Official #dancehall #reggae Sound Clash: David Rodigan 🆚 Killamanjaro #video [London Neasden] 1997

Noel Harper’s Legendary Killamanjaro sound system has been a leading light in the dancehall world. The sound was started by Papa Jaro in 1969 and its name is derived from Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, and throughout their history, they have constantly scaled great heights both in Jamaica and worldwide.

As Killamanjaro’s set grew in size and popularity they started to recruit deejays with O Lord being their first resident professional mic man. As the seventies made way for the eighties so Killamanjaro marched onwards and upwards. A major plus for the sound occurred when Mr Harper recruited Ainsley Grey as the main selector. Sadly we have yet to hear a full Jaro session dated earlier than 1982 but a typical dance around 1982/83 would feature such luminaries as Jim Kelly (b. Sylvester Morgan), the apprentice of O Lord, who by this time had flourished into a great chatter and the sets number one deejay. Other deejays on the scene at this time were veteran Lone Ranger (b. Anthony Waldron), Buro Banton (b. Donovan Spalding), who had two separate stints with the sound, Danny Dread and Dirty Harry. In addition, John Wayne (b. Norval Headley) and Papa Tullo aka Tullo T (b. Everald Crawford), who was previously on Studio Mix sound, could often be heard at Jaro dances.

As well as the deejays Killamanjaro also promoted singers around the set. Long-time dancehall fixture Puddy Roots (b. Junior Smith), who had started out as a deejay Puddy Lion on the Arrows sound in the mid to late seventies, morphed into a singer who would appear on many of Killamanjaro’s crucial sessions in the early eighties. He would also be joined by U.U. Madoo is a singer with a voice almost indistinguishable from his older brother Madoo. These singers along with others like the sweet-voiced Hopeton James and the “original” Thriller were always there to provide an alternative vocal refrain.

Tragedy struck the Killamanjaro camp midway through 1983 when Jim Kelly was killed, yet another victim of the violence that permanently haunts Jamaican society. In time though the void was filled by, not one, two top-notch deejays Super Cat (b. William Marragh) and Early B (b. Earlando Neil). These sparring partners had been plying their trade away from Kingston on St Thomas’ King Majesty sound but they now took up residency on Killamanjaro, now one of the island's top sounds. From 1983 to 1985 Killamanjaro were near untouchable, especially when the “Doctor” and Super Cat were firing on all cylinders. New additions to the Killamanjaro family included Little Twitch, (b. Richard Wright) who’d started out at King Sturgav, and later Super Cat’s younger brother Junior Cat (b. Wayne Marragh).


For over 35 years David Rodigan has been the top dog in the ganja-scented, bass-heavy atmosphere of Britain’s reggae dance halls. The key to his success has been an unsinkable passion for reggae music, which first took a hold of him as a schoolboy when he heard ska music in the early ’60s.

He developed an obsession with the music of Jamaica that generated an encyclopaedic knowledge of the island’s every artist, every song and every rhythm track.

His earliest experience of dee saying was during lunch breaks once a week in the gym at Gosford Hill School in Kidlington, Oxford. On leaving school he landed a place at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in 1971, where he spent three years studying to become an actor. He worked extensively in repertory theatre and appeared in a number of television productions such as ‘Doctor Who’ (BBC) and ‘Shackleton’ (BBC); he also performed his one-man show Zima Junction’ at literature festivals and theatres in the 1970s; a dramatisation of the poem by the Russian writer Yevtushenko.

Rodigan began his reggae broadcasting career in 1978 on BBC Radio London. He moved to Capital Radio in 1979 and remained there for eleven years broadcasting his legendary ‘Roots Rockers’ show every Saturday night. His credibility was ensured when he began clashing with Jamaica’s champion DJ, Barry G on JBC Radio in Jamaica. He then went on to clash with all the top Jamaican sound systems in the West Indies, the USA and England and in 2012 he won the ultimate clash victory when he took the Champion Trophy at World Clash Reset in New York.

In 1984 he joined BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Corp) where broadcast his weekly reggae show for 25 years until 2009.

