Sound Systems at the Notting Hill Carnival 2009
Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:42 am
**Notting Hill Carnival Aug 30th & 31st 2009**
1. **Mastermind Roadshow**
***Sound*** - Upfront R&B, hip hop, soul, old school and reggae.
***Found*** - Canal Way.
***Renowned*** - For being the first soundsytem at Carnival to mix records, way back at their first appearance in 1979.
2. **4Play**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - West Row, near the junction with Kensal Rd.
***Renowned*** - For celebrating 16 years at Carnival this year. Birthday cakes at the ready!
3. **Good Times**
***Sound*** - Funky house, disco, rare groove, hip hop, jazz and reggae.
***Found*** - Corner of Southern and West Rows.
***Renowned*** - For master of the Carnival good time, one Norman Jay MBE. Born in Notting Hill and awarded his MBE in 2002, he was also a Time Out cover star for our fortieth anniversary special issue.
4. **GI Roadshow**
***Sound*** - Reggae, bashment, salsa and R&B.
***Found*** - Adella St.
***Renowned*** - For being big, big fans and active members of the Friends of Brimington Park in Southwark.
5. **Sancho Panza**
***Sound*** - Funky house.
***Found*** - Junction of Middle Row and Conland St.
***Renowned*** - For their legendary Carnival after-parties!
6. **Lord Shane**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Alderson Street (off Kensal Rd).
***Renowned*** - Veteran soundsystems that has passed from father to son. (Covering the Diff’rent Strokes site this year.)
7. **Aba Shanti-I**
***Sound*** - Roots rock, reggae and dub.
***Found*** - Corner of East and Southern Rows.
***Renowned*** - Heavyweight international roots sound system with a diverse, multicultural audience.
8. **Midnight Express 747**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Corner of East/Southern Row.
***Renowned*** - For using 10,000kw to power its three speakers (that’s more than 150,000 domestic light bulbs).
9. **Rough But Sweet**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Corner of Golborne Rd and East Rd. (Covering the Special FX site this year.)
***Renowned*** - For having its distinctive green speaker boxes.
10. **Love TKO & Ramjam Radio Sound**
***Sound*** - Reggae, R&B, soca and hip hop.
***Found*** - Junction of Golborne Rd and Hazelwood Crescent.
***Renowned*** - For playing a strong mix of new and revival music.
11. **Sir Valdez**
***Sound*** - R&B, hip hop and ragga.
***Found*** - Behind the Prince Arthur on Golborne Rd.
***Renowned*** - A veteran soundsytem whose DJs represent both the younger and older generations.
12. **KCC and the Rocking Crew**
***Sound*** - Old and new US house.
***Found*** - Wornington Rd.
***Renowned*** - Creating an uplifting, soulful house vibe and having a diverse party crowd.
13. **GT Flex Roadshow & Mayhem Crew**
***Sound*** - R&B, soul, ragga, old school and revival.
***Found*** - Telford Rd, near junction with Lionel Mews (located at the Mellowtone site this year).
***Renowned*** - For being an explosive crowd lifter, thanks to the merging of the two soundsytems back in 1982. Pow!
14. **Scenario**
***Sound*** - R&B, reggae, hip hop and classic garage.
***Found*** - At the junction of Bonchurch St and Portobello Rd.
***Renowned*** - For playing ‘classic’ garage music.
15. **Saxon Studio**
***Sound*** - Ragga and reggae.
***Found*** - Lawrence Terrace, north of junction with Cherston Rd.
***Renowned*** - For influencing Massive Attack and being crowned champions at the 1994 World Clash.
16. **Latin Rave Street Jam**
***Sound*** - Latin and salsa.
***Found*** - 318 Portobello Rd.
***Renowned*** - For being the only soundsystem to play Latin music on both Carnival days.
17. **Gladdy Wax Roadshow**
***Sound*** - Roots and culture, reggae and ska.
***Found*** - Adjacent to 304/306 Portobello Rd.
***Renowned*** - Veteran soundsystem operator ‘Gladdy’, as he is affectionately known, is widely respected for his vast knowledge of reggae.
18. **Virgo International**
***Sound*** - Reggae, bashment, soca, hip hop, R&B and garage.
***Found*** - Outside People’s Theatre, facing Oxford Gardens.
***Renowned*** - For having rebuilt their soundsystem from scratch after all their gear was stolen just before Carnival a couple of years ago.
19. **High Grade**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - At Oxford Gardens facing St. Lawrence Terrace. (Covering the Level vibes site this year.)
