E as SOUND SYSTENS

Obs: Texto retirado do site Terra, antiga, incompleta pois falta gente neste caldo, mas interessante.

Traduzir o que significa um "sound system" na Jamaica para o universo musical brasileiro não é tarefa das mais fáceis, seja no dicionário, seja na prática. Não se trata apenas de uma equipe de som, animando festas em clubes ou casas noturnas. Não apenas isso. Na ilha de Bob Marley, um "sound system" é o coração da música, o local onde ela respira livremente, sem a pressão das rádios e seus playlists viciados.

Em ação desde os anos 40, os SS jamaicanos são um misto de equipe de som móvel com programa de auditório, levando as novidades para as ruas, muitas vezes em cima de um caminhão ou uma Kombi, tendo no comando MCs, improvisando rimas, palavras de ordem e chamando a galera para a dança. E não convém subestimar esse inusitado formato de propagação musical. Sem os "sound system" jamaicanos não teríamos o reggae, o dub, os remixes e até mesmo o rap. Por tudo isso e o resto que o espaço não permite comentar, é fantástico ver a herança dos "sound systems" jamaicanos se espalhar pelo Brasil.

Além das já tradicionais radiolas maranhenses, os SS fecundaram também duas novas equipes de som: uma do Rio (Digitaldubs) e outra de São Paulo (Bumba Beat). No comando de ambas, dois veteranos da cena reggae brasileira: respectivamente, o baixista e produtor Nélson Meirelles e o jornalista, radialista e militante regueiro Otávio Rodrigues. Nélson Meirelles tem credenciais impecáveis: foi produtor do Cidade Negra é um dos fundadores do Rappa, onde tocou baixo durante a primeira formação do grupo.

Mesmo tendo que abandonar o cargo por razões particulares, nunca deixou de sentir o impacto do reggae bater no coração. Tanto que formou o Digitaldubs, ao lado do DJ MPC e do MC Cristiano Dubmaster. De dois anos para cá, o DD se tornou referência em termos de dub reggae no Rio de Janeiro, promovendo eventos, abrindo espaço para novos talentos e, claro, tocando dub, com todos os ecos e efeitos especiais que tem direito, algumas músicas produzidas e tocadas pela própria equipe Digitaldubs. Pelas suas festas, onde sempre há um microfone aberto, têm passado figuras premiadas como os rappers De Leve, B Negão e Black Alien, e cantores como Bernardo e Valnei (Negril).

Otávio "Doc Reggae" Rodrigues e o Bumba Beat seguiram uma trajetória parecida com a de Meirelles e o Digitaldubs. Otávio comandou um dos primeiros programas exclusivamente à base de reggae na rádio brasileira ("Roots, Rock Reggae", na Nova Excelsior FM) e também coordenou um selo dedicado ao hipnótico gênero (na Continental).

Tudo isso entre os anos 80/90. Quando os dígitos mudaram, em 2000, ele fundou o Bumba Beat, ao lado do parceiro Paul Tokely. A festa/equipe de som percorreu diversos points da capital paulista, até se fixar no formato atual, o Radiola Bumba Beat, que, por conta do novo parceiro (Bruno Lancellotti, da Radiolla Records) acrescentou ska, o avô do reggae, na brincadeira. Nos últimos quatro anos, entre um Bumba e outro, recebeu o apoio de convidados como Samuel Rosa, Daúde, Marcelo D2, Paula Lima e o DJ Yellow P.

"Sound system" que se preze é assim mesmo: uma grande família, onde sempre cabe mais um. É só chegar.

Bob Marley and Notorious B.I.G.

Tirado da MTV.com

The Biggie duets LP fans have been hearing about for years is finally about to drop: The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter is due November 29. The first single, a duet by Big and Bob Marley called "Hold Ya Head," has just been released. The record was produced by Clinton Sparks, who's best known for his mixtapes.

Sinead O'Connor: have time off and a dose of Jamaican spirit chilled out the Irish spitfire? Not bloody likely

Retirement isn't for everyone, and it certainly doesn't seem to be in the cards for Sinead O'Connor. Three years ago, the Irish singer announced her desire to retreat from popular music and public life. But after what wound up as only a brief hiatus, O'Connor is back with Throw Down Your Arms (That's Why There's Chocolate and Vanilla), a roots music-inspired album produced by slick Jamaican twosome Sly and Robbie, featuring covers of songs by reggae legends like Bob Marley and her interviewer, Burning Spear.

BURNING SPEAR: So, what was dragging you into roots music to the point where you ended up making this album?

SINEAD O'CONNOR: Well, I guess it's kind of a religious thing. I grew up in a very religious Catholic culture--Ireland's experience with Catholicism has been very different from that of other countries. I grew up in what you would call a theocracy in some ways, and as I got older I felt a lot of the teachings about God that I was given as a child were false. I particularly felt that music was one of the ways in which people really lied the most about God. A lot of religious songs were made almost deliberately without feelings or emotions--apart from the Christmas songs, which always make you cry because they're about babies being born and that whole thing. I was longing for hymns and religious songs that weren't so boring and that also didn't perpetuate this kind of false idea of God, which I felt Catholicism did at the time. So I was always interested in the idea of rescuing God from religion and the idea of singing as prayer--Rasta music is the only kind of music that I think really gets that across. You feel the spirit of God alive in that music.

BS: So, in a sense you were feeling something behind the roots and the history and the culture of reggae music.

