Notting Hill Carnival sound systems

Well supported

Sound systems joined Notting Hill Carnival in the early 1970s and became its backbone: static rigs on fixed pitches — Channel One, Aba Shanti-I, Saxon and dozens more — each drawing its own crowd for two days. For UK sounds the pitch is a year's reputation in one weekend, and for many visitors it is the closest thing to a Jamaican dance they will stand in.