My First Sound System
Sousleground a l’Ancienne
by Randy DW
STRAIKA D X SoUsLeGrOunD | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
“MY FIRST SOUND SYSTEM”
“It was long, it was hot, it was surprising and it only cost me 20 euros…”
I experienced my first Sound System on Saturday, October 21 at La Paillote du Carbet (you know, after what must be one of the last gas stations at the end of Martinique) with SoUsLeGrOunD.
SoUsLeGrOunD X SELEK TALI | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
Headlining were SELEK TALI, DJ KAPRISSON, STRAIKA, TIWONY & TYPICAL FEFE old-school selectors and artists…perhaps a bit too old-school for me, who is still in my twenties (uh, 29 is still the twenties, just so you know). Despite this generational gap, I’m going.
LA PAILLOTE DU CARBET
I was told this “evening” was an event not to be missed, five different people mentioned it to me in less than an hour, so despite an attempt to join a gossip/cocktail party by some future friends… I’m strong, I resist and decide to accompany my friend over there… to “Carbet.”
I know the place because I’ve gotten lost there a few times when I wanted to disconnect. But this time it’s different, this time, there’s this stage that I found very professional, the usual little table lost in the middle of the podium has been replaced by a huge setup dressed in the colors of SoUsLeGrOunD, sending me a clear message:
“We didn’t come to play, my old friend, hold on tight, it’s going to be something.”
SoUsLeGrOunD | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
As any respectable Martiniquan going out, I take a tour to check the drink menu at the bar, the dishes I could treat myself to in case of hunger, and of course the faces present, who knows, I might run into some familiar faces… it didn’t fail… I spotted my high school gym teacher (great teacher, by the way).
Oh my god where am I?
During my little tour, I do notice something that pleases me, it’s the mindset of the people present.
People who made the trip to come “have fun” have become so rare. No princes or princesses, just music lovers who miss the time when they were in tune with what they listened to.
SoUsLeGrOunD X DJ KAPRISSON | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
So tonight is their night and they are determined to enjoy it, and it’s contagious, I want to have fun with them too!
LAST NIGHT A DJ…
And then comes the moment when I focus on the music. So, no, I don’t know this, I don’t know that either, this riddim sounds vaguely familiar but I know it with different lyrics, then finally comes this session where a series of “tracks” I know follow one another (I want to thank my older brothers for filling my childhood with music that my mother didn’t understand).
DJ KAPRISSON | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
And here we go (I didn’t tell you… once it starts, I don’t stop).
The selectors don’t back down either, as if their goal was to maintain the vibe and build up the energy to welcome the artists.
My friend must have seen the joy on my face or at least noticed my satisfaction with my swaying (nothing violent, it is still a Sound System).
THE SHOW
The artists then take the stage. Two things catch my attention:
STRAIKA D — TIWONY — TYPICAL FEFE | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
1 The length of their performances… I don’t understand, they are there, they put on a show, they interact with the audience, worse, they are having fun and it lasts… while I only paid 20 euros.
2 But can someone tell me what they are carrying in their backpacks???? 🤔
TO DO AGAIN!
I end up at Carbet having an amazing evening in a hut that keeps filling up as time goes by and I even met some people from my generation.
Dear friend, I know you wanted to introduce me to a scene you cherish and that you might have been a bit apprehensive that I wouldn’t like it, so I want to reassure you and say that I had a great evening and I will do it again.
TYPICAL FEFE | Photo Credit — Fabrice Mauvois
Kudos to these artists and selectors who really gave their all and performed from the heart, and hats off to SoUsLeGrOunD for this organization.
“In short, it was my first time.”
- The French Kribbean -