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Dancehall Reggae Clash: David Rodigan 🆚 Wyclef Jean

DJ David Rodigan may look like a stockbroker or an insurance salesman but he's a reggae superstar, both in his homeland of England and in Jamaica. After hearing Millie Small's massive ska hit "My Boy Lollipop," Rodigan fell in love with every shade of Jamaican music.

He became a DJ at the age of 15, but toyed with the idea of becoming an actor before Radio London gave him a shot in 1978. He's been on the air ever since, spending over a decade at Capital Radio before moving to Kiss FM. Through the years he's collected a massive amount of dubplates made exclusively for his Rodigan Sound System.

He's clashed with every sound system of note -- Stove Love, Kilimanjaro, and Bodyguard to name a few -- and was the official tour DJ for Shinehead. Besides a handful of mixtapes and DVD releases of his sound clashes, he also helped assemble the 2007 release The Kings of Reggae compilation for the Rapster label plus the 2008 release Real Authentic Reggae, Vol. 1 for BBE.

Lead Fugees rapper and sometime-guitarist Wyclef Jean was the first member of his group to embark on a solo career, and he proved even more ambitious and eclectic on his own. As the Fugees hung in limbo, Wyclef also became hip-hop's unofficial multicultural conscience. A seemingly omnipresent activist, he assembled or participated in numerous high-profile charity benefit shows for a variety of causes, including aid for his native Haiti. The utopian one-world sensibility that fueled Wyclef's political consciousness also informed his recordings, which fused hip-hop with as many different styles of music as he could get his hands on. Given his Caribbean roots, reggae was a particular favorite. In addition to his niche as hip-hop's foremost global citizen, Clef was also a noted producer and remixer who worked with an impressive array of pop, R&B, and hip-hop talent, including Whitney Houston, Santana, Destiny's Child, and Shakira.

Blunted on Reality
The son of a minister, Nelust Wyclef Jean was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, on October 17, 1969. When he was nine, his family moved to Brooklyn's Marlborough projects. By his teenage years, Wyclef had moved to New Jersey, taken up guitar, and begun studying jazz through his high school's music department. In 1987, he also joined a rap group with his cousin Prakazrel Michel (aka Pras) and Michel's high school classmate Lauryn Hill. Initially calling themselves the Tranzlator Crew, they evolved into the Fugees, a name taken from slang for Haitian refugees. The trio signed with the Columbia-affiliated Ruffhouse label in 1993 and released their debut album, Blunted on Reality, the following year. It attracted little notice -- it peaked at only number 62 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart -- thanks to an inappropriate hardcore stance that the group wore like an ill-fitting suit. But the Fugees hit their stride on the follow-up, The Score, an eclectic, bohemian masterpiece that sounded like nothing else in 1996. Thanks to hits like "Fu-Gee-La" and "Killing Me Softly," The Score became a chart-topping phenomenon. With sales of over six million copies, it still ranks as one of the biggest-selling rap albums of all time.

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#dancehallreggae #wyclefjean #davidrodigan

Official Dancehall Reggae Sound Clash: Metro Media Sound System 🆚 Bass Odyssey Sound System 1996

#metromediasoundsystem started out in the dancehall and Reggae industry in 1974.
It was first owned by Lou Gooden, but when he migrated from Jamaica in 1976, Jimmy Metro take over ownership.

Metro Media Sound System - Sky Juice
The sound was first played/selected by Peter Metro. He was later joined by the current selector big belly sky juice a former selector of Black Zodiac.
Still a major player in the sound system business, Metro has toured countries such as Canada (1988), Japan (1989) and England (1984,89,199.

Artistes such as Josey Wales, Sister Verna and Sister Katy toured Europe with this Veteran Sound System in 1984.
Metro was and is still the champion in the clash world. It is well known for its unique dubplates and selecting styles.
After playing one of Bounty Killer's Dub-plates in a dancehall session, reports are that this is what led to his (buss) break into the dancehall and reggae music business in the 1990s.

