The first actual Carnival, 1959, wasn't yet an outdoor event. It was held in St Pancras Town Hall, Kings Cross. It was the brainchild of Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian lady who was responsible for the first West Indian newspaper, the West Indian Gazette. There was a lot of racial riots in the wake of Windrush in the 50s. There were teddy boys attacking the black communities in Ladbroke Grove, which culminated in the death of a man called Kelso Cochrane. To help heal the fractured community, Ms. Jones came up with the idea of doing a carnival. It was held in January to mirror the time they are held in Trinidad. But London in January is not the best time to be out in skimpy clothes, so the event was held indoors.
The Carnival moved around over the next few years, but didn't get to Notting Hill until 1966. Jones' ideas were built upon by another local activist called Rhaune Laslett of the London Free School who wanted to bring the community together through a street event. The whole thing started to move outside when a man called Russell Henderson, a steel pan player, decided to go for a walkabout while playing. When the carnival started, it wasn't this big Sound System thing initially. It was the music from the smaller Caribbean islands like Barbados & Trinidad that was carrying the swing, calypso style.
Duke Vin brought the Tickler to the Notting Hill Carnival in 1973, which paved the way for the many Sound Systems that operate at Carnival today. Duke Vin played at Notting Hill Carnival with his Sound System, "Duke Vin the Tickler's", every year from 1973 until his death in 2012.
So in the 1970s the Jamaican Sound Systems took over. It was all about the bass. They competed in Soundclashes at Meanwhile Gardens. Aswad would play "Warrior Charge" at midnight & the bass echoed throughout West London. At this time, Carnival was a statement of how it felt to be Black in Britain.
This one ia from a late 70s Notting Hill festival with two of the Kings of Sound System of the time...
Set 1 -
Sir Coxsone Sound System in the rubadub style
Set 2 -
Jah Shaka Sound System in the Dub/Roots style
But the Notting Hill Carnival also was a catalyst to the epic changes that would occur in UK Dub. Jamaican influenced music had found a roosting ground in the UK that is going strong to this day. But how it felt to be Black in Britain was not exclusively reggar & roots. Disco, soul, funk, & rap found expression in Sound Systems & for the first time there was a rift leading to a diversification of the Carnival vibe & the drifting away of Dub Sound Systems to there own UK Dub scene. Iration Steppas, Channel One, Jah Shaka, then later Aba-Shanti-I kept the Dub flag flying, though many others left the scene. It wasn't just the arrival of the new genre that weakened the Dub Sound tribe. The crackdown on DIY parties & outdoor raves was forcing revellers into clubs. These venues were booking acts that could bring their Sound System vibe to the club environment. It was a perfect time for rapid growth of On-U Sound, Conscious Sound, The Disciple, & many more who now had access to recording abilities. The heyday of UK Dub was upon the nation & soon the world.
Here's a mixtape of clips from tapes recorded live at Sound Systems playing during London's Notting Hill Carnival between 1984 & 1988 featuring Sounds from the likes of Jamdown Rockers, Saxon, Java Nuclear Power, Killerwatt Turbotronic, Stereograph, Sir Coxsone, Volcano Express, King Tubby's & more, originally broadcast on NTS Radio. Astute listeners will easily pick out Sir Coxsone's rubadub style, King Tubby's overblown siren, Volcano Express's smooth JA stylee or Saxon's fast talk. A good starting place to get an overview of the variety of Sounds playing at Notting Hill Carnival.
Side A -
Side B -
Now let's take a listen to some of the acts that created the rift between the factions...
Norman Jay & Good Times Sound System was one of the first non Dub Sound Systems to have a huge effect on Notting Hill crowds. Norman Jay (born Norman Bernard Joseph on November 6, 1957) MBE is a British club, radio, & Sound System Deejay.
