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War
Inna Di City - check the Picture Book!
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Tune fi Tune (21 min.)
On Saturday March 15th it was all about
the first big sound-war in Germany for 2003 called "War
Inna Di City", all courtesy of Blessed Love Promotion.
The place to be was the Landespavillion in Stuttgart which
is already known for prior events supporting clash culture.
The contenders were Mighty Stallion from Bedford, UK who came
in full crew support as well as local heavyweight Sentinel,
the everlasting sound with Nadia, Thilo and head honcho Elmar.
The venue was packed with about 500 patrons attending the
clash. The entire night got streamed live and people from
all over the world were tuned in. Only minutes after 1am the
clash was about to erupt. Spider from Supersonic was the host
for the night, and he kept it short but spicy through the
night. He explained the rules and the length of the rounds
(30, 20, 10, dfd) and told all massive and crew to be a fair
judge. Elmar won the coin toss and Sentinel decided to play
first.
Sentinel (30 min. round):
Elmar started his introduction speech
and the first two dubs came from no other than Glen Washington
followed by Sanchez' infamous "World full of Sounds In
Life" and the beautiful "Sentinel Play Dubs"
from Beres Hammond. The heat was on and Sentinel received
the first serious forwards with straight singing tunes. Triston
Palmer's classic "Entertainment" in a soundclash
style was creeping through the speakers. The Far East segment
was up next with "Kill Tonight" from Uton Green,
Little John's "Play What You Playing" and
a decent Spragga Benz. The crowd loved every moment
and the everlasting sound from down south was heading in the
right direction. Thilo was heading for the Real Rock selection
by now with Morgan Heritage and Jigsy King's
"Gimme The Weed" which had the crowd in a frenzy.
Whistles and lighters all over the place! After that Elmar
was drawing for the first combination cut all courtesy of
Half Pint and Anthony B who gave serious "Beatings"
to Mighty Stallion on the ever blazing Heavenless riddim.
The classic selection was in full bloom with Uton Green's
"Can't Take", Willie Williams' "Armagideon
Time" and Half Pint's "Crazy" all cut
on the ever crucial Stalag riddim from Techniques fame.
At this point it was evident that Sentinel worked perfectly
on their foundation box. Anthony B was up next with
"Hurt Mi Heart" while Elmar took care of
his verbal attacks on the Stallion. Cutty Ranks
arrived just in time to show the UK bwoys that Sentinel
is no easy walk over. Junior Cat's "Dead You A
Go Dead" pointed in the right direction once more. Thilo
changed the pace drawing for the Sick riddim with Elephant
Man's "War War War", Cutty Ranks' "Limb
By Limb", Sizzla's "To The Point" and
Anthony B's "Cyan Escape" which closed this
selection. The Come Down segment came up next with Bounty's
"Convince", Jigsy's anthem called "Suck
Yuh Mumma From A Distance" and Determine. Sentinel
entered the Superstar with Lexxus, Alozade and
Chico in combination. This section was the only weak
spot in their first round since it sounded more stale than
fresh. Another Elephant Man (Bumboclaat) and Sizzla's
"Gunshot" on the same riddim also got played. Not
fancy but it worked out for them. Since Sentinel has
nuff Sizzla there was no need to hide and "Forward
Pull Up Dat" came in on the Martial Arts. Chuck Fenders'
badman hymn "Shut Ya Mouth" followed by the wicked
Terror Fabulous called "Gangster" and Cobra's
"War" all cut on the Shine & Criss closed the
first round in fine style. All in all a well-brought-up performnce,
no need to dispute. It looked very promising.
Mighty Stallion (30 min. round):
Weeks before the clash Mighty Stallion
was the big mystery in Germany as no one ever heard of them.
The entire crew seemed to be there. The UK sound came in with
a short intro, just a few words for the massive. They started
with "Let It Be" in acapella style which introduced
Big Youth (?) on the Satta riddim. A weak Sandeeno
dub named "Good Over Evil" followed up next but
it flopped beyond belief. At this point the crowd seemed bored
to death. They draw for the wicked Bunny Wailer "Ram
Dancehall" and the dub got wheeled after the crowd responded.
A beautiful Marcia Griffiths dub came in next followed
by Freddie McGregor singing Bob Marley's "Natural
Mystic". The crowd showed appreciation for whatever reason
and the dub got pulled up. The Grammy kid Mykal Roze
was up next with "I love King Selassie" and it was
boring again. The pace was slow at this point, the speech
was stale and they even tried to speak German on the mic.
