Dancehall fans are eagerly anticipating this year’s Sashi Music Experience festival which will feature a Dancehall Night dubbed Sashi Synergy on May 24 at Plantation Cove in St Ann.

The night will feature a sound clash featuring Sound Trooper, Bass Odyssey, Tony Matterhorn, and the Metromedia sound system, plus 40 dancehall artistes of these superstar selectors’ choosing.

The format is a nod to the storied dancehall sound clash history in which each sound system will feature teams of dancehall artistes who will form specially-picked crews.

“Before the show, there will be a special draft, like an NBA draft, with each of the sound systems personally choosing the artistes who will be on their crew on Dancehall Night,” Horatio Hamilton, founder of Sashi, said.

“There will be 10 rounds, and in each round, each of the four sound systems will pick one artiste, so there will be four picks in each round, 40 artistes in all, and we will have four superstar teams facing off on May 24,” Hamilton added.

He promises a bonanza of special dubplates and impromptu performances that will wow audiences starved of this kind of competition.

“It’s going to be intense, it’s going to be amazing, this is the height of creativity and a return to the roots of dancehall,” he mused.

Hamilton believes that this superstar collection of artistes and selectors will not just be assembled to win a clash, but will serve as a curtain-raiser for a brand-new phenomenon.

“The grass roots needs it, the culture needs this moment. We are doing a 360-degree turn; most people under the age of 40 have never experienced this phenomenon. There is a void in the marketplace; the parents who loved this artform are starved of this sort of entertainment, their kids don’t listen to their music so we’re servicing an ignored segment of the market,” Hamilton said. “This event will show that dancehall will always be connected to its roots regardless of how times change.”

In the 1980s, the idea of the Jamaican soundclash — a fierce sound battle between rival sound systems — took off around the world; from the Caribbean to the US, Japan, to Scandinavia.

“Back in the day, every sound system had its own artistes and that allowed them to develop their craft because they had to ‘warm up’ the sound and these hours of practice actually allowed these deejays to develop their craft because they had to hold the mic and entertain the crowd for hours,” Hamilton said.

The Sashi team is committed to leveraging the festival’s influence for positive change.

Sashi is seeking to spearhead initiatives to create opportunities within the industry, fostering growth and sustainability of our culture on a global scale.