Wailing Echo High Power Sound System

WAILING ECHO HIGH-POWER is the continuation of a legacy that began decades earlier with the Cutting Edge Sound System. Founded by Tali Echo, the sound system carries forward the spiritual values and technical knowledge passed down by his father, Glady Wailer, while embracing a new generation of roots and dub culture in South Africa.

After years of travelling with established crews, learning the craft of sound system operation and building connections across the rasta community, Tali Echo felt the need to establish a platform of his own. Wailing Echo High-Power became that platform. Drawing inspiration from both the heavyweight Jamaican tradition and the pioneering work of South Africa’s early sound system operators, the project was built around a commitment to powerful sound, conscious music and community engagement.

Since its foundation, Wailing Echo High-Power has appeared at dances, cultural gatherings and sound meetings throughout Ekurhuleni and beyond. The sound system represents a bridge between generations, connecting the pioneers who laid the foundations of South African reggae culture with a younger audience discovering roots and dub music for themselves. Through carefully selected music, handcrafted speaker boxes and a deep respect for Rasta principles, the crew continues to promote unity, cultural awareness and social change.

GLADY WAILER is a pioneer of South African roots reggae and sound system culture. He grew up in Ekurhuleni, Vosloorus, a place that he calls the reggae capital of South Africa. Together with Jah Crucial, Ras Fanusi and Mighty Koos, he founded the Cutting Edge Sound System in the early 90s in an attempt to unite the rasta communities scattered across the country. They toured through various townships, held selector competitions, recruited a wide range of artists and built a solid massive that is respected to this day. By 2010, he took a step away from actively running with Cutting Edge (never from the culture though) in order to spend more time with his children. Witnessing growing violence and separation in South African society in recent years, however, he decided to return to the scene together with his son, Tali Echo. Now, his mission is to unite the sound systems across the country and promote peace, love and unity through the power of music.

Born Naphtali Njabulo Mdluli/Ntombela, TALI ECHO follows in the footsteps of his father, Glady Wailer. As a youth, he would be surrounded by sound systems, which is why he is sometimes referred to as „the youth born from cutting Edge Sound System“. Through his father, he learned the technical craft of building speakers and systems. His first independent sound system experiences came with the Kebra Ethiopia Sound System, which gave him the opportunity to record his own Boiler Room segment. Drawing both from his father’s collection as well as pursuing his own vision of a more rhythm-focused sound, Tali Echo has become a respected selector. In 2026, he put together his own crew, the Wailing Echo High-Power Sound System. With a speaker setup worthy of earlier comparisons, their first sessions had people dancing late into the night.