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The place: Kingston, Jamaica
When: Early ’90s
Reporter: Tero Kaski
Pictures: The respective report corporations (labels/sleeves)
Copyright:  2026 – Ray Hurford

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I began enjoying drums after I was about fourteen years outdated, I used to be a singer first. I used to be with my brothers we have been known as the Brownie Bunch. We did how first recording in about 1972. Once we did the rehearsals for the recording, I used to be form of fasinated with the drums, I had a liking for the drums from then. I made up my thoughts then, that I needed to learn to play this instrument, on the similar my brothers had their eyes on different devices. Once we put how heads collectively, we realised that every one of us had chosen a special instrument.

All of us now are at present concerned within the music enterprise, there are 5 of us. The eldest is Glen Brownie performs bass for Ziggy Marley, then there’s Dalton Brownie performs rhythm and lead guitar, for Freddie McGregor, Noel Brownie is subsequent, he works with Michael Rose – keyboard, he applications he does quite a lot of pc work within the music trade. Fourth is line is yours really, after which there’s Danny Brownie from Blood Hearth Posse, and he additionally excursions with Sly And Robbie. We’re all concerned with profitable teams within the enterprise. We’re at present engaged on a album, the 5 heads all put collectively.

The Brownie Bunch?
Sure, at the moment although we have been solely singers. Though we all the time thought it could be higher if we might do our personal rhythm tracks. Our concepts have been all the time a bit completely different to what everybody else was into. It’s a completely completely different sound idea. Moreover if we put how minds collectively we might all the time provide you with completely different creations. Thus far none of that’s in the marketplace, but it surely’s troublesome getting this album accomplished with all of us concerned in numerous issues. Anyway I took up drums in nineteen, no matter it was, after I was fourteen years outdated.

Steely?
Steelie used to return by my home. My mom had slightly pump organ he got here by and we’d work out chords, from a chord ebook. My mom confirmed him a couple of issues. We discovered we had comparable musical tastes. We used to take heed to outdated Studio One, and each track I appreciated he appreciated. At the moment we’ve got put that form of feeling into the music. I really labored at Studio One for a number of years, from about 1978. It was like a faculty to me, I had an opportunity to take heed to the tracks straight from the grasp tapes. I did overdubs on lots of the outdated Studio One rhythms, among the Skatalites stuff, we added like percussion stuff on it. It form of embedded that really feel of the music then in my thoughts. Steelie additionally did some work at Studio One.

I’ve discovered now that I’ve been capable of switch that to the drum machines. That is what perhaps makes how music really feel so completely different, it’s completely different from the mechanical programmings of the opposite musicians. I additionally discovered to learn music. A 12 months or two after I began, after I went to Excessive Faculty, I began to play Tuba. I discovered to learn bass clef music. That additionally improved my studying of music. Having this information as made me capable of rework something that I hear right into a rhythm sample, into drum machine kind, giving it the texture and every part.Trigger at first you might have to have the ability to analyse what’s being performed. Or what you wish to play, after which having the musical data to place that right into a drum machine.

Steelie did some work for Studio One, he’s additionally a member of the Roots Radics, an organist.
Steelie, had been a member of Roots Radics so far as I can keep in mind, he joined them when he was about fourteen years outdated. He went on his first tour with Gregory Isaacs. He was a member proper up till about 1984/5 after we began this Steely And Clevie factor.

Did you begin with your personal manufacturing, or did you begin working for different producers?
We began working with King Jammys, he was the primary producer who we labored with that Steely And Clevie sound. Approach again we had been doing recording classes collectively, however not as Steely And Clevie. These days I performed acoustic drums, and Steely performed piano, on quite a lot of ‘Rockers Worldwide’ productions with Augustus Pablo. We began doing the pc factor on dub plates at first. There was a sound system known as Black Star in Jamaica, that we did some dub plates for, with Tiger. The sound was so good that Steely and myself thought that it may very well be marketed, however no producer was on this factor. It was an innovation, drum machine and synth bass. They was nonetheless accustomed to the ten piece band, within the studio.

