Review
Publication date : Wednesday, October 13th 2004 - 7 376 views French Sound System Championship 2004
Quarter-final - Pool B
Last 16 - Pool B
After a few small struggles finding our way around Ris-Orangis, we arrive right on time for the second qualifying heat of the French sound system championship.
It was our chance to discover the event's new Parisian home: the CAES. Chosen to replace the Espace Européen, which was widely criticised at previous editions, this venue is admittedly more modest, but also friendlier. And apart from a few small hitches, the sound quality was up to scratch!
At this hour the hall had not finished filling up and, despite an effective warm up, the crowd still seemed lukewarm, waiting for what was to come... It was Natty Tony, MC of Junior Sound, who had been chosen to host the night. And as soon as he grabs the mic and urges people to move closer, you can feel the serious business is about to begin...
 Natty Tony
The MC does his job very well, introducing the participants, then briefly explaining how the night will run and the rules (notably, no whistles and no foghorns for the applause meter). Then he draws lots, which will decide the running order, and for this he calls on the innocent hand of a member of the audience. More than ever, this year the championship seems to want to place itself under the banner of fair play.
The order is therefore as follows: Ruff Lion, 220 Sound, Sun City, Blackwarrel and Subionic.
1ST ROUND: STRICTLY 45 (15 MINUTES)
So it is the sound Ruff Lion, from Lille, that is given the task of opening hostilities. This time it is the selecta Nodread who represents the sound. The MC Béonik, the same one we have seen alongside Sergent Garcia, has come to lend his big, raspy voice to the occasion. A 100% reggae selection, opened by One love by Marley and Here I come by Dennis Brown, wins the sound the crowd's sympathy. The performance is respectable, without really setting the place alight. The crowd seems mixed, almost inert on Don't haffi dread by Morgan Heritage, then euphoric on Jah glory by Glen Washington or Long long time by Jahmali. Even Barrington Levy, with Black roses, and Tenor Saw, with Golden hen, don't seem able to keep the atmosphere going for long. That is the whole difficulty of juggling: the crowd reacts to the intro, then often, after that, nothing. We note a few imperfections in the set, but a definite pleasure on Nodread's face; and besides, it is not easy to open the contest either. Which is not the case for everyone in the audience... And the 15 minutes come to an end.
 The level suddenly goes up several notches as soon as Natty announces the next sound: 220 Sound, from Caen. Quite clearly the Norman supporters have turned out in force and the forwards are guaranteed from one end of the set to the other. Selecta Nico and MC Killa B. seem to know their massive is in the house and immediately impose a more digital style. Coming in on Greetings by Half Pint and following up with devastating cuts by General Levy and Papa San, spiced with an enormous pull up, the three lads literally set the now very dense crowd on fire. Not forgetting their classics (a very good Rub a dub style by Dennis Brown), 220 very quickly launches into a more modern set than the previous one, mixing big riddims, like the Joyride with Beenie Man and Buju Banton, and devastating singles, like Rainbow circle throne by Jah Mason. The crowd is primed and when the very soca Too badmind by Elephant Man arrives, it is sheer madness! A huge ganja tune by Daweh Congo finishes off putting music lovers of every stripe in the sound's pocket and already, in the audience, people are murmuring the name of 220 sound as the potential winner of the night.
Natty has trouble introducing the next sound, so loudly do the Caen fans voice their support for 220, but it is Sun City's turn to step up. The sound lives up to its name, since the selecta, Rosco, comes from Toulouse and the MC, Prose, from Bordeaux. However, the set delivered by the two partners is not exactly sunny. Despite an original entrance with a fine run on the Herbalist riddim (Capleton / Uplifter, Jah Mason and the enormous Sizzla, It's all yours, pulled up for the occasion), right from the start, something seems off... Prose looks tired, not to say absent. When Rosco lets the version run, the MC doesn't even take the chance to drop a little word. All through the set he contents himself with timidly humming snatches of lyrics, punctuated by a few not very encouraging "Yeah!"s. The selection carries on with very beautiful but rather soft tunes by Luciano or Half Pint. The lack of MC-ing thins the crowd out a little. Some take the chance to recover from the 220 sound passage and even the dancehall tunes like the very good Hot for real by Danny English and Egg Nog on the Bollywood riddim cannot bring back a decent atmosphere.
 Let's quickly forget this bad patch. Natty then takes back control to announce what's next. Things are about to get tougher, since Blackwarrel, the Guadeloupean sound due to play, is none other than the reigning French champion. Thunderous entrance from MC Black Kimbo (a worthy stand-in for the absent Tiwony) and his selecta, with some very good cuts by Shabba, then Sanchez. The Gwada crew get a very big forward for their Jah Cure tribute run, with Zion I await, Lion in this jungle with Sizzla and Run come love me with Jah Mason. This is where Blackwarrel makes a small mistake; in the momentum of the forward received by the magnificent Fade away by Junior Byles, the sound mixes Glen Washington on the same riddim. However, that no less magnificent Jah Glory had already been played by 220 and several people in the audience noticed... It's not much and it doesn't stop Kimbo from rekindling the embers with Solid as a rock by Sizzla, very well judged! Blackwarrel can feel proud of its first round.
