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ENTITY · CONCEPT / TERM

Juggling

Well supported

Juggling describes the sound-system practice of playing a single riddim through a long sequence of different vocal versions, the everyday alternative to head-to-head clash competition and the format behind the 'juggling album' compilations of the CD era.

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At a glance

Confidence
Well supported
Sources
Beth Lesser, Dancehall; Norman Stolzoff, Wake the Town and Tell the People; Rough Guide to Reggae.

Coverage areas

Genres, forms & lineagesMusical & sonic elements

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Connections

In stories

Story · Well supportedJuggling sounds and clash tapes

A sound system has two modes: the clash, where it fights, and the juggling, where it keeps a dance alive. Cassette tapes of both are the closest thing Jamaica has to a live archive.

Story · ProbableJuggling and the tape that remembers

Most nights a sound system isn't clashing anyone — it's juggling a riddim for a dancing crowd, and someone is taping it.

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Compiled and researched by The Jamaica Music Atlas music desk. The sources that informed it are credited above.

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