Come along take a ride on the Fantastic Voyage
Welcome to Sound System Fridays — Canada’s first and premiere online Reggae-Dancehall show featured the best in local and international Reggae and Dancehall Sound Systems, Dee-Jays and Artistes playing and performing live every Friday from the ReggaeMania studios at Brimley Rd. & Highway #401 in Scarborough. Picking up from where CKLN Friday Night ReggaeMania left off, Sound System Fridays was video-steamed and broadcast live every Fridays 9 PM – Midnight on U-Stream, iTunes and ReggaeMania.com for all to enjoy. Unfortunately U-Stream was sold and we did not back-up our videos – still hurts. But, you can see the Pics, listen -download the complete Audio archives, and read the show reviews.
Click here to see the complete 2012 – 2014 Schedule for Sound System Fridays. Turn On, Tune In – ReggaeMania – Sound System Fridays…madd!
This SSF show featured KLYMAXX Sound with MC Squidley + DJ Specialis. Performing live; Lindo P., Father Digital, Reese Badda, Sirus and Junior Blinga… I must admit, I didn’t know much about Klymaxx Sound to
give them the proper respect that was due – that’s in the past now. Klymaxx Sound, a Durham (Ajax) Sound, formed in 1992, delivered all the goods on Sound System Fridays last Friday night – by the time they had reached the halfway point of the show, they had already proved to the listening and viewing audience that they are one of Toronto’s finest Sounds when it comes to dubplates and good MC vibes.
Klymaxx is a progressive Sound – they proved that with proper preparation and excellent organizational skills, they could ‘flawlessly’ execute their show. At times, you felt the Sound clash vibe and at other times you didn’t – bottom line is, versatility is key. Great music that was played properly despite a few technical difficulties with Serato. One has to listen to the podcast to fully appreciate what I am saying. Big Ups to Specialist (DJ) and Squidly (MC) for doing an admirable job and for possessing a great attitude towards playing ‘sound’ in general!
The second half of the show was heavy-duty, so much so, that I told Klymaxx that this might end up overshadowing their DJ performance in the first half. They had a score of guest artistes that night – Father Digital (a.k.a. Fada Digi – in yellow), Sirus (Singjay), Reese Badda (hoodie & shades), Contracta and Lindo P. Big Up Gary and Bugsy as well! The artist performances were off the hook – Lindo P. was in his element (as usual) and Fada Digi came off as one of the more polished artists that we’ve seen perform on Sound System Fridays.
Reese Badda was just as entertaining and showed, what I term as “styles of the future”. He’s a DJ with diverse lyrics and a style to call his own. People get ready, the wave is coming – these artistes represent the next generation of Reggae and Dancehall, ready and willing to take over! Sirus was interesting too, I just needed to see more of him – he was a little laid back when it came to his performance. Contracta didn’t intend to perform – he was “born” on this night with a name given to him by yours truly! LOL.
And Big Up Bugsy, the guy wearing the glasses that likes to hunch over when he DJ’s! This man has more talent than he possibly knows, but, his voice isn’t seasoned yet, he needs to work on his vocals in order to progress as a great live performer. Check out his lyrics though, they’re full of hooks and punchlines.
I’m impressed with Klymaxx Sound – this talented crew arrived without attitude and demonstrated that they could take advantage of an opportunity given – that’s what Sound System Fridays provides. Mark my words, we’ll see and hear more from this Sound in the future. They delivered all of the artists who performed – ’twas the icing on the cake. Keep up the good work Klymaxx, you are the future!
This SSF show featured HEATWAVE Sound with DJ Spragga Roots + STEP-A-CHOICE Sound with DJ Itch#1… Sound System Fridays delivered another tight show despite our previously scheduled Sound having to cancel.
We had to come up with a solid alternative, so I asked Spragga Roots (Heatwave) to return once again as host. He in turn invited Step-A-Choice Sound down to play alongside him.
Hmmm, two Sounds sharing the night…to my surprise, it worked! Both Sounds had been previous hosts during Sound System Fridays so they knew what to expect. They complemented each other and did a great job holding it down for the night.
