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I'm Andrew Dubber
I read, research, and talk about music, radio and the internet for a living. I'm also a DJ and a whisky writer, as well as some other stuff.
This is (currently) where I outline some ideas I'm working on - or just what's on my mind. You'll get the picture as it goes along.
You can also ask me stuff here. I'll probably reply..
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Fascinating talk by DJ Dubhead about reggae sound system culture, and its connection to New Zealand.
Only the first 13 minutes or so of the presentation are here and there’s obviously a lot more to this talk - but it’s worth watching for a really clear and insightful explanation of sound systems and the economic and social conditions that were their context.
One thing struck me though - the concept of battles (sound system clashes) as a pre-cursor to rap battles and DJ battles is clear - but it’s a stretch to say that Jamaican sound systems were the first to bring this sort of competition to the public.
In jazz, cutting contests were common in the 30s and 40s, and go back to the stride pianists in the 1920s. It started out as friendly competition by all accounts, but in the clubs in the 40s, the dudes on sax in particular were fierce - and pretty unforgiving.
There’s a famous story of a young Charlie Parker basically getting his arse handed to him in a club in Kansas, so he went away, got massively better, came back - and blew everyone off the stage.
I digress - and it’s a minor point. Watch the video. It’s a really great talk about reggae sound system culture by a man who really knows his shit - and happens to be a really great DJ.