In the early 1970s, Jay set up a Sound System with his brother Joey Jay, originally called "Great Tribulation". Following a trip to New York City in 1979, he decided to take this in a more serious direction. In 1980, it was renamed to "Good Times" after the Chic track. They made their Notting Hill Carnival debut that year. Good Times was seen as "pioneering" at this time for introducing soul & disco music into a Carnival set, despite some opposition in the early days.
Part 1 -
Intro (0:00)
Peech Boys - Dont Make Me Wait - Peech Boys / Stars "blacker than thou" - Nerrisa (0:12)
Peace & Unity (Tupperware Nightmare mix) - Soul of Nick Jones (6:05)
Come Around - Todd Terry unreleased Project Part 6 (11:15)
Love Reincarnation "youve got the love, gotta keep on dancing" - Grant Nelson (16:00)
Workbaby - Xelcia (20:50)
You Bring Me Joy - Rhythm Factor (25:36)
Remember Me - Smith & Mighty (30:25)
Never Gonna Be the Same (J-N-G Vocal Club mix) "never never never" - Northbound featuring Mone (35:45)
True Spirit (K-Klassic mix) - Carleen Anderson (42:40)
Philadelphia (Junior Boy's Own) - Black Science Orchestra (48:45)
Part 2 -
Closer (Klubb Kidz Flava Dub) - Freedom / Happy Bizznes - Roach Motel (0:00)
Rain - Todd Terry unreleased Project Part 6 / Upside Down - Diana Ross (6:05)
Big Time Sensuallity (Dom T. Growly Dub mix) - Björk (11:10)
Weekend - Class Action (12:25)
Everybody Free (Stickman) "i got everybody free" - Zig Zag (16:45)
Hear the Music - Gypsymen / The Love I Lost - Harold Melvin (22:20)
Do 4 Me "love love love, what can you do for me" - House 2 House (27:48)
Notice Me "te quero" - Sandee (32:14)
Got A Feeling - Yoshito (33:14)
Always There - Charvoni (37:55)
Tears - Frankie Knuckles presents Satoshi Tomiie (38:03)
Beautiful People (CJ's Dub) - Barbara Tucker / Dont Make Me Wait - Peech Boys (44:37)
Hustle Aint Over - C. M. Toni (52:00)
Trammps - Disco Inferno - Trammps (58:00)
Problem #13 - Johnny Dangerous (1:04:15)
I’ll Be Your Friend - Robert Owens (1:05:42)
Here's a more current release from Norman Jay...
Pink Panther Theme - St Germain
Everybody Needs Love - Slim Smith
Living For The City - Michael McDonald
Good Lover - D-Influence
Better Than This (Dego & Kaidi's 2000 Black List) - Paul Johnson
I Keep Coming Back To You - The Chi-Lites
Love Takes Tears - The Real Thing
Never Knew Love - Deodato
Better Must Come - Delroy Wilson
Kent People - Lauren Aitken & The Gruvy Beats
Splash Down - Crystalites
Little Runaway - Stone City Band
I Got To Have Your Love - Fantastic Four
Don't Hold Back - Chanson
Since 1984, Rapattack have maintained their reputation as a 1st class Sound System & DJ collective providing a spectrum of genres, mainly specializing in soul, dance, & mastermixes. They were influential in the diversification of the Carnival vibe & the drifting away of Dub Sound Systems to there own UK Dub scene.
Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) - Billy Ocean
Interlude
Encore - Cheryl Lynn
Let the Beat Hit 'Em - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Saturday Love - Cherrelle & Alexander O’Neal
Kiss - Prince & the Revolution
Roses are Red (extended version) - Mac Band
Dreamer (Shep Pettibone extended mix) - The B. B. & Q. Band
Hot in Here - Nelly
Pop Ya Collar - Usher
I Found Lovin' - Fatback Band
These new Sound Systems helped propel UK Dub & the Dub Sound System culture onto a differenet path. It was just the kind of thing that shakes things up enough to inject a shot of new-found vitality into a scene. It was the catalyst that helped move UK Dub to the forefront of the world-wide Dub movement. This early history has been eye-opening, but the real fun is about to begin..
Blessed,
NØ
