Watch our ReggaeMania.com 80-minute VIDEO capturing Video footage, Audio and Photographs from the Irish and Chin World Clash 2018 Sound Clash held at the Tibet-Canadian Hall, Toronto, Canada 11.17.18.
Mystic To The World!! 2018 World Clash Champions!
Hello ReggaeMania massive. Our city is still buzzing over the fact Canada’s very own Mystic, won the Irish and Chin 2018 World Clash, held this past Saturday night in Toronto. Our city and our entire Sound System fraternity are very proud of Mystic for this accomplishment, and this Country will continue to have bragging rights for keeping the Championship title in Canada for three years straight (Canada’s King Turbo were past winners in 2016 and 2017). If any of you non-Canadians are upset or claiming bias, you’ll have to suck it up, humble yourselves and wait till next year this time to to settle the score musically. In the mean time, we all say congratulations to Mystic, always underestimated, yet very deserving and so very talented.
Irish & Chin’s World Clash 2018 (20th Anniversary Edition) featured 8 championship Sounds playing in the following order;
COMPETING SOUNDS IN PLAYING ORDER / TERRITORY
1. King Turbo / Canada (1)
2. Empire / UK (1)
3. 3-Sevens / Caribbean (Antigua)
4. Jah Works / Japan
5. Mour Dan / Germany-UK(2)
6. DeeBuzz / Europe
7. Mystic / Canada (2)
8. Dynamq / USA
CLASH STRUCTURE AND RULES:
8 Sounds Clash over 7 Rounds of Clashing.
1st Round (5’): No Elimination.
2nd Round (10’): 1 Sound Eliminated.
3rd Round(10’): 2 Sounds Eliminated.
4th Round(10’): 1 Sound Eliminated.
5th Round(10’): 1 Sound Eliminated.
6th Round(10’): 1 Sound Eliminated. 45 –shop lock.
7th Round (15’): 2 Sounds showdown in a Rapid Fire Tune-fi-Tune.
Winner (determined by Crowd Vote) Crowned 2018 Irish and Chin World Clash Champion.
World Clash 2018 was held Saturday, November 17th inside Toronto’s Tibet Canadian Cultural Centre. Doors were open at 7 pm, clash time started about 10:15 pm, and a champion was crowned sometime after 5:00 am. MC Ajax (from the Irish and Chin camp) was a credible and entertaining host for a packed venue that may have had up to 1600 people in attendance.
On this Saturday night, temperatures had cooled down in Toronto, a factor that helped the door move fast with generally small yet steady line ups. Once inside, fans would generally get their money’s worth. The Tibet-Canadian Cultural Hall was large and spacious, amplified with a large stage, a near flawless sound system with intelligent LED video-board styled-lighting, and a bar that moved smoothly. It seemed like there were more women than usual in clash attendance, and because Sounds were allowed to play 45’s for the first 5 Rounds, many of the women would be seen having fun dancing during the clash.
By night’s end, people would have experience a decent clash, which had very few highlights and epiphanies when compared to clashes of the past. No complaints though from our own Mystic Sound, who worked hard to succeed as champions of this pivotal and historical event. By night’s end, they would make their hometown proud as well as the entire Canadian Sound Clash fraternity by emerging as winners of the event. Throughout the clash they kept reiterating that the trophy would not leave Canada, and they meant it.
In looking back at World Clash ’18, it’s easiest to understand the event from a Sound-by-Sound perspective. In the order that they played;
#1. KING TURBO
From a King Turbo “fan” point of view, I believe we witnessed “Ricky Turbo”, not “King Turbo”. Most clash die-hards already knew that for some time now, sound founder Andrew aka Slingshot had not been on talking terms with co-founder, Ricky Turbo. The two have had differences historically, but fans had been hoping these differences would be put aside in time for the big night. Of course, this didn’t happen. Instead, we saw Ricky Turbo give it his best shot with some substitute selectors. Missing, was the real King Turbo crew – there was no Slingshot, no Spex, no Dyce Lox, no Jahmin, no body! Behind the controls were two people nobody knew, one of whom was a young female selector whose lack of experience may have cost Ricky his clash!
