Back row, from left DJ Smallvoice, DJ Stylez, Mr Shaun, and a friend of the sound system, Total; and front row, from left, DJ MC, Nero-P, DJ Cuteye, and DJ Ice. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Inspired by the sounds of Bass Odyssey and Stone Love, Coppershot Disco came onto the scene during a period of what the group describes as "strong and stirring lyrical content being played with little creativity".

Based in Jamaica, Coppershot has been in a sound system business for over 11 years and has already branded its name on dancehall music. Founded by Matthew "Nero P" Gray, Shaun "Mr Shaun" Anderson and Jason "Jigzagula" Henriques, in 1994 while attending Campion College, the trio said that it was their genuine love of music and Dancehall culture that brought them together.

One of the first sessions that Gray, Anderson and Henriques remember playing at was Joyride, an uptown clash set-up, where by the end of the night, the newcomers had surprised the crowd with their skills, gaining instant recognition.

With Coppershot's success came increasingly widespread demand for the sound to play at various events, and that created an issue that the three founding members had to address. The need arose to have more than three members who shared the same goals and could handle the workload of the sound system. As such Gray, Anderson and Henriques expanded, adding new members Donald "DJ Donny" Whittingham from Taurus, Jason "DJ Ice" Carr, Joel "Smallvoice" Channer, Marc "MC" Chin, Sanjay "Stylez" Smith formerly of Bloodline, Shawn "Cuteye" Clarke and Blaine "Cutty" Nesbitt. Each of the members has brought his own unique skill and style to the sound, adding to Coppershot's versatility and allowing the sound to stand out in the sometimes unfair and unforgiving line of work.

Uptown meets hardcore Dancehall
Coppershot's style is described as a merging of uptown with hardcore dancehall. This is evident from the Hip-Hop/Dancehall remixes built by the sound. Coppershot believes that the difference between its style of playing and that of other sound systems, is that they engage in a lot of crowd interaction, to put on a performance or a show. As such, the group said that they have set about mastering the art of connecting with the crowd and delivering exactly what patrons want to hear, which can be recognised by lighters and cheers from the crowd. It is that synergy between sound system and crowd that creates a certain magic that is the true vibe of the dancehall.

In addition, the sound prefers not to go off the vibe of the individual selectors, but to play songs that the crowd wants to hear while incorporating popular deejays, as well as upcoming artistes. Some of their favourite artistes include Vybz Kartel, Busy Signal, TOK, Bounty Killer and Sean Paul (who is Henriques' cousin). In terms of rhythms, Coppershot currently likes to play the 85, Baddis and Taxifare rhythms and the sound predicts that the Galore rhythm, produced by Leftside and Esco will be the hot one to watch this winter.
No limits

Coppershot also pushes the limit in terms of geographical playing area, as well as genre. Aside from playing at sessions, concerts, stage shows, and the occassional birthday party locally, Coppershot has ventured to overseas locations like the Cayman Islands, Barbados, the Bahamas and even French-speaking Martinique. Outside of the region, the sound has played in the United States in Florida, New York, and Atlanta, as well as in Montreal, Canada. On a wider scale, one Coppershot member, Mr Shaun, has even been as far as Japan.

Fresh from the success of its No Tampering rhythm, Coppershot is currently in the process of building a recording studio. The sound currently has two mix CD's out - the popular Welcome to Jamrock mix and the culture mix Signs of the Times - and Coppershot also has plans for a Christmas party in the works. For the future, the group said that people can expect continued quality performances from the sound, in addition to more producing efforts and new parties for the upcoming year. The sound also has plans to ensure that Coppershot becomes a household name that will be on the tongues of every Dancehall lover across the globe and synonymous with the culture of Dancehall music.

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