In the year 2010, the sound is more than 30 years old. Still based in the Woodford area of Kingston 4, Jamaica, It is still one of the most booked sound systems in Jamaica.

It was a thrilling night for clash fans and one of great surprise, as juggling contender Sky Juice/Metromedia won the sound industry's most coveted competition, World Clash R.E.S.E.T. This iconic victory marks the first time a juggling sound won World Clash.

Clash fans turned out in droves to experience the excitement and energy of World Clash R.E.S.E.T., which was filled with historical moments, performances and music selections. Following Sky Juice/Metromedia's consistency was King Addies, who was fresh off the heels of defeating World Champions Bass Odyssey.

King Addies delivered a stellar performance throughout the clash, earning a prized spot in the "tune-fi-tune" against Metromedia.

#bassodysseysoundsystem is one of Jamaica's most feared sound systems in the sound clash world.

The sound was started back in 1989 by Keith Walford, who later partnered with Bunny Hayles to form the world-renowned Bass Odyssey.

After selecting his sound for a number of years, Keith decided that he needed to get some selectors to do the job.

That's when the original team of Tinna One, Glamma G, and the late Squingy who died in 2009 came together.

This sound not only plays at sound clashes, they are also a party sound.

In addition to weekly appearances in Jamaica, Bass Odyssey also performs in the Caribbean, Central America, the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan on several occasions.

Odyssey, as it is sometimes called, has a new team of selectors, as the original selectors have moved on, some on a sole career.

The new selectors are Mark, Worm, Charly Black, Dj Lexxy, Dwayne, Dj Keithy, Speng, Shane, Harry D, Villy and Dj Rat.

They played and won the UK Cup Clash in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Most recently in 2009, Odyssey won the Guinness Sounds of Greatness competition held in Jamaica.

They have also won the Irish and Chin world clash which used to be on stage at Pier One, Montego Bay a number of Times.

If you should attend one of these sessions where this Odyssey's system is playing, you will be in for a treat. From hardcore dubplates to top-class juggling.

King Jammys Sound System ft Admiral Bailey, Danny Dread, Tanto Irie, Don Angelo 1986

Born Lloyd James, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Jammy, the undisputed king of computerized, digital reggae music for the 80s, was interested in little else but the sound system business from a very early age. He began by building amplifiers and repairing electrical equipment from his mother’s house in the Waterhouse area of downtown Kingston, and was soon playing live with his own sound system. His prowess earned him a deserved local reputation and as Prince Jammy, he built equipment for many Waterhouse sounds. He was even acknowledged by the legendary King Tubby, another Waterhouse resident, with whom Jammy often worked.

In the early 70s Jammy left Jamaica to work in Canada, where his reputation had preceded him, and he was soon working in live stage shows, and employed in various studio activities and sound system work. He stayed for a few years but returned to Kingston and set up his first studio (with extremely limited facilities) at his in-laws’ home in Waterhouse. At the same time Tubby’s top engineer, Phillip Smart, left for New York and Jammy joined Tubby’s team. It was during his time with Tubby that Jammy met the most influential people in reggae; he acknowledges, in particular, the inspiration provided by Bunny Lee and Yabby You. Jammy was continually expanding his own studio and sound system and in the late 70s he began to release his own productions, including the debut Black Uhuru album, coming into contact with many rising dancehall artists such as Half Pint, Junior Reid and Echo Minott.

