Soundclashes were a big part of the early Sound System culture, first in Jamaica & from the 70s onward in the UK. A Soundclash is a musical competition where crew members from opposing Sound Systems pit their skills against each other. Soundclashes take place in a variety of venues, both indoors & outdoors.
Although Soundclashes were originally associated with Jamaica, they also form an integral part of Black British culture in London, with early proponents such as Jah Shaka running their Sound Systems & engaging in Soundclashes as early as the mid-1970s.
Franco Rosso's 1980 cult movie Babylon offers a look into London's Sound System & Soundclash culture, focusing on the Deptford & Brixton areas in particular. Dennis Bovell wrote the score for Babylon, focusing on the police corruption & racism in London, informed in part by Bovell's own experience being falsely imprisoned for running his Sound System. It was the time of Thatcherism & "Sus" laws. The revived 1824 Vagrancy Act (the UK equivalent to US BMW [Black Man Walking] racial profiling) was enforced where Black men & women could be arrested simply for "appearing suspicious". The film stars Brinley Forde of the group Aswad. Jah Shaka plays himself in the film. Mention of this film will pop up numerous times during this month.
All of the Soundclashes shared here are courtesy of Don Sinclair Reggae Vibes, Sound System culture documentarian & preservationist.
Here's an early one. Dances like these had set the standard for many further Sound Systems with two legendary Selectors: Ribs for Fatman HiFi & Keith Tubby for Jah Tubby Sound, both in their fullest prime. No one dared make a false move. Both selectors played Dub plates that only their Sounds could play....
Next, two of the Heavyweight contenders duke it out. These were the days when the new Shaka-style Roots Dub Sound would regularly clash with a more classic Coxsone-style rub-a-dub Sound. The contrasting styles on this one makes it easy to figure out which Sound is doing their thing. Give thanks for this excellent archival record of the time.
This amazing night featured: Body Guard Sound Realest from Jamaica, the 1993 World Cup holder; King Addies Music from NYC; the Sound most other Sounds feared, Saxon Sound System from London, the UK's Sound System Champion & 1993 World Cup runners up; & Kebra Negus from the Midlands, at the time the UK's most progressive Sound.
Here's a live recording of the 2nd World Cup Sound Clash.
Bass culture,
NØ