Ricky Turbo had a decent first Round, but in the 2nd Round, he left a big stage empty too often, in effect losing the crowd while trying to fix things behind the turntables. A world clash night was not the night to experiment. Musically, there were no custom tunes or new tunes, as an ill-prepared Ricky Turbo tried to get by with his usual one-man against the world antics. By the end of Round Two, the crowd, who had been curious to see if Ricky Turbo could pull it off, now realized that they would not be getting their money’s worth, chiefly because the real King Turbo crew wasn’t there. Ricky Turbo, drawing first, was the first Sound to play at World Clash, and they were exited first by the crowd; somewhat embarrassing for the back-to-back defending World Clash champs.
Without doubt, there is crisis in the King Turbo camps. I hope this experience will lead to King Turbo, who seemingly has more lives than a cat, taking some time out to fix their internal problems. If it wasn’t clear before, it should be very clear now; This World Clash loss, preceded by their embarrassing loss to Rootsman earlier this year, proves that their strength lies in working together as a team instead of apart as individuals.
#2: EMPIRE:
Empire, one of two Sounds on the bill representing the UK, was second up to bat at World Clash. This Sound reminded me of one of our Fully Loaded Sounds. Their first Round was steady, they got some forwards here and there, but it would soon be clear to fans that they lacked the big tunes to maintain past the 3rd Round (they were eliminated at the end of Round 3 – the second Sound to be eliminated). Empire came to World Clash with regular tunes on regular one-a-way riddims, somewhat like going to a gun fight with a knife or machete. They were the first Sound to get booed, during and after their set, although they didn’t seem to let the boos bother them.
#3: 3 SEVENS
Antigua’s 3-Sevens Sound (Caribbean champs) dropped out after Round #5 after defeating Dee Buzz in a 1-Song Shootout after it was too hard to determine, by a show of hands, who was to be eliminated after getting the lowest amount of votes. After surviving this end-of-Round #4 shootout, they ran into stumbling blocks when drawing the “combination” theme for their mystery round which they seemed ill prepared for and struggled through. Upon till this point, 3 Sevens, for the most part, had the crowd a way, and seemed to be on a mission to eliminate King Turbo from their very first Round. They had steady crowd support even when things were getting sticky and when the crowd were booing Sounds for the slightest miscues, weak tunes, and for speeches that did not connect with songs.
#4. JAH WORKS
Jah Works has so much potential. A friend noted to me that while other Sounds stayed on stage during the event, Jah Works was the only selector to walk through and feel out the crowd during the clash, interesting. This one man Japanese-Rasta Sound was the final Sound to drop out before the Tune-fi-tune between Mystic and Dynamq. Selector Osaka played solid and consistent throughout World Clash, and was very likable, steadily gaining confidence with consistent crowd support.
Jah Works was the first Sound to get a huge forward at World Clash. They won the place over with nicely cut Sanchez dubs while making a serious statement with their Jah Works (Terror Fabulous) anthem dub plate. At times, Osaka would even use his Rasta-dread lox connection to mesmerize and win over the crowd. Jah Works also had one of the greatest mystery round performances when he drew the “God Bless” theme and mashed up the place with 45’s-only for the entire Round.
Jah Works seemed to enjoy mixing classic dancehall tunes over hip-hop beats, but this did not score well with the World Clash audience. He also learned that despite how big Drake may be in Canada and the world, playing “God’s Plan” and “Starting from the Bottom”(!) would earn him little response in the Canadian sound clash arena. Jah Works, at times, spent too much time talking vs playing tunes. Nothing wrong with talking, but at this stage, this solo selector-micsman is still having difficulty mastering English, and during the night, struggled slightly with his annunciation. I thought, If only there were two of him, but he was doing it all solo on this night. We’ll hear a lot more from this talented Japanese selector.
#5: MOUR DAN:
Mour Dan may have tied Empire at UK Rumble, entitling them both to go to World Clash, but ironically the crowd would get rid of both Sounds simultaneously when two Sounds had to go after the completion of Round 3. I don’t remember this Sound getting any significant forwards for the three Rounds in which they survived, but I really felt like they clearly lacked the killer instinct needed to excel in the league in which they were clashing. Simply put, the World Clash crowd wasn’t feeling them, as they sensed that Mour Dan didn’t want it bad enough, appearing to just go along with the World Clash ride, perhaps just to prove to themselves that they could do it.
