Dalhouse calls for culture promotion
Canada-based sound system selector Jermaine Dalhouse – who operates Twin Star International sound system with his twin brother Jerome – feels that the entertainment industry must ensure that the music played in the dancehall is promoting our culture.
“I don’t think some selectors really care about our culture and maintaining our legacy – it’s all about the hype and the popularity out there. It’s all about who plays bad man tune to get gangster support. I am currently doing gigs in South Africa and a lot of what I am hearing is authentic reggae sounds which include drums and guitar and they are doing a fine job with it. These selectors (South Africa) are outplaying others because the music is wholesome,” said Dalhouse.
Born and raised on Linclon Avenue, in the Maxfield Avenue community of St Andrew, he and his brother built Twin Supreme from the ground up.
“Our parents were poor, but we were ambitious. After school we would go Up Park Camp, pick and sell mangoes. Part of the money used to buy sound parts, like speakers while good friends like Sugar Minott give us hand,” he said.
In 2003, a year later, the sound changed its name to Twin Star International. Dalhouse migrated to England and four years later (2007) to Canada where he had been living since. His twin lives in Jamaica and operates the local arm of Twin Star International.
“The sound had played for different events, including Caribana in Canada. My latest project in South Africa, where I have been six times before, comprises five shows. The first was a welcome party in Johannesburg on March 27, moving onto Pretoria (April 9) and Botswana (April 2),” he added.