Bass Foundation Roots Sound System To Launch In Delhi This Week

One of the marked events in our independent music community this year so far was the success of Delhi Sultanate and Begum X’s Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the Bass Foundation Roots sound system – one of just 3 existing authentic, Jamaican style and custom built systems in the entire country.

After months of hard work to build the system – which consists of a powerful stack of hand built wooden speakers, power amplifiers, two turntables and a van, the duo are all set to launch it on 2 April at Champa Gali, New Delhi. Expect uncompromising sound quality and a strictly vinyl set at the event. The BFR sound system was built to challenge India’s narrow club culture and dependency on venues and sponsors by taking reggae (a genre historically painted by social, political and cultural dialogue) directly to the people.

“It is intended to foster a sense of unity and strength in communities and both the sound and the lyrics of the music carry this message. A sound system lends immense power to the music and has the ability to literally vibrate bodies and objects in its immediate surrounding. Through a sound system, music becomes an intense physical and communal experience. Sound systems are about sonic dominance. Imagine for instance a protest or a political community meeting commencing or ending with a sound system session?

Over the next year, the BFR van will travel to different regions of India in order to collaborate with University campuses, people’s movements, writers, thinkers and artists to curate cultural spaces where critical consciousness can come together with the intense experience of sub bass being played over sound system speakers.” - Delhi Sultanate and Begum X

Another interesting addition to the BFR sound system is the inclusion of a mobile book and DVD store, which will accompany the van wherever it goes. The store will include a small selection of books and DVDs, featuring titles concerned with Indian and African liberation movements and authors ranging from Frantz Fanon and Ambedkar to Arundhati Roy and N Venugopal.

You can check the Facebook event here for updates. The BFR sound system will launch in Champa Gali, near Saket in New Delhi. Details below. Check out BFR’s radio shows and Delhi Sultanate on SoundCloud.