SO: Absolutely. I identified with it as an Irish person, too. There's this beautiful calling and longing in Rasta music, and that same thing exists in Irish music. There's a yearning that seems to be for the same thing: that relationship with God and the truth. You look around the world, and you see people fucking each other over, for want of a better word. A lot of healing could be done if people realized that you can't fix a spiritual problem with politics. There's an awful lot of work to be done in the world when it comes to how people believe in God and what they think God might or might not be. I feel the Rastas are the people who have the hugest faith in God and believe that the living God is in and around all of us. I don't think religion teaches that. I don't even like the word "God"--I prefer to call it the Holy Spirit. To me, the Holy Spirit is in Rasta music, and it does the job that I would like to be involved with--contributing one drop towards helping humanity rescue God from religion, because religion and God are two very different things.

BS: So, did you ever think you would end up singing reggae music?

SO: Yeah, I always knew I wanted to sing religious music and such, and I want to continue doing that with all different types of religious music. But the reason I want to do that is because of Rasta music. So, for about 15 years I've known that I was going to make this record. The first proper Rasta song I ever heard, as I perceived it, was Half Pint's song "Greetings."

BS: And why did you choose all those songs on the record?

SO: All the songs on there, or yours?

BS: Well, what about the Burning Spear songs? Why did you choose those songs?

SO: Those are the songs of yours I love the most. They are the ones I would put on in the car and scream along with. I first heard your music when I moved to Los Angeles around 1990. I used to drive around listening to your records. Those were the songs that'd make you want to fucking live. They're the songs of yours that really inspired me to want to work at this. They got me interested in life.

BS: For the cover of your record, you're using one of the most beautiful shots of you from when you were younger. Why did you choose that image?

SO: I suppose because I look really old and ugly now. [both laugh] I look much better in that picture.

BS: I don't think you look old and ugly. You look the way you're supposed to; that's your look.

SO: I know. I'm joking. [Spear laughs] I guess there are a couple of reasons I chose that picture. Making this record was about my own relationship with the Holy Spirit, which is, to me, the most important thing in my life apart from my relationship with my children. And the photograph is also of a particular day in a Catholic girl's childhood called First Holy Communion. That's the day when you promise to try to serve the Holy Spirit to the best of your ability. And so that would've been a day that meant an awful lot to me, but it also represents why I'd be making this record or future records or why I've stepped out of the mainstream and want to stick to making God records, for want of a better word.

BS: It's a unique image and very unusual, but chiefly you don't see things like that very often.

SO: No, definitely not. [laughs]

BS: I think it will stand out. I think everyone is really going to pay attention to that because people fear a lot at that age, and here they can see where you're coming from.

SO: Can I ask you a question? How on earth did you go about writing songs like "Marcus Garvey" and "Door People" and all? How did those songs come to you?

BS: Well, I'm from the parish of St. Ann where Marcus Garvey was from back in Jamaica.

When I was going to school we weren't taught about most of our heroes, and Marcus Garvey was a very important hero we had never been taught about. So I started to grow up and listen to people who were there before me and who knew about Garvey and had read about him, and by listening to them a lot of inspiration and vibes and spirituality came to me.

SO: If you had to say something about Garvey in this interview to someone who knows nothing about him and what his relevance is today, what would you say?

BS: The whole movement of Garvey was to create a black government that would be based in Africa, in Liberia, where his post would be. He believed that black people could own banks, that black people could have things like any other people, and that we could function and associate with various countries and do trading and stuff like that. That was the plan, more like a government thing. He even started his own ship company, the Black Star Line. He started with one ship and ended up with more than one ship. [laughs] There's a lot of confusion about what took place at that time because a lot of people started to get jealous and greedy and didn't like the way old Marcus was running things. They would think that Marcus shouldn't be saying certain things. People would be scared to speak about their rights and afraid to address government in certain ways by letting the government know that what they were doing to black people was wrong. He would show black people in America how to open their mouths. "You must learn to talk! You must learn to demand what belongs to you. You need your space! Your voice should be heard!" Things like that. Garvey was dealing with the government, and the system just couldn't handle that.

SO: And that was in the '20s, before Martin Luther King.

BS: All these other brothers, they learned from Marcus Garvey. He was like the original teacher.

SO: He was very similar to a national hero of ours in Ireland, Patrick Pearse [a leading proponent of Irish independence who was executed for his part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916]. He was also a kind of an orator like Garvey. And so the thing with Garvey is that a series of trials were brought against him for fraud that a lot of people think were false, right?

BS: Yeah. A lot of things were brought up against him. But when you stand up for your rights, you're going to get into fights. Once you step up in front of the system, then you're going to get into a lot of trouble from people who think you're moving too fast, that you're getting too big, and that you're getting too much attention.

SO: At what point did you decide that you wanted to be a teacher through your music?

BS: I knew nothing, period, about music until I was 26 or 27. I just started to feel an itch, and I started to move my hands like I was playing drums and stuff like that. I didn't know that this thing was going to turn into what it is today. I started to feel the music and identify with it in the '60s, so I tried to sing something. After a while I started to hang out with a couple of guys I could sing with. We were not thinking that we needed to make a record. We were just singing because we could. I can remember in Kingston this elderly man came up to me and said, "Eh, man. You never heard about Jomo Kenyatta?" I said, "No. Who is Jomo Kenyatta?" But this man who read up a lot on African history started to explain to me about Jomo Kenyatta [the first president of Kenya], who they once called Burning Spear. I was thinking I needed to have a name like his, so I decided to go with that. So in 1969 I was starting to sing in my parish, and I bumped into Bob Marley. Now Bob was from around the parish at St. Ann too and was going to his congregation with his donkey, his fork, his machete, his bucket--you know, plants and stuff like that. So I was like "Hey, what's up, man?" and we greeted each other, and I spoke out: "I want to get involved in this music business. I need to sing a couple of songs." And he told me about Studio One, and he gave to me the address and stuff like that.

