Sound clash
Asound clashis a musical competition where crew members from opposingsound systemspit their skills against each other. Sound clashes take place in a variety of venues, both indoors and outdoors, and primarily featurereggaeanddancehallmusic. The object is to beat or "kill" their competitors.
InJamaica,sound clashes, with their "violently martial ethos",[1]date back at least to the 1950s, when systems likeTom the Great SebastianandDuke Reid's the Trojanclashed in the old Back-O-Wall (nowTivoli Gardens) neighborhood of Kingston. Sometimes these clashes turned violent, with one system destroying the other system's equipment.[2]The first reported clash was between Tom the Great Sebastian and Count Nick in 1952.[3]
Although sound clashes are perhaps most commonly associated with Jamaica, they also form an integral part ofBlack Britishculture inLondon,with early proponents such asJah Shakarunning sound systems and engaging in sound clashes as early as the 1970s.[4]Franco Rosso's 1980 cult movieBabylonoffered a look into London's sound system and sound clash culture, focusing on theDeptfordandBrixtonareas in particular.
Characteristics
[edit]In the early days of sound clashes, in Jamaican dancehall culture, sound systems would bring their own sound equipment—heavy bass sounds (that can be heard miles away) are especially important.
Sound clashes typically playJamaican musicfrom 1950 up to present recorded singles, and often utilize exclusivedubplates.[5]Occasionally, sound systems would go so far as to pay artists to secure exclusive use of dubplates.[6]
Appreciation for the dubplates andriddimsplayed are shown in the form of "forwards", a surge of the crowd towards the front of the dance/towards the DJ booth. In particular, a "deep forward" originates from the back of a dance, where the aficionados (or "heads" ) typically stand.[citation needed]
Rules
[edit]The first round is no elimination, each sound system plays a set time. Second round each sound system plays but one sound system being eliminated by poor performance, poor quality or by playing back a song. Elimination continues until two sounds are left, for example Bredda Hype sound vs Sound Trooper. The time interval gets shorter and shorter, with the introduction of television clashes, so when playing returns to one sound again, they may only play a shorter time, 15 minutes. Near the end of the clash they go song on song or "Dub fi dub".[7][8]
Traditionally, all dubplates must feature the DJ's name, marking it as exclusive for that particular DJ, otherwise the DJ faces instant disqualification. Also, if a DJ were to play a dubplate based on a "riddim" already played during the clash he/she could face disqualification.
Where only two sound systems are playing, winning is based on 10 dub plates in tune for tune, regardless of who leads all night.
References
[edit]- ^Veal, Michael E. (2007).Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae.Wesleyan University Press. p. 206.ISBN978-0-8195-6572-3.
- ^Katz, David (2003).Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae.Bloomsbury. p. 12.ISBN978-1-58234-143-9.
- ^Katz (2003).Solid Foundation.Bloomsbury. p. 1.ISBN978-1-59691-826-9.
- ^"30 years on: Franco Rosso on why Babylon's burning".The Independent.11 November 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-05-24.Retrieved28 November2010.
- ^"Pink Panther Promoter says Bredda Hype sound won War Climate clash - Entertainment - Jamaica Star - March 8, 2014".2014-08-10. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved2022-03-14.
- ^Stolzoff, Norman C. (2000).Wake the Town & Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica.Duke University Press. pp.201.ISBN978-0-8223-2514-7.
- ^"The history of sound clash culture".Mixdown Magazine.2022-03-09.Retrieved2022-03-14.
- ^"A Brief History of Jamaica's Iconic Sound Clash Culture".PAPER.2018-08-24.Retrieved2022-03-14.