The
Jamworld Movements philosophy - "An Intellectual Approach to Reggae Music and
Caribbean Culture Online" - has existed on the Internet in one way, shape, or form
since 1995 when we first appeared online as the Black Majesty
International Dancehall Reggae Website at the URL
http://members.aol.com/baseodyssy. At that time we were one of the first reggae
websites to cater to dancehall music, and the ONLY reggae website to cater to SOUND SYSTEM
& FOUNDATION TAPE COLLECTORS. At the time, we traded and gave away our reggae
and sound system tapes all over the world for free. As demand grew, this was no
longer feasible. Simultaneously, more and more people expressed their willingness to
pay for our tapes. In 1997, after a brief appearance as "The
Bashment Corner", Cassette FrEaK Central
emerged separately as the very first website of its kind - a "One StOp ShOp for not
just reggae tapes, but SOUND SYSTEM Tapes and Videos as well. Cassette FrEaK Central
got its name from the term "cassette freak," which is used by Caribbean people
to describe avid sound system tape collectors. The "Central" connotes that
this would be a central location on the Internet for people interested in reggae tapes and
videos - not just dancehall, but foundation tapes and videos (1970-1989) as
well! Stationed on the popular Geocities server, visitors from all over the
world could find hundreds of dancehall tapes and videos available for sale or trade.
Each tape and video was categorized by year, and included a description complete
with the name, date, venue, and a brief description. Live tapes and videos included
a list of the performers featured. Likewise sound clash tapes offered info on the
sounds involved and the highlights of the clash. An online resource of this kind was truly
unheard of at the time!
As demand
grew, FrEaK linked up with and enlisted the services of some of the top cassette
freaks in the New York City area, Including Prince TuFFiE's right hand man Cassette
Face, and trading consultant Star Bwoy. This, combined with heavy local and
international trading allowed FrEaK's inventory to double, then triple, and so
on... Many have visited the site, seen what FrEaK has done, and have gone on to
imitate it. Still Prince TuFFiE continues to use his knowledge of the Internet and
his resources in the cassette freak business to help many other cassette freaks to come
online with their catalogues.
In 1998 - due
to customer demands and requests - Cassette FrEaK Central began to offer several CD titles
from time to time. Positive customer feedback motivated FrEaK in Spring 1999 to add
a permanent catalogue of various mixed and sound system CDs in addition to our Tapes at
Videos. Now we had become the One StOp ShOp /Trade for Reggae CDs, as well as Tapes
and Videos. It was then that Prince TuFFiE decided that a name change would be in
order. He sought a name that would be more descriptive of Cassette FrEaK Central's
purpose, history, and destiny - after all, we weren't just limited to cassettes!
With great insight into the future, and a lot of suggestions from friends and even
customers and visitors to the site, the name was changed to its present name: MusicFrEaKCentral.com. The response was overwhelming
and we immediately experienced an increase in visitors and customers. This increase
in traffic to MusicFrEaKCentral.com's website demanded that we move to a larger, faster
server. With that end in mind we enlisted the aid of my good friend and technical
consultant Leslie Jones of Frelans Associates, and within a month the site was
upgraded and moved to its present home server.
The story goes a lot
deeper than this, but this is just to give you an idea of how far we have come, and how
far we intend to go. Our catalogues have grown immensely since our humble beginnings, and
we continue to add new items to our already vast collection on a daily basis. We are
eternally grateful to every visitor/customer who has ever visited this site, and we
encourage you to return, as we update its content weekly, and sometimes even daily.
This is the *new* era of MusicFrEaKCentral.com! Watch
Us Grow! |
Having served hundreds of customers worldwide, we have gained the confidence and support
of the online reggae and Caribbean community, and we take pride in this. We have
been continuously rated as one of the top Caribbean websites on the Internet, and we have
you - our customers and visitors - to thank for that! Looking towards the 21st
Century, MusicFrEaKCentral.com remains highly committed to our motto, and still remains
the "OnE StOp ShOp for Reggae Tapes, Videos, CDs, and Movies."
