BY SIMONE MORGAN—-
SINGER Anthony Cruz has teamed up with Upper Level Sports Club in Mandeville to stage the Upper Level Face Off, a sound system series aimed at reviving entertainment in Manchester.
The series kicks off on Sunday and runs for eight weeks. Each week, four ‘sounds’ will compete, with two advancing until the final clash.
Selectors will spin 10-minute sets in the first round and five minutes in the final round. Judges will look for originality, execution and crowd appeal to decide the winner who walks away with a trophy and $50,000.
Cruz told Splash that he wants to bring a new level of entertainment to Manchester, his home parish.
He says while there are a lot of selectors there, sound systems are on the wane.
“We need to create a new generation of sound clash experts and I believe that central Jamaica has a lot of talent that needs to be unearthed,” he said. “In a sound clash the stakes are especially high; the closest cousin to a sound clash is boxing. Each tune is a sharp jab to the opponent, and the next one could be a knockout blow, so we are expecting some exciting competition.”
The sound clash has been part of Jamaican pop culture for over 50 years. The sound system has been around since the 1940s.
In Manchester, ‘sounds’ like Destiny Outernational helped to launch the careers of home-grown acts like Yasus Afari, Garnet Silk, Kulcha Knox, and Tony Rebel in the late 1980s.
Destiny Outernational was operated by deejay Dueteromony, who along with the aforementioned artistes, signalled a cultural revival during dancehall in the 1990s.
Afari, a dub poet from St Elizabeth, believes Cruz’s concept is a positive one.
“It’s a good and commendable move. I have reasons to think that Anthony Cruz will keep it positive,” Afari told Splash.
The dub poet said central Jamaica had several sound systems which gave many youths their big break. These include Black Organ, Whatdat, and Conquering Lion, which in recent times has been touring Europe.
“Sound systems can help unearth talent,” he continued.
Cruz also sees the added entertainment value.
“There is nowhere to go on a Sunday down this side (Mandeville), so this will be an entertainment plus for the parish of Manchester,” Cruz added.
You must log in to post a comment.