Working under my directorial Nom de Plume, Wonford St.James, I was selected to direct a collection of short films, made in collaboration with legendary Jamaican DJ Albert ‘Ilawi Malawi’ Johnson, to promote the House of Marley Get Together speaker. Asked to avoid stereotypical representations of Jamaica and Rastafarian culture, I successfully argued that would be a travesty, as there is nothing that brings people together like a sound system dance. 

I travelled to Jamaica and worked with producer Michelle Seriueux to produce a dance at Ilawis’s house on Manning Hill Drive in Kingston. The dance was shot entirely on 8mm film. I created a collaged sound design using recordings of Ilawi on the mic mixed with excerpts from the party and a Marley family release on Tuff Gong. Special thanks to Albert ‘Ilawi Malawi’ Johnson, Yaardcore, Natty Pablo, Fyah George, Mitchie Rockers, Roni and everyone inside having a good time.