***Renowned*** - For its dynamic reggae sound.
20. **Lord Gelly’s**
***Sound*** - Reggae, R&B and soca.
***Found*** - Outside 47 Cambridge Gardens.
***Renowned*** - Well-respected veteran south London soundsystem.
21. **Rapattack** (Celebrating 25 years of appearing at Carnival)
***Sound*** - Old school, soul, funk (including Michael Jackson tribute), R&B, hip hop, ’70s and ’80s classics, rare groove, house and garage.
***Found*** - Outside 23 All Saints Rd.
***Renowned*** - For having BASS (British Association of Sound Systems) chairman Ricky Belgrave on board, for mastermixing the
‘new with the old’.
22. **CMC Matrix**
***Sound*** - Drum ’n’ bass.
***Found*** - All Saints Rd, opposite The Pelican.
***Renowned*** - The only sound system playing 100 per cent drum ’n’ bass.
23. **Mangrove Sound**
***Sound*** - Soca and reggae.
***Found*** - Outside 3 All Saints Rd.
***Renowned*** - As Carnival’s best traditional soca soundsystem.
24. **People’s Sound**
***Sound*** - Reggae old and new.
***Found*** - 11 All Saints Rd (outside People’s Sound record store).
***Renowned*** - For the legendary Vego who was an original ‘selector’ (Jamaican term for DJ) on the first UK soundsystem. He played every night for seven years at the legendary ‘Roaring Twenties’ Club in the West End of London.
25. **Killawatt**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Corner of Tavistock and St Luke’s Rds.
***Renowned*** - For being where So Solid Crew’s Megaman and MC Romeo first met in 1999.
26. **Confusion**
***Sound*** - Soulful house and garage.
***Found*** - St Luke’s Rd, facing Lancaster Rd.
***Renowned*** - For creating an uplifting soulful house vibe and having a ‘cult following’.
27. **Sir Lloyd**
***Sound*** - R&B and reggae.
***Found*** - Outside 54 Leamington Rd Villas, Tavistock Rd.
***Renowned*** - Sir Lloyd started in 1979 and was one bloke.
28. **Channel One**
***Sound*** - Strictly roots and culture.
***Found*** - Leamington Rd Villas, outside 176 Westbourne Park Rd.
***Renowned*** - For playing to just ten people for most of the day when they debuted at Carnival in 1983.
29. **Metro Glory**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Ledbury Rd junction with Westbourne Park Rd.
***Renowned*** - For debuting a new and further improved soundsystem this year.
30. **Disya Generation**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Outside 12 Powis Terrace.
***Renowned*** - For creating an excellent ‘new skool’ party vibe.
31. **King Tubby’s**
***Sound*** - Reggae, dancehall, bashment and R&B.
***Found*** - Outside Clydesdale House on Clydesdale Rd.
***Renowned*** - For being the oldest soundsystem around to play Carnival – they’re celebrating their thirty-ninth anniversary this year, having made a welcome return in 2006.
32. **Rampage**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Outside 1 Colville Square.
***Renowned*** - For having a road dedicated to them – as well they might. Rampage is one of the biggest soundsystems at Carnival and creates an electric vibe.
33. **Nasty Love Mixing Lab**
***Sound*** - Reggae,ragga, hip hop and R&B.
***Found*** - Colville Gardens (middle).
***Renowned*** - For creating a great street party vibe.
34. **Disco Hustlers**
***Sound*** - Dance music across the board.
***Found*** - Powis Square (east side).
***Renowned*** - New sound for Carnival 2009. (Covering the Studio One site this year.)
35. **Gaz’s Rocking Blues**
***Sound*** - Classic ska, revival, and New Orlean’s R&B.
***Found*** - Outside 103 Talbot Rd.
***Renowned*** - Gaz Mayall has performed at every Carnival since 1976.
36. **Jah Observer**
***Sound*** - Roots and culture.
***Found*** - At the junction of Ledbury Rd and Talbot Rd.
***Renowned*** - For having appeared every year consistently for many years – true veterans.
37. **Pineapple Tribe**
***Sound*** - Techno and breakbeats.
***Found*** - Opposite The Walmer Castle.
***Renowned*** - For being the home of techno and breakbeat at Carnival.
38. **The Fun Bunch**
***Sound*** - R&B, hip hop, garage and boogie.
***Found*** - At the junction of Talbot Rd and Sutherland Place.
***Renowned*** - For being the former residence of sadly departed soundsystem legend DJ Swing.
But where’s…?
Not appearing in 2009: Special FX, Bass By All Means Necessary, Level Vibes, Diff’rent Strokes, Mellowtone and Studio One.
