verslag van de clashavond
as following a quote by africanly_nurtured taken from
www.blacksupremacysounds.comToo many tings happen last night........ yet all these happened during one show. The 1st annual international soundsystem musicalshowcase.
First and foremost, I trodded to the official venue, Nairobi City Hall, this being 10p.m. The show's attendance was looking to be a big flop....... 50 people in a big bloodclot hall....... member this is 10pm....... normally, by this time of the night in Nairobi, a club can know if their night is a flop or huge success. Imagine the staff even seemed to be more than the audience.
City Rollers sounds was juggling at the time, when shortly after, M.C Juce, the host, ah take up the microphone and ask the crowd say if City Rollers are boring the crowd it's best he calls up on another sound. To the effect, Maumausound sounds come in with Mickey Jones at the controls..... Mickey Jones soon starts to play only to be confronted with Banzani, a true reggae head in Kenya, who makes him know that he is repeating tunes that were already played. My goodness, you mean to tell me say Richie Spice has no other tunes apart from Gideon boots and grooving my girl. City rollers sounds had played all that plus much more other tunes from Lukie D's "increase the peace", to Natural Black "don't wanna see you cry" and Mickey Jones ah come and play-back all of them.
Anyways, I continue taking photos and not to my surprise, all essential photos are taken. Nothing much to cover, I mean 50 people. I switch clubs and go back to Chemil club for Ronnie's birthday bash.
I head back to Nairobi City Hall again from Ronnie-boy's birthday bash party. The City clock reads 1:09am.......
At this point I notice a huge crowd coming from the venue. After asking one of the youths here, I get to understand say that the police (babylon) just lock off the dance . Even after hearing this, I still had to bear witness with my own eye-sight. Ah true, dance just get locked. I instantly call Killer B from Shashamane New York crew to confirm...... Yes, done confirmed, dance just get locked! But why, are all the legal documents legit? Did the organisers get a permit?
Most of the staff and crew sight a sabortage ting wey ah gwan. But who, the KING LION SOUND CREW?
Binghi has a back-up plan. The party has to gwan. And no other better place than his club in down-town Nairobi, Archievers.
All roads now lead to ARCHIEVERS CLUB. One thing I want y'all to get clear right now is that....... Shashamane had a dance pon the side at Archievers already, at half price the one at City Hall's cover charge. Thus, the massive inside Archievers had a big special treat. Unexpected treat!!!
The atmosphere here is lively, the dance is full, straight singers and roots foundation ah play (that how they like it in Kenya, straight hardcore reggae).
Clash is to start within the next half hour! This statement is repeatedly told over the microphone by Prince Otach who hosted the entire clash till the end.
Bullet! Bullet! Bullet! Ah sound gwan dead tonight, and I'm here to witness it all. Rah, rah, rah.
We start with the introduction round, 20 minutes for each sound with the following order,
-Supersonic sound (Germany)
-LP international (United States of America)
-King Turbo (Canada)
-Shashamane international (New York)
Supersonic sounds get the biggest forward in this round when dem draw for Jacob "Killer" Miller's "mr. officer". And Spider addresses what just happened an hour ago bout the dance lock off at City Hall. They impress the crowd instantly.
Next comes in LP international. My opinion, LP juggle the best in this round. Every tune LP play gets major forwards..... could be so since they start off by sermoning the massive say that they are their blood brothers from foreign.
King Turbo come in next..... the mic-man ah gwan good here. Fatal deh pon the machines juggle some nice Luciano specials but don't get strong forwards. All the same, this is the intro round and no sound a drop out yet.
Shashamane Crew play with Papa Binghi at the machines and M.C Juce being the mic-man. Binghi plays good only that they way he plays isn't the same style that Shashamane Kenya play and so the crowd gets a bit off track but I guess are learning in the process and getting familiar with the whole clash ting.
Next Round One: One sound has to drop off in this round
Each sound gets 10 minutes inna dis.......
Supersonic starts. Member he is the dance' favourite so far....... Spider surely did his homework in this round. Special's from L.M.S "never" and Morgan Heritage's "liberation" tore the entire dance in a frenzy, yes king, in a frenzy. Ten minutes of pure fire, dub after dub after dub......... Fantan Mojah's season riddim tune "give thanx and praise" took it a notch higher...........
LP international come in next and mash up same way . The forwards were not that much as the previous Supersonic set. Probably because the crowd had already cheered to the top of their voices and were now using LP's ten minutes as a breather.
The above reason made the next sound, King Turbo get nuff forwards too since the massive rested during LP's round were now good to go. Fatal set was laid back with a singers set session.
Shashamane comes in. The crowd notices the exchange of the mic-man from M.C Juce to Killer B. Now here in Kenya, this is a big mistake and what the crowd instantly spells is that Shashamane don't have faith in M.C Juce, thus the need to rest him fi a likkle while. You can imagine how their 10 minutes comes out to be; full of uncertainity, not only to Shashamane but to the audience and most importantly to the Shashamane fans dem.
Prince Otach, the host, steps up and takes the judgement of the round from the crowd. The audience decide to pop dung LP international. Supersonic, King Turbo and Shashamane live to battle it out to round 2.
It took around 15 minutes time for Prince Otach to get the crowd's judgement on which sound was to pack up and leave. After which, he introduced round two and addressed the crowd that each sound will play 10 tunes each. 10 TUNES not 10 minutes. O.K, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!
ROUND 2
THREE SOUNDS LEFT; Supersonic, King Turbo and Shashamane......
Spider comes in and smartly and schrewdly asks the crowd, "all who are tired of the silence and come fi party and listen to music, let me hear you all say MUUZZIKKKKK!!!!!". What more would the audience need after 10 looonng minutes of silence??? MUSIC MY LORD. And yes, Supersonic did give the people dem music. Spider starts with paying his last respects to the late and great Joseph Hills. Him chat bout how the Hills die in his hometown Berlin and such and such........ he goes on to play some really special Joseph Hill dub-plates.
King Turbo is next...... Ricky Turbo comes in rough inna dis round. Fatal plays foundation roots inna dis....... A wicked Garnett plate was played in this round.
M.C Juce is the mic-man in this round for Shashamane......... Binghi draws for some Culture plus whole heap a Glen Washington. Glen's tunes are big in Kenya and so with that effect, Shashamane starts to gain confidence with the masses. Shashamane had to wheel out some tunes due to the forwards they got. They were four in number, thus when they were about to play their seventh tunes, Prince Otach ordered to be given the mic.
Once he got the mic, Prince Otach said that Shashamane's set is like 10 tunes already since they play 6 and then wheeled out 4 and that the wheel back were counted as tunes.
Therefore, the second round was granted over and the crowd given the obligation to drop one sound out. King Turbo turned out to be the sound to leave the dance.....
Shashamane and Supersonic sounds remain........ one sound to stand alone in the TUNE FI TUNE.
Final round......... 10 tunes
Supersonic start well with a 4-0 margin over Shashamane. Spider was brilliant and even did play a Joseph Hill's special of the tune "fussing and fighting" after some two youts were at loggerheads and almost broke a fight in the dance. The Culture plate cooled them off and got a big forward. Shashamane fought back and managed to score 3 more points. The dance got sticky round here. Supersonic won the clash with a 5-4 score over Shashamane. The scores are so since they got a draw a one point. The winning dub-plate for Supersonic was Joseph Hill's "international herb"........
Dance was wicked. Clash ended at exactly 5:44 am and Supersonic played till the morning light.......
The Kenyan crowd was excellent, handled the clash ting well.....
Bless.
Zupazonic