Mour Dan more resembled a good juggling Sound to my ears. In between dubs played, one could hear silence from a crowd that wasn’t feeling them. They struggled to get forwards, and in the end, took some booes before being exited by fans who expected more. Mour Dan will be remembered for taking (or trying to mock) Dynamq’s style, and re-dressing in an African-inspired loose fitting Dashiki shirt (during Round 3), after being dressed in green T-shirts during Rounds one and two. This gimmick didn’t help, and he was ridiculed later by the African-born Dynamq Sound for wearing a fake “made in China” Dashiki.
#6: DEEBUZZ
I truly enjoyed Dee Buzz’s performance at World Clash. Even though they were eliminated at the end of Round 4’s one-song “shootout”, their performance leading up to that point was solid. The German-based Sound got off to a good start, and was well liked by the crowd who gave them some good forwards for their selections, good stagemanship, and on point speeches. When everyone was bigging up marijuana being legalized in Canada, it was Dee Buzz who were first to point out that the government were the ones to gain most from this, despite the weed men showing them the way by selling weed defiantly (and going to jail for it) all this time. Dee Buzz had some of the most intelligent speeches during the night, was well researched, and was never afraid to call a next Sound’s name.
Dee Buzz’s problem was their failure to make the right adjustments, proven by their selection choice in the one-song, “end of Round #4” shootout. It’s no secret that the North American dub plate flavor is different than clash territories in England, Germany and the UK where cultured Reggae is huger and more respected. Furthermore, when Dee Buzz drew the “vocals” theme in the “mystery” Round, he stuck to a European Roots & culture style which hurt him. Dee Buzz deserved better, but their one-dimensional execution failed to impress a fan base who wanted balance; maybe a little Alkaline, Kartel, Masicka, etc., verses the onslaughts of Black Uhuru’s and Max Romeo’s etc., that would work better in foreign territories.
#8: DYNAMQ
Dynamq was the second-most impressive Sound at World Clash ’18. Slated as the ‘lock off king’, this selector had made history by winning every Round in his US Rumble, eliminating any need for a tune-fi-tune showdown. Dynamq is a producer who cuts and releases his own riddims. He first took the stage in a black hoodie, then later returned in his signature Dashiki outfit meaning it was time for his Sound killing to begin. Dynamq is from Kansas, but originally is from Sudan, coming to America as a refugee before making it as a selector. He is also a humanitarian, because to date, he still uses his own money to help build schools back in his village.
It’s fair to say that Dynamq, based on his dubs, speech, and performance, was leading World Clash for the majority of night (maybe with the exception of Round #3) and may have earned the biggest forwards and won the most Rounds except for the one that counted the most. It was very close right down to the wire between Dynamq and Mystic, but Dynamq’s critical error playing back a tune (or two) during Tune-fi-Tune was crippling. In the final sage he lost momentum and was booed (first time for the night) because of this (Mystic saw this, and capitalized on it).
Big up Dynamq, the Sound who most likely earned the most new fans at World Clash based on performance alone. Dynamq was a brave warrior, a physical and engaged performer, very organized, constantly attacking, and always engaging the audience. He seemingly always had the right speech, and knew how to put the right tunes on the proper Riddims. One of his biggest and most memorable forwards was for a Tony Rebel “Sweet Jamaica” tune, evenly matched by a new Blessed ganja tune carved exclusively for World Clash. The tune-fi-tune also highlighted his fearlessness and combativeness because at times things seem like they could go physical as Dynamq was not afraid to talk right up to Mystic’s face when they were dueling.
Dynamq could have sealed a victory, having won most of the Rounds leading up to the Tune-fi-Tune, but shot themselves in the foot by playing back tunes. He almost lost the crowd support at one juncture when, after King Turbo had already been eliminated, he kept addressing a dead Sound (he had too many “get-out-the-way” tunes prepared for King Turbo that he couldn’t resist using it seemed). The crowd, after a while, wasn’t going for it, just like Mystic wouldn’t take any bad up from any foreign Sound dissing them on their own soil. Dynamq may have lost this clash, but they won a whole heap of respect for any Sound Clash fan who had never seen them perform before.
