The sound system arena has always been competitive. For Florida-based Firm Music, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this evening at Star Lounge in Hollywood, there have been many obstacles.

“Over the five years, it has been a bit challenging because we are a set of young DJs that are humble and who are trying to come up in an era where being humble will not get you very far. We are grateful that we have enough talent for people to recognise us as some of the best to do it. We don’t really consider ourselves competitors with others because we are trying to create a lane for ourselves,” said Alanzo “DJ Stretch” Miller who is from St Ann.

The other members of Firm Music are also Jamaicans: Valentine “DJ Brad” Miller, Shane “DJ Buzz” Coombs, Kasjuan “DJ Carbon” Wilson, Justin “Justus’ Grey”, and Onique “DJ Keemy” Francis.

“Over the period, we have elevated beyond our expectations and look forward to breaking more ground as time progresses,” DJ Stretch said.

Firm Music has played several major events in the Sunshine State including Igloo Florida, Daydreams Florida, the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival and Caution. The ‘sound’ has also done shows in New York, The Bahamas and Jamaica.

They avoid sound clashes but have one on the cards.

“We have never participated in sound clashes but we love the sound clash culture. We pride ourselves as being the fun and vibrant DJs that cater to all cultures. However, we are booked to do a juggling clash in June, so that will be our first clash/competition,” said DJ Stretch, who pointed out that Firm Music’s playlist is not limited to dancehall.

“Musically, we bring a lot of experience to the table. We are able to play all genres of music including reggae, dancehall, soca, Afro beat, hip hop, pop, Latin and a bit of Kompa. We also show respect to everyone and we still believe in remaining humble no matter what the circumstances are. We try to stay in our own lane and create our own type of culture not only for us, but also for the younger ones coming up.”

Some of the Jamaican events Firm Music has played include Club Life, Rum Fridays and Timeless Full Speed Birthday Bash.