INTERVIEW : KING JAMMY
Interview by : Sébastien Jobart
Pictures by : Christian Bordey (portraits) & Lenshot.fr (live)
on Friday, May 04th 2012 - 8 238 views
His name is synonymous with digital reggae, forever associated with the Sleng Teng created by Wayne Smith and Noel Bailey. A former pupil of King Tubby (whom he left in 1982) and mentor of Bobby Digital, King Jammy belongs to that old-school breed of producers who hand a torch to their disciples along with their know-how. King Jammy started out repairing and building amplifiers: perhaps that is his secret, a sharp technical knowledge of the hardware. A sound craftsman with fifty years of career behind him, whose apparent good nature hides a strong temperament forged in the streets of Kingston.
Despite an equipment failure (the joys of analogue) that the King himself oversees with a watchful eye before giving up, he graciously answers our questions. Cryptic at first, he opens up more once we move past the Sleng Teng and begin to talk about today's producers.
Reggaefrance / You were King Tubby's disciple...
King Jammy / (He cuts in.) I joined King Tubby's very young. I arrived in Kingston at 10. I lived on the same street as him, I'd come all the time to watch him work, repairing amplifiers... and I became interested. I started diving into it. In 1970, I emigrated to Canada. That's where I produced my first song. I came back to Jamaica where I started producing full time. I had become resident engineer at King Tubby's studio. I met Yabby You, Bunny Lee... all the producers who came to Tubby's. It was after that that I started producing.
Thanks to Bunny Lee?
Bunny Lee was a producer who worked at King Tubby's studio. He's the one who encouraged me to get into production. King Tubby was the boss, I was the engineer, and Bunny Lee was the producer. He came to work at the studio, he did the bulk of the work at the studio.
They say all the dubs were credited to Tubby but that in fact it was you who mixed them...
Sometimes, but not all the time. King Tubby also did his own mixes. As his name was better known than mine at the time, people wanted him to be the one credited. I did most of those mixes for him. But King Tubby also did mixes himself.
 J'ai décidé de sortir mon arme secrète : le Sleng Teng. Les gens sont devenus fous. Et Scorpio aussi ! 
Watching King Tubby work, was it like seeing the master at work?
He was very precise, he was really very gifted at it. I watched him do it, and then I improvised on my own, I tried to add my own touch, my own stamp.
Yabby You gave you two riddims to start in production.
I was always at King Tubby's, and I wanted to get into production. When I heard the Born free riddim, I asked Yabby You to give me the cut, which he did, and I produced Black Uhuru. That was in 1977, and it was my first track as a producer. Then Bunny Lee gave me other riddims, and finally I started building my own riddims myself.
Are you the one who mixed the famous Yabby You sessions?
Yeah! I did a lot of them.
When you listen to one of your dubs, can you recognise it?
Yeah! From the first listen. I recognise my style, I have a special signature. There are several things: the type of echo, the type of reverb I use... It's my style, it's identifiable.
You then set up your own studio.
When I went to England the first time, I bought a few pieces of equipment, then more on my later trips. Little by little, I gathered enough to set up a small studio in the back room, and I started doing my own thing. Then I took the plunge, successfully.
Was Waterhouse a dangerous neighbourhood?
Yes, there was the "war" between the PNP and JLP gangs. But not really where I lived. It was more in Tubby's neighbourhood, which was between two PNP and JLP factions. It was relatively dangerous, but it didn't bother me much because I knew everybody, everyone involved in those political things.
Let's talk about the Sleng Teng and that famous night of 23 February 1985. You were up against the Scorpio sound system...
Scorpio was one of the top sounds of the moment. When I came back from Canada, I got back into playing, and my sound became popular again. Then in the 80s, I recorded the Sleng Teng, and I used it to clash Scorpio. It was the first time the Sleng Teng was played in a party. And it was terrible, I killed him on the spot. The party was on Waltham Park road. We started playing, the dance was going along normally, Scorpio was playing good tunes. So I decided to bring out my secret weapon: the Sleng Teng. The people went crazy. And so did Scorpio (laughs)! At daybreak, the police came to shut down the party, but I had already won!
When you were preparing that night, did you suspect that this song was a secret weapon?
From the start, I knew it. I knew it was a different song. Everybody in the studio loved this song, so I felt it had something special, that it was going to be a big hit. Seeing people's reaction in the parties, I decided to release it.
Do you know how many versions of the Sleng Teng exist today?
