[extended content about sound systems of the 90ies; from our poster exhibition during the second orbit event ‘Sound System Culture – On the Radical Roots of Rave – Chapter #2’]

Due to the Caribbean migration, the United Kingdom was massively relevant for the sound system culture of the 90ies (of course also before and until today) – especially for bringing the idea to whole Europe.
Even if we can not include all of the sound systems in Europe being active during the 90ies, here is an insight into some of the important names, crews and connections behind them.

Spiral Tribe is one of the best known techno/tekno sound systems. Having started in the UK, it soon grew international after several members of the collective had been arrested in the context of one legendary illegal seven day festival in Castlemorton in 1992.
Spiral Tribe exchanged with artists all over Europe, inspiring others to join the free tekno movement and hold raves in abandoned places or forests all over the continent.
A bit earlier on already, sounds like Bedlam and Mutoid Waste Company had been exploring and exchanging with artists and musicians through Europe.
Mutoid became especially popular for their sculptural art work, influenced by dystopian comics like 2000 AD. A part of the crew would settle in Italy and cooperate with young emerging tekno tribes within the squatters’ movements.

From a dub-side of view, Jah Shaka Sound System has to be mentioned even if he already began making music in 1962 and was running his own sound already since the beginning of the 1970ies. Shaka was one of the ongoing sound systems playing strictly conscious roots reggae, dub and steppers productions (cf: http://reggaelicious.pbworks.com/w/page/8799846/Jah%20Shaka 19th of January 2019, 6pm) remote from the ‘mainstream’ influence of dancehall rising in the 80ies.
Later on many sound systems and artists who see reggae and dub as music of resistance will refer to Shaka’s dub dances, rather than to the dancehall events.
Boom-Shacka-Lacka Sound System was founded by the two Disciples brothers Lol Brown and Russ D. in 1991, playing various sessions in England and all over Europe until 1996. From 1993 they also released via their own label called Boom-Shacka-Lacka as well until Lol Brown leaves the Disciples in 1996. Russ D. then stopped running the sound system Boom-Shacka-Lacka and instead founded another label called Backyard Movements (cf: https://www.radiomonster.fm/interpret/dance/the-disciples/ 19th of January 2019, 6pm).
The members from Leeds sound Iration Steppas already had a long history with collecting records, playing a great number of sessions and were asked various times to finally build a sound system. So even if he believed it to be too exhausting, Mark Iration finally met Dennis Rootical in 1993 and this was getting the ball rolling. With their debut album ‘Original Dub Dat’ they set a milestone in 1996, being still active until today (cf: https://www.laut.de/Iration-Steppas 19th of January 2019, 6pm).
Aba Shanti-I Sound System is operated by the producer Aba for over 30 years now in the UK and Europe. He was deejaying for the Jah Tubby’s World Sound System (under the name Jasmin Joe) until 1990, then took over running it.
It’s a resident sound system at Notting Hill Carnival since 1993 and was one of the founder sound systems of the University of Dub in the end of the 90ies. One of the guidelines of Aba’s work is the statement ‘We don’t segregate, we integrate’ (cf:
http://www.falasha-recordings.co.uk/who%27swho/who.htm
19th of January 2019, 6pm).

As with techno, in Europe UK steppers resonated with a generation of reggae fans, who were searching for a very different sound experience and found their main inspiration or physical sound system contact through UK sounds. London based RDK Hi Fi travelled through Europe in 1992, introducing their sound to Italy, France, Switzerland and later Germany.

Through the rich exchange between French and UK free tekno sound systems, a new hybrid style of music emerged in France by the end of the 1990s. Bands like Zenzile, Kaly Live Dub or High Tone developed a sound that would fuse heavy-bass dub with acid sounds and amen breaks and set the ground for a new genre electronic live dub.

Living together in the south-west of Paris, the Heretik System became a hub for techno music and liberalism in France, in the late 1990s. But it was the tragic suicide of one of the founding members along with the accidental death of numerous others in the Heretik System in 1998 that bonded the group more than ever before. Similar to the UK in the early 90s, the raves irritated French authorities consistently for years(cf: https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/yp4d57/popofon-
old-history-new-albums-and-life-as-a-french-teknovagabond).

In Italy One Love Hi Powa crew measured up the RDK Hi Fi speaker boxes and began to build Italy’s first dub sound system from early 1994.
Also War Sound System was one of the first self-built sound systems in Italy in 1994, it was made by DJ War who already published first italian independent reggae productions since 1990. From to mid-90ies, he brought sound system culture to various dances all over the country (cf: http://soundsystemculture.org/en/dj-war-interview/. 19th of January 2019, 6pm).
Out of the necessity for autonomous places and rooted in Italy’s squatting scene, Kernel Panik formed in 1998. They aspire to and are inspired by the writings of famous anarchist poet, Hakim Bay; as their base is set around the murals of Italy’s biggest occupation Forte Prenestino.

