A veteran of the 80s English Lovers Rock scene, Nereus Joseph is now working with the Ruff Cutt Band. The first result of this collaboration, "Jah Jah never failed I" on the Adowa riddim, bodes well for an excellent album to come. In the meantime, Joseph is preparing a nice surprise for you together with a famous French DJ…
You're famous in England and you already have several albums to your name, how do you explain that your reputation stays limited to the island?
Nereus Joseph Nereus Joseph / You know, we're working on that, and we're counting on media like Reggaefrance.com to spread the word everywhere…
Let's go back to your beginnings… your first hit " Sensi Crisis " came out on the Fashion label (an English label founded by J. Mc Gillivray and C. Lane) in 1984, was it your first track?
Nereus Joseph NJ / Actually, before that I had a group called Coptic Groups…. But Fashion really let me get a foot in the door, I had hits like " Sensi Crisis", "No one night stand" and "Guidance" as well as 4 albums for them…
How were you discovered by Fashion?
Nereus Joseph NJ / I had just split from Coptics, and for a solo artist one of the first places to visit was Fashion. The connection was really good, I met Chris Lane and started working with Gussie P (with whom he made his second album).
Your first album "Love's gotta take time" came out in 1987, a very 'Lovers Rock' album, whereas your first tracks were rather roots…
Nereus Joseph NJ / Actually, the first album had tracks in both styles… You know, I see myself as a roots artist, even if from time to time I get the blues and write a love song…
Lovers Rock was an English speciality in the 80s, what memories do you have of that period?
Nereus Joseph NJ / I remember people like Sugar Minott (one of the few Jamaicans to have done Lovers Rock), Carl Thompson… Winston Reedy, Trevor Hartley… lots of female singers too.
Five years separate the first album Love's gotta Take Time from the second, Guidance, where had you gone?
Nereus Joseph NR/ Actually, I put out a few singles and I was quietly working on an album in between the other two for Fashion… hence the gap between the two albums…
On the album "Guidance" there were quite a few covers, including Bob marley, Meditations and Light of Saba, was that a personal choice?
Nereus Joseph NJ / Not really, some of the covers had been ordered by the record company, and there are others I did because I'd loved the song for a long time. But generally I prefer to write my own lyrics…
With "Sensi Crisis" you beat the Jamaicans to it, because originally it was a dubplate of Thriller " Tickle Me" that Sly and Robbie were slow to release, and as a result your track ended up at N°1…
Nereus Joseph NJ / That's right!! You're really well informed… it's true we beat the Jamaicans to it on that one, there was also a version by Horace Andy, also on Fashion…
Should England be seen as a rival to Jamaica when it comes to music…
Nereus Joseph NJ / Well, I think the English sound isn't very different from the Jamaican sound… it's just harder to get it to travel, England really is reggae's second homeland…
Your name is unusual, is it your real name?
Nereus Joseph NJ / I'm from Saint Lucia, West Indies. I have 6 brothers and sisters and I wasn't the only one with an unusual name… my mother told me it meant Prince of the Sea…
And what about the spelling, which varies quite often?
Nereus Joseph NJ / The official spelling is Nereus Joseph…
Let's talk about your recent work, how long have you been working with the Ruff Cutt Band?
Nereus Joseph NJ / I started last year for this album. Before that I did an album for Jet Star, "Rejoice", on which two tracks were produced by Ruff Cutt, I liked their sound and decided to work with them….
What do you think of their work?
Nereus Joseph NJ / For a few years now the English sound has been sounding more and more like the Jamaican sound, it's up to people to realise it and open their eyes… we have to stop feeling inferior.
How do you explain this lack of recognition for the English scene?
Nereus Joseph NJ / Everybody copies each other, and sometimes I get the feeling that's what you have to do for it to work…. for my tracks to get played… We have to lift English reggae up….
When will we see you on the French stage again?
Nereus Joseph NJ / I'm dying to… Because the last time I came I really enjoyed the audience and their taste for roots… I'd come back to Paris with great pleasure!!