Coney Island Reggae Sound System Beach Party II
Saturday, August 14: from noon to sundown
Coney Island Boardwalk at West 15th Street
feat. DJ Carter Van Pelt, Hahn Solo (Dub Is A Weapon), Vaughn All Star
and special guests performing rub-a-dub style
FREE
Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae on the beach in a traditional Jamaican yard style!
WKCR’s Eastern Standard Time and the Sound Liberation Front will team up Saturday,
August 14, to present Coney Island Reggae Sound System Beach Party II on the Coney
Island Boardwalk. The all-day event (from noon to sundown) is free and will feature live DJs and
special guest artists combining to bring the enormously influential culture of Jamaican sound
systems to the Brooklyn beach.
Among the featured DJs for the event are DJ Carter Van Pelt, host of Eastern Standard Time;
Hahn Solo, lead guitarist and dub engineer for Dub Is A Weapon; and Vaughn All Star, a
selector for King Crown International sound system.
Sound System 101
Sound systems took over from orchestras in Jamaican dancehalls in the 1950s and became part
of nearly every development in Jamaican music: Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Dancehall and so
on. Because sound system dances were one of the few things poor people on the island could
call their own, the parties became central to downtown life and the local economy. Competition
for the best equipment and the most exciting music was fierce and became the driving force
behind the evolution of the island’s music industry as sound system owners turned to record
producing.
For fifty years, the natural medium for Jamaican modern music has been the sound system
dances. The music was produced and designed specifically for sound systems to play, and for
the enjoyment of the people attending the dances. Wherever Jamaicans have traveled, from
London to New York and beyond, sound systems have been part of their luggage. The legacy of
sound system culture can be found in many forms of popular music around the world.
Eastern Standard Time is WKCR 89.9FM’s Jamaican music program that airs live every
Saturday from 6-10 a.m. The show is devoted to presenting all Jamaican music forms, but with a
predominant emphasis on roots Reggae of the ’70s and early ’80s, Rocksteady from the mid
’60s and Ska from the early ’60s. EST was previously known as Reggae Riddims. More
information about EST, including recordings and playlists can be found at
http://wkcrjamaica.blogspot.com.
SOUND LIBERATION FRONT (www.soundliberation.org) is a Brooklyn-based non-profit
organization devoted to the power of music as a socially liberating and unifying cultural force.
Last summer, the group organized the Sound Liberation Festival in Brooklyn. The event
featured hip-hop legends Brand Nubian, electro-Afrobeat pioneers Chico Mann and more. SLF
hosts the monthly Afro-Dub Sessions at Rose in Williamsburg, and SoundLib Wednesdays at
Moe’s Bar in Fort Greene.