Jammy’s constant involvement with the grassroots side of the business gave him a keen sense of what was currently happening in reggae, and also allowed him to anticipate new trends. In 1985 he recorded a youth singer called Wayne Smith with a tune called ‘Under Me Sleng Teng’, which was to alter irrevocably the nature, and revolutionize the sound, of reggae music. The basis for ‘Sleng Teng’ was a Casio ‘Music Box’ and one of the ‘rock’ rhythms from the box was adapted and slowed down to become a ‘reggae’ rhythm. The shockwaves were scarcely believable and before long there were over 200 different versions of the rhythm available, as every producer and artist jumped onto the bandwagon. More than anything else, it opened the music to young independent producers and artists, since expensive studio time and ‘real’ musicians were no longer a prerequisite for recording: digital reggae ruled, and Jammy, the originator, rode the crest of the wave. His records and sound system dominated and controlled reggae music for the remainder of the decade and on into the 90s. Bobby Digital, now an established producer in his own right, was brought into Jammy’s camp and he soon became right-hand man in the set-up, with Steely And Clevie providing the rhythms. Both were established musicians with a real feeling for the new sound, and a bewildering array of 7-inch and 12-inch singles and albums were released every month. Most were massive Jamaican hits and with the help of long-time associate Count Shelly, the records were released simultaneously in New York and London while Jammy administered the business in Jamaica. Countless artists made their debut on the Jammys label, but veteran singers and vocal groups were all keen to play their part in the new sound. There was no one to rival him and in 1987, Jammy won the coveted Rockers Award for Best Producer.

Jammy’s subsequent output has not been as prolific by his standards. In 1995, he revived his most innovative tune on Sleng Teng Extravaganza ’95, featuring the modish stars updating the rhythm with their own interpretations. It is impossible to overstate his contribution to Jamaican music, because, as the top producer throughout the digital era, he has altered the sound of reggae music without ever losing touch with its foundation – the sound system.


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Silver Hawk Sound System ft Major Mackerel, Papa San, Ricky Stereo 1989

Silver Hawk Sound System is the brainchild of veteran producers Clevie and the late Steely.
The sound got its name from Steeley who had a bike named the Hawk. The sound came alive in the heyday of sound clashes in Jamaica.

Richie Poo who is the current selector (2011) said that sound clashes lack substance as often entertainers are unaware of many of the founding fathers of the practice and lack the ability to take the audience on an evocative musical journey.

Early summer 2009 brought a slew of internet buzz about the return of the innovative and classic sound passionately called the HAWK by fans.

The buzz faded with the hospitalization and passing of Steely, but even in his death Steely's musical voice will be heard through a proposed tour called,?Tribute to Steely.? The tour is being initiated by the current Silverhawk team and put in effect before his untimely death.

The team includes past selectors Richard Reid (Richie Poo), Evert Palmer (Road Manager), Luciana Maneri (Steely's Manager) and Cleveland?Clevie? Browne.

On January 12, 2010, Silver Hawk was re-launched in New York City.

Silver Hawk's first major clash after its re-launched was against Bodyguard in the Guinness Sound Of Greatness in October 2011. The Hawk came out the winner.

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Aba Shanti Sound System at #boomtown 2022
Aba Shanti-I (real name Joseph Smith) is a sound system operator and dub producer from the UK. Aba and his sound system have been playing through UK and Europe for over 30 years. He has been a resident sound system at Notting Hill Carnival since 1993 and was voted the No. 1 DJ in the World by DJ Magazine in the same year.

EARLY LIFE
Joseph Smith was born in Hackney, London, UK of Antiguan parents, who immigrated to the UK in the 1960s. He was first introduced to roots reggae music by his father Alan Smith, who himself ran a sound system called Count Alan in the 1960s.

SOUND SYSTEM CAREER
While deejaying for Jah Tubby's sound system, Aba Shanti-I was known as Jasmine Joe. In 1990, Aba took over the running of Jah Tubby's sound system, debuting at the Leicester carnival. Since then, Aba Shanti-I and his sound system play regularly in the UK, with residencies at the Notting Hill Carnival since 1993, Leicester Carnival and the University of Dub. The sound system has also been played in Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain.

RECORDING CAREER
Aba Shanti-I has produced and recorded with his brother and the band the Shanti-Ites, releasing records on their own Falasha imprint. Their first record, Tear Down Babylon was released in 1993. Aba Shanti-I currently has a studio on Morning Lane, Hackney.

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Exodus Nuclear Sound System ft Buju Banton, Shamba, Ian Sweetness, Apache, Capleton, Jr Reid, Baby Wayne, Wayne Wonder 1991

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Creation vs Black Star ft Papa San, Dalley Man, Simple Simon, Charlie Chaplin, Joe Lickshot 1985



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