the place was already packed which was a pleasant surprise given the relatively early time (by Jamaican Standard). The night started with the incomparable Mighty Crown from Yokohama, Japan. The “Mad Japanese” definitely have a knack for captivating a crowd with their wicked selection, unique charisma and flawless execution. It is not hard to understand why they are considered one of the best sound systems in the world today, and since they were just the opener it was an indicator of the high caliber of the event.

In front of an enthusiastic crowd, King sturgav then took the stage. For the next three hours, the audience witnessed an overwhelming array of artists consecutively blessing the mic. Beenie man announced himself as the host for the night, controlling the mic and interacting with the audience while General Trees kept patrons smiling with his comical interjections and entertaining performance.

Since I am used to seeing Capleton perform with a live band , I was curious to see how his style would translate in a sound system format. Capleton has an aura few other artists carry. I caught his expression while he was standing backstage before his performance, staring at the crowd in deep concentration. Minutes later, he brought the entire place down with renditions of his anthems Jah Jah City, Who Dem, That Day Will Come and countless others over foundation riddims. Without surprises, the prophet did not fail to mesmerize the crowd with his notorious intensity and charisma.

To my surprise, I learned that U-Roy, Luciano and Charlie Chaplin were not going to be present due to visa issues.  There was a lot of disappointment in the crowd. The last part of the event still featured standout performances by Brigadier Jerry and Sugar Minott, who came as a surprise guest. Both artists unleashed a series of forwards when performing their respective trademark hits.

Despite the absence of a few key performers, it was still a night of historic proportions and above all a night of great entertainment by some of the industry’s most prominent figures. It was all about class and respect between artists in honor of sound system culture and history.  The event as a whole left the crowd ecstatic and it was nice to see that it was relevant to a younger audience as well. I can only hope to see more of this type of productions in the future. In the meantime, I will be going back to listening to bootleg rub a dub tapes on my iPod, longing for my next journey into sound system culture.

Tags: Amazura, Beenie Man, Capleton, Dancehall, Irish and Chin, Queens, Quoc Pham, Reggae, Sound system, Soundclash, U Roy