Saxon Studio International is a
reggae sound system from London, the first UK sound system to win an international competition.
Saxon Studio International began operating in
Lewisham
Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...
, South London, in 1976.
The sound came to prominence in the early '80s because of the "fast chat" style which was pioneered by its
deejay Peter King. Other Saxon MCs included
Tippa Irie,
Smiley Culture, Asher Senator,
Papa Levi, Daddy Colonel, Daddy Rusty and Daddy Sandy, each of whom developed this style and went on to release records, some (such as Smiley and Tippa) achieving Top 40 hits in the UK national chart.
In 1992, Saxon won the
UK Cup Clash (a tournament for reggae soundsystems).
In 1994, Saxon became the first UK soundsystem to win the
World Clash.
Saxon continue to play internationally, including an annual outing at London's
Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival event that has taken place in London since 1966 . Their style has influenced artists such as
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...
(who invited them to play at the 2008
Meltdown festival, which they curated) and
The Bug (who has collaborated with Tippa Irie and Saxon selector Trevor Sax).
Recordings and releases
Many recordings of Saxon sessions circulate unofficially on cassette tape, CDR or mp3.
However, an official recording of a mid-eighties session in
Paddington
Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
, West London, entitled ''Saxon Studio International: Coughing Up Fire!!!'' was released by the
Greensleeves Records subsidiary label UK Bubblers in 1984.
References
External links
Saxon biography at MCS Records site
Sound systems
British reggae musical groups
Musical groups from the London Borough of Lewisham
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