Music will be celebrating in the Port this weekend with the celebration of the sixth anniversary of Quebrada Soundsystem, a celebration that will take place this Saturday 2 December at the Emporio Echaurren of Valparaiso.
The sound system is a cultural expression that emerged in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 50s′, when generators were assembled, record player and speakers or giant speakers in a truck for street parties, becoming one of the crucial elements for the development of modern Jamaican music and was vitally important for the emergence and spread of styles such as ska, el rocksteady, reggae and dub.
That culture has remained over time and in Chile, During the last years, has had an important boom with several groups dedicated to the sound system, among them Quebrada, that although he is celebrating 6 years of life, The cultural work carried out by his team began several years before, as he commented to Reggae Chalice who acts as entertainer, Pablo Salvador, “Chopo”, who “translate the feeling” of the ensemble on the microphone in each session.
“Since the year 2013 we have done radio, Saturday to Saturday, recordings, productions and discotheques’ the city in how many spaces we were invited. For the year 2017, and with all that experience, we focus on the manufacture of Quebrada Soundsystem, although it was not the first system we made, since all those years we experimented a lot in creating other smaller systems, but with which we took our first steps”, Pablo commented..
The “Popular Giant”
It is in that 2017 when in a workshop on El Liter hill in Valparaíso they made, tested and launched in just one month “Popular Giant”, an analog sound system, three way and 13 kW of power, that allows them to deliver a musical experience never seen before in Valparaíso, Furthermore, it is exclusively vinyl and also with self-made music..
“Poplar” emphasized that this project is based on the collective dynamics and horizontality among its members and that it was founded “linking a team of workers in radial exercise, audiovisual and event production, all focused on cultural dissemination through music, la bohemia, the socialization of the critical message and action in the daily life of our lives in the port city”.
The cultural work of sound system
Quebrada's work does not focus exclusively on music, according to what the group says, because they also give a lot of importance to culture and education.
“We also assume an educational aspect in the city with several cultural and reflection days around crucial topics of sound system culture such as racism, cultural appropriation and reparation”, he explained “Chopo”, who recalled that the group also promoted a diploma, “Physics and Sound System”, executed in conjunction with astrophysicist and doctor Lorena Hernandez –Sistah Lore, singer and part of the collective-, day that took place at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Valparaíso in Playa Ancha.
During these years of work, the collective has also brought important exponents of reggae and the sound system to Chile., as Hugo Wolf (ex All Your Dead, former The Fabulous Cadillacs), Soom T, King Knomoh Y Noel Ellis (son of legend Alton Ellis), among others, and they have also recorded with Prince Alla, Ranking Joe, Eek a Mouse, Macka B Y Errol Dunkley, among others.
The sound as a job opportunity
Likewise, The labor perspective is another one that Quebrada has promoted since his time as Hot Ska Reggae O The Beat Machine, considering that Valparaíso is a city with high unemployment rates.
“We have managed to install a system or work model based on self-management, in autonomy, with alliances with the private and public sector, to mice, but always preserving our autonomy and that has also allowed and has permeated other people in the city who have also dedicated themselves to this. Today Valparaíso has the Network of Speakers and Vinyls, what is our cultural organization, where are more than 44 partners and the majority is dedicated to the dissemination of music on vinyl, to the creation of sound systems and everything that involves the sound system”, Paul explained..
“The economic part is super important because we are workers., proletarians, that we don't have enough to sustain this as a hobby or as entertainment, therefore we have had to assume it from the perspective of work and that has also given us a much more serious look at what it means to sustain the sound system, honoring the original spirit of Jamaican sound, which is a job opportunity for the young people of the ghetto and we are people who also come from the ghetto, so we understand it well and we are super happy and satisfied to also be able to meet that objective”, emphasized the member of Quebrada Soundsystem.
The celebration
As we mentioned before, this Saturday 2 from December, from 22:00 hours, Quebrada will celebrate its sixth anniversary with a great event in the Emporio Echaurren, located in Clave 243, promising waves of music and the start of the spring-summer season 2023-2024.
“I will invite people in the words of the same people who attend our parties.. They say the best secret in the port, a place where you can dance in a safe space, a place where you can meet people without problems, a space where we are all concerned about each other, a sound system playing in high quality, a bar with a cold beer all night, popular prices, the best place in Valparaíso to go enjoy a night Emporio Echaurren, terrace, armchairs, ‘good vibes‘, I think all you need is a session sound system to be a success”, complemented El Chopo.
Tickets are still on sale at the official website of Quebrada and there are still some on pre-sale 1.2 a $6.000, while on the day of the event they will cost $8.000 and at the door $10.000.
The Quebrada Team
The Quebrada Soundsystem team is made up of a large group of people such as boxmen Hans, Vito, Gian, Mauro, Barber Dub, Guest, Crozze, Alva y Naipán y Ronald Smith, Next to the boxwoman Belén.
There are also the operators Kano and Buda; the selectors Master Curry Y Dr. Jamaica, while Pablo He plays the role of entertainer and conductor of the sessions with his toaster and DJ style.
The singers of the collective are 22 Ruzz, T-tchen, Sakuete, Pangikurü and Sistah Lore. Alejo and Aneskita They are the ones who greet those who arrive at the Hall at the door, while Camila, Belén, Side, Maria Dub and Sista China They are the ones who manage the bar and food for the crew, in addition to computer science Uncle People.
In addition to girls and boys Vicky, Matias, Paula, Bastian, Mariana, Renato and Esteban.
