Design on Union Street, as he was finishing up a cut.

Hi-Top is the emcee, promoter and organiser for Playbwoy The Outlaw Movement -- one of Bermuda's most popular reggae sound systems.

Hi-Top, along with partner Stacy (Kutchie) Seymour, have built up Playbwoy since the sound system first was officially established 12 years ago.

Other members of the crew include Brian (Monsta) Atwell, Marlon (Bob Marlon) Williams, brother Karim (Lion) Spence as well as two members in Canada -- Danny (Scandalous) Owen and Donnie (Brasco) Martin.

Hi-Top talked about the evolution of Playbwoy from the early days when they were breakdancing and rapping.

"I was 17 when we first started playing in the clubs -- I wasn't really old enough to be there, but we were playing,'' he chuckled.

"When we first started playing on turntables, we started playing with a group called Jonestown and the first club we played in was Spinning Wheel.

"I love music, and I just had a feel for it... I had a sound system in my house with one turntable and I used to make up tapes.

"Guys like Jonestown were people I looked up to as DJs, as well as Jamaican sounds like Stone Love and King Jammys,'' he said.

"We saw a job out of it, a way of making money. Playbwoy is very creative, and we just keep inventing.'' Hi-Top said mixing music well -- both individual songs as well as entire genres of music -- is the key to a successful sound.

"Bermuda is very unique in music because of where the Island is in the world.

You've got America, the Caribbean and Europe, so we get a mix of all their music -- then we mix in the Bermuda flavour,'' he said.

"People from two-years-old to 40 listen to us -- all races. We've got a radio show Wednesday nights on Power 95.

"We don't have our own music, but that's what makes us unique and different from anywhere else in the world.

"But at this time, it's hard for sound systems because there's a huge demand for what we do and a lack of venues to do it,'' he noted.

"We started off playing strictly reggae, but that's not Bermuda -- Bermuda likes a mix with American R&B and hip hop.

"A lot of sounds followed us in playing that mix. We make our own CDs and mix our remixes on computers -- 12 years ago, that's something I never thought I'd be doing.'' Hi-Top said being part of a sound system like Playbwoy has given him opportunities to perform in places like Jamaica, Canada, New York and Atlanta.

28 Music is in their systems playing football, but a hobby you can make money from,'' he said.

"We've made a very serious investment in our equipment... you can spend $20,000 and up to buy a good sound system including turntables, amplifiers and speakers.

"For example, the professional needles we use cost $120. And you can spend anywhere from $200 to $2,000 on a dub plate.'' Hi-Top explained that a dub plate is when a popular artist sings a song about your sound system.

"Right now, Bounty Killa is the most expensive artist to get a dub from... it can cost $2,000 and up, but it's really like an investment in your sound,'' he noted.

"This is not just a sound system to we guys -- this is a business,'' he added.

"But it wasn't an easy road, it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get where we are.'' Stepping up: Kurvin `Hi-Top' Spence and members of the Playbwoy crew have turned a hobby into a money-making enterprise.