It looked like an easy mission for Sentinel. Mighty
Stallion must have felt the same drawing for Anthony
Johnson's "Anytime Is A Soundclash" and
Chuckleberry right after on the Full Up. In order to wake
up the crowd they entered the Stalag division with Jigsy
King & Wickerman in combination (As It Dun
Load It Back), High Plain Drifter, Junior Demus
"Sound Yuh A Bad", a fake sounding Luciano
called "Messenger" and Major Mackerel who
closed the riddim. It looked much better by now as they seemed
to recover. Forwards from all angles of the venue and Sean
Paul's billboard dub "Gimme The Light" got them
an enormous forward while the place got teared down to the
walls. The wicked "Killa Is A Killa" also on the
Buzz riddim continued to damaged Sentinel while the
crowd was on their toes now. Big forwards now, some torches
and the dub got wheeled. The Stallion was more forceful
by now and the pursuit was on. Bounty's chart topping
"Murderer" calling Sentinel's name gained
them the next huge forward and it got sticky by now. Some
people even assumed that this dub was voiced against Sentinel
but I wouldn't bet on it. VC's big hit "By His
Deeds" draw them in the right direction once more and
it looked very promising. Bounty Killer's "Raging
Storm" on the Duck riddim, Warrior King's "Stallion
A #1" on the Zion Gate as well as another Bounty
(Gun Down) on the Stalag closed the round. A slow start for
real, but a strong recovery the more they proceeded.
Spider asked for a conclusion of the
first round. Both got big responses and it was more or less
a draw. Good entertainment so far. The crowd was fair and
unprejudiced.
Sentinel (20 min round):
Elmar came in with a very long dialogue
telling dis and dat about Mighty Stallion what they
did and rae rae rae. The argument was on and Sentinel
was in a war mode which slowly paved the way for the counteraction
of the Anthony Johnson. The forward was only mediocre
but the dub was tight. After that Ce'cile came in telling
everybody that Sentinel is the "Top A Top".
A coverversion of "Lollipop". Everybody was singing
along to the new anthem, the crowd was moving and the forward
was secure. One of the big moments of the night and the birth
of a new hymn! After that Nadia was drawing for three
Beres Hammonds in a row and Sentinel had the
crowd eating out of their hands with "Rock Away",
"Ain't It Good To Know" and finally "They Gonna
Talk". Sentinel played very decent at this point
despite the magnificent comeback of the Stallion. Half
Pint's "Just Be Good" and Natural Black's
"Nah Go Make It If Yuh Badmind" added some fuel
to the fire. Elmar let the tunes do the talking by
now. Sweet music from Freddie McGregor, Sizzla's
"Words Of Devine" both cut on the Rougher Yet. Elmar
changed Stallion's name to Mighty Donkey while
Nadia entered the LaLa Bella realm with Sizzla
(Dem A Wonder) and Capleton (Cherish No Wrong) right
after. They switched over to the German artists with Nosliw's
"Nur Dabei" and two Gentleman dubs namely
"Dem Gone" and "Ina Yuh Life" which helped
them to ensure their position. Dem Gone got wheeled since
it is still one of the most popular tunes in Germany. The
pace changed to the jump up section with Wayne Marshall's
anthem "Whole World", Sizzla's "Bun
Dem Up", some Cobra dub and Junior Cat's "Killin
Pussy". Nadia unleashed the next big Terror Fabulous
called "No Retreat No Surrender" on the undying
Corduroy which was well appreciated. The final dub in this
round got the biggest forward for the night. A crucial Beenie
Man medley still riding the Corduroy! They wheeled twice
before the lyrics even started. It looked sticky for the Mighty
Stallion crew by now while Beenie delivered Memories,
Defend Di Apache and Bury Yuh Dead all in one. The place was
done and Sentinel had most patrons on their side by
now. The heat was on as well as the hunt for the trophy. A
decent round with some excessive forwards. Very entertaining.
Mighty Stallion (20 min round):
Now the Stallion had to keep the fire
burning to live to tell the tale. They started with foundation
in the name of Dennis Walks and his "Drifter"
hit. People appreciated it. Everton Blender came next
on the classic Lala Bella riddim followed by Morgan Heritage
who announced that Mighty Stallion would kill any sound
with champion dubplate on the Grade One interpretation of
the Hot Milk version. Stallion played the dubs way
too long and the vibe boiled down. Capleton came in
with Jah Jah City on the Liberation version followed by a
next dub I can't really bring to mind but the forward was
almost non existent. "Badman Nuh Inna Dat" from
Spragga Benz and Sugar Slick got played next
on the Love Punanny Bad. Bling Dawg on the same version
came in and also Shabba Ranks' "Ready Fi Di War"
which got wheeled by popular demand. The entire presentation
was not too fancy at this point. Stallion did hardly
talk; they seemed to have forgotten that it was clash. Still
riding the Love Punanny it was a Baby Cham dub called
"Suck Yuh Mumma" which did no harm to the high riding
Sentinel. After that the entire round got even worse,
the crowd gave no more appreciation as the selector totally
failed to keep the pace. They played a Junior Cat that
seemed to have no ending. They switched over to the vintage
branch with Sugar Minott's "Mr. DC" which
had the people moving their feet to the beat. Prince Malachi
from the Xterminator staple found his way to the turntable
but it sounded more like a Yami Bolo sound-alike although
it was not bad at all. The mc hardly talked and he simply
announced the dubs that came next. A wicked Morgan Heritage
interpretation of a Bob Marley tune came in next. Not
bad. The round was over and it was apparent who was leading
the dance.