SO: And when did you find Rastafarianism?

BS: I started to feel the vibe and the inspiration and the spirituality of Rastafari, I would say, in the early '70s.

SO: What age were you?

BS: I was 30 years old. I remember I was on the beach. We used to hang out on this beach called Key Largo, it's on One J Lane and Musgrave Street in St. Ann's Bay. I woke up on that beach one morning and took my shower, and then I took my comb and started to comb my hair, and the comb broke right in two. And when the comb broke, I said, "Rastafari!" And then I walked through the door and went to the beach--the beach was pretty close, like if you step out, you step into the sea--and I threw both pieces of the comb into the ocean and said, "Rastafari! This is it." And then I started to care for my dreads. So after I got involved with Studio One, I thought that things weren't working for me and maybe they didn't like my dreads. So I thought that maybe if I cut my dreads, things would end up working better for me. But when I did, things got worse! [both laugh] It's like I just ended up getting a beating because I did something wrong. That's the only time I cut my dreads. So that's how the whole thing started for me. Everything based upon my roots, my history, my culture, my music, my way of life--everything got started on Key Largo Beach, One J Lane, and Musgrave Street.

SO: When's your birthday?

BS: March 1. On March 1, 2005, I was 60 years of age. I'm a Pisces, a fish.

SO: I've got two Pisces children with the same birthday.

BS: And fish is my number one dish.

Burning Spear's Our Music, his second album on his Burning Spear label, is out this month.

LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY

LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY

The Upsetter, Lee "Scratch" Perry made outstanding music in his Black Ark studio during the 1970s. Listen to the timeless multilayered production on albums like "War ina Babylon" by Max Romeo & The Upsetters, "Heart of the Congos" by The Congos, "Beat down Babylon" by Junior Byles.

Last but not least there is some of Perrys own albums. Start with; "Super Ape" and "Blackboard Jungle Dub" and the two excellent compilations: "Arkology" with his best productions released through Chris Blackwell´s label Island Records, and finally, a very good introduction to Perrys world of dub: "Lee Perry - Upsetter in Dub" on Heartbeat CD HB 77, released 1997. Be sure to check record label and #, on the last one, because there are lot´s of albums with similar names, which is not as good. This is one of the best Perry dub compilations currently available.

For more information read the interview from 1982 with Lee Perry.
Today Mr Perry walks around with cd´s hanging from his head and seems to be only a shade of the genius he once were. He made an album 1997 in Switzerland, "Technomajikal" in collaboration with Dieter Meyer of Yello fame, which is a disappointment. Listen before you buy, which goes for most of his 80s productions as well. If you are a newbie in dub, look for recordings made during the 70s in the Black Ark Studio. They are usually a sure shot.

I received a email from a friend who tells me that Lee Perry did a gig outside Lyon in France in 1997. Perry was on stage with soup ladles hanging from his belt. He walked around in the audience and collected joints in his hat. After a while a young beautiful blonde wiped his forehead and the Legend continued the show. I think this story gives an additional angle to the sad story of the musical genius and his borderline personality.

AN INTERVIEW WITH LEE PERRY

Lee "Scratch" Perry started out in the '60s as an arranger and engineer for Coxsone's Studio One and quickly became the premier avant-reggae producer in the world. His hard bumpity groove and use of African rhythms drew the absolute best from the best musicians of the classic mid- '70s, from the Wailers to the Heptones to Max Romeo. In addition to providing Jamaicans with interplanetary dance music, the Upsetter also invented some of the more arcane dubbing techniques, spewing out a music so retarded and off that listening to it exposed one to brain damage and mental turmoil. Perry's dub was the light at the end of the tunnel, always there but never quite within human reach. In time, Perry was widely regarded as the reigning Grand Master of reggae production.

After a series of reversals in the late '70s (including a sanitorium stay and the closing of his legendary Black Ark studio in Kingston's Washington Gardens), Perry went to Amsterdam to live and record. But this potentially fruitful alliance was musically and financially disappointing for Perry, and he returned to Jamaica to take up various projects. A correspondent found him recording an album for Joe Gibbs in late 1981: "At the studio Lee had any number of small children who fiddled with instruments, the board, and headphones with alarming proficiency while the session went on. Occasionally Lee would space out and his wife would take over, doing much of the actual work. While singing, Scratch had laid out before him and around him the following items: Sagittarius horoscope, a small gold-painted statue of a lion, a set of hand exercise grips, a book on Buddhist yoga, a note pad full of lyrics, several Lee Perry records with weird phrases scrawled on the covers, a hammer, a pink plastic airplane, a grater, a book on space oddities and a couple of other objects that were beyond identification. He had a gym bag in the corner full of other personal talismans which I did not date investigate. He wore a blue denim suit with the top open, a number of copper chains and ornaments, a blue guitar cord around his neck, and no shoes. During the session he stood on books and occasionally anointed his feet with some clear, sweet-smelling liquid from a small rum bottle. The session included several Bob Marley tunes, to which Lee improvised new lyrics. The phrase "Coconut Excalibur" was repeated frequently. Despite his eccentricity, Perry was very coherent in giving instructions to the musicians, and very demanding. He knew exactly what he wanted. His singing wounded like a Jamaican Curtis Mayfield on acid reading transcripts from Bellvue Hospital..."

