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Stone Love Movement
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Stone Love Movement, commonly referred to as simply Stone Love, is one of the major Jamaican sound systems.
History
[edit]Based in Kingston, Jamaica, Winston "Wee Pow" Powell built the Stone Love sound system in 1972, using locally-built amplifiers.[1][2] These were soon upgraded, and the equipment has been kept up to date over Stone Love's four decade history, with long-time engineer Winston Samuels in charge of technical aspects of the sound system.[3] It became Jamaica's most popular sound system, known for its superior sound quality, and maintained this position into the 21st century.[2][4][5] It has also played overseas in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.[1] Stone Love is renowned for its exclusive dubplates, featuring dubs from many artist the sound system help launched, including Buju Banton, Wayne Wonder, Johnny Osbourne, Shabba Ranks, Sanchez, and Beenie Man.[2][6]
In the 1990s, rivalry with the Killamanjaro sound system led to a series of 'sound clashes' being staged.[7] In 2003 Powell started a second sound system, Purple Love, which concentrates on vintage Jamaican music.[8] A live album featuring a recording of the sound system performing, Stone Love Live, was released in 2005 on November Records.[9] The sound system hosts the 'Weddy Weddy Wednesday' party every Wednesday at its base in Burlington Avenue, Kingston.
Apart from Wee Pow, the selectors have included Rory, Geefus, Billy Slaughter, Diamond, Fire Ras, Ice Burg, Scary Gary, and Dwayne Pow[6] The sound system spawned the Stone Love and Father Pow record labels that have released hits by the likes of Bounty Killer, Jigsy King and Tony Curtis, Capleton, Tanya Stephens, and Daddy Screw.[1][9] In August 2014 it was announced that Powell would receive the Order of Distinction in October that year.[10] On 30 October 2014, the movement appeared at the Red Bull Culture Clash, clashing against Boy Better Know, A$AP Mob, and eventual winners Rebel Sound (David Rodigan, Shy FX, Chase & Status and MC Rage).[11] To celebrate Stone Love's 42nd anniversary, the sound system toured the US in a series of performances ending on 27 December 2014 at the Red Stripe Oval in Kingston.[12]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Stone Love Dancehall Vol. 2 :Lovers Selections | VP[13] |
| 1997 | Stone Love Movement Presents Go Go Wine | VP[14] |
| 1998 | It's A Stone Love Thing | VP[15] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Morgan, Simone (2012) "The Movement continues", Jamaica Observer, 9 November 2012, retrieved 10 November 2012
- ^ a b c "Stone Love", Vibe, April 1998, pp. 106-113
- ^ Cooke, Mel (2010) "Winston Samuels - The Man Behind Stone Love's 'Clean' Sound", Jamaica Gleaner, 24 December 2010, retrieved 10 November 2012
- ^ Cooke, Mel (2008) "Sound quality separates Stone Love from the pack", Jamaica Star, 15 December 2008, retrieved 10 November 2012
- ^ Seed, Michael et al (2003) Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Volume 2 - Production and Performance, Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., ISBN 978-0826463227, p. 264
- ^ a b "Stone Love, The Special anniversary", Jamaica Star, 2 November 2012, retrieved 10 November 2012
- ^ Stanley Niaah, Sonia (2010) DanceHall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto, University of Ottawa Press, ISBN 978-0776607368, p. 103
- ^ Henry, Krista (2006) "Purple Love goes back to Stone Love's roots", Jamaica Gleaner, 8 December 2006, retrieved 10 November 2012
- ^ a b Kenner, Rob (1995) "Boom Shots", Vibe, August 1995, p. 124, retrieved 10 November 2012
- ^ Campbell, Howard (2014) "Marcia Griffiths to receive Order of Distinction", Jamaica Observer, 7 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014
- ^ "Red Bull Culture Clash: Fans descend on Earls Court". The Independent. 27 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Stone Love celebrates 42 years", Jamaica Observer, 12 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014
- ^ "Stone Love - Stone Love Dancehall Vol. 2 :Lovers Selections". Discogs.
