DJ Crews Fought to Stay on Top of Jamaican Radio

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King Broughton: King Stonians relied on sound system parties to hear new music. He says the most precious thing a DJ could have was a song that was new and nobody else had. The competition became relentless between the sound systems, he says.

Jamaica is famous around the world for its music, including genres like ska, dub, and reggae. It’s tempting to think that the powerful amplifiers and giant speakers at the dance parties were designed to perfectly capture Jamaica’s indigenous sounds. But it’s actually the other way around. Those speakers and amps came first. And the electricians, mechanics and engineers who built and adapted that technology would then play a decisive role in the creation of Jamaica’s modern music. They helped pioneer approaches to making and performing music that would spawn whole other scenes from the Bronx to the UK.

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