Then ‘Sleng Teng’ got here out of King Jammys. He was the person that had the imaginative and prescient. of the brand new path. So we took some demo tapes all the way down to him. He mentioned it “Sound Alright.” Later years down the highway. He instructed that he thought it was fairly good, however he didn’t wish to get us swell headed. So he performed as if it was ‘alright’, nothing to nice. The primary track that we really did for him went straight into the British charts, ‘Candy Reggae Music’ by Nitty Gritty. It went into the highest eighty or one thing, and that with out the assistance of any main firm. Which is a superb achivement, for any reggae track. We recorded hit after hit, however nobody knew it was drum machines. I feel mainly King Jammys accepted it additionally as a result of his studio was very small, it was an eight monitor studio, in a single room the dimensions of a small bed room. He transformed a bed room within the recording studio, and he couldn’t match a ten piece band in there anyway. I feel that mixture was good for all of us concerned.

Then we discovered we had been doing the work for all the hit making producers, and the time period in Jamaica ‘Producer’ had been misunderstood. Many occasions the excutive producers have been getting credit for, musical manufacturing, after we have been doing the work, and so they weren’t even round. Many of the songs we labored on really produced by Steely & Clevie. So, we thought it was time we branched out, and went on our personal as producers.

When was this?
1988. We began doing our personal productions. At first it was a bit troublesome, we discovered it troublesome recording recording good songs for ourselves. We was a bit tense, and we was attempting too exhausting. Then we relaxed and we began to work like we was working for any producer. Then we acknowledged getting hit after hit. The label in the present day is an family identify in Jamaica.

Your greatest hit to date?
The most important to date on the Steely & Clevie label as been Cunning Brown’s ‘Sorry’. We titled it ‘Sorry’ however’s really ‘Child Can I Maintain You Tonight’ by Tracy Chapman. It went to about 51 on the ‘Billboard’ chart within the U.S. Which I feel is one of the best any reggae track from Jamaica had accomplished for a few years. As soon as once more this was with out the assistance of a serious firm. It was launched within the States on Pow Wow information which is a small unbiased firm. At first we put it out on the Steely & Clevie label, when it offered about thirty thousand copies, then we handed it over to Pow Wow who took it to the place it went. Though I feel the track might have gone a lot additional, however after the track took off the artist was signed by an organization out of Washington – RAS. Which I feel was a fantastic mistake on her half, typically you simply can’t rush into issues like that. She simply took a supply, the primary supply, being signed up Pow Wow couldn’t get her to do any publicity, which we would have liked to do to advertise the track. Movies and all that, was going via her new firm who was engaged on a album of their very own. It wasn’t of their curiosity to advertise another person’s product. Anyway she has discovered her errors now, she’s proven willingness to work with us sooner or later.

She has three albums out now.
Three albums!?

Two for RAS Information and one for Fatis.
Um, however I do know if Pow Wow had the promotion materials, they have been prepared to make a video, and so they have the contact to get it aired on MTV. They’re a small firm however they’ve the contacts within the enterprise to get songs correctly promoted. The track might have gone a lot additional.

It was a superb minimize of the ‘Taxi’ rhythm.
That was a false impression additionally, lots of people regard it because the ‘Taxi’ rhythm. I feel ‘Taxi’ popularised it to the youthful technology. Origianally the rhyhtm that we made it from was ‘Peanut Vendor’, however Sly used the same drum sample on ‘Taxi’. Being a cool form of beat. I’d have a performed the same drum sample even when I had not heard Sly’s drum sample. It’s a feeling that comes naturally from the funky reggae fusion. That is how the American’s see it.

The unique comes from South America in concerning the 1920’s. It’s a giant band sound. It was a melody line that was was a bass line. Tommy McCook have a model of it, a melody model of it from 1971. It was recorded additionally by Joe White as ‘Victory Tune’. That was the primary Jamaican minimize with the bass line, then Little Roy’s ‘Prophecy’.

Little Roy’s ‘Prophecy’ was on the ‘Peanut Vendor’ rhythm. That is the one which we made it from, as a result of we really recorded ‘Prophecy’ with Freddie McGregor. I feel it’s a really sturdy rhythm for the U.S. market and the reggae market.