In 1981, Scratch toured U.S. cities, fronting a white reggae band from New York called the Terrorists. Several people who caught the shows said they were the worst in reggae history. But no matter. We caught up with Scratch the day after his Boston show in the suburban home of the promoter. At six o'clock that morning the promoter had gotten a call from the local police, as panicked neighbors had reported a black man jogging through their exclusive neighborhood with a machete. It was Scratch. With us and his beautiful blond girlfriend as his rapt audience, Scratch began by interviewing us.

LEE PERRY: This is an outerview from the Upsetter himself, he that speaketh and he that praiseth and he that doeth all things. Seein' this book in front of me, Reggae Bloodlines, which is the blood, means virgin blood, and the sign mean virgin sign and de time mean culture, time dispensation; well, now I feel this the time that the artist start to interview de books writers. For years the books writers been interviewin' the singers, now de singers start interviewin' de writers. What are you doing Mr. Simon? It's a pleasure meeting you in Boston. And good evening, sire. Your name?

Q: I'm Mr. Davis

Pleasure meeting you. And I wish you success on dis new book, but hope you make it fair this time, a straight line, no despair, fair within love compassion understandin' love knowledge overstandin', no more war in your mind. I now destroy the mentality of war, atomic energy from your mind, I give you de blessing of love and order if you obey me in eight nine O zed. That's the power of their computer controlling. Thankyou sah.

Q: Are you a member of the Masonic Temple, Mr. Upsetter?

De Misanic Temple - I art de temple, I art de future, I art de mirror, I art de music and de music art I, and I live in the music and de music live in I de Father - this is deharp, Sam Sharpe.

Q: What did you say last night on the radio, when the deejay asked you if you ever worked with Bob Marley?

I've never worked with anyone. Any time I see myself working with one, then I'll know I like myself to sleep to death, make you see, I'm not fit to live anymore. I wish de day never come when I work with anyone.

Q: And you mentioned you had a teacher - pupil relationship with him, is that true?

Well, if you think I'm not de teacher, test me.

Q: No, I do think you're the teacher, but I was just wondering if you had any comment to make about it?

About what? His vision of slipping out?

Q: About you teaching Bob Marley.

I'm not here to teach Bob Marley. I'm here to teach the universe.

Q: How did you get the name Upsetter?

Because I am the Upsetter. That's answer for itself. I am the Upsetter. One take onto himself what he think he is, and I think I know I art the Upsetter, so I am the Upsetter.

Q: So would you call this tour your doing now the Return of the Upsetter?

This don't mean the return of the Upsetter, this mean the tour, the mental power to destroy the mind of the undermind. The overmind is here to destroy the undermind. The overmind control by water, which is here to water de garden and de flowers, to let the trees grow, and let de children sing and let de birds fly and let the air be free from pollutions.

Q: You mentioned something about Dr. Syntax?

That's my idea. My idea is to criticize all tax collectors and my idea is to execute all thief, all liars and vampires, mentally, not in a physical form, I can do it physically by my exercise, cramp and paralyze, coz I know it is the Master Dance, I art a ballet sounds. Music! Water in here you got to splash if you're drinking rum, lotta people don't love rum, but I love rum very much cos rum is the spirit that was here before the hold - (sings) "Glory be unto the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning now and ever shall be world without end" but you see de rum? Rum is de power and the tom-tom and the tom-tom is the power of the one hundred drums that control the neighborhood at de root. If de baby born and had no navel string then he shall surely die but if he has a navel string then he gonna live. Rum is my navel string, that's where de spirit dwell and I like to have the spirit in me.

Q: How did you first become involved with doing production work in Kingston?

To discuss my original force of like is totally impossible for me to tell you how I got involved. I'm not a man who has kept memory of anything I've done. I'm a miracle man, things happen which I don't plan, I've never planned anything. Like I say, I never try, I never plan. And if there is a day that come that I have to try, I will ax the Almighty to let me die. A hate trying.

Q: You just like doing?

Instant. Whatsoever I do, I want it to be a instant action object, instant reaction subject. Instant input, instant output. If it's not the way it gonna work, well kiss my rass; if it even God, God would have to kiss my rass because we never work to a God that I don't get paid instantly. I believe in getting pay instantly.

Q: What albums are you producing now?

Albums!! Zillion and million and trillion and billion records. I art de camera, I art de future. I art de worlds without end, I don't think to talk, man, do y'understand? So if I want albums, I hatch them because I art Scratch the beginning.

Q: Did you start from scratch?

All de time. If you don't start from scratch, then your in trouble, you don't start nowhere.

Q: Can you explain the unique sound you get on all the records you produce?

Would you give away your secret? If you give away your secret, you may be a very stupid man. I will keep mine. Because I want to live.

Q: Why are most of your recordings in mono?

Well mono mean one heart, one thought, one love, one destiny, one aim, one alternative. So I defend only the one; anytime is a split personality I know then can be problem and danger and I don't support it. I support all-in-one, one communication, one Itation, one Iration, one faith, one human destiny. Anytime you come out with that, then I don't think you're parallel. You're confused, you're a mascot! And I don't defend mascot.

Q: Which musicians are you particularly fond of?

