SELECTOR
The person choosing the records and steering the musical journey of a sound system. In Jamaican usage, the selector is not automatically the deejay on the microphone.
A Jamaican sound system divides jobs that outsiders often collapse into “DJ.” The selector chooses and sequences the records, reads the crowd and decides what should come next. The deejay or MC traditionally works the microphone, though one person can perform both roles. Selection is creative because context changes the meaning of a tune. The right record after a rival’s boast, the right dubplate in a clash, or the right shift in tempo can turn the dance. Great selectors build identity for a sound through memory, timing, exclusives and an ability to hear the crowd before the crowd has fully spoken.