Some individuals discover it exhausting to play an album of 1 rhythm, what do you consider that idea?
I actually as a report purchaser would reasonably have multiple rhythm. however it’s one thing is appropriate in Jamaica now for years. I feel it stems from the entire sound system factor. We noticed sound clashes approach again within the sixties when Duke Reid and Coxsone used to conflict. The sound system that may be declared one of the best, can be the one that might discover a model that you just can’t discover. Go into his field, and draw a model of ‘Satta’, and you’ll’t reply him. By enjoying one other model. Principally the place the music is now advanced from these sound system clashes. Even the mixes the place you’d put a reverb on the snare. So, we really put a sound system dance conflict into the recording, equally variations of 1 rhythm The rhythms which are used to make a complete album out of are normally so sturdy that the artists which are on them, request that individual rhythm. It is likely to be a waste solely utilizing it as soon as.

Though it doesn’t solely occur in Jamaica. Most of the outdated Motown songs typically you may pinpoint rhythms which were re-used. Similary the best way we strategy manufacturing just isn’t one thing that as originated in Jamaica. We make rhythm tracks first, then get the artists to jot down songs on the rhythm tracks. Motown additionally used that methodology of manufacturing, this how among the rhythm tracks ended up being reused. You may need 5 writers, writing songs for one rhythm monitor. You may find yourself with 5 good songs. You place all of them out!

What’s your favorite one rhythm album that you’ve launched?
They’re all my favourites really, however recently the ‘Poco In The East’ album, I like these as a result of we’ve got reintroduced conventional rhythm kinds, which had been misplaced over time like Pocamania rhythms. For years Jamaicans have been fusing exterior rhythm kinds, fuse it with funk. fuse it with rock, why not fuse it with our personal native rhythms. Or African rhythm kinds, the Poco rhythm is one among our outdated rhythm kinds that had been misplaced. In reggae we had by no means fused something like that.

I’ve had expertise with Pocomania in a church setting, I actually rising up went to a Pentecostal church in Jamaica, the place we used drums and a full band within the church, and the drum rhythms have been in that vein. I wasn’t the primary drummer, there was one other drummer who was actually good. I stuffed in typically, however I discovered loads from that have. It’s not simply beats you can copy, it’s a sense. Equally with Steelie, he didn’t have that have, however he performs a freestyle bass, there isn’t any set sample, it’s simply vibes, because the vibes comes he…

That is one cause why we by no means, by no means sequence. Lots of people regarded Steely & Clevie as simply pc music, however that can also be false. It shouldn’t be considered pc music. We don’t use a pc for sequencing. It’s a drum machine, and every part else is stay. It’s not actual bass, it’s synth bass, however in our productions we go for no matter we expect is critical. If we’d like stay horns, we are going to go for stay horns. Most of the producers in the present day have been leaving out stay horns, as a result of there finances doesn’t enable it, or they suppose that synthesizer’s can do the work, but when we wish to seize a sure really feel. The sensation is most vital to us, the sensation we get from the music. It’s not simply to make some cash.

I’ve discovered that we’ve got left such a mark on the music trade, that we’re being imitated and copied, I’d that perhaps as much as eighty per cent of the sound idea popping out of Jamaica is a duplicate or a take off of Steely and Clevie’s type. If it’s not performed by us, it’s a duplicate of us. I’d advise youthful musicians now to attempt to create their very own types. They might provide you with one thing new, simply from experimenting, one thing that might create an entire new market.

My finest promoting album on the Steely & Clevie label is the ‘twenty first Century Sound Conflict’.
Like I mentioned, all how album are favourites of mine.