Time Out:
http://www.timeout.com/london/aroundtow ... stems.html
Map:
http://www.timeout.com/media/notting-hill-map-2009.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. **Mastermind Roadshow**
***Sound*** - Upfront R&B, hip hop, soul, old school and reggae.
***Found*** - Canal Way.
***Renowned*** - For being the first soundsytem at Carnival to mix records, way back at their first appearance in 1979.
2. **4Play**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - West Row, near the junction with Kensal Rd.
***Renowned*** - For celebrating 16 years at Carnival this year. Birthday cakes at the ready!
3. **Good Times**
***Sound*** - Funky house, disco, rare groove, hip hop, jazz and reggae.
***Found*** - Corner of Southern and West Rows.
***Renowned*** - For master of the Carnival good time, one Norman Jay MBE. Born in Notting Hill and awarded his MBE in 2002, he was also a Time Out cover star for our fortieth anniversary special issue.
4. **GI Roadshow**
***Sound*** - Reggae, bashment, salsa and R&B.
***Found*** - Adella St.
***Renowned*** - For being big, big fans and active members of the Friends of Brimington Park in Southwark.
5. **Sancho Panza**
***Sound*** - Funky house.
***Found*** - Junction of Middle Row and Conland St.
***Renowned*** - For their legendary Carnival after-parties!
6. **Lord Shane**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Alderson Street (off Kensal Rd).
***Renowned*** - Veteran soundsystems that has passed from father to son. (Covering the Diff’rent Strokes site this year.)
7. **Aba Shanti-I**
***Sound*** - Roots rock, reggae and dub.
***Found*** - Corner of East and Southern Rows.
***Renowned*** - Heavyweight international roots sound system with a diverse, multicultural audience.
8. **Midnight Express 747**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Corner of East/Southern Row.
***Renowned*** - For using 10,000kw to power its three speakers (that’s more than 150,000 domestic light bulbs).
9. **Rough But Sweet**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Corner of Golborne Rd and East Rd. (Covering the Special FX site this year.)
***Renowned*** - For having its distinctive green speaker boxes.
10. **Love TKO & Ramjam Radio Sound**
***Sound*** - Reggae, R&B, soca and hip hop.
***Found*** - Junction of Golborne Rd and Hazelwood Crescent.
***Renowned*** - For playing a strong mix of new and revival music.
11. **Sir Valdez**
***Sound*** - R&B, hip hop and ragga.
***Found*** - Behind the Prince Arthur on Golborne Rd.
***Renowned*** - A veteran soundsytem whose DJs represent both the younger and older generations.
12. **KCC and the Rocking Crew**
***Sound*** - Old and new US house.
***Found*** - Wornington Rd.
***Renowned*** - Creating an uplifting, soulful house vibe and having a diverse party crowd.
13. **GT Flex Roadshow & Mayhem Crew**
***Sound*** - R&B, soul, ragga, old school and revival.
***Found*** - Telford Rd, near junction with Lionel Mews (located at the Mellowtone site this year).
***Renowned*** - For being an explosive crowd lifter, thanks to the merging of the two soundsytems back in 1982. Pow!
14. **Scenario**
***Sound*** - R&B, reggae, hip hop and classic garage.
***Found*** - At the junction of Bonchurch St and Portobello Rd.
***Renowned*** - For playing ‘classic’ garage music.
15. **Saxon Studio**
***Sound*** - Ragga and reggae.
***Found*** - Lawrence Terrace, north of junction with Cherston Rd.
***Renowned*** - For influencing Massive Attack and being crowned champions at the 1994 World Clash.
16. **Latin Rave Street Jam**
***Sound*** - Latin and salsa.
***Found*** - 318 Portobello Rd.
***Renowned*** - For being the only soundsystem to play Latin music on both Carnival days.
17. **Gladdy Wax Roadshow**
***Sound*** - Roots and culture, reggae and ska.
***Found*** - Adjacent to 304/306 Portobello Rd.
***Renowned*** - Veteran soundsystem operator ‘Gladdy’, as he is affectionately known, is widely respected for his vast knowledge of reggae.
18. **Virgo International**
***Sound*** - Reggae, bashment, soca, hip hop, R&B and garage.
***Found*** - Outside People’s Theatre, facing Oxford Gardens.
***Renowned*** - For having rebuilt their soundsystem from scratch after all their gear was stolen just before Carnival a couple of years ago.
19. **High Grade**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - At Oxford Gardens facing St. Lawrence Terrace. (Covering the Level vibes site this year.)
