“This started with my father recording dubplates”

“My Sound”

Jamaican reggae singer Christopher Ellis released the single “My Sound” on 14 July 2026, an energetic tribute to the selectors, sound systems and clash culture that helped shape reggae's global identity. It was produced by Damian “Jr Gong” Marley and released through Ghetto Youths International.

«For me, sound system culture is something I was involved in from before I even became an artiste. This song is more expressive of what sound system culture involves — clash, friendly war, and everything that comes with it.»

— Christopher Ellis

The craft his father taught him

Ellis's connection to that culture predates his own career, and it starts at home: his father is rocksteady legend Alton Ellis, who used to record dubplates for sound systems and would have young Christopher voice the second verse. Sometimes the sounds did not even want that, Ellis recalled with a laugh, though they were a little apprehensive about telling Alton they preferred him alone on the dub. That is where it started for him.

International momentum

Previous Ellis singles, including “Still Go A Dance” and “Rub A Dub,” had already found favour within the global sound system community. “My Sound” arrives as the singer builds momentum internationally, following performances at SXSW London and a sold-out headline show at that city's Jazz Café.

Same root, different shores

The sound system this story is about is the same technology —and much of the same culture of rivalry between crews— that gave rise to Venezuelan minitecas from the 1970s on. “My Sound” is about Jamaica, not Venezuela, but it speaks aloud something the MiniTK Archive also documents in its own way: street sound culture is a shared Caribbean and Latin American tradition, with its own lineage in every country.