Yesterday at Mixing Lab, you was engaged on a oldies album.
Sure, mainly after we do rerecord outdated tracks, it’s not for business causes. Our predominant purpose is to not make a bag of cash out of the factor. We do wish to earn from it, we’re in it for a residing additionally, enjoying music isn’t just an interest for us, it’s additionally a job. We predict being amongest the most well-liked musicians in the present day, we’ve got a dedication to protect the sensation within the music. I don’t suppose we must always ever lose the liveness that’s is understood to exist inside reggae. Reggae is a sense music, it’s not simply buff boff beats. There’s a really feel behind it, and in recording or re-recording these outdated tracks we are literally doing our half in preserving these outdated songs, and presenting it to the youths in the present day. To lots of the teenage report patrons, these are new songs, they’ve by no means heard them earlier than. Even the younger engineers working within the studio, they thought all of these songs are new songs. That they had by no means heard them earlier than, and I don’t suppose that Studio One information can be found to all people as they need to be. I actually wish to see these songs preserved so long as the report enterprise exists.

Who’re the artists on this new album?
Properly you might have Dobby Dobson, Alton Ellis, The Clarendonians, Marcia Griffiths, Delroy Wilson, The Cables, The Flames, Silvertones and Ken Boothe.

Are all of the songs by the originals artists?
Sure, all of the songs we’ve got re-recorded or re-sung are accomplished over by the unique artists. We’re simply presenting it as a greater recording. To some, the outdated information are higher, as a result of they’re extra reasonable, since you are selecting up the stay sound. These days we’ve got remoted every instrument a bit extra. Having 24 tracks, or no matter. A few of these songs have been initially recorded on 2 or 4 tracks. It was like one time, accomplished. When you miss or make a mistake you may’t go over it.

I seen that you just had Bagga Walker sitting in in your session?
Bagga is an in depth pal of ours. I labored with him in The Studio One band. He has additionally been a bass participant at Studio One for years. He’s there for the vibe, he’s a pleasant particular person to have round. Generally what you suppose is being performed on these outdated tracks, typically a be aware is likely to be created from harmonics, it’s not really what you suppose you’re listening to is being performed. Bagga is an individual who would. He’s an individual who would be capable of right little issues, issues that your ears may idiot you with. Though at occasions we can’t recreate the harmonics due to the brand new recording methods. If the double bass was within the nook, you’d get a bounce off a wall that adjustments the pitch of the be aware or one thing. What you suppose is being performed just isn’t really that. So typically we’ve got to go for what we’re listening to, reasonably than what’s being performed.

Like yesterday when Steely identified that there’s a bass line with solely two notes, that sounds prefer it’s obtained three notes.
It’s the place you place the chords round a bass line, say should you place the chords round a two be aware bass line, it could create an phantasm that there was greater than two notes, when there was solely really two. For years, I can’t keep in mind which track it was, however for years we thought this track was a 3 be aware bass line. Then Bagga pointed it out that it was not. About three years in the past I had the chance to again Jackie Mittoo at Sunsplash, with the Studio One band. Within the rehearsal he disclosed that lots of the bass strains that Bagga thought have been three be aware bass strains have been in truth solely two notes. I discovered that Jackie Mittoo was fairly instrumental in arranging quite a lot of these songs even all the way down to the bass line. Jackie Mittoo’s passing was a fantastic loss to the music trade. He was crucial to the evolving of the Jamaican music trade to the stage that it’s. At the moment the one different musician that I see that as that form of feeling, that drive to make adjustments within the music, is Steely. Steely as the same vibe to that of Jackie Mittoo, and the sensation of his keyboard riffs, having labored with each of them is…

I noticed Steely work with the Roots Radics it was at a session again in 1983 at Channel One, he was actually working the session.
That is how Steely is, I imply he’s like one other Jackie Mittoo. Most of the hits with Junjo Lawes, I’d say that Steely greater than some other musician in Jamaica, has performed on probably the most hit songs ever, Jamaican reggae hit songs. He went via that period within the seventies, then the Junjo Lawes productions proper into the Jammys’s period. Throughout that point after we labored with King Jammys we additionally labored on Redman Worldwide productions, Methods, Gussie Clarke, Penthouse, all the favored producers, the hitmaking producers. We have been the musicians on their merchandise and lots of occasions the precise producers, however not credited as producers.