The last sound to go is from Paris, and well known on the local scene. Subionic enters in bloody fashion, with Murderer by Barrington Levy, then violent juggling of good old Bounty Killer cuts. The forward is there again. The sound then calms the crowd down a little, without losing its attention or lessening its enjoyment, by playing a few more roots sounds. A good run on the Baba tunde riddim (Capleton, Luciano) follows and, here too, a small tribute to Jah Cure, with Sunny day and Jah bless me. Frenzy by Sanchez obviously works its effect and the set ends on a frankly more hardcore note with the Scoobay riddim, a good load of Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel and a few "batty man fi dead" here and there. Subionic is not the joking type, it would seem. However, the crowd seems less receptive to this kind of vibes and the 15 minutes end less well than they began. The first round ends with no elimination, the organisers having decided to grant the participants a warm-up lap.
2ND ROUND: MIX 45, REMIX, DUBPLATE (15 MINUTES)
 Ruff Lion, determined to fight it out, announces as soon as it returns to the stage that for it this round will be 100% dubplates. The set is opened by a Daddy Mory on the Golden hen riddim, followed by a Little Dany on the Stalag, then a Yaniss Odua on the Peanie peanie, which gets a very good forward. Despite a good little collection of dubplates, on good riddims, it just doesn't take. Even the famous Bouge by Azrock, cut on the Diwali riddim, or Les mains en l'air by Straika D., on the Mutton snappa, fail to hit their target. The biggest forward of the session is no doubt for the very beautiful Difanga on the Lala bella or for the Straika D. on the Doctor's darling. Ruff Lion will try, as best it can, to introduce a local artist into its set, Mutikafu, but the crowd's attention is not won. It is a pity that this dubplate session was almost exclusively French. Indeed, only one Yardie dub could be picked out, by Morgan Heritage, on the Forever loving Jah riddim (of very good quality, incidentally), and that is a real shame, when you know what is coming next...
220 Sound then goes back on stage and it is madness once again. The entrance is very original, with a very good hip-hop session on instrumentals such as Mek it clap by Busta Rhymes or What's the difference and Still D.R.E. by Dr. Dre. Unlike Ruff Lion, 220's set is not made up exclusively of dubplates, but is spiced with a few good remixes, like Hand up deh by Beenie Man in hip-hop or the devastating Badness by Capleton, originally on the Martial arts riddim, then mixed on the Di judgement. The pressure doesn't drop for a second during these 15 minutes, the foghorns and whistles can't stop sounding and the crowd even sings in chorus on certain cuts. The young lads of 220 sound seem to have done their homework very well, having a good number of plates recorded specially for the championship (some boiling clash lyrics from Matinda, Uman or Loo Ranks). But here again, lots of French artists and very few Yardies; the Sound fi dead by Buju on the Still D.R.E and the Kimbo King by Reggie Stepper on the Di judgement still get a very big forward.
It is then Sun City's turn to perform again and the task is not an easy one. No dubplates in this set, and still no MC-ing, even less than in the first round (if that is possible). The two members of the sound look disillusioned and must surely feel that the die is already cast for them. Despite an essentially dancehall set, with some good killers like the Bad company riddim (Capleton, Elephant Man and Beenie Man), the crowd's reaction is frankly feeble and the 15 minutes pass somehow. The selection even begins to run out of steam a little, with a return to the Bollywood riddim, and always the same artists coming back, Capleton, Sizzla, Sizzla, Capleton. Nothing memorable in this set and the crowd even seems slightly unhappy with Sun City's performance.
Fortunately, Blackwarrel is going to make up for all that very quickly, playing really fresh riddims, like the Check it back or the Alleluia, with two killers by Vybz kartel, but also with some very good local dubplates, notably by Daddy Mory and by Tiwony of course. A little trip over the inevitable Coolie dance riddim, with the remix of Move ya body by Nina Sky, with Vybz Kartel (him again), and it is the chance to bring in a very good plate by Harry Toddler. Still a few very original cuts, like the Respect by Frisco Kid or a nasty clash lyrics by Daddy Mory, who remixes his Dancehall time into Killing time. The 15 minutes go by much faster than with Sun City and the crowd seems cheerful again. Despite, once more, the small number of Jamaican plates, one can appreciate the originality of the artists and riddims chosen by Blackwarrel.