- ^ "Stone Love - Stone Love Movement Presents Go Go Wine". Discogs.
- ^ "Stone Love - It's A Stone Love Thing". Discogs.
Stone Love Movement
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Origins
Founding
The Stone Love Movement was founded in 1972 by Winston "Wee Pow" Powell, an electrical and elevator technician, in the Molynes Road area of Kingston, Jamaica.[1][2] Powell, drawing from his father's background in promoting picnics and parties, began the venture as a hobby driven by a passion for high-quality audio and a desire to create a sound system that could entertain local communities with superior sound reproduction.[1] His goal was not to build the largest or heaviest system but one focused on clarity and impact, reflecting his entrepreneurial ambition to establish a lasting business in the vibrant Jamaican sound system culture.[6] The name "Stone Love" originated from a modification of the Supremes' song "Stoned Love," with Powell removing the "d" to create a unique brand that symbolized a solid, enduring commitment to music—evoking the durability of stone alongside a deep affection for the art form.[1] Initially, the sound system operated under this name despite some early resistance from community members who preferred alternatives like "Pisces" or "Soul Mate," but Powell persisted, later appending "Movement" to highlight its dynamic evolution.[1] This branding underscored the system's roots in fostering communal joy through music in an era when sound systems served as central hubs for social gatherings in Kingston's neighborhoods.[7] Powell's initial setup was modest and resourceful, starting with a basic component set—an audio player acquired from a technician living in the same yard on Molynes Road.[1] Due to economic constraints and limited imports in 1970s Jamaica, he relied on local ingenuity, incorporating custom-built amplifiers and speaker boxes crafted from plywood by family members, including a cousin who was a cabinetmaker.[1][6] These early acquisitions, supplemented by a larger amplifier purchased with assistance from a coworker, formed the foundational operational structure, enabling small-scale dances and setting the stage for community-focused entertainment before expansions in subsequent years.[6]Early Development
Following its inception in a modest garage setup, Stone Love evolved into a prominent "uptown sound" system by the mid-1970s, distinguishing itself by emphasizing soul, disco, and R&B tracks over the dominant traditional reggae selections of the era. This stylistic shift reflected the founder's vision of delivering polished, international-flavored entertainment to broader audiences beyond Kingston's urban core.[2] Early performances focused primarily on rural and country venues across Jamaica, avoiding the volatile garrison communities of downtown Kingston, which helped cultivate a reputation for reliable, high-fidelity audio quality that set it apart from rougher, more localized systems. These countryside engagements allowed Stone Love to build grassroots loyalty through consistent, crowd-pleasing sets that prioritized clarity and bass response in open-air settings.[2] To enhance audience interaction during these events, Stone Love featured basic MC and selector roles, where selectors curated seamless record transitions and MCs provided hype and announcements to maintain energy and crowd engagement without relying on live bands. This foundational dynamic emphasized rhythmic flow and verbal flair, laying the groundwork for the system's enduring performance identity.[2]Operations
Sound System Technology
The Stone Love Movement's sound system originated with locally built amplifiers in the 1970s, reflecting the DIY ethos of early Jamaican sound system culture where components were sourced and assembled by hand to create powerful audio setups for outdoor dances.[8] By the 1980s, the system evolved into massive custom rigs, transitioning from valve-based amplifiers to solid-state transistor models that allowed for greater efficiency and power handling.[9] This upgrade included dedicated amplifiers for each frequency channel in a five-way split—covering sub-bass, low mid, high mid, horn, and tweeter—using brands like QSC with individual units rated from 750 to 5,000 watts.[9] Overall wattage increased dramatically from around 600 watts in the early 1980s to 15,000–19,000 watts by the late 20th and early 21st centuries, enabling the system to project sound over vast crowds in open-air venues.