That’s the way it’s all the time been in reggae.
You see now we’re liable for making that change, making it, redefining the time period ‘producer’, in Jamaica. Many producers in Jamaica on the finish of the day are nonetheless broke in Jamaica, when they need to be retired. If correct credit score was given to them, they may very well be getting a pension, publishing is our pension within the music enterprise. They’ve created quite a lot of issues, and haven’t been given any credit score for it.

Yesterday I noticed you enjoying stay drums!
Laughs, nicely we’ve got been doing that for a very long time, if the studio has been sufficiently big. At King Jammys additionally I used to do some stay Simmonds work. I imply we couldn’t arrange an acoustic equipment in there, it was too small, however lots of the songs had drum machine mixed with some pure play. Generally I’d use an Octopad. Which is a pad that lets you play the drum machines sounds through MIDI, but it surely really set off’s the sounds. I did that sometimes. We really did that on the ‘Poca Man Jam’ rhythm additionally – the ‘Poco In The East’ album, all these fills are stay. I don’t suppose there’s some other approach to get that feeling out of it, it as to be spontaneous stay enjoying.

So, yesterday you performed stay first, then play keyboards?
No, every part was stay from high to complete, on the ‘Pocoman Jam’ it was performed additionally from high to complete. It’s not simply in reggae music that this occurs. I discovered that many American productions are accomplished that approach. It’s programmed, partially, then there are stay issues positioned on high of it. Just like the hi-hat and drum fills. It creates a liveness, which is sweet for the music. Reggae music is a music that ought to be stored partially stay.

Lots of people have complained concerning the pc sound.
I feel the music is evolving, it’s passing via a stage. I feel now although the music is extra rhythm than it’s ever been. It’s gone via the one drop stage, with the emphasis on the third beat, it’s gone via the Roots Radics period, and Sly & Robbie. You understand the buff boff, buff boff. Now there are such a lot of rhyhtms concerned, it’s way more rhythmic. The rhythms are from Mento, or conventional rhythms like Kumina, or African rhythm kinds. Most of the rhythm kinds got here to Jamaica from Africa. A few of the parishes in Jamaica have retained it, much more than the Kingstonians.

There are quite a lot of new studios round, quite a lot of artists, is the market getting greater or what?
Properly, all of the producers now have discovered it essential to arrange their very own recording studios, these that may afford it. The manufacturing price as gone up so excessive in Jamaica with the will increase of residing, the electrical energy, the charges have gone up. The studios have raised their charges additionally to offset that improve. So most producers have seen it to be higher to arrange their very own studios. Gussie Clarke, Donovan Germain, Roy Francis. You discover a lot of the studios being arrange, they’re all arrange by individuals within the music enterprise. Junior Reid, however they’ll by no means ever use the studio 24 hours. So numerous them have gone into productions, and with a lot expertise in Jamaica in such a small nation, there are numerous gifted youths. So you discover that every studio, could have a set of artists that works together with them.

Possibly every report don’t promote as a lot because the gross sales was once within the sixties, and the early seventies, however the producers see it as each “Mickle Make A Mockle.” however the a lot of the artists make their cash from stage exhibits. When a track will get standard, they’re normally in demand on stage exhibits, and lots of of them find yourself touring, travelling all through the U.S. because of the songs being standard. The report gross sales won’t be nearly as good they find yourself on excursions.

And the gross sales and the exhibits assist one another?
That’s proper, additionally you discover now that the brand new technology of artists are for the brand new technology of report patrons, individuals who they will sing together with, a younger voice. It’s just like the artist is just like the man subsequent door singing. Generally you’ll discover an aritist who as accomplished voice coaching for years, and so they don’t promote in addition to the one sounding just like the man subsequent door!