Heatwave played first and just as I thought, were an inspiration to Step-A-Choice (Kirk + DJ Itchy #1) Sound. It was good to see the them step it up ‘music’ wise to match the tone and vibe that Spragga had set. Step-A-Choice really does have some belly and they proved it with their effortless performance – no-holds-barred. At times, it appeared as if they were warming up for a ‘war’ inside a Sound clash. Everyone in the studio was skanking and bopping their heads.
My question to myself…Did Step-A-Choice steal the show from Heatwave or did they sound as good as they did because they had ‘borrowed’ Heatwave’s Spragga Roots as their MC that night as their own MC had to work? Spragga has one of the more authoritative voices in the business still, bringing you back to the days of old with a golden voice with the likes of Stone Love and Captain Midnight. With Spragga as their MC, Step-A-Choice Sound, dare I say it, sounded more mature. Even Spragga himself was loving it, complimenting Step-A-Choice, “big sounds play big tunes” and “me see you a spend”.
Little did I know that Heatwave had an answer with his second set. It seemed the way Step-A-Choice played was now going to influence the way that Heatwave would play. Spragga came back with foundation tunes and as the dub stated, “Anything test Heatwave dead!”. Next up, five Shabba’s in a row and that was just the start. After a while, I was enjoying the fact that there would be no live artists to change up the vibe or steal the spotlight – I just wanted to hear these two Sounds play. Enjoy the podcast, the show speaks for itself!
This SSF show featured Japan’s MIGHTY CROWN Sound with DJ Ninja Crown + MC Sami T… Mighty Crown was our ‘special guest’ Sound this night on Sound System Fridays. Check out the archive as Sami T and Ninja
Crown made their first ‘official’ public appearance here in Toronto on their ‘Driving Force’ Tour. The pass through on ReggaeMania was truly an honour and it marked the first night of three. After Sound System Fridays, they were off to The Guvernment Nightclub for Reggae Café which was sold out! Next up, WHEN DUBS DID NICE 2 on Saturday night at On The Rox and then a gig on Sunday night at Tryst Nightclub.
There’s not much to say about this broadcast. Mighty Crown is a World Sound with nothing to prove. They played rather conservatively this night and just let the dubs speak – Sami and Ninja Crown I guess they were tired since they had just arrived at Pearson in the afternoon and had lots of preperation to do for this tour. I managed to get a short interview with them – this helped ease up the vibes in the studio. Big Up Mighty Crown for passing through Sound System Fridays! Honestly, I expected a bit more in terms of tunes and speech. Playing on the Radio is more opportunistic than playing ‘early warm’ in a dance where people are just starting to arrive.
This SSF show featured RUDEBOY Sound with DJ Angela Montana, Shone, Tyronne, and special guest Lucci and Bigga Boss performing live… Big Up RUDE BOY SOUND and its selector – ANGELINA MONTANA! She
came to Sound System Fridays fully stocked and delivered a nice show full of big chunes, dubplates and live performances.
In the house was Bigga Boss (Sniper Sound), who was very entertaining once taking the mic late in the show. Performing live is second nature for Fatman aka Bigga Boss and even though he can be very raw and stink, I had figured that tonight he would tame his uncensored nature for his Sound System Fridays performance. He’s a musical terrorist, not just as an artist, but also as a producer and DJ/Selector, and he couldn’t be stopped! LOL. It was good to see him finally pass through. Loved what he said, “I didn’t steal your briefcase, Ron Nelson.” LOL! For those of you who don’t know, Fatman and I go way, way back – it’s all good.
Big Up Lucci – the live performer in the blue dress and the black leather jacket! She was very entertaining. Just like Bigga Boss, she did not hold back her uncensored nature and performed reality street lyrics that were funny, but at times, too honest. Lucci is a Deejay, Singer, and Rapper – the combination of all these talents makes for a well-rounded and packaged artist. There’s room for someone like her in this market, just you wait ‘n see.
Shoné was another artist who ANGELINA had invited down. I needed to turn up the mic during her interview so we could all hear her better, but overall, she’s not a bad sounding artist. She still has some work to do, as the threshold for a singer is twice as high as that for deejays and singjays. I sensed that Shoné is an artist who just needs a little more time to hone her skills – keep singing girl, the voice is there, you sound good, you just need to tweak it and a little more confidence wouldn’t hurt either. Big Up King Markus and Tyrone of Meccacity Soundz who held it down and played a nice set with a good selection of tunes while ANGELINA took a short break!
