The place - Chaconia Night club, early 90’s. Back when the Sunshine Catalogs made mad deliveries, when “microwave ponytails” were the order of the day, and the “Butterfly” was the latest dance…..I remember it like it was yesterday! Inside the DJ booth, Kings Sound’s Dookie Don.

Ok, fast forward a decade - after being missing in action for a few years, Kings Sound has made a triumphant return, the players - Dookie and King, with Wally now as promoter/manager. I remember when Kings Sound made its debut last year at Buss Whey,. “King Sound is back” I remember Wally saying to me and I can honestly say that within the past year, King Sound has definitely made their presence felt.

“It all started back in 1989,” Manager Wally P recalls, “Coming from a large family, we had lots of gatherings. I started by playing mixed tapes; to buying records and a turn table; to purchasing another turn table which produced a gradual growth into dancehall.” Dookie joined shortly thereafter and it was Wally P and Dookie blazing the city in the early 90s. When asked about the origin of the sound’s name, Dookie states “Kings Sound is a sound for all Kings and Queens. The name shows our patronage to King Haile Selassie.”

Today, Kings Sound now compromises of Dookie and King. King got his start playing Upsetta and later went on to establish Basement Crew before joining King Sound earlier this year. Dookie, who’s been with the sound since it’s inception, had also started his own sound (Merciless) but eventually joined Kings Sound. Both credit their love for the music as their soul source of inspiration….. and here I thought it was the girls….. LOL

Kings Sound’s members feel, or should I say know that Kings Sound stands above the rest. According to King “We are very versatile. We can play oldies, current tunes or give the crowd a barrage of new tunes.” Dookie goes on to add “…our mentality is different. We want to please the crowd but we always want to teach something. We use our music as a tool to promote consciousness someway, somehow.” Well said, but with so many local sounds out there, one has to wonder, how is Kings Sound any different. “We don’t follow anyone and we both have extremely high confidence in our ability,” says Dookie. King adds “We take turns selecting. We sit down and reason and contemplate ideas.” Sounds like a formula for success.

DC’s local sounds have been getting a bad rep over the years. The general consensus among patrons/promoters - DC sounds fight against each other too much. I was very interested to hear Kings Sound’s take on this whole situation - having been in the business a long time, leaving, and having to re-enter the market. Both men agree and King feels the reason lies in the fact that “there is not a dominant sound in DC; therefore everyone feels they have a chance to be number one.” As a promoter and former sound man, Wally had this advice to offer: “There’s a larger market outside of the DC boarder that needs to be tapped into. Sounds need to focus more on pleasing the crowd and getting dates, as oppose to establishing themselves as the ‘King of DC’.” Dookie’s solution “…let your playing speak for itself.”

I would definitely have to agree with the gentlemen on that note. I’ve been to too many dances where it reaches a point where the sound men seem to play for each other or their respective crews. Call me crazy but if you juggle to please the crowd - that would generate a definite following and in turn the interest of promoters. Speaking of promoters, the question was raised as to what King and Dookie feel is the reason why so many promoters use out of town sounds as oppose to utilizing our local sounds. King feels that “promoters don’t know any better. Most of them don’t go out… [on a regular basis].” Dookie feels that “Promoters don’t trust that D.C. Sounds will be a good draw. Some feel that their dance will turn into a clash if they use certain local sounds.” Both men urge promoters and patrons to start supporting their local sounds more.

However, there has been a definite increase in the support of local dances. King also tries his hand at promotion (Baby Sam promotions) and his dances usually consist of local sounds. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten it’s usually sound men who pass through these dances, but promoters take note - they’ve been receiving good turn outs. Dookie credits this to the fact that “The local sounds have just as much to offer as the out of town sounds….we have an advantage…because we know what D.C. people want and we give it to them.” Of course King wouldn’t be King if he didn’t add that in his opinion “People are starting to see that most of the out of town sounds suck!” (LOL!!) but he also states that “D.C. sounds are getting better.” When asked which local sounds they respect and why, King responded “Zone One and Half Krazy because they carry a vibes and they know how to juggle.” Dookie respects “Emperor because of their longevity and Destiny because for their clean heartedness.” Internationally, both men respect/admirer Bass Odessy and Tony Matterhorn.

One of the most talked about topics on the board has been the current state of dancehall in D.C. Everyone has there opinion and I am very interested in how the local sound men view this topic. King states, “I feel that it is better than it has been in a long time.” With which I would have to agree. Wally continues “what people need to know is that DC is the 3rd largest dancehall market on the east coast. Support was higher in previous years but for various reasons, it dwindled. It’s now starting to rise again due to everyone’s desire to bring about change - the promoters, the patrons and the sound men.” Dookie concludes “The good part is that the music is stronger than any negativity and people love the music.” I couldn’t have said it better myself Dookie.

Kings Sound is in the process of upgrading their sound so pretty soon the “King Sound Machine” will be on the road. Dookie also talks of a special project he’s working on in Atlanta that he wants to keep under raps… not to worry, when he’s ready to reveal… you know your girl Mosity will definitely get the scoop! King plans to continue promoting and Wally P states, “I’ve been involved in all aspects of the business, production of beats and artists are now in the works.” Wow, sounds like these men have a lot more in store for their fans.

When asked about the future of Kings Sound, King sees the sound going no where else but to the top. Dookie feels that they have worked hard and pretty soon people will “recognize what they have in King Sound.” Wally invisions “King Sound establishing 2 separate sound systems. One housed here in DC, the other in Africa.” WOW - I definitely see King Sound going beyond the boarders of the District. Finally, when asked what they wanted people to get from this interview, King stated “First, we are not a clash sound. Still if you take the time to listen, you will party and dance when King Sound is in the area.” Dookie’s parting words, “We’ve been around for a while. We are not a new sound that lacks experience…. We give respect that we think we deserve.”

It was truly a pleasure conducting this interview and a long time coming. BLU would like to thank Dookie, and King and Wally for taking the time out to give our viewers a chance to get inside “Kings Sound.” If anyone wishes to contact Kings Sound about a date, you can contact

Mosity