Event celebrates Caribbean sound system culture

Selector, Mop Head from Killamanjaro, is among the stars that will feature at the concert

Birmingham is set to host an event celebrating Caribbean sound system culture.

It’s a musical tradition that was brought to the country by the Windrush generation in the 1950s and has a solid foundation in the West Midlands.

It comprises groups of DJs, 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, World Bash UK, will celebrate the culture at Birmingham's O2 Academy hosting a number of international artists.

Sound system speaker boxes were often homemade with four speakers inside wardrobes

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 were invited to the UK and left the West Indies 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 of the original sound systems, including Mafia tone and Wassifa Showcase, played at house parties to entertain crowds until the early hours of the morning.

Winston Mexican founded Luv Injection in the 1980s and says it was one of the first sound systems to incorporate two turntables

Marvin Elliott, of Empire Sound, said: “To keep the music alive, all we’re doing is trying to transition the music from that generation to this generation.”

World Bash UK 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.

Organisers have said it’s the first time ever so many international world-renowned sound-systems will be under one roof together in the UK, and the West Midlands is the natural home for the event.

Bodyguard sound selector, Johnny Guard from Jamaica, will be featuring at the event.

The founder of World Bash UK, Garfield ‘Chin’ Bourne, said: “People want to keep that connection with their culture, even if they don’t live in Jamaica or the Caribbean, they still want to be able to witness the Caribbean culture in the cities and towns that they reside in.”