The Ultimate Chromatic Sound

Step inside the Kingston dancehall collective’s unruly world.

July 16, 2015

Chromatic Sound is the party-crushing, killer mix-making, five-deep Kingston crew that counts Skrillex, Diplo, and Drake as fans. When FADER visited sunny Jamaica to bask in the collective's unruly glow, we found a team of hardworking perfectionists hard-pressed to carve out their own musical path without trailing anyone else's footsteps. The crew—which includes Popcaan's DJ Creep Chromatic, emcees Niko Chromatic and JR Chromatic, and DJs Shantonio Chromatic and Heavy D—used to DJ for still-incarcerated legend (and one-time FADER cover star) Vybz Kartel, but their momentum has never been higher than right now.

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"As far as music and fashion go, they are the taste of Jamaican youth," says The FADER's Senior Video Producer Rob Semmer, who directed the new mini-documentary, debuting above. "If you want to break a record in Jamaica, Chromatic has to play your song." Watch, learn, and get lost in the low lights and the white smoke of a Chromatic-fueled dancehall party. No wonder Drizzy thinks they're the "ultimate, unruly ting."

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The Ultimate Chromatic Sound