Event celebrates Caribbean sound system culture
Birmingham is set to host an event celebrating Caribbean sound system culture.
The trend exploded onto the British music scene in the 1950s after being brought to the country by the Windrush generation as a way of channelling their roots.
It comprises groups of DJ’s, engineers and MCs, using huge loudspeakers and amplifiers to enhance the deep bass of reggae music, whilst performing to big audiences.
On Sunday, an event named World Bash aims to recreate the experience and celebrate the culture at the O2 Arena in Birmingham, hosting a number of international artists.
The trend originated in Kingston, Jamaica, in the middle of the 20th Century.
It offered a safe haven for those of Caribbean heritage in the UK, as they often found pubs and clubs to be hostile environments.
The Windrush Generation refers to the 500,000 people who left their homes in the Caribbean between 1948 and 1971 to help rebuild Britain after it was ravaged by World War Two.
Sound system built on the experiences of the Windrush Generation who created their own parties known as blues - somewhere they could unwind and relax.
Luv Injection, which was formed in 1986, is one of the city’s longest running sound systems.
Its founder Winston Mexican said: “When they came to England, there were no sound systems here so people built sound systems to reconnect back to Jamaica.”
During the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Handsworth in Birmingham was the go-to spot where many sound systems were played at house parties to entertain crowds until the early hours of the morning.
World Bash has been billed as the only sound system concert in the world, and will feature key players including Bass Odyssey, LP International, Bodyguard, Code Red, Dynamq, Killamanjaro, David Rodigan, Saxon,Empire Sound, Luv Injection and V Rocket International.
Marvin Elliott of Empire Sound added: “To keep the music alive, all we’re doing is trying to transition the music from that generation to this generation.”
Organisers have said it is important for the West Midlands to be the home of the event.
The founder of World Bash UK, Garfield ‘Chin’ Bourne, said: “People want to keep that connection with their culture, they want to be able to not live in Jamaica or the Caribbean but still be able to witness the Caribbean culture in the cities and towns that they reside in.”
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