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Publication date : Thursday, September 06th 2012 - 12 406 views Broussaï in Jamaica
On the walls hang the gold discs of the Wailers' albums Catch A Fire, Burning, Natty Dread. We are at Harry J studio in Kingston. Some of the island's greatest artists have passed through these walls. This is where we meet the members of Broussai, who have come here to record their fourth album. To do so, they have called in heavyweights: Stephen Stewart on the mix (a Grammy award winner for Burning Spear's album "Calling Rastafari"), Samuel Clayton, David Hinds and Selwyn Brown (Steel Pulse), Dubtonic Kru, Ishmel McAnuff.
While Eric finishes recording vocals, Alex leads us into the courtyard of the famous studio. Beneath the portraits of the greatest figures in the history of Jamaican music, he tells us about the genesis of "Kingston Town".
 "For us, reggae fans since our teens, coming to Jamaica is a dream, Alex says straight away. The trip does have the feel of a waking dream, with its unexpected encounters and opportunities to be seized on the spot. Welcome to Jamaica, where much is expected but everything gets settled in a few minutes. Going to record on reggae's home soil was also, for the band, a way of putting themselves at risk by stepping out of the cocoon they had spun over ten years: "Our first three albums were made at home, in a home studio, doing everything ourselves, from A to Z. With "Perspectives" (the previous studio album, Ed.), I think we'd reached the limits of those methods. We didn't want to do it a fourth time. We wanted to open up to something else, discover a new dimension of music, and live a new human adventure too."
And above all to take on the typically Jamaican way of recording: one-shot. They prepared for it. After three years without writing, spent working on the DVD and the band's tours, Broussaï got back to writing. When they arrived in Jamaica with 14 tracks in their luggage, they were ready: some songs were tightly written, others more malleable, open. But they had no idea yet what awaited them: "From the very first track, Stephen had changed everything except the chords and the vocal melody. In fact, he'd asked us to come with just guitar / vocal demos, telling us he'd do the rest. That's how they work in Jamaica. We answered that we weren't singers but a band in its own right. For us, the singer is as important as the bassline or the piano arrangement."
Balance
 First track (A l'envers), first conflict: each side defended its version. Two versions were therefore made (it was Broussaï's version that was finally kept on the album). For the second song, one of the tracks open to change was put forward: Seul dans la foule. Everything went: bass, drums, nothing escaped Stephen Stewart, who completely rewrote the track. "From a track we weren't especially happy with, he made something sublime, he turned it into a danceable tune with groove. His contribution to that track was powerful. In the wake of that, we moved straight on to Génération email."
Throughout the recording, they thus found a balance ("Sometimes we were won over by his ideas, sometimes not"), building together the twelve tracks that finally make up "Kingston Town". The same with the members of Dubtonic Kru, guests on the title track, where they set their visions of the capital side by side. The two bands had already crossed paths at Reggae Sun Ska the previous year, and share the track entirely. "They have a band spirit like we do, which is what made it interesting to build."
 First TV appearance
This trip to Jamaica was also an opportunity for the band to make their first TV appearance. After playing at Emancipation Park, in New Kingston, as part of the Reggae Month events, they were invited to appear on Smile Jamaica, the morning show on TVJ, the country's leading channel. The channel even agreed to let them play four songs, where guests usually only have time for two. The French were suddenly on everyone's lips. "A few hours later, we were at the beach, where people recognised us and took photos of us."
"We didn't discover Jamaica as tourists, but as musicians", Alex savours. In the bag, not only a fourth album that sees them move on to a new stage in their career, but also a suitcase full of memories. "We told Bunny Wailer how incredible it was for us to be talking with him at Harry J studio, where forty years earlier he had been recording "Catch A Fire", "Burning" and "Natty Dread" with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. It's thanks to him that we're here today. It's like a cycle: Bunny Wailer is the seed, and we are one of the fruits of this tree that grows all over the world. We've come here to build our own tree, and hope to spread our music all over the world."
Report written by Sébastien Jobart
Tags : Broussaï (56), Jamaïque (164)
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