Based in Amsterdam, Holland, the King Shiloh Sound System plays roots reggae and dub since 1991. They have been travelling Europe a lot during the last 20 years and were the “the first non UK sound to play on the island with their own sound system, becoming
regulars at the famous University of Dub in London”. Bredda Neil is operating the sound as well as selecting music, Ras Lion is the MC and Majestic B is the third so called ‘original member’ (cf: http://kingshiloh.com/bio/ 19th of January 2019, 6pm).

Germany hosted the first European reggae festival already in 1986.
The Blackwood Sound System also got into doing gigs even shortly before the 90ies, picking up on the jamaican raggamuffin style. With years, the sound system itself grew bigger and so the musical collection did. Also playing UK Dub later on, they made ‘first contacts’ to people like Ben (Alpha Steppa) and Ras Joseph (King Alpha) and also were connected to the french massive a lot. The Blackwood crew was founded by Sheep Blackwood who continuously includes younger people to keep the sound running (cf: https://blackwood-soundsystem.de/Biographie 19th of January 2019, 6pm).
In Hamburg, in the north of Germany, the Crucial Vibes Sound System was active since 1992, run by Crucial B and Alex who got inspired to get into it on a Summerjam Festival before. Already collecting vinyl for years, their selection contained early Studio One productions, Roots, Digital Reggae, Early Dance Hall up to Raggamuffin – at that time mostly heard on open air and street dances (cf: http://www.crucial-vibes.com/ 19th of January 2019, 6pm).
I-livity I-Fi Sound System was founded in 1997, the sound and selection was accompanied by the jamaican Singer Jah B, doing sessions in venues like Hafenklang and Rote Flora- which were two of the few clubs in Hamburg where you could exercise sound system culture. When Jah B died, the sound system stopped it activism for quite a while but later took on the mission again.
Checking on Berlin in the early 90ies, there were only some reggae/dub selectas around but no actual reggae/dub sound systems. The first sound system that was brought -not built!- was the King David Sound from Tübingen in the mid 90ies; which is today known and still active under the name Graograman Hifi.
Dojoson Sound System included the byname ‘Rootz and Dub -Sounds of resistance’ and also belongs to one of the pioneers regarding the topic, especially when it comes to their musical output which was partly far ahead of their time. With some of the members coming from Wuppertal (Germany), ‘Dojo’ was founded in 1995 by Holger and Sasa who already played dub and downbeat at some venues. Making their way around Germany, they also appeared on festivals like Summerjam, Soma and the Hemp Parade (cf: http://dojo-son.blogspot.com/2011/08/soundsystem.html 19th of January 2019, 6pm).

It has to be mentioned, that Dancehall was very popular at that point in time and can not just be skipped when looking at sound system culture. So even if this is not our musical focus, for sure there was a big influence of Dancehall sound systems regarding the visibility of sound system culture in society altogether. Also, because during this years it became common to also call the group of people doing music (selection and MC) a sound system, even if there was no actual own set of loudspeakers involved. Pow Pow Movement from Cologne, Concrete Jungle with Barney Millah from Berlin, Supersonic from Berlin and Silly Walks from Hamburg are big examples of the huge dancehall scene in Germany. Silly Walks for example were some of the first ones to do ‘public’ statements against homophobia and didn’t play tracks with that kind of content.

Similar to the separation of reggae/dub and dancehall, the techno scene experienced a gap between the mass events and it’s subculture. Out of the circles of Berlin’s Tresor, European techno pioneers like Westbam, or young Marusha would evolve. Further West though, Frankfurt became the epicentre for a more trance-influenced style of techno. Mark Spoon, DJ Tomalla and Sven Väth became cult figures of the mass events and
shique techno sounds of the West, while in East Germany sound systems like Monoton would evolve some years later through the close connection to Czech Republic and represent hard-techno and free tekno.

“By the late 90’s there was a significant rise in Sound Systems throughout Europe, Japan and other parts of the world. […] The same period saw the (contested) shift in definitions of what actually constitutes a Sound with the physical equipment; amplifiers and speakers etc no longer being essential for an individual or group to call themselves a Sound System. […]
This change (United Kingdom) was also due to changes in the law relating to noise pollution. Environmental Health Officers were employed by local councils. […] Their powers allowed them to stop the dance/party (lock off the sound), issue fines and at worst seize the amplification equipment. In addition to this, they may prosecute the person/s responsible. […] It became harder to hold dances in halls and community centres, therefore Selectors/DJs were only required to carry record boxes to clubs rather than the full set (amps speakers etc)[…]”. (http://reggaelicious.pbworks.com/w/page/8800165/Sound%20System, 19th of January 2019, 6pm).