[9] Long-time engineer Winston Samuels has been instrumental in maintaining and upgrading the Stone Love equipment since the mid-1980s, overseeing technical aspects across four decades to ensure reliability and performance.[10] Starting as part of the setup crew under founder Winston "Wee Pow" Powell, Samuels progressed to full system management, handling on-site repairs and fine-tuning during intensive periods like holiday seasons when the crew might operate away from base for days.[10] His work involves meticulous adjustments to components such as crossovers and equalizers, drawing on an apprenticeship tradition that emphasizes auditory precision over formal metrics.[9] The system's reputation for a "killer" sound stems from its unique emphasis on high bass response and exceptional clarity, achieved through extended fine-tuning sessions that balance low frequencies for a full, rounded, and pungent output while minimizing distortion across the spectrum.[9] Speaker stacks, often reaching the height of a double-decker bus and featuring RCF drivers for bass bins alongside durable Motorola tweeters, are configured with bi-wiring and tuned enclosures like Scoop boxes to enhance reflex bass in open environments.[9] Samuels' engineering contributes to this "clean" sonic profile, where foam padding reduces harsh highs and panning effects via three-channel setups create immersive depth.[10][9] Adaptations for outdoor settings prioritize portability and robust power delivery, with the entire rig transported via specialized trucks—such as branded units for one set and a Leyland model for another—to allow rapid assembly and disassembly by maintenance crews.[10][9] Long, secure 140-foot cables ensure connectivity in expansive venues, while generators provide independent power for remote locations without grid access, supporting the high-wattage demands in Jamaica's variable terrains.[9] These features enable Stone Love to operate resiliently in clashes and street parties, hoisting speaker columns up to 14 feet using truck tail lifts for optimal projection.[9]Performance Style
The performance style of the Stone Love Movement is characterized by a dynamic interplay between DJ selectors and MCs, who blend musical selections with verbal "toasting" to build hype and foster crowd engagement. MCs, serving as the selector's "right hand man," stand alongside the DJ to "chat the mic" and "ride the riddim," using rhythmic vocal improvisation to guide the audience through live sessions. This toasting incorporates hype-building announcements, such as calls to jump, scream, or participate in dances like the "Ghetto Bicycle," often punctuated by offers of prizes (e.g., US$300 for the best hairdo) to sustain energy. A core element is the call-and-response antiphony, where MCs conduct the crowd like a "choir," eliciting echoes of chants such as "I am the king" to create a reciprocal feedback loop that amplifies participation and vibe reading.[9] Central to their approach is the integration of dub plates—exclusive, one-off acetate recordings customized with the sound system's name—to deliver unique plays that heighten competitiveness, particularly in clashes. These "dubplate specials" allow for bespoke tracks that selectors deploy strategically, enhancing the session's exclusivity and enabling "dub fi dub" exchanges where rivals counter each other's exclusives. This tactic underscores Stone Love's emphasis on innovation, with MCs weaving lyrical taunts or "tracing" (ritual insulting) around these plays to verbally ridicule opponents and rally the crowd.[9] Sets typically progress as a structured "sonic journey," beginning with soul and disco warm-ups or "Golden Oldies" around 10:00 PM to ease the audience in, then building intensity through current dancehall and reggae hits peaking at 3:00 AM, before winding down with mellow tracks at dawn. Selectors like Rory Stone or Tony Matterhorn steer this flow by repeating crowd-favorite tracks and adapting to real-time vibes, ensuring a seamless escalation from relaxed grooves to high-energy peaks. Signature techniques include extended bass drops, where the low frequencies are temporarily removed and dramatically reintroduced for visceral impact, often synced with MC voicing to heighten the dramatic effect. Transitions between vinyl records are executed via "juggling"—precise beat-matching and mixing with turntables and headphones—to maintain uninterrupted rhythm, blending genres fluidly without abrupt cuts unless in competitive contexts.[9]Key Personnel
Leaders and Founders
