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Publication date : Monday, May 07th 2007 - 12 930 views Heartical Vs Guiding Star
The clash between Heartical and Guiding Star, taking place on 12 May at La Scène in Vernouillet, is a genuine event for the sound system scene in France. The perseverance of the organisers deserves a salute, as they never have an easy task in a field that is still seen as reserved for the initiated. This top-flight clash, in dubplates only, will pit two of the best boxes in France against each other, and it is a safe bet that it will be listened to well beyond our borders. So we contacted Sergio, for Heartical, and Jacob, for Guiding Star, to give this battle the stakes it deserves. A cross interview with the two protagonists of the showdown.
Mixes presenting each sound system are also available:
Can you introduce your sound system: its origins, its members, its style...?
 Sergio: Heartical is a sound system created in June 1999, originally made up of four members: Wap, the sound's technician, Mr Tam, selector, Mr Boo, selector and myself, Sir Jo, MC and selector. The sound is based in Paris and has been playing since 1999, at first in Paris, then little by little abroad, first in Italy, Germany and then Belgium and Spain: since then we have played all over Europe. The sound has exported well and found itself playing alongside recognised sounds such as Massive B, Stone Love, Killamanjaro, David Rodigan and many European sounds. In parallel, we launched the Heartical label in 2001, with regular single releases: we are up to 32 singles released on several riddims rebuilt by the group Basque Dub Fondation (BDF). I am of Spanish origin, they are Spanish, so we formed a kind of joint venture to record Jamaican artists and francophone artists.
In terms of style, Heartical is a sound that sits halfway between several generations of sounds: we are not into juggling non-stop and we have a great leaning towards "foundations". But we offer versatile sets that easily span the 60s to the present day.
 Jacob: I'm Jacob, representing Guiding Star Sound, formed at the end of 1997 in Tours, on my initiative and that of Romu and Franck. The members of Guiding Star are Wary, who was MC with me, Double B, engineer and selector, Balo, selector, and Polo, who joined very recently as selector, MC and manager. The style of Guiding Star? It's a sound system that carries a fairly cultural message but also a universal message, one that speaks to everybody. I've been a fan of roots and "foundations" for a long time: I like playing Studio One or rub-a-dub, but I'm also very open to playing the latest dancehall. We do have a cultural outlook, but you need a bit of jiggy-jiggy to get people dancing in a club.
Why did you decide to set up a sound system?
S: The record collection and the fact of attending most of the parties in Paris. We can also salute the work of the pioneers: KNS, Blues Party, Stand Tall and the unmissable Lord Zelko with his radio show every Friday on Nova. It was with him that we discovered the concept of the sound clash, with King Dragon against Black Scorpio at the Aquaboulevard on 6 April 1996, which we attended. From there, we were well motivated to set up the sound. We played our first official party in June 1999 for the Fête de la Musique.
J: For the reggae. Originally, I collected a lot of CDs and then I started collecting vinyl. I made tapes for myself and to play to my mates. It was precisely one of them, Franck, who pushed me to put on parties in Tours. He canvassed two bars for me and I then started doing parties with line-ups of several styles of music.
What have been the landmark events in the life of the sound? What is its clash record?
S: Our trip to New York to play with Massive B and Stone Love is one of the big events. There was also the party with Rodigan in 2003 for his 25th anniversary, with Soundquake and Cutty Ranks. Otherwise, all the clashes have been landmarks, starting with the first international clash against Runn sound in Belgium, on 4 October 2003. Nobody gave us much chance at the outset, because Runn sound is admittedly a big European sound. It was our first international clash and we won it, which strengthened us. All the other clashes were instructive: you learn as much when you lose as when you win. You must not forget that nobody wins all their clashes. The clash in Paris against Supersonic was a good clash. The one against Rootsman in Germany, which we won last November, was very interesting in terms of the "foundations" that were played. Finally there is the clash with Luv Injection, who have just taken part in the UK Cup Clash and have been around for 20 years. They were also a very interesting sound to clash with.
J: The first major date in our history is 11 April 1998, because it was the first party we organised ourselves. It was from then on that we registered the name Guiding Star. It was a party in a cellar in Chancay, near Tours. We had invited a few local artists such as dj Mozaïke, Brahim, Puppa Ken and Major Lee. At the end of 1999, we had left Tours for Toulouse and we played a big date at the Djeridoo, which is a key date in Guiding Star's beginnings. We also had a first good stage at L'Astrolab in Orléans alongside Zenzile. We took off in 2001 with our participation in the French championships. We finished third after a super tense semi-final against Junior Sound, who were still the "big sound" of the time. I went to Jamaica and when I came back, we clashed the reigning champion, Back to Zion, on 30 April 2003, in Brittany: we won, which comforted us in our outlook. In May 2004, we had a clash with I-Shence and Subionic, which wasn't packed in terms of crowd, even though the sounds had worked well and the clash was of a good musical standard. We won thanks to the crowd, perhaps also because we were the only sound to have brought a hundred people into the dance. On 16 November 2004, we won the rematch against Junior Sound. We have also done 45 clashes here and there, even if we haven't won them all.
Among Guiding Star's important events, I should also mention the first tour I put together with Ninja Ford and Chronicle, then the tours with Robert Lee, Al Campbell, Ranking Joe, Leroy Gibbons or Anthony Johnson, artists who made Guiding Star's name and who give the sound great strength.
Which sounds have inspired you and still inspire you?
 S: All the "foundation" sounds are sources of inspiration. We study tapes enormously. I am myself a journalist for Ragga Magazine and I have a column each month dedicated to a sound and its history, which leads me to study sound systems closely. I would necessarily cite the pioneers of dubplates galore: Silverhawk. For juggling and party atmosphere, Stone Love. There are also all the big sound killers, such as King Addies and the Biltmore sounds. We have to salute people like Trooper, Matterhorn or Skyjuice. We are also eternally indebted to the Studio One sound, Sir Coxsone's Downbeat the Ruler, and that of his rival Treasure Isle.
