The sound clash is a Jamaican competitive art form in which two or more DJs and their technical assistants play records back and forth, with crowd approval determining a victor. Starting in the 1950s, enterprising Jamaican music producers set up large stereo speakers with a single turntable in outdoor locations to play American- and eventually Jamaican-produced R&B 45s. Open-air sound system dances were cheap entertainment for people who couldn't afford the concert halls as well as a vehicle for record labels to promote their releases. Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat, Prince Buster's Voice of the People, and Duke Reid's Trojan were three big sound systems whose labels kick-started the Jamaican recording industry. Since then, clashes have grown in size and complexity and are now mostly held... More >>>