way that many UK garage MCs raise similar issues in their lyrical dialogues.
Furthermore, UK garage MCs have incorporated call-response techniques to
encourage vocal and physical feedback from their audience in a similar way to that
in which Baptist preachers do to interact with their congregation. Baptist preachers
frequently end a statement by inciting a response from parishioners to acknowledge
its content, often by calling for a ‘witness’. Parishioners normally respond by raising
their hands and vocally agreeing with the preacher’s statement. MCs often use this
technique to confirm or stimulate UK garage participants’ loyalty to the scene by
encouraging members of an audience to respond to questions about their
participation at key events. This can include whether people have or intend to
support particular sound systems at the London’s Notting Hill Carnival, attend a
named event, visit Ayia Napa or listen to a specific radio station or show. In
addition, they regularly send out ‘big ups’, confirm or deny rumours and, most
importantly, call for ‘rewinds’. Sending out a ‘big up’ involves an MC specifically
mentioning an individual, crew, organization or particular geographical location
during the course of their performance. This gesture is usually accompanied by
positive comments and can be used to establish respect for particular people within
the scene according to how often they are mentioned.
In London, UK garage MCs often use call—response techniques as a way of
identifying local divisions within a crowd and to establish respect for certain parts of
the capital. This will depend on how often an area is mentioned, but, more
importantly, on the order in which areas are announced. The last area to be
announced usually receives the loudest reaction and establishes where the majority of
participants come from. This may be used to acknowledge local tensions, for
example between areas north and south of the river Thames, which have existed for
many years. When an MC feels that a particular record is favoured by the audience
he or she often calls for a ‘rewind’, which involves the DJ dramatically stopping the
record and quickly winding it back to a particular point to start it again. This often
produces a screeching sound effect, which adds to the tension created by the
accompanying MC and involvement of the crowd. The range of vocal
acknowledgements used by UK garage participants in appreciation of the MC’s and
DJ’s skills can include screams, shouts and whistle or horn blowing. Physical
responses usually comprise raising hands, jumping in the air, waving handkerchiefs
and banging on wall or tables. Although the range of physical and vocal gestures
used within the UK garage arena can be seen as more intense than those employed
by Baptist congregations, they follow the same ritualized procedures of interaction,
which foster a sense of belonging and communion within both environments.
A contemporary UK garage MC’s role requires an ability to read and direct the
mood of the crowd whilst commenting on and pre-empting the DJs skills. However,
it is important to point out that there are great disparities in the levels of
competence displayed by various UK garage MCs, in terms of both their technical
skills, such as controlling vocal levels, and their ability to interact with their
audience and maintain the collective energy of the dance floor, often referred to as
the vibe (Fikentscher 2000:81). Nevertheless, there are some extremely talented MCs
190 CIARAN O’HAGAN