J: Before I got into clashes, the sounds that motivated me to get into sound system were sounds like King Stur Gav or even Blood and Fire, who toured quite a lot with artists. As soon as I started recording dubplates, it was more sounds like Killamanjaro or Addies. Finally, there are the big clash machines like Bass Odyssey, Mighty Crown or LP, which I find very effective. These are sounds that don't neglect the "foundations", but are irreproachable on every level when they go to war.
What are your favourite dubplates or your anthems?
S: One of Heartical's characteristics is that we create quite a lot of cuts, without necessarily remaking dubs that have already been recorded. So we have tunes that have become signatures of the sound. At the top, there is the Yabby You dubplate: we were the first sound to record this artist and it had a big impact. There is also our trio of Alton Ellis, Marcia Griffiths and Bob Andy: it's historic, in the sense that they had never recorded together and haven't done so again since, to my knowledge. There is also the trio recorded in New York between Shabba Ranks, Johnny Osbourne and Wayne Smith, which we were the first to record. We must also mention the artists who have left us, like Justin Hinds or Barry Brown. And there are real meetings of minds: artists like Anthony Johnson, Little Roy, General Levy or Al Campbell, with whom we have done many dates and who are very close to the sound, which allows us to experiment and bring originality.
J: If I had to choose five representative dubplates, I'd say first the combination of Admiral Tibet and Beres Hammond, One dance can do. The combination of Michael Rose and Chronicle on the Real rock, a "ganjaman tune", is a dubplate that always works when you play it. There is also the dubplate by Mr Flash and Fantan Mojah, Rastafari is the ruler, or Robert Lee's Bang bang, which we were the first to record: these dubs are in great demand today. Finally, there is Brent Dowe, Rivers of Babylon, which is close to my heart.
How are you preparing for this clash?
S: There is of course physical and mental preparation for the event and material preparation, which is sharpening your acetates as well as possible, adding new tunes or nominatives.
J: I can't see myself accepting a clash and turning up empty-handed, trusting to good luck. A clash is prepared for, no matter who you are facing; you have to put as many elements on your side as possible to ensure your victory: that means dubplates, studying the sound facing you, working out strategies, having certain major tunes of the moment or nominatives.
In your view, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your sound for this clash?
S: It's hard to say on the eve of a clash. We will analyse it better the day after. At every clash, you discover weaknesses and strengths in yourself. You have to know how to capitalise on that, in the sense that you have to retain the right lessons and not repeat the same mistakes. We learn at every clash.
 J: The strengths of our sound? I'd say good popularity nationally thanks to all the dances we've done pretty much everywhere. In terms of dubplates, our strength is a good "foundations" backbone, which has already hurt more than one sound in clashes, and a lot of work over the last three years from the whole team and the artists in the new roots segment: we are the sound that has "bussed" the most new talents in dubplates in France, such as Fantan Mojah, Little Hero, Perfect... The weaknesses? They're more like gaps, but you really need thirty years of career to be at the top. Compared with big international sounds, it remains hard to have all the new tunes, especially in dancehall. I'd say dancehall is our weak point.
What is your opinion of your opponent?
S: We have known each other for quite a while. We invited them to play at our Africa parties in 2001, perhaps. We know each other, we cross paths. Our relations are intelligent: we do the same thing, even though Jacob is arriving on the clash circuit. Guiding Star confined itself somewhat to the Championship. In that context, you see behaviour appearing that is not always intelligent. Jacob is someone who knows how to separate what will happen on stage, the spectacle, from reality. What is interesting is that Guiding Star, like us, organises sessions and manages artists: they also play with artists. All clashes are important. In terms of international recognition, clashing a French sound gives us less publicity than clashing a foreign sound. For Guiding Star it will rather be a way of exposing themselves abroad through this clash.
J: It's a clash I was waiting for and that he must have been waiting for himself. Heartical is a sound that has done its work, not necessarily nationally, but above all abroad, which makes the clash balanced. Heartical is a good sound, Sergio is a good selector. He is also a columnist at Ragga, so he has a good knowledge of reggae, especially in the "foundation" field. I really wanted to do this clash against Heartical more than with other sounds. Heartical is a good sound and it is more interesting to face a good sound than to take easy victories.
What message would you like to deliver to your opponent?
S: The only message I have for Guiding Star will be delivered on the night of the clash, musically.
J: I hope he's working, because I'm working too for this clash. Through this clash we will be able to prove that there is a serious level in France. Sergio, we'll see all that on 12 May.
Do you regret that Soul Stereo is not taking part in this competition?
S: We were already due to have a competition on 29 April and they pulled out for reasons of their own. If they had wanted to take part, they would have been able to, because since we clashed in 2004, they haven't clashed again. I think it's not one of their priorities at the moment. I find that a shame because it's a sound that works in the same way as Heartical and Guiding Star and has an interesting box, deserving to be exposed internationally in clashes.
J: That clash should already have taken place two years ago on the initiative of Dub fi Dub. I think quite a few people would like to see it. But the clash might have turned into a trap against me. In the end, I think it's better to do Guiding Star vs Heartical first and why not Guiding Star vs Soul Stereo; although Soul Stereo, I think, have taken a somewhat more withdrawn view of the sound clash. I still hope we'll see them in a clash again, because they are one of the big national boxes, with a good "foundation" repertoire like Heartical or us: these are selectors who know the sound well and are used to playing.
Report written by Benoit Georges
Tags : Soundclash (89), Sound system (191)
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