Bass Odyssey

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Bass Odyssey
Bass Odyssey selector Worm alongside Dj Lexxy.JPG
Playing at the Annual Mothers' Day Event, 2012
Background information
Origin Saint Ann, Jamaica
Genres Reggae, dancehall
Years active1989 (1989)–present
LabelsBass Odyssey Entertainment Ltd.
MembersWorm, Dwayne, Damion, Lexxy, Harry D, Keithy Keith, Country Speng, Villy, Bishawn, Price, Frasqo, Mario, Charly Blacks, Jovi National, Teejay Di Shooter, Spread the Glory
Past membersKevin Squingy Bennett (1972 - 2009), Glamma G, Lenny, Tinna One, Skinny, Dj Mark, Bunny Hayles
Website www.facebook.com/BASSODYSSEY
Bass Odyssey Sound System speaker column, Tropical Hut, St. Mary, May 2012 Bass Odyssey Sound System speaker column, Tropical Hut, St. Mary, May 2012.jpg
Bass Odyssey Sound System speaker column, Tropical Hut, St. Mary, May 2012
Bass Odyssey Salutes Jamaica's 50Th Anniversary Bass Odyssey Salutes Jamaica 50.jpg
Bass Odyssey Salutes Jamaica's 50Th Anniversary

Bass Odyssey is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall sound system group founded in 1989 by Keith Walford. [1]

Contents

History

Bass Odyssey was founded in Alexandria, St. Ann, in rural Jamaica. Founder and owner Keith Walford was involved with music from a young age. After graduating from York Castle High in 1976, young Keith partnered with his father to expand his local mechanic business by working as a vendor and operator of jukeboxes and gaming machines across the island. As both a hobby and a small business gig, young Keith would play vinyl and cassettes on his component set at small events such as weddings and birthday parties. Simultaneous with his increasing demand was the re-emergence of the sound system era in the Jamaican entertainment scene in the mid-1980s, which inspired his path to establish the Bass Odyssey Sound System in 1989. [2] For this reason, many dispute the established date of Bass Odyssey Sound System as 1989 due to the earlier career of Keith as a DJ and selector himself playing at numerous local gigs. Initially, the transition involved Walford's close friend at the time and Bunny was the first official selector Tenor One.

Rise of the Clashing Twins: Squidgy and Glama G

Bass Odyssey quickly gained popularity due to their clashing style, [3] which dominated the peak of the modern sound clash era in the early to mid-1990s. Keith transitioned from being a selector and MC, turning those roles over to Tina-One, who was later joined by Glama G. Around 1991, Kevin “Squidgy” Bennett, newly graduated from Fern Court High, joined the team as a drum machine player. Tina-One took the opportunity to migrate to England, and Glama G and Squidgy quickly rose to stardom as “the juggling/clashing twins” due to their similar appearance and energetic performances. Around this time (early 1990s), the Bass Odyssey name saw increased recognition and gained a large following in the Jamaican diaspora across the US, Canada, and the UK. With frequent tour dates, the team expanded to include Lenny, a longtime colleague of Glama G (both had previously worked together on a sound system in Spanish Town), and later Dwayne, Worm, and Skinny.

Bass Odyssey in the 1990s

Some team members, such as Bunny Hayle as well as Glama G and Lenny went on to pursue other businesses or musical ventures. Walford maintained the sound system and oversaw its development, during which members such as Squidgy, Worm and DJ Mark became prominent in the commercialized clash scene of the early to mid-2000s. [4]

Kevin Squidgy Bennett

Selector Squidgy (real name Kevin Bennett [5] ) coined himself the "Michael Jordan" of sound clash and is still referred to as such by clash fans around the world. In the late 2000s, Bennett fell ill with a terminal illness and died in November 2009 at the age of 37. [5] [6]

Bass Odyssey Now

Bass Odyssey has moved from mainly being a clash sound system to the broader role of a cultural and musical ambassador for Jamaica. [7] In 2011, DJ Mark went on to pursue other career paths after a foundation with Bass Odyssey and handed leadership on to an energetic young team, several of whom worked as protégé under the influence of Squidgy up until his death in 2009. Damien has assumed a leadership role on the sound, as had Worm after Bennett's death. Country has also been handling some of their events in Jamaica and abroad.

Bass Odyssey Sound System Festival

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Bass Odyssey hosted Jamaica's first-ever sound system festival on 8 August 2014 in Richmond, St. Ann. The annual dance has been converted into a landmark event to salute the contribution of sound system to Jamaican culture and highlight an arena that has been overlooked and needs legislative help to survive. [8] [9]

Special performances

World Clash 2012 Jamaica [10] David Rodigan birthday bash in 2003 [11] and the Riddim Clash 2006, a yearly sound clash sponsored by the German reggae magazine Riddim. [4]

Bass Odyssey have won the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2014 UK Cup Clash Sound clash, the New York World Clash [12] and Jamaica World Clash 2005, 2007, and 2012 [13] [14] [ citation needed ] [15] ). Most recent clash wins include Guinness Sounds of Greatness 2010 [16] and UK Tag Team Cup Clash 2010 alongside David Rodigan and One Love both sound systems out of Europe. In 2011, Keith Walford was elected to the Parliament of Jamaica, representing the St. Ann district for the People's National Party. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sounding Off - Sound system owner heads to Parliament". Jamaica Observer . 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  2. ↑ livingstonc@jamaicaobserver.com, BY CECELIA CAMPBELL-LIVINGSTON Observer staff reporter (14 February 2014). "JaRia tunes in to Bass Odyssey - Jamaica Observer" . Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  3. ↑ "No, thanks! - Bass Odyssey declines corporate support to preserve clash culture". jamaica-gleaner.com. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 Köhlings, Ellen; Pete Lilly (January 2007). "Riddim Soundclash - All About The Music". Riddim.de. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  5. 1 2 Gilchrist, Carl (26 November 2009). "Gloom as 'Squingy' passes". Jamaica Gleaner . Archived from the original on 27 September 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Bass Odyssey salutes late selector Squingy". Jamaica Observer . 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "25 years of dancehall Odyssey". Jamaica-gleaner.com. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Sound System Festival for Bass Odyssey's 25th anniversary". Jamaica-gleaner.com. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. ↑ MacLeod, Erin (2 October 2014). "From Kingston's car parks to VH-1, soundsystem culture puts bass in your face". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "Review: World Clash R.E.S.E.T. In Jamaica 4/9/2012". Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Rocking reggae shakes Germany". Jamaica Gleaner . 18 June 2003. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "contenders". BBC Online . Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "Programma Reggae Geel bekend". Mo.be. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "BBC - 1Xtra - Events - UK Cup Clash 2007". BBC Online . Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Who will be victorious at final Death Before Dishonour on Easter Monday?". Jamaica Observer . 3 April 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Bass Odyssey wipes out Sound Trooper to take 2010 Guinness Sounds of Greatness title". Jamaica-gleaner.com. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
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