In your productions is there any new names that you possibly can level out as gifted individuals?
There may be an aritist from Mandeville, who we’ve got just lately signed his identify is Garnett Silk. We’re recording an album with him proper now. We’ve accomplished about 9 songs, we’ve got yet one more to do. It will likely be in the marketplace fairly quickly. He’s excellent, an excellent singer. Younger, he has years forward of him. Which is what any report firm seems for once they signal an artist. They don’t need one which can be out of the enterprise within the subsequent 12 months.The youthful the higher. There are all the time new deejays developing. There may be one known as Energy Man, who’s the brother of the man who really performed the ‘Sleng Teng’ rhythm. Noel, he recorded the ‘Sleng Teng’ rhythm he found it on the Casio keyboard. The ‘Sleng Teng’ rhythm is definitely a rock and roll rhythm on a preset on a Casio keyboard. They simply took it all the way down to the reggae tempo, and added on the reggae vamp.

It’s these form of experimentations that I wish to see extra of in reggae music. As a substitute of individuals copying our type or another person. When you might have too many individuals doing the identical factor the sound will change into so monotonous that no one wish to hear it. I even have the same Casio years earlier than, and truly did the identical factor with it, however I had not recorded it, as a result of I believed there can be some copyrights to it. I’ve been learning music legislation, I knew the place issues might come up. What the Japanese apparently have been extra fascinated by promoting the Casio product. Once more the rock and roll preset is only a typical rock and roll factor, like anyone might have provide you with that. A fundamental rock and roll groove.

So, it was within the machine?
Sure, but it surely didn’t have the reggae vamp on it. it simply had the bass line and the drum beat.

You point out concerning the value will increase, what’s life in Jamaica like now?
What’s it like, I’d say it’s getting more durable, however we’re a blessed nation in you can go exterior and choose a fruit off a tree. So it’s not a rustic that you’d discover the inhabitants malnurished or something like that. There are Mango tree’s all around the nation, we’ve got so many fruit timber. Most of the poorer individuals you may discover are even more healthy, due to our local weather, we are able to develop sure meals stuff all year long. So, life is troublesome for individuals who need imported items, and may’t get it. The speed of trade to the US greenback, corporations that import US merchandise must promote the merchandise at such an excessive price, to make again their cash and even break even. It’s a small proportion of the inhabitants that may afford it. The federal government is encouraging Jamaicans to be self sufficent, and manufacture our personal merchandise.

What about all this speak about weapons in reggae lyrics?
Most of it’s simply discuss. The artists don’t really imply something, it stems from the competitors factor within the sound techniques, which as gone over into recording. It’s not a literal factor. Musicians don’t actually anger, more often than not should you see a person concerned in some gun crime, another person provoke him.

What are your reminiscences of working within the music?
Once we change the music once more after we report the ‘Cat Paw’ rhythm. We took again the reggae right into a swing. We had not been enjoying any reggae with a swing really feel.The music had gone right into a buff boff period. The ‘Cat Paw’ rhythm that Tiger did ‘Younger Gal Lyrics’ on, that was the primary one. Then we did ‘Lonely Don’t Go away Me Alone’ with Sanchez , which was produced by Winston Riley.

We’ve in the reduction of drastically on enjoying on different individuals’s productions. We try to maintain the sound slightly extra unique. Ocassionally we play on information for others producers, who we’ve got labored with over time. We performed ‘Tempted To Contact’ rhythm for Germain. He had not had successful track for some time. That put him again on the map once more.

Was it an authentic track that Beres Hammond sung?
Sure, however the rhythm was a Studio One rhythm, or I feel it was.

The track ‘A Love I Can Really feel’ was initially by The Temptations, it’s known as ‘I Need A Love I Can See’ for Motown in 1962.
Actually, I’d love to listen to that. Most of the Alton Ellis songs have been cowl songs. Coxsone had the Motown catalogue for Jamaica, and he discovered that masking these songs with a reggae rhythm would do nicely. A variety of the older technology, how mother and father criticized the reggae enterprise, for not writing songs, however a lot of them didn’t realize it was nothing new. They have no idea the unique variations of the songs, like Alton Ellis had sung. Rising up I believed they have been originals, Even myself, I’ve mentioned that these artists used to jot down higher songs. As a matter of truth there are extra originals now, together with deejays, contemplating that deejays are writing songs. It’s a matter of opinion whether or not the composition is healthier or not. You must think about the experiences the youths are having in the present day. The report purchaser public can relate extra now to what the deejays are saying. You can’t say that the writing requirements have fallen, it’s what pertains to in the present day, in our society, and issues that occur in in the present day’s society.

