INTERVIEW : GENTLEMAN
Interview by : Nathaël Rusch
Pictures by : Nicolas Lé
on Friday, April 25th 2008 - 11 307 views
It was during the tour for his latest album "Another intensity", which stopped in Lille, that we caught up with Gentleman. Just off stage, the German singer nonetheless agreed to answer our questions patiently. He discusses with us, among other things, the half-success of his latest album, the future of his label Bushhouse Records and his second homeland, Jamaica.
Reggaefrance / You are in the middle of touring your latest album, how is it going?
Gentleman / The tour for my latest album is going very well, the reception is good everywhere. But it’s especially interesting because the concerts are building up in a very gradual way, each concert is a little better than the last. We started in northern Europe, Sweden and Germany, and we are working our way down slowly. As part of this album’s European tour, we have 20 dates, 13 of them in France. I do a lot of dates in France even outside the scope of the latest album, like in Cergy for the 100 contests. I really like the French audience. It has to be said that it is evolving enormously. At the beginning, only unconditional fans came, then the same ones come back with people who know me less, and then with word of mouth, there is even a whole new audience that doesn’t know me. It’s excellent to have an evolving audience. But the big advantage of the French audience is that they are much more receptive than the others. I think they grasp the music on another level. In Germany for example, music is seen too much as pure entertainment, as fun. The French take in more of the committed side than the entertainment. There is almost a political commitment when they listen to music.
Your latest album seems to have disappointed many fans…
Yes, I too have read a lot of messages on fan blogs from people a bit disappointed. Generally speaking, the feedback on this album is different from the others. They apparently expected something else.
What do you say to them?
The thing is that I don’t make music to fit my audience’s expectations. I made this album according to the vibrations, my feelings of the moment. I built my songs going in a direction that really satisfied me, I thought more about the music than about my fans. But I think in any case that this record isn’t the kind that grabs you on the first listen. In my opinion, you put it in your player for the first time, you listen, no big hits. But already on the second listen, things stand out better. And then after a few listens, you like it and you grasp what I put into my album. In any case I hope that with time, my fans will one day understand what I did, and appreciate my work.
You made a song with IAM, how did the meeting come about?
Actually I have always been a big fan of what they did even though I had trouble properly understanding their lyrics. But I tried. I did a bit of French at school: “Bonjour Mademoiselle, comment allez-vous?” (laughs). So I contacted them through their production company. They liked my work and agreed straight away to do this track with me. And it makes a really nice song.
How is your label Bushhouse Records doing?
I release my own songs, but there are also two other artists on the label: Jahcoustix and Martin Jondo. Both are German and make good sounds. Martin Jondo needed to try other things on his own as an independent. But he has re-signed with our label. The “lost son” has come back…. (laughs).
Is the producer’s job starting to appeal to you?
It really depends on the mood of the day… Some mornings, when I get up, I feel like writing songs, and other days like turning more towards production. I like both but I still think there are too many guys with gold chains in the music business. Artists really must take their destiny back into their own hands, and music in general. On top of that, we have to start rethinking distribution entirely. I know plenty of people, myself included, who only buy 2 or 3 tracks by an artist at 0.99 euros. It’s getting hard for the artists too.
So how does your label stand out?
Bushhouse Records is a small label. And it is meant to stay small. We have two artists plus me for the moment. But more than a label, it’s a family. We share a philosophy, a roof, a label. The aim is to develop personal connections with the artist. We try to change the way music is seen, in a positive way. For the future, I’d like to sign two or three more artists. No more. But so that this whole little family grows together, following the same philosophy…
SEEED, Patrice, Ill Inspecta, Dr Ring Ding, Sebastian Sturm… the German scene is doing well.
There really are a lot of groups at the moment. Reggae has always been established in Germany. Obviously less than rock or techno, but there has always been a reggae movement. Then there are fashion periods. I think there was a reggae fashion in Germany 2 or 3 years ago. I have a lot of friends who run sound systems there. And two years ago, it was always packed. Now attendance is down. It works in cycles. But it’s rather good in the end because it lets you get back to healthier foundations, win back an audience of real fans, with good sounds and not just a trendy hit.
Don’t you think there are still a lot of big German groups?
Yes, but no more than elsewhere. If we compare with France, you also have international artists like Pierpoljak and French-speaking artists like Tiken Jah Fakoly. In fact, I think that in Germany, reggae artists are more in the spotlight than in the rest of Europe. But in France, there is a much bigger underground reggae music network than with us. There is a real, deeply rooted reggae culture that exists independently of the various fashions.
What is your relationship with Jamaica today?
You see, today is my birthday, I’m 34. The first time I went to Jamaica, I was 17. And since then I go back very frequently. So I’ve spent half a lifetime there. I love that country and I have spent a lot of time there for the music. I don’t know whether I’m recognised in Jamaica. All I know is that I learned a lot there. I spent a lot of time in the studios. I have always made music for my own satisfaction and for the love of the sound, not to please a particular audience. But I was also lucky to meet the right people at the right time and in the right place: Sizzla, Morgan Heritage, Richie Stephens… And many others taught me an enormous amount. The Jamaican audience is interesting too because it is varied. You can put across a message without dogmatism. Some come for the message, others just come to move to the sound. But they are harder to win over than the others because they have shows every night. So you really have to be good to stand out. Sometimes they can throw stuff in your face on stage if they don’t like it, but when they’re happy it’s really satisfying.
Dancehall and gun lyrics are heavily criticised in Jamaica today.
Artists like Mavado or Bounty Killer exist and make music with violent lyrics. Not me, but I haven’t lived through the same things as them. If I had been born in the ghetto and had grown up with a gun in my hand, I would surely sing the same as them. Song lyrics, even when they are violent, are only a reflection of society. I think they shouldn’t be condemned. Then there’s the eternal chicken-and-egg problem: is it because the lyrics are violent that it brings about violence in society? Or is it because there is violence in the ghetto that the lyrics of their songs are violent? I don’t think they should be condemned.
Do you think there is still a place for reggae in Jamaica?
I think so. It's true that when you switch on a radio or go to a sound system in Kingston, it's nothing but pure dancehall. But reggae is still there. As soon as you move a little way out of the towns, roots resonates through the countryside. You feel the difference straight away. And the demand for good vibes is huge, it feels so good. It's a real philosophy, a way of expressing yourself that matters far more than dancehall. It's truly part of this land; Jamaica is the mother of reggae and she will never betray it. In dancehall there is no deep message, but that's how it is. With reggae, though, the message doesn't change: from Gregory Isaacs or Bob Marley onwards, there has always been a wave of reggae that carries messages. You'll never find roots sound in the radio charts, but reggae is still very much present.
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