Although Sound Systems were present as an integral part of Black-British cultural expressions in Notting Hill prior to inception of the event in the 1960's, 2026 marks the 53rd Anniversary of (static) Sound Systems being formally invited to participate at the Carnival officially as the 5th discipline.

Sound systems arrived in Britain with the first wave of Jamaican immigration in the 50s and 60s, providing a link to “home” as well as the backdrop and the soundtrack to the social life of black Britain. But as second and third generation black Britons grew up in the 70s and 80s, sound system culture was remixed as not just reggae, but soul, disco and hip hop found their way on to the sound system turntables and the bass knob was jacked up to 11. For many, sound systems are a way of life, a heritage and a culture. Sound boys old and young, male and female, celebrate the extraordinary story of the sound systems – an analogue force still going strong in a digital age of downloads and live streaming.

Carnivalsounds.com is the brainchild of a group of community-based sound system enthusiasts and professionals who aim to highlight the importance and value of a particular group of sound systems performing units who play an integral part and generally are under-represented by media at the Carnival event. We were formed as a welcoming resource to assist in the promoting and marketing of these particular sound systems who perform at London's Notting Hill Carnival every year on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Some of these sound systems are iconic and well-established both at the Carnival and internationally, whilst others are fairly humble outfits with dedicated operators who have been performing at the event with their own equipment for many years, or in some cases several decades.

"CarnivalSounds is operated by a mixed bag of community volunteers, supporters, technicians, designers and sound operators who have devoted valuable time and resources to make this all happen and without whom, we certainly would not have been able to find ourselves in the heart-warming position to be reaching out to all of you sound system lovers and enthusiasts out there. Thanks and praises are in order and we sincerely applaud all of those who helped to make this happen and continue to strive along in the quest".

Performing at the Carnival is 'no mean feat'. Contrary to the popular belief that sound systems at Carnival receive financial benefits or at least a fee for performing, this truly is not the case. In order to perform at Carnival, the fact is that each and every performing unit has to fend for itself. Arguably, there are some sound systems out there that do work very hard on their own, in order to secure funding, however to date the percentage of successes where measured across the total group of Carnival sound systems as a whole can truly be described as nominal.

Launched in August 2023, Carnivalsounds.com is also home to the on-line quarterly magazine and resource 'SoundTalk', for those who want to keep abreast of sound system facts, news, history and developments. If you own a business or service, then why not choose to become one of our collaborators where you will be offered a surprisingly low rate in appreciation of your support when advertising in this unique website.
Tap here to view our collaborator postings.

Also please visit the carnivalsounds facebook and instagram pages for interesting snapshots and posts designed to raise awareness of all Carnival systems in general, some of whom are not yet signed up to the programme but wish to be included following contractual agreement.

We hope that you continue to enjoy the magazine. We are always interested and look forward to any comments or feedback that you may have. Please also feel free to send us any great Carnival images that you may have. 

Kind regards, 

The editor.