Let’s get together and feel all right (in Coney).
The Boardwalk and beach will be the site of a jamming party on Aug. 14 complete with the sounds of reggae and other types of Jamaican pop music spanning six decades. All afternoon, Brooklyn-based DJs will blast dancehall, rocksteady, ska and the classic roots reggae popularized by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
The festival is a reinvention of the “sound system” parties that have been all the rage in Jamaica since the 1950s. DJs hook their speakers up to a generator, converting an outdoor lot into a dance club.
“Coney Island is a great outdoor setting for these sound system parties,” said even organizer Carter Van Pelt, a radio DJ who has hosted four previous reggae jams in Coney Island. “It’s a great way to introduce people to Jamaican music.”
But you don’t have to relax like you’re on a Caribbean island to enjoy the party. Music fans are encouraged to “dutty wine” — a Jamaican dance of body contortions — and grab the DJ’s microphone to freestyle.
“That’s a fun aspect of dancehall tradition,” Van Pelt said.
Coney Island Reggae Beach Party (Boardwalk at W. 19th Street in Coney Island), Aug. 14, 2–8 pm. Free. For info, visit soundliberation.org.
