Caribbean taste makers Irish and Chin will once again stir up sound clash excitement with the highly anticipated U.S. Rumble on Saturday, October 10, 2015, their key effort (as a part of their greater R.E.S.E.T. initiative) to expose young sound systems to a global audience. Going down inside the Queens, NY hot spot, Amazura, the high profile clash event, which features 7 promising, hungry U.S. sounds, will grant it’s winner the rights to represent the U.S. on coveted international stages, including World Clash and U.K. Cup Clash, as well as the opportunity to defend their U.S. Rumble title at next year’s competition. Notably, these are three viable platforms the winner can utilize to further establish their career.
After canvassing the country for sound systems making an impact in their respective states, Irish and Chin carefully granted seven rising sounds slots on the U.S. Rumble sound clash. The lucky contenders include Black Hustler (Connecticut), Broken Silence (California), King Fargo (New York), King Shine (New Jersey), Innocent (Florida), Love People (Virginia) and Nexxt Level (New York). These young sounds will be judged on criteria including speech, creativity, presentation and music knowledge. The contenders will be allowed to mix their dub plates with 45 selections. This not only frees the sounds up on the heavy cost of dub plates but also spawns a new and vibrant vibe in the arena and places an emphasis on talent and entertaining the audience.
“It’s no secret that most of the sound clash industry’s sound systems and selectors who reign supreme have been active for at least two decades or more. With the stars of the sport being much older than the new generation of Dancehall fans they need to appeal to, a crossroads has been reached in the industry,” says Garfield “Chin” Bourne of Irish and Chin. “Baring this generational gap in mind and the visibly stunted growth of the culture, Irish and Chin has made a commitment to the exposure of younger talent…..hence, we have U.S. Rumble.”
The feisty line up of sounds has given way to an omnipresent, fiery pre-war in social media, often characterized by both stern and comical threats, videos, music warnings and much more. There is an enormous buzz surrounding the forthcoming clash, as evidenced by the contenders’ level of enthusiasm and predominately by the overwhelming support from fans. When the event’s initial video drop went viral, which featured infamous sound man Fire Links doing the voice over, even the interest of non-traditional clash fans was sparked! To celebrate the U.S. Rumble and give the talented competitors a spotlight, Sound Chat Radio will air “Rumble Weekends” every Friday and Saturday (starting Friday, September 11), leading up to the event (http://www.irishandchin.com). Listeners will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with the contenders, both musically and personally.
When it comes to the art of ‘sound clash’ — very few have reached the heights of Irish and Chin. Without question, the leading promoters have kept their passion and dedication to sound clash alive by providing sound systems and selectors with an unprecedented platform to showcase their unique craft, which has been the pulse of Jamaican music and culture for over 5 decades. Irish and Chin’s long term goal is to stage preliminary competitions, similar to U.S. Rumble, throughout the world, granting select countries a chance for representation on their annual World Clash competition.
There will be loads of lighters, horns, whistles and sheer competitive energy amassed within the walls of Amazura on October 10, 2015! Contenders must come with their “A” game! Please join us as we crown America’s U.S. Rumble Champion!
