"Wicked, Wicked, Jungle Is Massive ! !": who doesn't know this track, as representative as can be of 1990s British jungle... Its author, General Levy, literally set dancefloors around the world on fire before sinking into semi-obscurity, from which Reggaefrance.com has come to pull him... surprise, the General is far from buried: he is coming back strong with new productions on the Ajang label and a second album!
Let's go back to your beginnings: how did you start out in reggae?
General Levy I started singing on sound systems like Jehova International, Vigilante and Tippertone Sound, and that's been since 1985...
Your first studio session?
General Levy In 1987, it was Robbo Ranks of Music Strip who took me to his cousin Gussie P. Lloydie Crucial also helped me at the start...
Your style is very personal, who influenced you?
General Levy It's genetic, you know! It's in the blood, my family is full of musicians... my uncle is well known in the West Indies and my mum comes from Trinidad, where music is very important... My style is a gift from Jah!
Your first big hit was "Heat" in 1992...
General Levy Yes, I recorded it with Sly Dunbar, who created the tune on an... Akai... yes, I think that was it... That tune mixed lots of styles, including Indian and Asian vibes... Fashion recorded a number of versions of this riddim with Top Cat, Winsome... That tune won the Reggae Award for best single of 1992...
You then followed it up with a string of hits, including "Mad Them"...
General Levy Yes... I like that tune because of the variations in style (he sings the tune)...
A new generation of English DJs emerged in the 90s who rivalled the best Jamaicans...
General Levy Yeah!! In the 90s there were lots of studios in full swing... Fashion, Coxsone, Ariwa, Greensleeves... it was like an invitation to the artists... I don't know what happened afterwards, there was a slowdown. That period nevertheless allowed quite a few artists to make their debut and score their first hit...
"Wickeder General" is the album that launched your international career in 1993...
General Levy Actually, that album was above all an underground album produced by Fashion, then it was bought by London Records and distributed worldwide under the name "Wickedness Increase" with a new sleeve and bonus tracks... it was really cool!
You're mostly identified with jungle...
General Levy That's true, after "Wicked" I heard of nothing else for the next 4 years!! Jungle was already doing well, a producer called M.Beat was trying to get in touch with me... We met up and made the tune, which became an instant hit!
Few people know it, but you also released an album on Penthouse with... Capleton!
General Levy Right, Gussie P had sensed Capleton's power... He came to England and sensed the power of the General!! I did 5 or 6 tunes on the album on the same riddims as Capleton... And all that well before the jungle phenomenon!!
Do you remember your first stay in Jamaica?
General Levy Of course!! I have wonderful memories of it... reggae music 24 hours a day, unheard versions... Over there I worked with Bobby Digital, for whom I did "Holywood Body", with Red Rose, Steely & Cleevy and Penthouse... But also Robbo Ranks, for whom I recorded "Can't wait till god come", which did very well in England... I sang for sounds such as Stone Love with Wee Pow and Rory... Jamaica really boosted my inspiration and motivation... my English side let me surprise the Jamaicans with tunes like "The Wig" (about the phenomenon of... wigs in the dancehall!!), completely in tune with what was happening in the dancehalls at the time.
Your cultural and roots tunes are not well known...
General Levy Recently I did "Neglect the poor" on the Heathen for Ruff Cutt... A tune like "Inna We Culture", which I did on the Natural Mystic, is very strong, but Fashion only released it on CD at the time... Producers seem to prefer my 'Bashment' side, the entertainment aspect... My tunes in that style do better, but I really do have both styles and the culture tunes seem to me more lasting. I've been DJing for 16 years and I've still got plenty of facets to reveal!!
Your second album "New Breed" came out last year in Great Britain...
General Levy Yes, in August 1999. I made it for Rank, who sold it to Century... I think it's also distributed in Europe. It has lots of new tunes made in Jamaica with Sly & Robbie, a remix of "Incredible" and hits like "Billy the Kid" and "Unique"...
You've set up your own label...
General Levy Yes, 'Cronic Productions' dates from three years ago, but the label lay dormant for a while. I produced two singles on it: the first was a tune by a little-known but very talented artist from the Bahamas, then I put one out with Top Cat and myself on the flip side... I have lots of projects but I'm short of funding at the moment...
You also do Garage!!
General Levy You know, Levy is an artist who fits into every style of music... I also work with a more hardcore fusion group called 'Space Police'... it's one of my secret projects (less secret now that it's on the web!) which should soon bear fruit... watch out!!