ENTITY · CONCEPT / TERM

Dancehall intro-man / vibes-man role

Well supported

The voice that introduces a tune before the deejay takes it — hyping the crowd, naming the sound, calling the rewind. It is a distinct role with its own performers, closer to a compere than to a singer, and it is one of the parts of a dance that leaves no trace on a record and so goes almost entirely undocumented.

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At a glance

Type: Concept / term →
Era: Clash and 1990s spectacle →
Confidence: Well supported

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Connections

In stories

Story · Well supportedDancehall bodies, voices and vibes men

The record is only part of it. Dancehall is also a dance vocabulary, a weekly street calendar and a man on a microphone whose job is to make the room feel like something.

Debate & reception

What people argued about this record — two documented positions each time, kept apart from verified fact. Browse every argument in the archive →

Commentary

Intro voices are sonic infrastructure

One side

Recording credits

The other

Live sound-system energy

Joe Lickshot and other intro personalities show that non-singers and non-selectors can still shape how a dubplate, sound clash or dance is felt by the crowd.

Read the argument →