Winston "Wee Pow" Powell, the founder and primary visionary of the Stone Love Movement, began his career in law enforcement as a policeman in Jamaica before transitioning to the music scene in the early 1970s.[2] In 1972, Powell established the sound system on Molynes Road in Kingston, Jamaica, initially assembling it with locally built amplifiers and focusing on soul music selections to create a high-quality audio experience that would set it apart from existing setups.[1] His founding vision emphasized superior sound clarity and community engagement, evolving Stone Love from a modest operation into a cornerstone of Jamaican dancehall culture, with Powell remaining actively involved as owner and operator into the 2020s, including celebrating the sound system's 50th anniversary in 2022 and 53rd in 2025.[1][5][11] The leadership structure of Stone Love centers on Powell as the owner and decision-maker for overall operations and artistic direction, supported by specialized roles in technical management. Long-time engineer Winston Samuels has been instrumental in this structure since the early days, handling equipment setup, maintenance, and sound optimization to ensure the system's renowned "clean" audio quality—drawing on techniques like precise wiring and post-event cleaning routines.[10] Samuels' input on technical decisions has allowed Powell to focus on strategic growth, forming a collaborative yet hierarchical model that balances creative oversight with engineering expertise.[12] Management at Stone Love began informally in the 1970s, with Powell personally constructing and operating the system alongside a small team of just three core members by the 1980s, relying on hands-on involvement for events.[2] Over the decades, it professionalized through equipment upgrades, dedicated technical staff like Samuels, and structured programming such as the long-running "Weddy Weddy Wednesday" parties, enabling international tours and sustained operations without compromising the founder's original emphasis on quality and reliability.[12][10]DJs and Selectors
The Stone Love Movement has relied on a core group of skilled selectors to drive its performances, with Rory Gilligan, known professionally as Rory Stonelove, serving as one of its most influential figures since joining in the late 1980s.[2][13] Gilligan revolutionized the sound system's approach to dancehall by pioneering advanced juggling techniques, beat-matching, and the use of exclusive dubplates, which allowed for seamless transitions and crowd engagement during sessions.[2] He is particularly noted for incorporating "history lessons" into his sets, educating audiences on dancehall's evolution through curated selections of classic tracks and commentary on the genre's pioneers.[14] Over the decades, Stone Love's selector lineup has rotated to sustain its dynamic energy, featuring long-term members who specialize in different eras and styles of music. Key contributors include Geefus, who handles contemporary juggling, and Billy Slaughter, a veteran who served for over 33 years until his dismissal in early 2025, known for his commanding presence and ability to maintain high-intensity vibes in extended sessions.[15][16] Earlier rotations in the 1980s included Cancer, who focused on R&B and 1960s soul selections to appeal to diverse crowds, complementing the trio dynamic with founder Wee Pow and Rory.[2] This evolution has ensured the sound system's adaptability, with selectors like Fire Ras and Ice Burg later joining to handle specialized R&B and reggae sets.[12] Prominent MCs and toasters have elevated Stone Love's clashes and sessions through guest appearances, popularizing energetic toasting styles that became hallmarks of dancehall performance. Artists such as Super Cat, a key figure in the positive-consciousness movement, frequently performed with the sound system in the late 1980s and 1990s, showcasing his rapid-fire delivery and signature phrases like "Don Dada" to hype crowds during high-stakes clashes.[17][18] Other notable guests, including Junior Cat and Papa San, contributed boastful, rhythmic toasting that emphasized lyrical dexterity and crowd interaction, helping Stone Love dominate events like the 1990 Biltmore Ballroom clash.[19] These collaborations highlighted the sound system's role in amplifying toasting as a competitive art form, with selectors providing the foundational mixes.Discography
Albums