Here is a brief
overview of our features: Perhaps our most popular feature is our massive Mixed & Live CD Catalogue featuring the
hottest CDs out, listed by category (Dancehall,
Lover's Rock, Sound System, Culture, Classics (1980s & 1990s), Foundation Mixes (1960s &
1970s), Live Foundation Tapes
on CD, Soca, and Hip Hop/R&B just to name a few).
These CDs are obtained from all over the world and feature the best of the best in
each category! Likewise our DVD & Video Catalogue
features the latest Bashment, Skin Out, Sound
System, Concert/Sage Show, and Foundation DVDs & Videos listed by category.
Remember that all items are available on DVD and Video! Gone are the days
when those popular Jamaica and Caribbean movies and skits (Dancehall Queen, The
Harder They Come, Country Man, Shottas, Oliver At Large,
etc) were hard to find! They can now all be found in our Caribbean Movies & Comedies Catalogue. Look for
more additions to this section on a regular basis
If sound system
tapes are your thing, then you'll enjoy our Sound System Tapes Catalogue, which features hundreds of live juggling
bashments, clashes, and concerts/stage shows recorded on Tape between 1990 to 2003.
This catalogue averages at least 100 tapes per year (some years feature over 250
Tapes). Events after 2003 can be found on Sound
System CDs, this this is the current format of choice for recording these events.
Our world renown Foundation Tapes
Catalogue is the first of its kind online, and remains the largest cross-referenced
online catalogue of tapes spanning that era (1970-1989). All Foundation tapes
feature their own description (date, venue, artists), complete with a unique serial number
for easy identification. We still have hundreds of tapes to add so this
catalogue is ever-growing. Foundation fans will also enjoy our Live Foundation Tapes on CD as
well as our Foundation DVDs & Video.
To get the scoop on
the very latest CDs, DVDs/Videos, Movies/Comedies,
Sound System Tapes, and Foundation Tapes that just came in, check
out the New Stuff In Page. Once you have made
your selections, placing an order is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Just click on our SECURE
ORDER FORM and you can be on your way to listening and viewing some of the hottest
reggae items available online. You can also us with your
order or call us directly at 917-309-3163. With
flexible payment options (including Credit Cards, Western Union, Cash, Money Orders, and
Checks), your orders can get to you in as little as 3 days after payment is processed!
In addition to all
our Tapes, CDs, Videos, and Movies, MusicFrEaKCentral.com also provides FREE features that
make your reggae surfing fun. Every week or so, our FrEaK Media (FM) Section highlights a bashment,
stage show, clash, or CD that might be of particular interest to our visitors! This
section serves to educate as well as entertain, and often these media clips are followed
by biographies and links to more information. This section also houses our Media Archives
which provide a plethora of multimedia files (in RealAudio Format) for your listening and
viewing pleasure including bashments, sound clashes, reggae and calypso mixes, reviews,
discussions, and more!! We remain one of the most intellectual reggae websites on
the Internet, and our redesigned Message Board takes
advantage of this by providing an intelligent forum where mature reggae/sound system
enthusiasts and novices can vent their thoughts progressively. Our Top Secret FrEaK Extras! Section is a gift from us to our
most valuable visitors and customers. This password protected treasure contains such
perks as exclusive media clips and previews, free downloadable reggae images of artists/
sounds/etc, reggae giveaways (CDs, Tapes, Videos, walkmans, etc), Prince TuFFiE's
Scrapbook, and more multimedia files (including select USA clashes in RealAudio within
days [sometimes hours] of the event). Our detailed Help/FAQ
Section answers most questions our visitors might have (and a few they didn't think
of). It covers everything about our site and services, from the price of shipping an
order internationally to the definition of a "Music FrEaK." Before you
leave, be sure to take some time out to view and sign our Guestbook.
Here visitors and customers can send shout outs, big up their crews, or just say
hi! If you would like to offer specific comments about this site, its contents, its
creator, and/or its purpose, or if you have any questions in regards to ordering from us,
please feel free to send us a quick , call us at 917-309-3163,
or visit the Contact Us Page (no email necessary)! If
you are impressed with the layout and penmanship of this site and would like to inquire
about developing a site of your own, give us a call. |