There are a lot, because I made many myself! And there are also the ones by other people... A whole bunch of Sleng Teng versions have come out.
Hundreds?
Probably more than that.
After the Sleng Teng, everything changed.
Everybody was looking for that kind of sound. Steelie and Clevie came along, they made songs on computer, and it was a success. I didn't really know how it would turn out, even though I suspected it was going to be important. That's why I got involved. The Sleng Teng marked the birth of modern dancehall, including what's being played now.
How many tracks have passed through your hands?
I've never counted, but I could make an estimate if I wanted to, because I have everything in digital format now. I transferred everything from analogue to digital, so I could do it... There are a lot, the catalogue is very big.
Among all these tracks, are there any you have a particular fondness for?
There are many... The remix of Sarah with Frankie Paul. I love that song. There's another one: I need you by Chuck Turner. I really like the melody of those two tracks. I like beautiful voices.
How long could you spend on a track?
Oh, it doesn't take long, because you rehearse the track first. Back then, we only needed an hour to record the vocals. Each artist wanted to be the boss, and did their best. I was there to guide them, so it didn't take long. On the other hand, I could record hundreds of songs before starting to mix them. We put the tapes aside, and when the time came, we got to work and mixed the ones we wanted to release. That's how I work. We didn't release a song we had just recorded. We picked from hundreds of tracks the one we wanted to release.
Meanwhile, your sound system is doing very well, and winning lots of clashes.
Yes, we won lots of trophies. It was the sound systems that played reggae, because the radio stations in Jamaica never played much reggae. The sound system was a way of getting our songs out, of promoting them. It worked the other way round too: when a track met with unanimous approval in the parties, we released it. I remember a clash at Cinema Two in New Kingston, with Dark Star, Arrows, Black Scorpio, Youthman Promotion and King Jammy's... We won four trophies that night, we won every segment. We had the best songs, the best sound, the best deejays...
What do you think of the current production in Jamaica?
Most of what is being produced at the moment is not good enough for me. Some producers... A good producer knows music. He knows how to balance a song. It's not about sitting in front of a computer in your bedroom. It shouldn't be done like that. You have to know the project before investing in it. If you know the project well, you can guide the singer. If you know about instruments and mixing, it's even better! Like my sons: John John, Jam Two, Baby G, they all learned to play an instrument, then to be sound engineers and finally they became producers. That's why their work differs from the current musical trend. They learned everything from me. Some producers are good, like Freddie McGregor's son, Stephen McGregor. But others don't know what they're doing. They're in a bedroom with a computer, making songs that sound off, and proclaiming themselves great producers!
Today, the influences are hip-hop and R&B...
If Jamaican producers are influenced by hip-hop, it's a paradox because it's hip-hop that was influenced by reggae! I think you have to create your own style, in a reggae form. Because if you do it the hip-hop way, you can't beat American hip-hop, you'll do worse... I've listened to some local hip-hop groups. There are a few talented ones, but too many of them aren't good.
You must have young producers producing for their "own kind". They couldn't necessarily produce records that I like, or that those of my generation like. But at least they could produce songs that everybody can listen to and enjoy. It's normal for younger generations to do their thing, but let them do it well! And then we'll be able to accept it. Music is international, more than ever. We have to make sure everybody can enjoy it. That responsibility falls on the producers, because from my point of view, the artists don't do what they want: I'm the one who tells them what to do. If they come to me with something wonky, I correct them. A good producer has to guide the artist, like a teacher.
What is your rate of production today?
I still produce, but very little. I don't like everybody coming... Nowadays, my sons Baby G, John John, Jam 2 produce young up-and-coming artists. Me, I produce plenty of artists: Pad Anthony, Cocoa Tea...
Are you involved in your sons' work?
Yes, I still give them advice. They ask me about a song, I listen to it and I advise them.
Would you like to produce their riddims?
Well, not directly, I'd do a mix with other vibes. They're good riddims, but I have different tastes, you know?
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment? I'm not working on anything in particular. I'm concentrating on the catalogue. We're moving to digital, labelling everything, and working on the packaging of unreleased tracks... We have around 30 hit albums that have never come out. We're working on the packaging, putting them together for the catalogue.
Jamaica is going to celebrate 50 years of independence. Do you remember that day?
It was the year I got my first sound system. It was a moment of joy, everybody was in the street celebrating the event. I'd love to see that atmosphere come back to Jamaica, where everybody is in the street having fun... That was the atmosphere in 1962.
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