{"id":669,"date":"2015-10-14T17:26:32","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T17:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/islandoutpost.com\/outpostings\/?p=669"},"modified":"2023-10-09T11:53:57","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T11:53:57","slug":"jamaican-songs-catch-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.islandoutpost.com\/outpostings\/2015\/10\/14\/jamaican-songs-catch-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jamaican Songs Catch Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

World\u2019s biggest reggae fan? If you\u2019ve never heard the term \u201csound system,\u201d then we are sorry to break it to you, but you really don\u2019t know Jamaican music at all. Not at its core. A sound system is, first of all, an object: a massive set of speakers stacked in the corner at just about every party in Jamaica. A good system will have the bass pulsing through your body.<\/span><\/p>\n

A sound system also refers to a group of selectors (that\u2019s Jamaican for \u201cDJs\u201d), engineers and MCs playing ska, rocksteady and reggae music. A generator, turntables and a sound system are the three main ingredients of a good street party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where two or more sound systems gather, a \u201csound clash\u201d is bound to occur. A sound clash is an organized sound battle between the two systems. The crowd acts as the judge as the two systems play electrifying songs and remixes. The sound system that evokes the liveliest roars of approval from the crowd is deemed the winning system of the night. Clashes aren\u2019t for the faint of heart: They can last up to four hours, and the energy level is high as everyone literally dances the clash away. It is here that music becomes popular before hitting radio stations anywhere else.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sound system is also a culture, which originated in the 1950s in the grittier parts of Jamaica. It has since spread throughout the Caribbean, and flourished around the world\u2014most notably in London and the United States\u2014where the culture is credited as birthing Hip Hop. \u201cIt\u2019s a lifestyle,\u201d says Tony Myers, owner of popular Kingston sound system shop Jam-One. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Outpostings spent the afternoon with Myers at his shop, also a bar and restaurant. Myers is a renowned sound-system manufacturer, and as he walked through his sawdust-dusted shop among hollowed-out shells of sound systems, he shared his deep knowledge and love for his craft.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"IslandOutpost-SoundSystemCulture\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A visit to Jam-One isn\u2019t all business. Stop at the restaurant and bar for a Red Stripe and one of Myers\u2019s home-cooked meals. Pictured above is a whole red snapper prepared in the local escovitch style, with shredded carrots and cabbage on a bed of stewed root vegetables.<\/span><\/h6>\n

\"IslandOutpost-33\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI started with two speakers,\u201d says Tony Myers. \u201cMy mom bought me two speakers. I built two school boxes and that\u2019s where I started from.\u201d<\/h6>\n

\"IslandOutpost-SoundSystemCulture1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myers always has at least two contracted employees on hand to help build the sound systems. Building in an entire system can take up to two weeks. Myers says the tuning of the speaker is what makes a good system. \u201cSome people just build a box and put a speaker in,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/h6>\n

\"IslandOutpost-0940\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI used to buy thousands of dollars worth of records when I was younger,\u201d Myers says. \u201cI still have them. I have millions of records right now.\u201d Myers plays an Eek-a-Mouse special track, known as a dub, that shouts out the Jam-One sound system. Stop by Jam-One on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday for live music.<\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

World\u2019s biggest reggae fan? If you\u2019ve never heard the term \u201csound system,\u201d then we are sorry to break it to you, but you really don\u2019t know Jamaican music at all. Not at its core. A sound system is, first of all, an object: a massive set of speakers stacked in the corner at just about every party in Jamaica. A good system will have the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,10],"tags":[18,26,32,39],"class_list":["post-669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-features","category-music","tag-dub","tag-jam-one","tag-music","tag-sound-systems"],"yoast_head":"\nSound System: How Jamaican Songs Catch Fire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"World\u2019s biggest reggae fan? 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