COPPERSHOT DISCO

It started as a hobby, but now, 10 years later, Coppershot Disco is no passing curiosity, but one of Jamaica's top sound systems poised to take the science of selecting to even greater heights.

In just a few weeks, DJs Small Voice, Zig Zagular, Frigi and Mr Shaun will take another step along a musical journey. They're scheduled to tour - as DJs - with international dancehall sensation Sean Paul, changing slightly the role of the DJ/selector in the world of dancehall music.

Not that it's an entirely new phenomenon - the concept of an artiste traveling with his own DJ has long been a part of hip-hop culture, and to a lesser extent dancehall. In fact, DJ Zig Zag, Jason Henriques, has already done the rounds as Sean Paul's personal DJ and "hype man". Zig Zag, who is also Sean Paul's younger brother, landed the gig when, touring with his brother, the two would find that resident DJs wouldn't be up to date with the hottest rhythms, rhythms that the younger Henriques had access to because of his association with the sound system. Soon, he found himself taking on performing roles that would drag him from behind the turntables and into the spotlight, making him, the selector, a part of the performance in his own right.

The other DJs are no strangers to that sort of work either. The way Coppershot operates, it's a first-come, first-play scene, that means that any DJ available does the work when its there, and as a result, they all have played at stage shows, dances, sporting events, and house parties before, and they all have an idea of what's needed to keep the show going.

"It's a little different though," clarifies Coppershot founding member and manager Matthew Grey, who uses the name Nero P.

"When you're touring, it's almost as if you're the opening act, warming up the crowd. What we basically do is take the feel of a Jamaican dance to wherever Sean is, because it's not necessarily just Jamaicans at Sean's shows."

Going on tour with Sean Paul is just another way the Coppershot crew is altering the whole concept of what being a sound system and a selector involves. They do the things regular sounds do - select at all types of events, make and distribute promotional mixes, and, like many others are doing these days, build and produce their own rhythms - but Coppershot takes everything just one step further.

Take for instance, what they plan to do on tour with Sean Paul. In hip-hop, the DJ is usually a background figure, there simply to show off with mixes and to play tracks for the artiste. Each artiste, however, travels with a "hype man", a person who gives backup vocals and helps to energize the crowd. In dancehall, the selector is much more vocal, and in a sense is responsible for managing the hype with both music and witticisms, artistes generally perform alone. When they head out, the plan is to mesh the two responsibilities, a new role that's not entirely alien.

"We incorporate dancehall and hip hop, because most dancehall people don't have a "hype man", but we have selectors in the dancehall, so we said why not blend the two," says Zig Zag.

As a hype man/selector, says Zig Zag, "The aim is always to build the vibes. For instance, Sean is a man that will just deejay no matter how much the crowd rail up - and most deejays are like this - so most times it's the selector that decides when to pull it up, but we don't just do that, we'll also back him up, introduce him, basically make sure that the energy is there."

Coppershot made its name in the late 1990s, starting with small house parties that were usually uptown events. Like their de facto mentors, the selectors of Renaissance Disco, the only other uptown sound to command respect nationally, over time, they raised their stocks with the wider public for their selecting style. The Coppershot formula: talk less, play music more, build interesting remixes and keep the people dancing. It's a simple system that hasn't failed them yet.

"You can't force music on people, you just have to watch and keep the vibes going, so if the music you're playing isn't giving you a reaction, maybe you just need to bring out the familiar material. But it all depends, and you kinda just have to feel it," says Frigi, whose real name is Jason Carr. Frigi, who also uses the name Ice, joined up with Coppershot in 1999, when as a Computer Studies student at UTech by day and a selector with DJ Squeeze's Skyy Disco at night, he chose to make a career out of playing music.

"I never really intended to go into the sound system thing. I'm more of a producer, but I guess the easiest access I had to the business was through the sound system. At the time also, I guess the direction Skyy was going in I wasn't headed that way, they were catering more to an older crowd, playing more oldies, that sort of thing, so that's when I got together with these guys."

The Coppershot story is the classic dream-come-true.

In 1994, a group of friends who knew each other from high school gathered all their records and equipment together, with a plan to own and operate their own sound system.

"The Coppershot that you know now is a merger of Coppershot, which was Shaun, and Sage, which was Matthew and myself. We all live close to each other, and after a while, we noticed that all the time Shaun would want to borrow some equipment, we'd want to borrow his records, and we'd all end up playing at the same parties as two different sounds. At a certain point, it never made sense," says Zig Zag.

In 2005, the core members of that original group are still together, Mr Shaun (Shaun Anderson), DJ Zig Zag (Jason Henriques), and Nero P (Matthew Grey), have been joined by Small Voice (Joel Channer), Jason Carr (Frigi/Ice) and DJ Danny (Danny Whittingham) as well as two upcoming DJs Sanjay and DJ Mark.

In the past year they've consolidated their place on the entertainment scene, landing countless uptown parties but also major events like the Appleton Treasure Isle Party, a number of Reggae Boyz World Cup qualifying matches, and major coups like producing the mixes currently being run on the national airline Air Jamaica.

Until they head out with Sean Paul, the DJs of Coppershot will be doing what they do best, selecting and making music to keep people dancing, especially those at Jamaica Carnival events. But as the new opportunities open up, the realm of possibilities has the crew energized, particularly because they know they're on to something big.

Small Voice, who joined the group in 2002, for instance, says he's eager to experience the rigors of a tour, and is looking forward to the new role.

"I come from Chisholm Avenue, born and grow in the dancehall, and I got my first buss as a selector at 12 on Jam One sound. Dancehall is where I can show my talent most, I can entertain my dance - cause I'm a dancer too. Now abroad, whenever we go abroad, the dancing always take it (the show) cause they want to see what are the hottest things from yard. I guess I'm a "hype man" already, we just going to the next level - international."

Posted On 10/17/05 by: ScotchBonnett

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