Dancehall retirement - Tribute to Krispy Disco

 

Sleeve design for a mix-cd I made for Mello

Not too long ago, on a Saturday night, I drove to the south side of my hometown Zwolle with two crates filled with Jamaican 45`s in the back of my car. It was cold and dark outside. A heavy pulsing steppers dub from Jah Warrior boomed out of the speakers in my car. That night I had an appointment with another avid reggae collector. He was interested in buying some 45`s from me. In my mind I was already preparing the selection of tracks that I was going to spin that night. High Note, some Studio One, Techniques, Firehouse, Jammy`s, Black Scorpio, Harry J, Redman; the labels flashed through my mind.

Suddenly, I had to think about the journey which those 45’s had made. Right now, in the trunk of a my car, through a cold fall night, on a smooth asphalt road on their way to the south side of the Dutch city Zwolle. And back then in the early eighties, just pressed at Dynamic Sounds, Sonic Sounds or Tuff Gong. From the warehouse or a small distributor by car or motorbike through the burning sun, over a road full of potholes through the mountains. Passing Flat Bridge and through Fern Gully straight from Kingston to a small record shop in Ocho Rios. Bought there by Count Mello, the selector of the Krispy Disco Sound System.

Krispy Disco was a small local sound system. Like how a lot of Jamaicans operated their own sound. In the good old days you gained much respect from the community when you owned a sound system in Jamaica. “Im boss man! Im haffe a sound!”. And that is how Count Mello started out by the end of the sixties. As a side activity to the pastry shop Krispy Patties which he ran together with his brothers. He played his sound on parties and dances, or just from the back of the shop on the market. The bass blasted out of his big set of speakers! That must have been some experience in those days. Where would Mello have played all those 45’s? I don`t know, but on many occasions he must have loaded them in the trunk of his car. Packed in tape boxes and scandal bags on their way to a local party. A lot of people must have danced the night away on the hits of Culture, Peter Metro, Brigadeer Jerry and Frankie Paul. By the end of the eighties the digital riddims like the Sleng Teng must have blasted out of the speakers! Feel the vibes!

Count Mello (2009)

Mello ended his sound system activity around 1990. In 2003 I met him at his house. When I told him that I was interested in reggae music, boxes and scandal bags full of 45’s and albums start to appear from under his bed and from several different closets in the house. And every time I thought I saw it all, more records appeared from somewhere. With the car they picked up some other boxes with albums from the storage behind the pastry shop. Thousands of 45’s and a couple of hundred albums. A small set of speakers and the mixing desk of the sound system were still connected in the back room of the house. Now in modern style with two CD players. But eventually also the turntable appeared from under the bed and was plugged in for the occasion. There in the back room at Mello`s family house I selected the 45’s of which a part was now in the back of my car. Occasionally I put on some of the tracks and then the heydays of Krispy Disco Sound System revived for a short while. They had to laugh over the tracks I selected. They were vintage and brought memories, or there was a nice story behind it. And on many occasions a little piece of Jamaican history was unfolded by the lyrics but also the various riddims showcased a peculiar and interesting music history. “You flop them, man!” Mello said when he liked the selection that I played. If I was involved in some sound clash.

And so I had many sessions in the last couple of years at Mello`s family. Sometimes the entire afternoon and evening till late in the night. And all those sessions came with a delicious meal of rice and peas, Jerk chicken, curried goat or another typical Jamaican dish.

And then I packed around 500 45’s neatly in a box and shipped them with UPS to the Netherlands. At home I listened to every 45 carefully. I added most of them to my own collection and I sold some to other collectors. And that`s how the 45’s, and a piece of Jamaican dancehall history, ended up in two crates in the back of my car on a perfect smooth road heading to the South side of Zwolle. Later on that cold September night the top room of an average town house was lighted up by the sounds and vibes of Jamaican dancehall. A dancehall salute! To Krispy Disco Sound System. That was how the 45`s I sold will disappear in the orderly organized record archives of a reggae collector in the Netherlands. From now on they will be handled with great care, they will be cleaned till they shine, and when they play, the music will be listened to instead of felt! The sounds they carry will never again blast out of the more then man-sized speakers to hit a dancehall crowd. They will never decide a sound clash anymore. They went with retirement! Those 45’s of Krispy Disco.

Flying D

Krispy Disco indeed!



Stamped 45 label