At this moment? Well, most of the good thing always pass away, cos sometime I say to myself, "How come de good t'ing die?" Thinkin' of all this, I wish the spirit of Otis Redding could come back alive, a vibration that can never die. I wish the spirit of Fats Domino would come back alive. I wish the spirit of King Cole would come back alive. I wish the spirit of King Solomon Burke, I wish those spirit could come back alive. I not in for the madness, because I can't take it. I don't defend fuckeries. Dig!

Q: Fats is still alive-

I know, and he's in another form, but those are the vibration that I want to come back alive, not to come back but to come forward for the use of mankind because without those spiritual guidance, then Man dead.

Q: So Scratch, you don't feel like shooting the barber and buring the razor anymore?

I think the barber should live, because there's lots of dreadlocks who want to trim. They need a new vibration. Let the barber live.

Q: And dig up the razor?

Of course, the razor gotta come back alive. Heh-heh! Nothing wrong with the barber trimming a man because I think I might takin a trim in a short while to change my vibration. Too much dread things not too good. I love good things. I want to see things happening good for me, not more dread foolishness and fuckeries. Clean hair I think is the honor, because man should respect his hair very much, keep it clean, brush it minutely.

Q: Did you at one point wear dreads?

I was getting involved with it. If I wasn't careful, I'd have got captured by the devil, but I was careful that I didn't get caught by the Devil. I was the only one that escape the trap. It's war!

--------------------------------------------

Interview extracted from Reggae International,
Stephen Davis and Peter Simon. Rogner & Bernhard GMBH & Co - 1982
ISBN:0-394-71313-3

Jamaican reggae artistes on the Billboard 200 album chart

Friday, September 23, 2005

Jamaican artistes have had strong representation on Billboard's main album chart, the Billboard 200, over the years. With Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley's Welcome To Jamrock (Ghetto Youths) album earning the biggest debut and opening week sales for any Jamaican reggae artiste ever (the album debuted at number seven this week with first week sales of over 86,000 copies), it's an appropriate time to backtrack and see which other Jamaican reggae acts made their dents on the Billboard 200 over the years.

In 1983, Third World took the album All The Way Strong to number 161 on the Billboard 200. Two years later they fared better with Sense Of Purpose, which stalled at number 119. However, Serious Business became their biggest chart hit peaking at number 107 in 1989.

Reggae outfit Black Uhuru registered their only chart entry in 1990 with Now, which got as far as number 121.

Conscious Party peaked at number 23 for Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers in 1988. They fell three rungs lower in 1989 with a number 26 peak for One Bright Day. 1991's Jahmekya debuted at number 96 and peaked at number 63. But 1993's Joy and Blues peaked at number 178, while 1995's Free Like We Want To Be debuted and peaked at number 170. Ziggy Marley's solo effort Dragon Fly released in 2003 debuted and peaked at number 138.

Maxi Priest's journey on the Billboard 200 chart began in 1989 with his self-titled set which peaked at number 108.
Bonafide, released in 1990, fared better going as far as number 47, while Best Of Me released in 1991, stalled at number 189. Fe Real released in 1992 debuted and peaked at number 191. Four years later Man With The Fun peaked at number 108.

Inner Circle's Bad Boys album rocketed to number 64 in 1993 based on the success of their hit singles Sweat and the title track Bad Boys.

Diana King only charted once but with her 1995 major label debut Tougher Than Love. It debuted and peaked at number 179.

Double Grammy winner Shabba Ranks racked up four entries on the Billboard 200. As Raw As Ever released in 1991 peaked at number 89, while Rough peaked at number 78. Xtra Naked did better reaching as far as number 64, while A Mi Shabba debuted and peaked at number 133 in 1995.

Mainly because of the single Flex, Mad Cobra powered his way to number 125 with his 1992 album Hard To Wet, Easy To Dry.

She enjoyed a good run on the singles charts with Worker Man, Romantic Call, Pull Up To The Bumper and others. But Patra didn't fare too well on the album chart. Her 1994 debut Queen Of The Pack stalled at number 103. A year later Scent Of Attraction fared worst, debuting and peaking at number 151.

The more recent album chart stars include Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder and Shaggy.
Shaggy's 1995 set Boombastic peaked at number 34. He wouldn't visit that tally until five years later when Hot Shot debuted at number 42. It later clocked four weeks at number one. Hot Shot Ultra-Mix released in 2001 debuted and peaked at number 168. Lucky Day, Shaggy's last studio effort for MCA Records, debuted and peaked at number 24 in 2002.

Elephant Man's Good 2 Go album opened at number 74 in 2003 and later fell off the tally. Beenie Man's 2002 Virgin Records opus Tropical Storm roared in at number 18 with 18,000 copies sold in its first week on the retail in the US. Two years later Back To Basics debuted and peaked at number 51 with 22,000 units sold in its opening week.

With 62,000 copies in its maiden week, Sean Paul's Dutty Rock disc opened at number 26 in 2002. The set later peaked at number nine on the strength of four top 20 pop hits Gimmie The Light, Get Busy, Like Glue and I'm Still in Love With You.

Damian Marley on roots, Rasta and reggaeton

Friday, September 23, 2005

NEW YORK (AP) - Being an icon's son isn't easy.
Yet, Damian Marley is doing just fine. The son of Bob is leading reggae back to its roots with his enthralling summer anthem, and new album Welcome To Jamrock.

The articulate, socially conscious artiste known as 'Jr Gong' spoke to The Associated Press about the return of traditional reggae, gang violence, working with Alicia Keys and continuing his father's legacy.

