With a focus on the Next Generation of selectors, eight emerging DJs/selectors will compete in this year’s staging of the Guinness Sounds of Greatness (GSOG) clash competition.

DJ Tucker Fresh and the duo of DJ Insaneo and DJ Barney (Juggling Masters) are among the pack who are looking forward to the exposure and the opportunity to showcase their musical skills.

“I see it as a good opportunity and exposure. I have over ten years in music, having started my journey in prep school, then onto high school and then at university. I was even a part of Rebel Sound,” said DJ Insaneo.

DJ Barney, who is originally from Clarendon and who has done stints with at least two sounds, says his skills as a DJ will help to gain the recognition that he seeks.

“I see this as a way to showcase my skills and talent. We have the skills and we are going to bring it in the competition,” said DJ Barney.

DJ Tucker Fresh, who competed in the SunCity High School DJ competition a few years ago and who now works at Newstalk 93 FM, says his experience with the Black Street sound will help in his bid to win the Guinness Sounds of Greatness title.

“From a tender age, I have had an interest in music. By entering the Guinness Sounds of Greatness, the main goal is to win. But I also hope to get a lot more exposure and experience. Thanks to Black Street sound which helped in my development and made me what I am today,” Tucker Fresh told OBSERVER ONLINE.

The Guinness Sounds of Greatness sound clash, which began in 2008, previously focused on clashes between veterans in the sound system industry. The grand finals is scheduled for July 7 and will be preceded by two semi-final rounds in which four DJs will go head to head with only two advancing to the finals for a chance to be crowned the Next Generation Guinness Sounds of Greatness Champion.

“Guinness is all about music and in particular dancehall culture. We needed to bring something new to the table and bring it back to the streets, and who we found are in the streets, the next generation,” Nadine Thomas-Hylton, brand manager for Guinness, told OBSERVER ONLINE.

She continued, “And, I think they’ve discovered a new love for dancehall of the 80s, 90s and 2000s and they are enjoying that music. But they’re also mixing all of that with their space of their new music. So, we decided to fuse that together and bring the greatest show ever, because Guinness is all about greatness.”

Thomas-Hylton said the Guinness Sounds of Greatness competition will be activated from the community level. Some $1.5 million in cash and prizes will be up for grabs including DJ equipment.

There will be two semi-final rounds and the grand final will take place downtown Kingston.

Professional DJs will mentor and offer advice to competitors. At the grand final, international sounds Warrior Sound (Germany) and Dynamiq (Sudan) will showcase their skills in a clash of sorts.

Guinness will also celebrate the veterans in the sound system arena at the grand finals.

“At the finals we will be awarding some really good DJs who have excelled in the sound system arena. I think Jamaica and the dancehall community will really appreciate that,” said Thomas-Hylton.