THE SOUND SYSTEM
Sound system culture
The rigs, operators, selectors and deejays of sound system culture — the mobile dancehalls Jamaican music was built around, from 1950s Kingston lawns to sounds strung up across the world.
74 records · grows as the archive grows
UK roots sound system associated with Notting Hill Carnival and London sound-system culture.
sound system · ProbableAces InternationalAces International was a Jamaican dancehall sound system active in 1980s sound-tape and clash circulation, part of the era's broad ecosystem of competing systems documented mainly through surviving cassette recordings.
sound system · ProbableAfrican Storm Sound SystemJohannesburg, South Africa dancehall/reggae sound system juggling weekly since 1996 (led by Admiral and Jahseed), a Newtown/Bassline reference point that won the 2012 Red Bull Culture Clash.
sound system · ProbableAfrique SoundAfrique Sound was a dancehall sound system appearing in Jamaican sound-tape and clash memory, part of the dense field of competing systems in 1980s-90s dancehall.
sound system · ProbableBarrier FreeOsaka sound system built by two friends, Doctor and K.S.K., named for their aim of breaking down barriers of language and race through music, which toured Jamaica and appeared at the Fully Loaded stage show at Fort Clarence Beach, Portmore, in 2008.
sound system · Well supportedBass OdysseyBass Odyssey, based in St Ann parish, is one of Jamaica's most internationally competitive sound systems, with a long record of appearances at major sound-clash events and a reputation built specifically on clash performance rather than radio or club residency.
sound system · ProbableBlack ScorpioBlack Scorpio is a Jamaican sound system and record label run by Maurice "Jack Scorpio" Johnson, who began operating a small set in 1968 and started the sound (initially Special I) in the early 1970s. Nicknamed the "Horseman Sound" through Johnson's racehorse connections, it launched deejays such as General Trees and Lord Sassafrass and expanded into a label in the early 1980s with a studio on Molynes Road, making Johnson a leading producer of the 1980s and 1990s dancehall era.
sound system · Well supportedBlackboard Jungle Sound SystemRouen (France) dub collective founded 1994 out of a reggae radio show; from 1999 it built one of Europe's largest sound systems, playing roots and steppa dub with its own dubplates across the continent.
sound system · ProbableBodyguardBodyguard is a Jamaican sound system founded around 1988 that became one of the island's premier clash sounds. It is often cited as the first World Sound Clash champion, winning the inaugural 1993 World Clash held in London against a field that included the UK's Saxon, and it remained a fixture on the international clash circuit for decades.
sound system · Well supportedChannel One Sound System (UK)UK sound system associated with roots reggae, Notting Hill Carnival and British sound-system culture.