AP: Since the Welcome To Jamrock single is so big, what do you expect from the album?
Marley: It can expose people to what we're speaking about and what the music stands for in a moral and lyrical sense. It's about what's going on in the world, not just my life.

AP: There has been a real return to traditional grassroots reggae. How do you feel about that?
Marley: In Jamaica, it was never dormant, but what you see right now is a lot of roots music becoming a national representation of the music once again, as opposed to the last few years when it was dancehall and club stuff.

AP: What's your opinion on reggaeton?
Marley: To tell you the truth, I'm not so up on it to say. I'm not real familiar with it because first of all I don't understand what a lot of it is saying because I don't speak Spanish. I can tell you that the best form of flattery is imitation, in terms of other people using our culture - dancehall and reggae culture and music. That's flattery.

AP: What do you think about Sean Paul, Elephant Man and Shaggy, reggae dancehall artistes who have hit mainstream success here in the United States?
Marley: Good for them. I don't have a problem with any of them.

AP: Do you like their music?
Marley: There are some songs I don't care for and some songs I like. There's definitely another side of (reggae) music that those artistes don't represent. Those songs aren't full representation of reggae music. They're not the full ambassadors of reggae music. They're not the FULL representation.

AP: Gang violence has been a problem in Jamaica. What's the state of it right now?
Marley: Poverty breeds a lot of things. When people are desperate and trying to survive, they do drastic things. That's what a lot of people feel like in Jamaica. That's what we're trying to say in our music, that's there's not that much being done about it. Sending a whole swarm of police into our area to shoot up the place is not going to make anything better. It's going to create more enemies.

AP: If you were in charge, what would you do?
Marley: There is a lot of ways, but I'm not in charge. There are people in charge and I want them to do their job. I'm not a politician, I'm a musician. The gang violence you see in Jamaica was something seeded from politics. So, first politicians need to stop the violence because it has become a way of life in Jamaica. It's the thing to do - be violent in Jamaica.

AP: There have been protests against reggae artistes that use homophobic lyrics. What's your take on that?
Marley: We can find better things to talk about right now than people's lyrics and that's all I have to say about that.

AP: How was it working with Alicia Keys for her MTV Unplugged special?
Marley: I'm a fan of her music. What I really appreciate about her music is the whole live aspect. She's very hands-on and musical. Reggae musicians appreciate that because we use more live instrumentation.

AP: How was it working with Nas and The Roots?
Marley: It was a big honour. We all stand for the same things in our music and we speak on things that are positive. What I love about their music is it's positive, but it's about life in dark places. They're making music for the hungry. They try to feed people that are hungry, rather than feed people who are fed.

AP: How much of an influence do your brothers have on your albums?
Marley: Well, first of all my big brother Steve is my producer. I'm actually very active as a producer for this album also, so we basically produced it together. We work as a team.

AP: How are things between Lauryn Hill and her husband, your brother Rohan?
Marley: That's none of my business.

AP: To set the record straight, how many children did your father have?
Marley: A lot. A lot.

AP: When you record, do you and your brothers feel like you're continuing your father's legacy?
Marley: Yeah, but more so because the work that we're doing is Rasta work. His music was not pop music. It was struggle music and uplifting from that struggle.

Bob Marley honoured at Britain's MOBO music awards

Friday, September 23, 2005

LONDON (AP) - Reggae legend Bob Marley received a "posthumous achievement award" yesterday at Britian's MOBO music awards at a ceremony. Marley was honoured for the role he played in the development of reggae and black music.

It was accepted by his son Damian, who was named best reggae act.

Former reality-TV contestant Lemar won two prizes yesterday at the MOBOs, Britain's awards celebrating music of black origin.

The soul singer, who launched his career by appearing on the reality talent show Fame Academy, was named act of the year and won the best-album prize for Time to Grow.

Singer Lauryn Hill opened the 10th annual MOBOs show, a typically eclectic affair at London's elegant Royal Albert Hall.

US singer-songwriter John Legend was named best R&B act, while Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour took the prize for best African act and reggaeton star Daddy Yankee won the world-music prize. Rhian Benson took the award for best jazz act, while Sway won the hip-hop prize.

Drop It Like It's Hot, by Snoop Dogg and featuring Pharrell, was named video of the year.

Politically-charged rappers Public Enemy were honoured for outstanding contribution to black music.

WELCOME TO JAMROCK.....Official album launch today at Bob Marley Museum

Friday, September 09, 2005

Described by pundits as an "outrageous and unapologetic" description of poverty and political violence in Jamaica, Welcome To Jamrock, the album by Marley scion and Grammy winning artiste Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley will be officially launched tonight at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston. The album, Junior Gong's third, will be fully available on the market next Tuesday, September 13.




Fourteen original tracks are featured on the new album, which lists 'Junior Gong' and his brother Stephen Marley as the co-executive producers. Damian Marley's other two albums are Mr Marley and the Grammy-awarded Half Way Tree. The Welcome To Jamrock album was recorded in studios in the United States and the Tuff Gong facilities in Jamaica. Only three of the 14 tracks on the album were not produced the Marley siblings.

Welcome To Jamrock, the single, has been an outstanding success for 'Junior Gong' topping a number charts worldwide. The album itself the singer says is a diverse mixture of stylings.

Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley

"It's like going to war. Sometimes you have to wear camouflage to really get in there," says Jr Gong of the diverse appeal of the album. "Dancehall, R&B, hip-hop...it's more about feelings. We're not just trying to do a segment of the mix. We're trying to do the whole mix." Welcome To Jamrock, the album, features two collaborations, one with American rapper Nas (Rode To Zion) and the other (Khaki Suit) with dancehall DJ Bounty Killer and old school chanter Eek A Mouse.