As for ANGELINA, wow! What can I say about her? She’s a little “off this planet” and I thought Tasha Rozez was different. ANGELINA is a rare commodity in Dancehall – being a female Sound clash selector/mic talker who takes what she does very seriously. She’s all about RUDE BOY SOUND and her personality fits like a glove with the craft of Sound clash. She is what I call ‘hyper social’ – she talks a lot and talks a mile a minute, but nothing’s lost on her, as she’ll have a response to anything and everything that you throw at her. She seems very guarded at times. I guess it’s just a protection thing – her ‘real’ self remains a little bit of a mystery to most of us.
ANGELINA MONTANA is a “Latin” woman – she says, “maybe that’s what throws me off.” Even after spending three hours with her, I still can’t claim to know who she really is. I’ve seen her in ‘war’ (Sound clash) where she has been the recipient of some serious verbal lashings from competing male selectors, but she always has a comeback with her lyrical prowess and the dubs to follow. Nobody can forget the time that ANGELINA participated in Fully Loaded – or was it Unfinished Business? – she literally bumped out two of her selectors who had not performed that well in earlier rounds and took over!
I’ll give ANGELINA an ‘A’ for effort, even though her execution could have been smoother. She had some good moments here and there, but the momentum was not maintained. The artist performances were interesting and the studio definitely had a RUDE BOY vibe. Big Up ANGELINA for holding it down and for putting it all together! I would’ve loved to hear more RUDE BOY dubs – their box is deeper than many think or know and their selection of tunes has been carefully crafted and selected. Mark my words, you’ll be hearing more of RUDE BOY SOUND in the future. Big Up Toronto, Canada for being the home to many top-notch female Dancehall selectors!
This SSF show featured EXODUS NUCLEAR with MC Kirk, DJ Vijay and Gadget. Also featuring Jamaica’s STONELOVE with selector G-Fuss, and America’s KING SHINE INT. Sound with DJ Jimmy ‘NatureBwoy’
Spliff…Our Good Friday Sound System Fridays show featured three sounds – Exodus Nuclear (JA, USA + CAN), who were booked for the show, Stone Love (JA) – passing through, and Kingshine International (USA) – passing through. I started the show off playing an ‘early warm’ set (first hour) as Exodus Nuclear was running late. Once they arrived, they still needed time to prepare. Eventually, they got their stuff together, set up, and played. Born forty years ago in Jamaica, this sound has expanded statewise and across the border too, while remaining true to its roots.
Tonight, Exodus Nuclear was represented by Kirk (MC) – the Canadian rep, and G-Fuss, as well as Gadget. Take a listen to the podcast; they had some interesting tunes. I want to thank them for coming down to the ReggaeManiaRadio studio to showcase their skills and sound. I wish them all the best in the future – there’s an opportunity out there; all they have to do is take it!
Next sound up… Stone Love Movements – Big Up G-Fuss! Stone Love Sound was in town for a gig at Surface Nightclub (The Government) Saturday night. I like talking to G-Fuss – he’s full of knowledge about the business and its history. I always give him credit for being one of the primary Stone Love selectors who waves the flag and carries the torch for Fada Pow when abroad. It was a real treat to have Stone Love pass through and play – it was fulljoyed by all! I asked for Stone Love anthems and I got ’em. Enjoy this part of the podcast – Stoooooone Loooooove – Ruff Ruff!
Last but not least, the final sound for the night was Kingshine International out of New Jersey – welcome Jimmy NatureBwoy Spliff! He was in town for a clash Saturday night and looked forward to coming down to Sound System Fridays to make a statement. Come showtime, Jimmy found himself enjoying the ReggaeManiaRadio – Sound System Fridays vibe and took off! There was no need to make a statement. He did what he does best – play – and he had fun doing it too. This kid is very sure of himself and, as a one-man killing machine, was not at a disadvantage at all (I think he liked it that way). Big Up NatureBwoy – he did his research and not only played well, but spoke well in his short interview with yours truly!
Big Up Exodus Nuclear, Stone Love (G-Fuss), Kingshine International (Jimmy NatureBwoy Spliff), and Problem Child (Don Rankin Sound) for the Kingshine International link! Enjoy the podcast!
