INTERVIEW : ALBOROSIE
Interview by : Jérôme Bast
Pictures by : Martei Korlei
on Wednesday, October 09th 2013 - 12 321 views
As a true conductor, Alborosie recorded his new album like the previous ones: almost alone, in his Shengen studio: "I do things the way I feel them. I make my own music: I'm the one who plays it, records it, mixes it…". There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle, and the Italian chef Alborosie has understood that well. Modern and effective rub-a-dub, conscious and militant message, the Sicilian follows in the footsteps of his glorious elders.
In the twenty years since he settled in Jamaica, Alborosie has not only established himself as one of the spearheads of contemporary reggae, but above all counts among the guardians of the temple.
As he returns to Paris through the front door, on 30 November 2013, at the Zénith de Paris and with many guests, he granted us an interview.
Reggaefrance / What's behind the title of your fourth album, "Sound the System"?
Alborosie / "Sound the system" has a double meaning. It means that I'm going to make the system sound, that is, I'm going to push my music inside the system, to uplift people. We're going to flood the system we live in with good reggae. The second meaning refers to the sound system, making it play, putting music out through the speakers.
Once again for this album, you recorded almost on your own. Do you like that solitude for working?
Yes, I like being alone in the studio, concentrating and doing what I love. I don't have pressure from labels telling me what to do. Greensleeves is very good with me. I do things the way I feel them. I make my own music: I play it, I record it, I mix it...
In short, there's only one chef for this recipe...
Yes, and this chef is Italian! (laughs)
 J'ai commencé comme un petit chien, et maintenant je suis un grand lion ! 
Don't you ever look for advice?
No, not really. I've worked so much, on tour or with other artists, that I like finding myself all alone in the studio.
You produce several artists; you even produced a few tracks on Gentleman's new album, "New Day Dawn".
Gentleman came to Jamaica to record his new album, and he came by my studio. Besides, I have loads of tracks coming out soon, with Argentinian and Californian artists... Most of them come to visit me in my studio in Kingston, because the vibe is different when they're there. I work with a lot of artists. But the only person with whom I'm truly myself is when I work with Alborosie.
Ky-Mani Marley is a guest once again, this time to cover Zion Train, a song by his father.
Ky-Mani has been a brother for a very long time. I've done a lot of songs with him, and I'll never tire of working with him. He sounds really great, and he and I can get a lot done. When you cover a Bob Marley song, you have to be sure of your choice, because it's very difficult. Zion Train is a very good song by Bob, you mustn't spoil it. It took me a little while to get everything sounding clean, and then I called Ky-Mani to add the final touch I needed. Bob Marley would have been proud.
On the album, there's also Nature, a young Jamaican artist whose voice I really like. He too is a very good friend. We did a song, and I liked the result so much that I decided to include it on the album. Nina Zilli has also been a friend for a very long time. I always work with people close to me, whom I respect. It's the best approach to making music because it's an exchange of energy and vibe. I only work with artists I feel comfortable with.
What is the message of the song Who Run The Dance?
In this track, I picture myself in the late 60s, early 70s, among the deejays of the time and producers like Jack Ruby, King Tubby... It's a vision of me, back then, driving a convertible Buick Skylark. Real Rockers! On this song, I slightly altered my voice, a bit like on Herbalist: it's a character I created. Every time you hear me with this voice, I'm in the skin of that character, because I like playing with my voice. It's like an instrument, and I don't like singing the same way.
On this album, your voice sounds huskier than on the previous ones.
That's because I started out as a little puppy, and now I'm a big lion!
Who is the song Shut Your Mouth addressed to?
(laughs) That's a very serious question. I can't answer you directly... Sometimes, people think they're better than you. Not musically, but they think they're smarter, and they disrespect you. It's a response to those attacks. I may have been inspired by someone, but the song doesn't name anyone. It is addressed to everyone who disrespects me.
Have you ever felt disrespected in Jamaica?
Not only in Jamaica, everywhere in the world! Some people like war, and sometimes try to destabilise you. You have to defend yourself, and as I'm non-violent, I respond with music.
The album is dedicated to Marco D'Ascola, Joel Chin, and Denzel Boyd...
They are my brothers, who fell in battle. I dedicate the album to their memory.
Is Marco D'Ascola your brother?
Yes, Marco is my brother. He died, and I named my son after him. It's a new life... The album is dedicated to his memory.
You also thank the former minister Oliva "Babsy" Grange; why?
She is an important political figure in Jamaica. I appreciate the work she does for artists, culture and music in Jamaica. I've known her since I arrived in Jamaica, she helped me in the past, and she still does. So I had to mention her.
What do you think of the bill that could send artists to prison because of their lyrics?
Corruption is everywhere. The government is trying to promote its anti-gang law. But sometimes, the government is the gang... We need virtue, righteousness. Crime must stop; politicians must stop being hypocrites. Everybody must work together to create a better society. To artists who sing violent lyrics, I simply say that it's not a solution. If an artist describes the violence around him, then it's different. Of course, nobody wants to hear a song that incites people to grab their gun and go kill people. We're working to stop that.
Is putting artists in prison really the solution?
Some people idolise violence, and some artists like to play the bad guy. Especially when they are influenced by American rappers who glorify that lifestyle: the money, the girls, the fights and all those poses… The problem is when young people start idolising that music. We idolise spirituality. No god asks you to go and kill a man, or rape a woman. If your god tells you that, then something is wrong.
How did you react to Snoop Dogg's conversion to Rastafari?
I have no answer. No comment.
In an earlier interview, you told us you had been close to leaving Jamaica. Can you imagine what your life would have been if you had gone back to Italy?
(laughs) Actually, when something calls out to you… When I released songs like Kingston Town or Herbalist, I didn't know where it would take me, but we started to gravitate around the music and a lot of people asked me for songs, for shows… in short, to show myself. As I am a spiritual person, I decided not to sit idly by. If God tells me I must go there because people need my music, then I will do it. Even if there are difficult moments, even if I don't like the system or the music industry, I try to live with it. Me, I stay true to my music and my message. And I don't concern myself with the market, with marketing, all that; that is Greensleeves' job. Me, I make sure the message is always there and that when you see Alborosie, you see uprightness.
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