MARK Bartley, owner of four-year-old St Ann sound system DJ Mark Moments, said Jamaica’s Noise Abatement Act has drastically changed the entertainment landscape. He’s, however, determined to make it the highly competitive business.

“With the Act, promoters are keeping fewer parties, because 2:00 is a bit early to turn off your sound. The promoters stand to lose if the patrons don’t come out by that time,” the 45-year-old selector told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“Also, sound systems are using power boxes/monitors instead of the huge boxes… there is less hassle from the police as those are smaller so they are more tolerable,” he continued.

A contentious issue in dancehall circles, the Act stipulates that sound systems and parties should end at 2:00 am.

Bartley, a former member of the Bass Odyssey in St Ann, spent 12 years as part of that group before launching on his own in 2011. He explained his reason for branching out.

“I decided to do my own thing because the sound system world is not like a regular job. There is no pension to collect after retirement so I have to set a foundation for myself. I also wanted to nurture young selectors so that they can carry on the legacy when I decide to stop playing,” he said.

In addition to Bartley, DJ Mark Movements currently has a staff of four.

He said as a selector, it is not always about the money but pleasing his listeners while mastering your craft.

“For every event, I play like I am playing for the first time, as I always want to impress the fans. This is the type of behaviour that I am instilling in the members of my team,” he said.

So far, he is pleased with DJ Mark Moments’ growth.

“The sound started off with a bang. It was more than I expected but my name was already out there so persons knew who I was. Now we are playing almost every weekend. We started out with monitor boxes but now I have two sound systems,” he said.

He has several bookings for the remainder of the year, as well as anticipating Caribbean and United States gigs.

A former student of York Castle High, his passion for music led him to join the band.

“After I graduated, I began doing a regular job but I began experimenting with the turntables. I later began working with Echo Stone sound in 1990 then I migrated to the United States for a few years. In 1996, I joined the Bass Odyssey,” he said.

Bartley said he has seen the technology go through drastic change over the years.

“Fortunately, we don’t have to change our machines with the rise in technology as the old ones do the same job,” he chuckled.

— Simone Morgan