#7: MYSTIC
The 2018 Canada Rumble champions have now turned 2018 Irish and Chin World Clash champions. Last Saturday, November 17th, Mystic were the silent killers at World Clash 2018. It was so impressive that on the night when it counted the most, Mystic did not flop. This Sound was able capitalize on an opportunity that would take them to a level that only a select select few will ever reach during the entirety of their sound clash careers.
Mystic quickly shook of all nerves and shot out the gate confident ready to command the biggest stage they’ve ever performed on in their lives. The night had started well because unlike King Turbo, who drew 1st, Mystic had drawn 7th (out of eight Sounds competing), so was better able to assess the competition before taking to the stage themselves.
Mystic played what they had in their box at World Clash. They gave it their all from a music and speech point of view. They had sized up the opportunity, and used everything they had in them in order to win. Mystic also found out something about themselves, that they thrive off an audience’s love, and are capable of elevating to higher levels if prompted by the crowd size seen at World Clash.
Mystic felt the feeling – that superstar feeling, and were ready to deliver like true superstars do, holding nothing back because they always were natural, God-gifted entertainers. Yes, they were blessed with home-field advantage but that’s fair in sound clash war so do we really need to harp on that – I say no. Mystic just wanted it bad enough, they rose to a level that seemingly was beyond them, because who would have thought that they could actually pull this off and emerge World Clash champions.
They were the World Clash Sound with seemingly nothing to lose. They were the youngest Sound, perhaps the poorest, and definitely the most underestimated. It was King Turbo who was the hunted, nobody really had their eyes too much on Mystic – a critical error. Any research would have told a Soundman that Mystic is a Sound who never fails to rise to the occasion because this is what defines them, this is who they were, and the big stage is where they deserved to be.
Canada has got so much talent, I always knew. I enjoyed so much seeing Mystic play and speak their hearts out, literally having the time of their lives. I enjoyed seeing them peak during the mystery Round, where they drew the “dead Artist” theme (they could only play dubs or 45’s featuring Artists who’ve passed). When you listen to the audio, you’ll hear how they destroyed things, arguably perhaps their best Round in the clash. One of the night’s biggest forwards came when they played Panhead’s “Respect to all the Gunman Dem”, and importantly they played it at the right time.
I enjoyed seeing their confidence grow as the Rounds went by and they were squeechie-ing through without playing back tunes or making mistakes – no elimination! The same had happened when Canada’s Rebel Tone won World Clash in 2002, a similar story because while the big Sounds were killing off themselves and trying to get each other out of the clash, they all forgot about Newby who, despite being relatively unknown, out played these giants with excellent dub-choices and crafty speech. I saw Mystic do the same last Saturday, and by the time the other seven Sounds realized it was Mystic, not King Turbo that was the leading contender, it was too late; it was Mystic-to-the-world!
And it was too late for Dynamq, a great opponent, but victim of a Mystic T.K.O. in an exciting tune-fi-tune that decided it all. The story would go according to script and in the end, it would be like what Mystic had said all along, “Di Trophy Nah Leave Canada!” – ain’t that the truth.
Congratulations Mystic – you did good, and you made us proud. Big up all you fans too, they supported you right down to the end. Mystic – you wanted it, now you got it, and we can hardly wait to see what you’re gonna do with it! Big up Canada’s Mystic Sound, the Irish and Chin 2018 World Clash Champions!
See over 200 exclusive ReggaeMania.com hot Pics (in our gallery below) from the Irish and Chin World Clash 2018 (Toronto, Canada). Pics by Ron Nelson and Lisa West.
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Click here to Listen and/or Download the official IrishandChin World Clash Audio 11.17.18.
The audio (released November 19th) is also available for listening only, on Soundcloud.com at the following URL: https://soundcloud.com/irishandchin/world-clash-2018.
Our Instagram account (@djronnelson) is still buzzing after keeping hundreds of people updated in real time during World Clash with our Photographs, Videos, and Play-by-Play Reviews, as Lisa West and myself covered this event in it’s entirety from the 10:15 pm start to 5:45 am finish! Blessings.
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