And in the present day’s society is so completely different from the sixties.
Oh yeah, and you discover the identical factor in America. The youths rap about experiences within the ghetto. A variety of the songs are uplifting additionally, they encourgage you not to do that and that. Shake up sure individuals, and make them rethink their existence.

Then there’s the slackness.
Yesterday I used to be enjoying a tape which I had put collectively of all of the outdated Jamaican slackness songs. That I’d say are way more explicate than todays songs. Prince Buster for example did a track entitled ‘Wreck A Pum Pum’, which you by no means hear something that impolite in the present day. Then there’s a feminine reply model, ‘Wreck A Buddy’. Not even Shabba get that lewed along with his lyrics.

How about Lloydie & The Lowbites?
That’s one other outdated time factor, nothing new, nothing new. The identical individuals that may criticize the reggae, throughout carnival time they’d dance to the lewd Claypso songs. Even exit on the streets bare, or half bare. You don’t discover that within the dance corridor. I feel the dancehall enterprise is far cleaner than the Soca enterprise. Why criticize the Jamaican slackness. Even in America, there’s a track ‘I Need To Intercourse You Up’.

Have you ever minimize a model of it?
We couldn’t be bothered, we’ve got been busy doing different issues anyway. We’ve been busy doing tracks for main labels, with individuals like Caron Wheeler and Woman Levi. We’ve additionally been doing remixes for corporations releasing Rap music. We do reggae remixes for them. Which has been attention-grabbing.

How do you see the way forward for the music?
I feel you will notice it return to a message music. Jamaican artists are fairly delicate to what’s occurring of their environment and issues. Adjustments on this planet are going to affect the kind of songs which are written, I don’t wish to be a prophet right here, I gained’t say anymore.

Other than Steely & Clevie, who else is making music in the present day in Jamaica.
You have got Sly & Robbie, The Firehouse Crew, The One Two Crew, The Turbo Crew, you might have Horsemouth & Obeah. You will see many of those Two Particular person, Three Particular person Crews which are developing, have been buying similiar gear to ourselves. With the purpose of caputuring the Steely & Clevie sound, but it surely’s not simply the sound of the instrument. It’s years of expertise. The Studio One factor was like a faculty to us, it’s welded a sure feeling in our minds. One of many closest to us is my brother Danny Brownie, from Blood Hearth Posse. He’s the one one who I’ve allowed to make use of my gear. We really personal a studio collectively. He has been doing producing out of it. I’ve been busy at Mixing Lab. Initially we arrange the studio to do Radio and TV commercials. Later we began to work on songs to be launched. He’s just lately had a primary with Papa San ‘Unusual’.

What number of tracks does the studio have?
16 tracks, half inch, a really small studio, just a bit greater than when Jammys first began.

What sort of devices have you ever been utilizing?
Properly ever since I first began I used an Oberheim Drum Machine, an outdated Oberheim DX Drum machine. Which I bought from Willie Stewart from Third World, he purchased the DX Oberheim, and later purchased a DMX, so he thought he wouldn’t want the DX anymore, and that DX as performed on so many hit songs you wouldn’t imagine it. Together with overdubs on some Studio One stuff, ‘Push Come To Shove’ Freddie McGregor, Blood Hearth Posse songs, all the King Jammys productions, all of them that we labored on. It was that very same DX drum machine.

What does Steely use?
He’s into Yamaha, a small Yamaha keyboard. A Yamaha DX 100, and a CS 1 Yamaha syntheziser, which I feel Steely was the primary to make use of it as a bass. It was initially… we used the DX100 for the bass, it was so small that you just wouldn’t count on it for use for bass. So, we used to make use of it for flute sounds, and excessive pitch sounds. Then sooner or later it was dropped, the circuit board broke inside. He obtained it fastened by an area technician, and when it got here again to him it was enjoying bass. The deepest, deepest bass sound you might have ever heard, and I discover it to be the closest factor to that outdated Studio One double standing bass sound, which is an excellent bass sound, which is an excellent bass sound. It blends and compliments the Oberheim drum sound very nicely. I’ve accomplished classes with different individuals, and it’s the finest sound. The identical with DX100, it’s as if it was deliberate that approach be the creator.

