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March 05, 2008
Bobby Konders dishes out 'Dancehall Heat'
By: Joseph Cunningham
Parties, rhythms and lots of excitement are what disc Jockeys are known for in Jamaica and the culture has long spread to the international scene. The names are many, but chief among the overseas DJs is Bobby Konders.
YardFlex called him recently to feel "the heat" he's creating in New York City. For all who love the Dancehall culture, if you are in the "Big Apple" during Easter or anytime for that matter, Bobby Konders will have the hype you need.
According to Konders the "Dagogo," rhythm featuring Bugle, Vegas and other prominent artists, is gathering momentum in New York at the moment and this is creating the hype for the Easter period that is set to rock the city's dancehalls. Major highlights will be Elephant Man's album launch on April 13, Bobby Konders' Birthday Bash on April 19, Jabba's Best of the Best for the Memorial Weekend and Massive B sound system's anniversary on May 31.
An incredibly respected figure in New York's dance-music underground since the mid-80s, Brooklyn's Bobby Konders has been at the forefront of multiple movements, in famous parties and radio programmes that have kept house music alive and kicking. He is a selector, producer and has been programmer for various radio music shows.
Konders first broke out as one of the higher-profile members of a crew that held a series of parties called Wild Pitch. This DJ crew included Victor Rosado, Kenny Carpenter, Nicky Jones, John Robinson, David Camacho, DJ Pierre, and Timmy Richardson - just to name a few. Occasional appearances by legends, Tony Humphries and Tee Scott would set thing off right.
Just as Konders likes to point out that everyone bleeds red, he built his reputation on finding the common thread that runs throughout several styles of music: hip-hop, reggae, disco and house. During the late '80s and early '90s, Konders issued a series of productions on the Nu Groove label that went down well with the underground. At the height of house music's flirtation with mainstream appeal, Konders and his Massive Sound crew released a self-titled album. As one might have expected, the material proved to be too raw and not pop enough to cross over, so Konders and company happily remained outside of the general public's consciousness.
In the early '90s, Konders and partner Jabba formed Massive B Sound System, that has served as both a production outlet and as a formidable radio presence, bringing reggae of the dancehall variety to the listeners of New York's Hot 97.1 FM. Konders and Jabba also took their sound system to a number of other continents. In addition to cultivating talent for Massive B, Konders has remixed and produced for artists like Aswad, Shabba Ranks, Ziggy Marley, and Supercat.