This is Sound Clash!
This blog is intended for the younger sound men / women who
have aspirations to be in a Sound Clash.
Despite how it looks, Sound Clash is a sport that is played amongst
friends / colleagues in an elite industry.
It is elite because the Sound Clash fraternity is made up of skilled
teams who have mastered the art of oration, chune selection and the right
riddim. This is not easy, not to
mention, you must Clash with respect for your opponent, respect for the music
and respect for Sound Clash fans who have come to see you perform.
Your first round should always be singers. Always.
Don’t let people who don’t know what they’re doing draw you out and put
you on the wrong path. Consider the
singing round to be soup or salad before your main meal. Older heads will draw for Luciano, Sanchez
and Freddie McGregor. Newer sounds may
choose Gappy Ranks, Chronixx, Etana; the point is the singers are showcased.
Your next rounds will depend on the strength of your
dub-box. If you are a sound who has a
few well cut dubs, enter a clash that features 6 sounds or more. Your chances of survival are greater as the
time you have to play is shorter i.e. each round will be about 15 minutes or 10
dubs. Your focus should be survival as
in getting to round 3.
If you’re in a Sound Clash with few sounds (as a new sound
you don’t want to be in this scenario), your dub-box needs to be stronger as
chances are you’re up against more elite sounds. In this case, your second round will be
approximately 30 minutes or 20 dubs and you’re dealing with the heart of the
matter … killing a sound. This is the
round where you can go one of two ways.
If you have a good arsenal of combination dubs, this is a good time to
use it. If you have a strong box of DJ’s,
then you’re unleashing Bounty Killer’s, Mavado’s, Vybz Kartels, Busy Signals
etc.
Round 3 places emphasis on selecting your target, aiming
with a steady dub and speech, and going in for the kill. At this point in time, speech on the mic is
heavy as the mics-man / mics-woman and the selector are moving in unison and
have coordinated their timing perfectly and like the movements of a Cartier
timepiece. For this, you have the crowd
on your side.
Dub for Dub! This
topic is controversial in the heat of the moment, but, after reasoning, it’s
not controversial at all. If you’re a
sound who has won all of your rounds, there is no need for dub for dub. You’ve won the Clash. If each sound competing has won the same
number of rounds, then a clear winner needs to be determined which is when dub
for dub / chune fih chune comes in to play.
Don’t let people who don’t know what they’re doing draw you out and
steal your win by inducing you into chune fih chune. I’ve seen several people lose a Sound Clash
they clearly won because of getting drawn out.
Don’t let this happen to you!
Tonight (April 5th, 2013) in Toronto, King
Klepto, Innocent Sound, Barrier Free and Young Hawk will be implementing all and more of what I just talked
about above. All sounds are in what I
call the second tier. They’re not on the
Mighty Crown, David Rodigan, King Addies, Saxon Sound first tier level yet, but
they’re getting there. If you’re in
Toronto, make sure you reach.
*Note: This is
intended to be a very basic guide for entry level sounds wishing to compete
effectively in a Sound Clash. More depth
on Sound Clash will be shared leading up to World Clash hosted by Irish and
Chin in Jamaica in October, 2013.
For your listening pleasure, a classic dubplate from Frankie Paul on the Hypocrite Riddim. Run chune >>>