I’ve accomplished work with it on ‘Raggamuffin 12 months’ by Junior Delgado, myself and Augustus Pablo performed that. We’ve used the D.50 keyboard, Roland D.50 and Korg Poly 61, which we used on the piano sound for Jammys. Principally Steely is brillant at discovering the proper sound to suit the character of the track. On ‘Si Boops Deh’ you hear this creeping sound.

Once I play the drum machine I programme it, however I play the rolls manually, through a pad or one thing. More often than not there’s something stay on our productions, there’s nothing ever completely seqenced. There may be one manufacturing that we labored on, nicely it wasn’t out manufacturing, it was Aswad’s album, the one which was produced by Gussie Clarke. They needed to make use of a pc, so I programmed the drumbeats into the pc. If it was my manufacturing it isn’t how I’d have accomplished it.

I respect Gussie Clarke, loads. He’s very enterprise like, he makes issues occur. If he has a venture to do, he can mobilize individuals, get individuals collectively. He’s an excellent co-ordinator. His enterprise is on par with any worldwide firm. We’ve employed the providers of Lloyd Stanbury as our supervisor, he’s a laywer additionally and he as helped us now to arrange our enterprise in the same approach. Gussie had an head begin in that. Now we’re at present on par with Gussie Clarke. All artists that report for us, must signal some type of launch earlier than we even put out a report for them. We discovered that we had issues with Cunning Brown. There was an organization fascinated by signing her, and we didn’t have a signed settlement from her. So, that we might launch the product, we discovered that it was finest if we put issues into black and white.

The Penthouse label can also be an excellent label, with Donovan Germain. Methods, Winston Riley. He’s engaged on his personal studio. Extra of the producers ought to be credited as the manager producers, you discover that the majority of their work is finished by the engineer, and the musicians. King Jammys is sweet in indentifying a superb track. I feel he’s predominant setback now’s that he’s misplaced the Steely & Clevie rhythm sound. He’s rereleasing outdated rhythm tracks that we constructed for him.

The tracks that we’ve got accomplished in respect of those Studio One recuts, you’ll discover that the association is completely different. The teams that replicate the Steely & Clevie sound, you’ll discover them copying our association of these songs. You’ll discover Mafia & Fluxy enjoying the ‘Wild Apache’ rhythm, though that was an authentic rhythm anyway. We created that.

What do you consider Fatis?
Fatis can also be an excellent producer. Excellent at figuring out expertise, however as I mentioned a few of them are usually not even within the studio. Generally they inform you what to do, after which there off, after which they arrive again and pay you for the job. They must get some credit score although for understanding when the work is finished proper. After they come again and hear and say yeah. You will see although that with Steely & Clevie as producers we are going to really get entangled to the extent that if we’ve got to jot down a track for the artist, we are going to do it. Ninety per cent of the songs that come to us, we find yourself altering the lyrics. Getting concerned in getting the sound correct, which is the precise work of the producer. When the engineer put a frequnecy on the kick drum that may be a nonsense frequency, it’s essential to be capable of decide whether it is proper or not. Most producers sit and watch, however that’s not the true producer.

It was once like that at Studio One, Jackie, would do the work and Coxsone wouldn’t be current.
They’re good A&R individuals although. For instance, a singer like Horace Andy, if he come to me, I in all probability wouldn’t have recorded him. Coxsone noticed one thing in that voice, and it labored. ‘Skylarking’ was an hit track in Jamaica. I’ve to present him credit score for having the ability to establish a superb track and a superb artist. Even Burning Spear, I perceive that they ran away Burning Spear when he got here to Studio One. I feel it was Jackie Mittoo that begged for him, he mentioned “Give him a attempt.

Have you ever ever copied any Treasure Isle rhythms?
We’re planning to make an element two of this tribute album, this time on Treasure Isle.