INTERVIEW

Interview by : Filip Flatau on Monday, July 01st 2002 - 8 945 views  Print        Reactions  (0)    This incredible singer, deejay, writer and composer is still too little known to the general public despite incredible potential. He played a fundamental role in the evolution of dancehall and is one of the only singers to this day capable of making a hit on a dancehall riddim. For those who don't yet know this artist, we recommend the Collector Series put out by Penthouse, which contains Wayne Wonder's best tracks of the 90s. His new album " The Vibes " has just been released, and it is the chance to take a closer look at him with an interview and a mix of his best tunes to back it up. Reggaefrance / Can you tell us about your beginnings? Wayne Wonder / I started singing in church when I was young. But I only really started recording from 1987-1988. Which artists influenced you? When I started out, I listened to Linval Thompson and Bob Marley. But also Gospel and Michael Jackson. I was inspired by several styles of music. Can you tell us more about your past in the sound systems? Well, I was employed full time at Metromedia, which was my first sound system. I sang with Peter Metro, Tanto Metro and Danny Dread back in the day. Metromedia was the cornerstone of my career and got me known well before I started recording. Then 1 or 2 dubplates for Stone Love really propelled my career. Then came the concerts, and then the studio recordings. You have done many combinations with Buju Banton... I was the first to call Buju up on stage during a big show. I used to look after Buju's career. I got him up on stage at Sting in 1991, but at that time he only had "Brownin" and a few other little-known tunes. At some point the collaboration between you and Buju stopped. Why? It was the record company that wanted that. (Mercury) Buju could no longer record with me. Few people know that behind the singer hides a pure toaster named Surprise... I've written many combinations in my life, so it's easy for me to combine the two. Because I played an important role in many of Buju's tunes as a deejay. You have just launched your own label, "Sing So", with the Ambush riddim. Can you tell us more about your choice to move into production? I decided to create this label so I could express myself more freely. It's not like when you record for a label where you have lots of constraints. It's freedom for me. I created this Ambush riddim myself. You are also a songwriter. You write your own lyrics and those of other deejays. Can you give us some examples? I co-wrote "Boom Bye Bye" with Buju. Franky Sly and I started writing Deportee and Buju turned up, loved the tune, and we finished it together. "Murderer", "Back in the Days" by Alley Cat, "Rubbers" by Frisco Kidd. You launched a deejay named "Showki Ru"... Showki Ru is the first deejay to be signed to the Sing So label. He has a few singles out at the moment, including one on the Ambush. I'm looking after this youngster at the moment, who is my mother's daughter's nephew. Why do you toast as well, rather than just singing on a tune? It's because I love toasting and it's easy for me to put a passage between the singing and the toasting. That way people who like singers can enjoy it and people who like deejays can find their share of happiness too. There are no singers left in the dancehall these days, you're one of the few. How do you explain that? It's the deejays who brought this about a bit. To make a song that pleases, you just have to do something trendy... And it's the deejays who are trendy now. What do you think of trendy deejays like Ward 21? Do you feel they stole your expression "Fassy" a little, don't you? The word fassy was originally used by me, Dave Kelly, Baby Cham and Frankie Sly. If somebody in the crew did something we didn't like, or on a point where we disagreed, we would say " Sly a fassy thing dat " or " Cham a fassy thing dat ". Now everybody uses it in the dancehall. It's not that I think they stole the word, but originally we used it in a different sense: it was more to motivate people. How did you meet Dave Kelly, Baby Cham and Frankie Sly? It's not just a question of music. We have known each other for a long time, since primary school. We got in touch in 1988 at Penthouse and I found that he was a very good sound engineer. He was at the foundation of my work, as I considered him a brother but also the best sound engineer. Francky Sly toured with me and Nardo Ranks. Back then he was called General Francky and I saw him again in 1988 at a barbecue and the connection was made again. Baby Cham was another recruit when Buju left, and Alley Cat too. You have a new album that has just come out: "The Vibe" on Mad House Production? Yes, that's right, I also have an album in preparation, "Schizophrenic", which will contain all my combinations with Surprise. Because I'm taking the time to build up a catalogue of my combinations with Surprise. "Blazing", "Keep Forgetting", "Conscience". (Surprise is there, but only in the last part of Conscience). You have just done another combination with Buju Banton on Penthouse. Can you tell us how that came about? Actually, Buju Banton's band's keyboard player contacted me one morning and told me that Germain (Donovan Germain, the producer of the Penthouse label) had this riddim. I told him to tell Germain to put the riddim on a cassette and bring it to me. So I kept trying out different vibes over it and that's how the tune " Good Enough " came about. Then Germain asked Buju to voice his lyrics over it. What are your upcoming releases on your own label? I have a new riddim coming soon called " DeNiro ".  Print       Reactions (0)

REACTIONS

No comment