Spider came in asking the crowd who
was leading the clash. Sentinel was clearly in the
lead and Mighty Stallion flopped all the way. No proper
forwards for the Uk soundmen, Sentinel on the other
hand was on the right pathway.
Sentinel (10 min round):
Elmar came in addressing the Mighty
Donkey. He pointed out that they flopped all the way. Thilo
unleashed a custom made Sean Paul (Like Glue) dissing
Mighty Stallion. The crowd was in favour of their homeboys
and Elmar got ruthless on Stallion. A Baby
Cham & Bounty Killer combo on Styles P "Get
High" instrumental came in next. It was remixed of course
but still the forward was excessive and Sentinel was
confident. General Degree on M.O.P.'s "Ante
Up" had all massive and crew on their toes again. The
pace was high and Sentinel did a perfect job. Gentleman
came in with "Runaway" and the place turned upside
down once more. By now Sentinel was moving so fast
that it was hard to believe that Stallion could ever
recover. Wayne Marshall and Assassin on the
Diwali (Own A Gun/Ruffest) followed by Sizzla on the
same version came next. They closed the round with Beenie
Man's comeback dub entitled "Red Red" in a soundclash
style and fashion. Sentinel cut it on the Buzz riddim
and the crowd begged for more while Sentinel called
in the idiot sound. A good round, definitely on point and
well structured, therefore just perfect to keep the massive
lively.
Mighty Stallion (10 min round):
The Stallion mc called it the judgement
round but it was predestined to fail. Their set mashed up
and they moved to Sentinel set so both sounds shared
the same for the rest of the night. They started with a cheap
German dub which not even called Sentinel name in it.
The crowd had no appreciation for it as both riddim and lyrics
were out of order. Unfortunately they played it until the
very end as if they were not capable to move on. It was a
shame, probably the worst round ever in a clash. To make the
idiot story complete they even wheeled the dub and it started
all over again. By now the crowd seemed worried. Capleton's
"In Or Out" came next and it was as vibe less as
possible, so was the Anthony B right after. They lost
it all playing some more unglamorous dubs not worth mentioning.
It looked like they gave up already. No war speech at all,
just some outdated dubs nobody felt inside the Landespavillion.
They finally found some respectable Gregory Isaacs
dubs that gained them the people's appreciation. A good move
but it was too late still. The round was over.
Spider asked the crowd again and it
was Sentinel all the way. The dub fi dub wasn't really
necessary but here is the result and track list.
10 tune Dub fi Dub:
Sentinel: Jimmy Riley - Rougher Yet
Mighty Stallion: Ken Boothe - Everything I Own (winner)
Sentinel: Errol Dunkley - Black Cinderella
Mighty Stallion: John Holt - Police In Helicopter (winner)
Sentinel: Mighty Diamonds - Bodyguard
Mighty Stallion: Junior Murvin - Stallion Will Kill (draw)
Sentinel: Michael Prophet - Gunman (winner)
Mighty Stallion: Leroy Sibbles - Killing A Soundbwoy Tonight
Sentinel: Freddie McGregor - Push Come To Shove (winner)
Mighty Stallion: Courtney Melody - Ruff Like Mighty Stallion
Sentinel: Beres Hammond - Putting Up Resistance (winner)
Mighty Stallion: Ziggy Marley - Tomorrow Soundbwoy
Sentinel: Culture - Sentinel A Di Conqeror (winner)
Mighty Stallion: Hopeton James - In The Mood
Sentinel: Derrick Morgan - Blazing Fire (winner)
Mighty Stallion: Marcia Griffiths & Ken Boothe - Dangerous
/ Puppet On A String
Sentinel: Glen Washington - Sound In Trouble, Sound In Pain
Mighty Stallion: Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey (winner)
Sentinel: Beres Hammond - What Can You Do To Stop Your Sound
From Dying (winner)
Mighty Stallion: Burning Spear - Soundbwoy Ago Run
Spider came in again for a brief shift.
He asked the crowd for a final decision and it was evident
that Sentinel would take home the cup. People cheered
for both but Stallion had plenty of boos too. Sentinel
got the trophy after a crystal clear victory. The dub fi dub
was on a high level musically and Stallion could have
done way better but due to the lack in proper presentation
they were doomed to loose. Sentinel on the other hand
did a good job, although Elmar sometimes stumbled his
way through, e.g. in the Ziggy Marley issue. The most
discussed topic for the night was the authenticity of Stallions
Burning Spear dubs. It is hard to make a decision,
but I never heard dubs that sounded so real. If those were
fakes they were damn good. When I talked to them they insisted
that they voiced Winston Rodney about eight month ago.
Nevertheless it was a pleasant night after all and it promoted
soundsystem culture in Germany again. Big respect to Thomas
the promoter from Blessed Love, Nadia, Elmar,
Thilo and the entire Mighty Stallion sound for
a good show.
The two tapes and two cd's are available at www.supersonic-sound.com.
Text: Uzzla - Supersonic Sound/Berlin
Photos: Martin & Steffen/Stuttgart
Do not use any text passages or photos without written
permission of germaica.net or supersonic-sound.com
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