INTERVIEW : ZIGGI RECADO
Interview by : Sebastien Jobart
Pictures by : DR & Xav Alberghini
on Tuesday, March 03rd 2009 - 10 325 views
Land of windmills and tulip growing, Holland had until now no representative on the European and international scene. That has now changed with Ziggi, born in Rotterdam to a Dutch mother and a father from Sint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles), who grew up in the Caribbean before returning to Holland at 18.
After a first album acclaimed in his own country but unreleased here, Ziggi signed to the Greensleeves label, where he is one of the few non-Jamaican artists, for the release of his second album, "In Transit". A success in the studio and even more obviously on stage; you can see for yourself on his tour of some fifteen dates which will bring him to us in March.
Reggaefrance / You've just released your second album, how did it come about?
Ziggi Recado / It was quite simply the right time. My first album, ''So much reasons'', came out in Holland and Germany in 2006, and it was definitely time to put out something fresh. At the time, I was very busy recording tracks, I was arriving on the European scene and I met a lot of producers. I wasn't consciously working on a new album, I was recording lots of tracks which ended up forming the backbone of this new album. We finished it at the end of 2007.
It's called ''In Transit'', what meaning should we give to this metaphor?
It's musically that I was in transit. Compared with my first album, this one is completely different musically. It was a transition, which is why it's called ''In Transit''.
There's also the idea that you're taking on an international dimension, with the airport signs…
Yes, that's true, we added that afterwards, but the original meaning of the title was limited to the music.
 Moi, je trouvais juste cool de pouvoir sortir un CD. Quand j'ai appris qu'il était récompensé, qu'il marchait bien, j'étais vraiment surpris. 
How would you describe this musical transition?
I find it much more mature, I've grown. My first album compiled my beginnings in music. With ''In Transit'', most of whose tracks were recorded in 2007, I moved up to another level, more professional, I took on board studio work… ''In Transit'' is more professional, it focuses on a single direction. It's more roots, the productions are international… All of this means it represents something completely different.
You are one of the very few non-Jamaican artists signed to Greensleeves…
It's special, obviously. That a label like Greensleeves, which specialises in reggae, wants to work with me is a good sign! It was an honour for me and I hope to take my career to the next level with them.
There are a lot of featurings, with European artists (Admiral T, Gentleman) and Jamaican ones (Cecile, Anthony B). How did that come about?
They all came about in different ways. While I was working on the album, I took part in Gentleman's tour and spent a lot of time with him, so the combination was obvious. It's almost the same story for Cecile, who had come to Holland to do a show in Amsterdam, and we took advantage of it. I already knew her because we have the same agent. Anthony B did his part in Jamaica and I did mine in Holland. And for Admiral T, we were looking among the French scene for an artist who would be good for a collaboration, and Admiral T's name kept coming up.
You show yourself to be versatile on the album, with tracks that are as much reggae as dancehall.
Personally, I really find myself in the reggae tracks; I'm more at ease at a slower tempo.
The dancehall tracks are quite crossover, with pronounced rock influences.
In Europe, most of the producers I've met produce reggae. For dancehall, we had to fend for ourselves. I like to experiment, so my dancehall could only depart from typical dancehall. It was done consciously.
Your singing reminds us of Bob Marley and your flow of Junior Kelly. Are they influences for you?
You're the first to make the comparison with Junior Kelly; nobody had ever said that to me before. Bob, I've been told that a lot, it's true that my voice sounds a bit like his. But Junior Kelly, I had never heard that one!
Is Cry Murder about Jamaican society?
No, not in particular, it's a global situation that I'm describing. Violence knows no borders, and in every city in the world there are victims of murder or violence. In Jamaica, however, the situation is extreme.
Do you think dancehall and its lyrics push young people towards violence?
Of course! It's obvious. It's a fashion, and young people follow it. You have to be critical and listen to what the artists say to realise that there's nothing positive about it. They clearly influence young people, that's undeniable.
Isn't dancehall rather the mirror of Jamaica, the symptom more than the cause?
That's true. It's a vicious circle. But write if the subject of all your songs is guns, then you're only adding fuel to the fire.
When you came back to Holland at 18, how did you launch your career?
It wasn't really a plan. I had old friends, whom I'd known in Saint-Eustache, who were artists themselves. Thanks to them, I started writing songs and went with them to the studio. I finally ended up at the Rocking Vibes studio with Mr. Rude (Berteaut Fleming, who became his manager, editor's note). He wanted to work seriously with me, and he's the one who gave me my start. He wanted to sign me, but that wasn't in my plans. But as I kept working and saw that it was leading somewhere, I took it more and more seriously.
Your first album, ''So much reasons'', was a real success in Holland. It even won several awards.
'So much reasons'' did well, it brought me recognition within the Dutch urban scene.
Were you ready for that recognition?
Well... not really ready. I was a beginner, I was making music but wasn't expecting anything serious from it. I just thought it was cool to be able to release a CD. When I learned that it had won an award and was selling well, I was really surprised.
We don't really know the Dutch scene. How is it doing?
It's very small. Really small. Holland is a small country, of course. In Amsterdam there's a dancehall scene, and only dancehall. It's really big. The Jamrock, for example, is a venue that regularly draws 2,000 people. It's probably the biggest dancehall venue in Europe. But apart from that, not much happens.
The proximity of the German scene, which is large, may also explain the relative weakness of the Dutch scene.
I don't see how that would stop reggae from developing in Holland. People aren't going to cross the border every time to listen to reggae or see an artist.
But perhaps Dutch artists go looking for German producers...
They have no choice! Because there aren't many of us producing reggae in Holland. Otherwise you have to come and see us, me and Mr. Rude at Rocking Vibes.
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