SOUND SYSTEMS In Kingston, Jamaica in the 1950s radio stations were promoting R'n'B sounds much to the satisfactioin of local listeners who enjoyed the fast pace of the American rhytmic section. As the music progressed however, the beat became more mellow in taste ,these songs were not so readily admired by the Jamaicans who preferred the racier dance beats. Still, inspired by the earlier R'n'B grooves musicians began to set up their own Sound Systems and with this a new kind of entrepreneur was born, the Sound System man. Among the high breed talents that were soon to launch themselves to stardom were names like: Coxsone Dodd, 'Sir Coxsone The Down Beat' and Duke Reid, 'The Trojan'. The success of these men largely came about through, the types of records they played and the style by which they were executed on the dance floor. Brilliant, but obscure records would be hunted out in the far corners of America and bought for large amounts of money upon which the record label, would be scratched out so as to give the Sound System's competitor little opportunity to track down its source. The top rival artists (though not including Coxsone and the Duke who were great friends) would often compete against each other in dance hall venues. It has been reported by some to have at times escalated into a blood sport when the rivalry was so intense and the DJs supporters went wild. The Sound Systems influence on the development of reggae cannot be underestimated from DJs to producers to singers, the sound systems were quinessential to Jamaican music. By the Sound Systems' amount (huge vans were installed to load up and transport the systems to their various club destinations) and by the weight of their amplification equipment, you could feel the vibrations of sound tremoring throughout. The emphasis was on amplifying the bass-line, a code still practised, today with Drum 'n' Bass grooves though now including a sub-base section drawing even closer attention to detail. When the R'n'B sound began to dry out completely, Sound Systems began to make their own recordings based on the R'n'B old style tunes. At first these were intended for exclusive use only, hence the usage of dub plate, but these became so popular that the top hits began to be released on record. Thus, the introduction of Ska and the Jamaican music industry to the world at large, had truly set in. Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Rockers, Dub, Dancehall and Ragga have always been intrinsically linked to the Sound System, both as testing grounds for new records as well as for singers and DJs to test out on their audiences. The success of the Sound System grew, at first to anywhere with an expatriate Jamaican community, later its influence spread to New York, London and Toronto, and also influencing the development of hip hop and rap in the United States. The Sound Systems were, and still are today, an integral part of building and sustaining the Jamaican Music Industry as we know it. Thus, in today's world, to totally captivate the full authentic flavour of the Jamaican Sound System is to be in the open air of Kingston, or in a small club in in London or New York. It can be said that the reign of the Sound System has come full circle with the onslaught of the new Drum 'n' Bass sound in the UK. As roots reggae has developed, progressed and metamorphorsised its style over the years a new generation have carried the seeds of its essence across the waters to germinate on British soil. From the Jamaican forefathers to this very different cultural setting comes a new breed, descendants from the expatriate communities, with a freshly extended Jamaican feel referred to as Jungle or Drum 'n' Bass. Though today the DJs role is different than before, taking a background stance in live performance, in comparison to the Systems man of the 50s and 60s who rose to stardom because of his dramatic participation, we are now seeing the reemergence of the 'original' drum and bass Sound System's operator echoeing through the distilled modern day sounds of Jungle (Drum 'n' Bass). With the Sound Systems in the 'new' Drum 'n' Bass still at the heart of Jamaican British music we can see how the history of the Sound System spanned from the 1950s through to present day and is still in keeping with reggae music and its 'original' Sound System of drum and bass. _