"The Welcome To Jamrock album reflects us," Jr Gong says simply. "And I say us 'cause it's not just me that makes the album. We're taking the baton from the elders who made rebel music-we're new leaders of the old school."

'Junior Gong' currently riding a crest of popularity following the success of the Welcome To Jamrock single comes to the launch from London where he was involved in intensive public relations and promotional activities for the album. His visit to London and other areas of Great Britain was preceded by promotional tours including media appearances in the United States.

The album, says 'Junior Gong' which is being released on the family's Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths International label, reflects love, war, and hope.

"These are difficult years... and this has been a year of signs and wonders and mystics. We're in a mind opening time now-a lot of people don't have material suffering, but spiritual suffering. Welcome To Jamrock is about hope, and there's still more to share. I'm still very close to the beginning," Junior Gong said.

Noted Jamaican educator Dr Clinton Hutton will be the guest speaker at tonight's launch of Welcome To Jamrock.

JR GONG' CONNECTS WITH JAMROCK

Sunday, September 11, 2005

"Respeck, Damian, cause when you seleck, yu conneck!"
That was just one of the more colourful expressions of support and good wishes offered to a clearly pleased, if magnanimous Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley on the Jamaican launch of his Welcome To Jamrock disc on Friday night, on the grounds of the 56 Hope Road complex that his father made famous.



The large gathering was unanimous in their praise for the artiste and the album, his third, released under a joint arrangement between the Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths label and record industry giant Universal/Motown. The decision to go with Universal, the Marley scion said, was based as much on family ties as on commercial prospects.

"My brothers are on Universal, and my father's catalogue is on Universal so that in a sense gave us more leeway in fulfilling the direction of our career," he said.

Junior Gong signs autographs.

After a brief but eloquent welcome from MC Paula Anne Porter, the audience heard a dissertation from UWI Professor Clinton Hutton, who expounded, in his halting tone, on the connections between reggae, Rastafari and the social imperatives as represented in both the album, Welcome To Jamrock, and the controversial single.

"If the problems of the inner city are not addressed and the people are not given an adequate stake in the affairs of the country, "den all of Jamaica mash up".

With the screening of a promotional video bio (the baby pictures included drew the expected oohs and ahhs from the women), the proceedings were opened to questions and commendations from the media and well-wishers.

Speaking with the Observer after the launch, Marley said he was grateful for the support shown the project, and also to see roots reggae music reaching a wider audience, particularly urban Black youth in the US and Europe, which was a long-held ambition of his father.
Regarding the heightening of his public profile ensuing from the success of the single, he was taking it all in stride.

"Even though this is looking to be my most exposed album to date, is long time I been doing this thing now so we don't really have to get caught up in the hype," 'Junior Gong' said.

Members of the audience display their delight at the Welcome To Jamrock launch.

With the tightly run function at an end, the gathering remained to party and bask in the occasion.

Welcome To Jamrock officially becomes available on September 13.

Twilight Circus Interviews

Dub science, dub vibration: Discussions with Ryan Moore from Twilight Circus.

Twilight Circus provided some of the most satisfying and spacious bass and drum mixes of the 90’s: Eerie low end frequencies veering randomly underneath complex mixes, with harsh snare cracks and soaring effects complimenting the depth of the subterranean bass undertow. The most distinctive aspect of these recordings is a powerful sense of brooding mood and atmospheric presence.The tracks have a “landscape like” quality, many of the tracks sounding like they would make excellent contributions to a prospective road movie or “film noir” soundtrack. From the seismic vibrations of “Rolling Thunder” to the searing high frequencies of “Binghi Brain Melt Mix”, Ryan Moore’s compositions have always been innovative and distinctive, relying on live instrumentation with a bare minimum of sampling. Imagine Scientist meets Eno in a ruined city, deep under the sea on the ocean floor, or imagine King Tubby meets Can, soundclash style, in a jungle forest clearing: This is music of dreams.



Now Twilight Circus bass player Ryan Moore has teamed up with DJ Spooky on a remix project. I caught up with Ryan Moore recently to discuss his work and influences. Unsurprisingly, the interview focussed on intense BASS resonation and its effect on the human form, psyche and sensibility.

Can you talk about the importance of bass in the Jamaican tradition and its importance to you?

“In reggae music a deep fat bass sound is essential to the depth of the physical experience. Early sound system operators in Jamaica understood the profound effect of bass on the people that attended the dances. Besides this, back in the early days in Jamaica in the 50’s and 60’s most of the bass on Jamaican recordings would have been played on a big acoustic bass of the type used in jazz. These acoustic bass instruments have a deep, rich low end vibration: In fact they are in a lower register, one octave lower, than a regular electric bass. So the young people who were to later become the musicians, producers and engineers in Jamaica grew up with this reference point. Also, look at the other music that was coming in to Jamaica at that time: Early Stax and Motown also had a very deep, low end bass pressure. People were going for a punchy low “thump” on the electric bass. It’s interesting to note that in the last decade there has been a massive swing towards deep bass vibrations again in popular music forms such as drum and bass , Junglist and two step.”

Can we talk now about the effect of bass on people’s body and psyche? You know the feeling when a pounding “b” line drops, the vibrations impacting the abdomen, up through the solar plexus like a wave, up to the chest, lower neck, in the head, up to the temples, behind the eyes. Why is that signal so pleasurable and calming?