 Finally, Subionic returns to close this second round. The set is perhaps less original than that of 220 or Blackwarrel, but no less effective for that. On the contrary, Subionic intelligently alternates big hits and dubplates. Thus, amid Anything goes by Wayne Wonder, Lexxus and CNN, All out by Elephant Man, Turn me on by Kevin Lyttle or Pull up by Mr. Vegas, Subionic drops some big dubplates. A very good Wayne Wonder on the Bookshelf riddim stands out, and a special mention goes to Pull up inna di dance by Assassin, cut on the Coolie dance riddim (no doubt one of the best plates of the night). To finish the 15 minutes, the selecta swaps places with the MC and voices equally devastating local plates in Creole; Tir' tchouw la by Straika D. on the Blackout riddim lands like a bomb.
The round ends there and the serious business really begins for the crowd, since it is now time to vote. 220 sound with 109 and Blackwarrel with 106 are qualified outright, while Sun City with 90 is, predictably, eliminated. However a tie between Ruff Lion and Subionic (100 each) forces Natty to hold a second vote, which sees Subionic win.
3RD ROUND: STRICTLY DUBPLATES (15 MINUTES)
In the previous round, the three sounds still in the competition showed they had what it takes for what follows. And when 220 comes back on stage, the fired-up crowd expects the best. Coming in with a good Mad Killah on the Sleng teng, followed by an Azrock and a Yaniss Odua on the Electric (original), the level is set quite high. But once again, the French scene is almost omnipresent in this set and apart from a good Jah Mason on the Aaxxia, you're left a bit hungry as far as Yardie plates are concerned. Mad Killah and Azrock seem to have the wind in their sails, given how much we heard them during this set. But what will stay with us most from this dubplate round are certainly the two very good Soundkail and above all the Caen artist, Dar-K, whom the members of the sound presented; barely 18 and already enormous potential.
 Blackwarrel, who was reproached last year for playing too many local sounds, shows from its entrance that it has learnt the lesson. And it is none other than Half Pint with Greetings (a fine answer to 220's entrance in the first round) and John Holt with Police in helicopter, cut on the Revolution riddim, that open the set. A fine little run on the Zion gate riddim follows, then a few Stalag, including a Get to the point by Sizzla, voiced in a really original way. Kimbo then goes behind the decks to make way for the selecta and the local plates reappear, but not just any plates... Indeed, we heard combinations of Tiwony with Buju Banton or Elephant Man in an absolutely stunning fast juggling style. Pliss dif' by Tiwony on the Aaxxia finishes off knocking everyone out and it is apparently satisfied and confident that Blackwarrel leaves the stage.
Subionic then arrives again. A gentle entrance on a magnificent Damage by Anthony B., cut on the Soul food riddim, then a very good Sizzla, recorded in Jamaica itself, but whose sound leaves a little to be desired. The selection is very conscious, with One away by Sizzla and Raggy road by Capleton on the Satta Massagana. Good plates, but less original than what Blackwarrel offered us. A playback problem literally sabotages what follows and forces Subionic to change the stylus, before following up with good plates by Frisco Kid, Wayne Wonder (again!) and Buju Banton on the Joyride riddim. Pleasant, but none of it very fresh.
Neither Subionic nor 220 reaches the level of MC-ing of Blackwarrel and the round ends rather calmly.
The crowd is then called on to vote once more. And here comes the surprise of the night! After a rather tumultuous vote, since the vote for Subionic has to be redone three times, it is Blackwarrel that goes out. One could argue for a long time about how this vote went, but the result is there and it was out of a concern to do things properly that the organisers repeated the vote several times, whistles and feedback having occurred during the first rounds of the applause meter.
4TH ROUND: DUB FI DUB (15 MINUTES)
This time, the heavy artillery has to come out and both sounds know it. At last we hear a few more Yardie dubplates: Wayne Wonder on the Real rock and on the Tonight (Saddest day), but also Bounty Killer and Anthony Johnson for Subionic, Jah Mason on the Kilowatt (Ill vibes) and on the Lala bella, Reggie Stepper on the Stalag, King Kong on the Tonight (Trouble again). The two sounds tease each other a little, but without real aggression. One of the best moments was surely the confrontation of the two Daddy Mory plates... Indeed, Subionic brings in one of its rare French plates and unleashes one of the baddest Morys ever heard, on the version of Waiting in vain that had been used for J'entends parler du sida, on which the DJ takes up the same flow and the same rhymes as on the original, but with an incendiary clash lyrics. 220 wanted to answer with a Daddy Mory of its own too, but one so much flatter and less surprising... Unfortunately for Subionic, the crowd seems devoted to 220 and when the vote comes, it is the latter that wins by 110 to 106. This result is a matter of form, given that both sounds are qualified for the rest of the competition and that this dub fi dub only served to decide the date each of them will appear in the next round.
In short, a good night, full of twists, but which still lacks a few Jamaican dubplates for many people's taste... Let's hope the sounds have chosen to keep a few good surprises for the rest of the competition... And let's also hope that Blackwarrel will come back to take its revenge next year, because they really deserved to get through this first round.
Report written by Lexxx T.
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