One of Notts first sound systems and originally called Iron City, Quantro Tone Sound System started as a hobby for nine bored young friends. They went on to support some iconic names in Reggae and Dub, from Don Sinclair to The Mighty Diamonds, and perform in cities across the country. On the day of their fifty year anniversary celebration at St Ann’s, we heard more from them about that golden era and how they’ve maintained their strong friendships over the decades.
The original members were Lenny, Robert, Kenneth, Leslie, Colin, Winston, and Eric as Iron City. Later, they were Quantro with Keith and Johnny. The 'box men' and bouncers were Desmond, Brown, Austin, Fisherman and Devon with Mr Brown and Trevor Mitchell acting as the trusty van drivers.
Where did Quantro Tone Sound System start?
In 1973, as Iron City. Back in the day, there was nothing to do. Our parents used to have parties, and the children would be upstairs during the party. You couldn't go out into town because of the skinheads, so you had to do your own thing. That's where the idea came from.
We played at many parties for our age group at venues such as the YMCA, Rad Y, Tennison Hall, the Girl's Club, the Boy's Club, The Ark—Youth Club, and Mansfield Road Community Centre.
We made our own boxes and preamps from rescued wood from building sites, transporting them on a trolley. Kenneth would borrow our parents' amplifier from their Blue Spot Gram. We still use the same equipment today—the turntables and the preamp.
In 1974, as we became more popular, we decided we needed a better name, so we had a meeting. We came up with the name Quantro from quad, meaning four, because the quad boxes had four speakers in each box.
How did you get more popular?
We entered a youth competition at Ad-Lib (nightclub). We won and were placed in the older group but the contestants didn't want to play against us. As a result, we ended up playing with Lloyd Coxsone. This led us to be invited to play at other venues and with more established systems.
What was different about this sound system?
We didn't play at Blues house parties; we played reggae and dub. While setting up, we wore overalls, but we played in smart clothing: a shirt and tie, a jacket, and smart trousers. Because of this, lots of girls used to follow us. We were followed by a dance group called Black Velvet. They were a bit like Pan’s People (1970s dance troupe) and used to dance when we played.
Do you still have groupies?
Yes, a few ladies still follow.
How have you managed to continue when other systems have gone?
We were the first sound system to play in the Market Square for Nottingham City Council—I think Bob Chatham asked us to—and we were also the first to play at the Forest, for the carnival.
We met up with stars like Sugar Minot, Dennis Brown, Alston Elise, Peter Spence, Gregory Issacs, Ozzie Gad and the Naturalists, who made special records (dubplates) from us to make us stand out.
We now play for everybody. We don't stick to one type of music. We will play any music for anyone.
It's kept us all together. We have sixty years of friendship
What's the best thing about being in Quantro Tone?
It's kept us all together. We have sixty years of friendship. Some of us have passed away or moved away, but we remain friends. None of us have had a cross word. Sadly, Leslie can't be here to celebrate with us. He planned to join us, and we met just before he passed. His passing was a shock.
What's next for Quantro Tone?
To go abroad. Maybe Africa or America. We were going to go to The Gambia, but it was cancelled due to COVID.
Anything else you'd like to share?
This sound system is going strong and won't stop until we stop.
Quantro celebrated their fiftieth anniversary on 21 September at the ACNA Centre, St Ann’s
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