Big names, genres coming together for SoundAtopia Music Festival

On November 8 and 9, Jamaica is expected to play host to a new kind of music festival aimed at bringing together a multitude of genres like Amapiano, Afrobeats, R&B, reggae and dancehall. SoundAtopia, a two-day show, will feature performances from big names like Jermaine Dupri, 2 Chainz and Bounty Killer.

In a conversation with The Gleaner, the festival’s organisers, Peter Cook and Guy Duhon, explained their vision for SoundAtopia and how it came to be.

“I was in South Africa in December last year when I discovered what Amapiano was and how it was going on. I think it was the Scorpion Kings, Devin Gogo and a few others; they sold out a stadium, and it was amazing to me how many people were dancing to the DJs, and there were no big performances; there were the stars,” Duhon recalled.

“And I was amazed, and I just said to myself, like, this is crazy. I’ve never seen a genre of music that came along and made everyone want to dance. And so, when I returned home, I ended up going to this [Amapiano show] just to see what it was … I was the only person in the party not dancing. I was amazed by everybody else dancing. [There were] celebrities there, but nobody cared about the celebrities … . And that’s when [it] clicked to me. Man, it would be crazy to take this on the island of Jamaica,” he added.

When asked the rationale for bringing these genres, which aren’t necessarily the most popular in Jamaica, to the island, Duhon explained that Jamaica serves as the cultural birthplace for many of these sounds, and it was only right to return them home.

“In the process of thinking about it, [it] reminded me of King Jammy and King Tubby. Where the remixing and dance music [were] created from Kingston. It was like, okay, it makes sense to return it to this place and celebrate it. So, we’re blending all the cultures together that takes from Jamaica and we’re returning it back to Jamaica. This will make perfect sense to do there and pay homage to the founders [who] have created this music that everyone just keeps growing and growing around the world,” he said.

SoundAtopia will be hosted in the tourism hub of St Ann at the popular Plantation Cove entertainment venue.

“We totally understand what Kingston represents, but it’ll be great not to limit ourselves to just production, but [also] the value of scenery as well. Our goal is to make it accessible for various reasons. I know going into Kingston is further away from Negril or Montego Bay. So, we were looking [for] a midpoint to give access to all,” Duhon explained.

All in all, SoundAtopia’s organisers are hoping to entice a new crowd of music enthusiasts looking to get lost in the experience of a lifetime. Cook, who serves as Duhon’s right-hand man, explained that artistes are lining up at the very thought of performing in Jamaica.

“There is a lot of excitement already so far. Let me give you an example, right? One of the first artistes that Guy signed was Cocainna, who’s Nigerian, but she lives in the UK. I was thanking her for joining SoundAtopia. And I asked, ‘What is the attraction for you to do this?’ And the first thing out of her mouth was, ‘It’s Jamaica’,” he shared with The Gleaner.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com