Female selectors team up at Cala-Clash

by

June 05, 2018

Photo

Educator and cookbook author Yvonne McCalla Sobers (left) and Zahra Warner, drama therapist, enjoy music at Calabash.

Female selectors Bad Gyal Marie from Japan and ZJ Nova draw close before a friendly sound clash at Calabash International Literary Arts Festival last weekend.

ZJ Nova at the controls during the Cala-Clash.

Barbados-born social activist Chaka 'Chakabars' Clarke finds his groove during the Cala-Clash.

The entertaining Cala-Clash had patrons at the Calabash forming congo lines.

Patrons form groups to dance during Cala-Clash.

The friendly segment-for-segment clash between female disc jockeys Japan native Bad Gyal Marie and St Elizabeth-born ZJ Nova was kick-started with an exchange of a hug between the two at Cala-Clash, held as part of the Calabash International Literacy Festival at Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, last Saturday.

Both have a unique style of playing; Bad Gyal Marie prefers to mix the genres without any hesitation to change from a slow to an upbeat track and back in a matter of seconds, while ZJ Nova takes a more organised approach to spinning hits.

The mellow sounds of Sizzla's Give Me Try and Stephen Marley's No Cigarette Smoking were welcomed by the audience, who joined in with to sing along for a few minutes. The Japanese DJ, who now calls Jamaica home, was quick with the flick of her wrist as she selected reggae singles that had the patrons moving before switching the genres to tease with disco hits like It's Electric by Marcia Griffiths and Madonna's Holiday. Bad Gyal Marie's first 20-minute segment ended when she dropped Ding Dong's Lebeh Lebeh.

When it was time for ZJ Nova to take control of the wheels, she began her set with a shoutout to all the Jamaicans supporting Calabash and those who were there because of their appreciation for the local culture. ZJ Nova dropped Jr Gong's Welcome to Jamrock and Jamaica Love by Busy Signal, and there was a high level of camaraderie between locals and visitors. Then, she received more than two thumbs up for including soca in her set as the patrons made a cong line.

TIED CLASH

Writer Yvonne McCalla Sobers, who was full of energy throughout the event, told THE STAR that she thought it was a tie. "Nobody won that battle. For me, it was all about the vibe, and each of them proved worthy of the crowd's attention," she said.

Round two up the final set featured hip hop and trending crossover-worthy singles in both selectors' sets. The DJs interacted with the audience by teaching dance moves and supported each other's style.

In the end, persons exited the venue expressing an interest in having a repeat of the street-dance type of session the next day.