***Renowned*** - For its dynamic reggae sound.
20. **Lord Gelly’s**
***Sound*** - Reggae, R&B and soca.
***Found*** - Outside 47 Cambridge Gardens.
***Renowned*** - Well-respected veteran south London soundsystem.
21. **Rapattack** (Celebrating 25 years of appearing at Carnival)
***Sound*** - Old school, soul, funk (including Michael Jackson tribute), R&B, hip hop, ’70s and ’80s classics, rare groove, house and garage.
***Found*** - Outside 23 All Saints Rd.
***Renowned*** - For having BASS (British Association of Sound Systems) chairman Ricky Belgrave on board, for mastermixing the
‘new with the old’.
22. **CMC Matrix**
***Sound*** - Drum ’n’ bass.
***Found*** - All Saints Rd, opposite The Pelican.
***Renowned*** - The only sound system playing 100 per cent drum ’n’ bass.
23. **Mangrove Sound**
***Sound*** - Soca and reggae.
***Found*** - Outside 3 All Saints Rd.
***Renowned*** - As Carnival’s best traditional soca soundsystem.
24. **People’s Sound**
***Sound*** - Reggae old and new.
***Found*** - 11 All Saints Rd (outside People’s Sound record store).
***Renowned*** - For the legendary Vego who was an original ‘selector’ (Jamaican term for DJ) on the first UK soundsystem. He played every night for seven years at the legendary ‘Roaring Twenties’ Club in the West End of London.
25. **Killawatt**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Corner of Tavistock and St Luke’s Rds.
***Renowned*** - For being where So Solid Crew’s Megaman and MC Romeo first met in 1999.
26. **Confusion**
***Sound*** - Soulful house and garage.
***Found*** - St Luke’s Rd, facing Lancaster Rd.
***Renowned*** - For creating an uplifting soulful house vibe and having a ‘cult following’.
27. **Sir Lloyd**
***Sound*** - R&B and reggae.
***Found*** - Outside 54 Leamington Rd Villas, Tavistock Rd.
***Renowned*** - Sir Lloyd started in 1979 and was one bloke.
28. **Channel One**
***Sound*** - Strictly roots and culture.
***Found*** - Leamington Rd Villas, outside 176 Westbourne Park Rd.
***Renowned*** - For playing to just ten people for most of the day when they debuted at Carnival in 1983.
29. **Metro Glory**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Ledbury Rd junction with Westbourne Park Rd.
***Renowned*** - For debuting a new and further improved soundsystem this year.
30. **Disya Generation**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Outside 12 Powis Terrace.
***Renowned*** - For creating an excellent ‘new skool’ party vibe.
31. **King Tubby’s**
***Sound*** - Reggae, dancehall, bashment and R&B.
***Found*** - Outside Clydesdale House on Clydesdale Rd.
***Renowned*** - For being the oldest soundsystem around to play Carnival – they’re celebrating their thirty-ninth anniversary this year, having made a welcome return in 2006.
32. **Rampage**
***Sound*** - Across the board.
***Found*** - Outside 1 Colville Square.
***Renowned*** - For having a road dedicated to them – as well they might. Rampage is one of the biggest soundsystems at Carnival and creates an electric vibe.
33. **Nasty Love Mixing Lab**
***Sound*** - Reggae,ragga, hip hop and R&B.
***Found*** - Colville Gardens (middle).
***Renowned*** - For creating a great street party vibe.
34. **Disco Hustlers**
***Sound*** - Dance music across the board.
***Found*** - Powis Square (east side).
***Renowned*** - New sound for Carnival 2009. (Covering the Studio One site this year.)
35. **Gaz’s Rocking Blues**
***Sound*** - Classic ska, revival, and New Orlean’s R&B.
***Found*** - Outside 103 Talbot Rd.
***Renowned*** - Gaz Mayall has performed at every Carnival since 1976.
36. **Jah Observer**
***Sound*** - Roots and culture.
***Found*** - At the junction of Ledbury Rd and Talbot Rd.
***Renowned*** - For having appeared every year consistently for many years – true veterans.
37. **Pineapple Tribe**
***Sound*** - Techno and breakbeats.
***Found*** - Opposite The Walmer Castle.
***Renowned*** - For being the home of techno and breakbeat at Carnival.
38. **The Fun Bunch**
***Sound*** - R&B, hip hop, garage and boogie.
***Found*** - At the junction of Talbot Rd and Sutherland Place.
***Renowned*** - For being the former residence of sadly departed soundsystem legend DJ Swing.
But where’s…?
Not appearing in 2009: Special FX, Bass By All Means Necessary, Level Vibes, Diff’rent Strokes, Mellowtone and Studio One.
Time Out:
http://www.timeout.com/london/aroundtow ... stems.html
Map:
http://www.timeout.com/media/notting-hill-map-2009.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------