The Originator, as he is also called, is describing the soundsystem he founded in the early 1970s—Stur-Gav Hi Fi. More like a hip hop DJ, with a speakers, microphone and MC set-up, the soundsystem has been the standard way to experience music in Jamaica from as far back as the 1950s and ’60s, and U-Roy is bringing this experience to Montreal.

“Soundsystem was just a poor people’s thing—people go to dances to have fun, because they can’t go to the clubs and buy these big drinks and stuff like that and pay entrance fee,” says U-Roy. “It really started with the people in the ghetto, it’s our enjoyment. That’s how it came about. And trust me, I had no idea that soundsystem would ever get so big.”

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