“These low frequencies just have a deep physical effect on the listener, and in the case of reggae or other styles such as Drum and Bass, these frequencies and vibrations can have a hypnotic, trance inducing power, especially in situations when the volume is high such as at a sound system session. It’s just that much more heavy.”



When I interviewed Russ D, we spoke a lot about “subsonic bass waves” which are subliminal bass waves of sound, experienced and felt rather than audibly heard. Can you give your views on “sub 30 hertz” vibrations as used in roots and culture, dub or any other form of music?

“I believe officially humans are supposed to have the capacity to hear from around 20 Hertz up to 20 K Hertz when we are born. Personally I don’t think there’s too much in the area of 30 Hertz or lower which gets cut on to vinyl due to the inherent limitations of the medium. Most vinyl cutting houses would “roll off” the real sub lows below 40 Hertz because that is seen more as more of a “frequency pollution” which would take up space in the cut, yet not add to the overall listening experience . Engineers for most live concert PA’s and clubs will also cut these sub lows because they eat up massive amounts of the amplifiers power. Now, regarding a roots and culture or dub session, much of what we perceive as sub low bass vibrations when we are at a roots dance are in reality certain harmonics and distortions: Resonances set in motion from speaker box movement and amp power rush. Some sound systems and clubs will actually use a sub harmonic synthesiser to introduce these subs into the mix. Bill Laswell used this to good effect in a lot of his music. These vibrations are felt rather than heard: Ever seen a deaf person enjoying dancing even though they can’t hear the music? They can still “feel” where the beat is! Bass is an EARTH tone. I recall reading that planets apparently have their own resonating tone: Really low frequencies like 0.1 or 0.2 Hertz. Frequencies and waveforms do effect, lead and influence our perception of the world. Besides sound, this is also in regards to light movement and brainwaves.”

Bass movements, bass culture! Do you have any particular memories of a live situation when you were profoundly affected by the bass, or the spirituality of sound?



“My huge moment of “bass epiphany” came when I saw The Wailers. It was in the early 80’s. Nothing comes near that experience. Errol Brown was the soundman. Hearing the bass in that context and hearing the interplay with the drums with this massively huge, deep, loud sound made me realize reggae bass was a SERIOUS thing, more serious than I had ever imagined. It struck me as a realization, that every bass note played would have a big physical effect on the listener when played at that massive, seismic volume. I realized too that if the wrong note was played at those volume levels, it could have a bad effect on the listener, affecting them in a negative way, possibly inducing nausea. Bass: It’s a big responsibility! I was fortunate enough to meet Family Man at that time, and I asked him for some tips on bass playing. When I saw The Wailers on the second show, I remember Family Man coming out and turning up one of the low bass EQ sliders on his amp even more. Intense is the only word to describe the impression it made on me.”

What of extreme experiences when you played out over a sound system or club PA?

“I don’t have my own sound system but an extreme experience I’d like to recount to you was when I played in Israel about two years ago. Sharon had just got elected and I was playing in a bomb shelter refuge of all places! I was struck at how some tunes could take on a whole different level of meaning depending on the environment or circumstance they are played in. It was deep. At one point, spontaneously, I took a relentless Burning Spear chant, “we don’t want no war!” and just started subtly merging that repetitive mantra into the mix I was playing. Given their circumstances in Israel, I could notice how people reacted to it. You could see it having an impact on the psyche of the people. Yeah, that was quite an experience.”

Which bass sound and bass players have influenced you the most?



“Family Man and Robbie Shakespeare. I was so influenced by the classic figures of reggae bass, but also great players like James Jamerson from Motown and Dick Dunn from Stax. I was also really impressed by Charlie Mingus and his approach to bass playing. Even though he was clearly a virtuoso, he would lay back and play the simplest of things if that would fully support the structure of the song: No ego.

Of course I also have to mention Lloyd Brevett from The Skatalites, who is the real “granddad” of Jamaican bass players who went on to influence countless later players with his sound and phrasing.”


I listen to funk and I love it. I listen to jungle and I love it. Hard jazz too. But it’s only when I hear a roots reggae or dub tune, that the bass and the space, echo, the emptiness and the low end in the tune drops, that’s when I feel like “I came home” , and that the bass and the empty space in the dub is definitely a spiritual thing: Do you agree? Dub gives me a meditative peace of mind and steady state. What do you think?

“All I know is when I first heard dub in 1981, I had a reaction: I thought, “WHAT IS THIS?” I was so attracted to the cavernous sense of space, the echoes. My take on it back then and my own theory which I wanted to develop was, that the drums and bass hypnotize the listener and mesmerize physically, whereas the other sounds on top, the higher frequencies and effects, influence the mind. So the combination of the two would provide the ultimate hypnotic trance- inducing experience to send the listener off on a journey to: Who knows where? As an experiment, I wanted to combine dub bass and drum patterns with more esoteric sounds.”



I think there is a certain depth in your sound and atmospheric mood and innovation which sets you apart from a lot of your contemporaries: Its obvious you are heavily influenced by many other dub originators, but you seem to have striven to create very much your own sound and vibe altogether. Any comment?

“In the studio, I follow my own instincts without too much contrived pre planning. So where it goes is actually a surprise to me. I am the sum of all kinds of different musical experiences which lead up to where I am now.”

Ryan, thanks for you time. I appreciate your contribution.

“No problem. I had a good time with the questions. They caused some sparks to fire in long dormant parts of my brain!”

Copyright protected: Greg Whitfield. May 2003.