The Stone Love Movement has produced and been associated with several compilation albums that highlight their role in the dancehall scene, primarily through exclusive dub plates, live session recordings, and selections curated for their sound system events. These releases, often issued on vinyl and later CD formats, showcase the group's emphasis on high-energy tracks, clash anthems, and artist collaborations tailored for parties and clashes. Beginning in the late 1980s and gaining momentum in the 1990s, the albums evolved from analog vinyl LPs pressed in limited runs to digital distributions on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music by the 2010s, broadening their accessibility while preserving the raw energy of Stone Love's performances. As of 2025, Stone Love continues to release digital mixtapes and live session recordings on streaming platforms, maintaining their influence in the genre.[3] Key albums include self-produced compilations that feature dub versions and exclusive cuts, such as the seminal Stone Love Movement (early 1990s), a vinyl LP that captures early dub plates and anthems like Thriller U's "Stone Love Is" and Johnny Osbourne's "Reasons," emphasizing the sound system's signature bass-heavy mixes. Released on the Sir George label in the UK, it highlighted their transition from live sessions to recorded formats, with tracks like Coco Tea's "Tune In" serving as clash staples.[20] Similarly, Stone Love Dancehall Hits Vol. 1 (1993, CD format) compiled jugglin' style rhythms with highlights including contributions from major dancehall artists, underscoring Stone Love's curatorial influence in promoting emerging talents through exclusive selections.[21] In the mid-1990s, VP Records partnered with Stone Love for broader distribution, resulting in Stone Love Dancehall Vol. 2: Lovers Selections (1994), a lovers rock-infused compilation featuring smooth dub plates and romantic anthems that appealed to international audiences, with key tracks blending ragga and ballad elements to reflect the sound system's versatile programming.[22] This was followed by The Ultimate in Dancehall Music (1995, November Records), a double LP/CD set that aggregated peak dancehall cuts from the era, including high-impact dub remixes and clash-oriented tracks, which helped establish Stone Love's reputation for compiling "ultimate" party essentials and achieved notable sales in reggae markets. Stone Love Movement Presents Go Go Wine (1996, VP Records), another VP collaboration, spotlighted party anthems like Captain Barkey's "Go-Go Wine" and Merciless's "Gizzada," with 14 tracks of upbeat, call-and-response dub plates designed for live energy; it received positive nods for capturing the exuberant vibe of Stone Love clashes.[23] The late 1990s saw It's A Stone Love Thing (1998, VP Records), a 14-track compilation on both vinyl and CD that featured powerhouse artists like Sanchez's "I Wish I Can Fly," Beenie Man's "Come Back," and Bounty Killer's "Good Gal" collaboration, incorporating exclusive Stone Love dubs to promote dancehall's global crossover; critics praised its role in bridging raw Jamaican sounds with polished production, contributing to the genre's mainstream traction without specific chart peaks documented. By the 2000s, releases like Stone Love Movement Live (1995 recording, November Records) shifted toward live-captured sessions, preserving clash anthems in digital formats for streaming, marking the evolution to accessible online playback while maintaining focus on dub plate exclusivity.[24] These albums collectively amplified dancehall's cultural reach, with limited chart data but widespread acclaim for fostering community through music.| Album Title | Release Year | Label | Format | Key Track Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Love Movement | Early 1990s | Sir George | Vinyl LP | "Stone Love Is" (Thriller U), "Reasons" (Johnny Osbourne), "Dangerous" (Thriller U & Clement Irie) |
| Stone Love Dancehall Hits Vol. 1 | 1993 | Various (independent) | CD | Jugglin' rhythm selections featuring emerging dancehall artists |
| Stone Love Dancehall Vol. 2: Lovers Selections | 1994 | VP Records | CD/LP | Lovers rock dub plates with ragga ballads |
| The Ultimate in Dancehall Music | 1995 | November Records | CD/LP (double) | Peak-era clash anthems and remixes |
| Stone Love Movement Presents Go Go Wine | 1996 | VP Records | CD/Vinyl | "Go-Go Wine" (Captain Barkey), "Gizzada" (Merciless) |
| It's A Stone Love Thing | 1998 | VP Records | CD/Vinyl | "I Wish I Can Fly" (Sanchez), "Come Back" (Beenie Man) |
| Stone Love Movement Live | 1995 | November Records | LP/CD | Live clash sessions with dub exclusives |