|
Dreamland From Brixton market stall to Bobby Digital's veranda. Matt Lion Vibes is making his reggae dreams come true. |
He laughs and says "A lot of hard work really.. and dreaming. Making my dreams come true and for that I give thanks. When I was standing in Gussie Clarke's Anchor Studio recording live with Luciano and people like that it was a dream come true. The voicing was at Syl Gordon's 321 Studio near Halfway Tree. Jack Scorpio's place is also nearby where so many classic rhythms have been built. There's so much history, its an absolute privilege to be there."
The dreaming began seven years ago when Matt started a record stall in Brixton market. He began by selling old originals to revival enthusiasts. "There are a lot of people who don't listen to music after 1970 or 1980, but I've never been part of that because to me reggae is a living thing and its more relevant now than its ever been." The fact that he only had a Saturday stall didn't stop him from thinking big. "The thing with the market stall is that the money I could make from selling the old time records I wanted to put back into the business and make new records with the new artists. It was kind of like completing the circle so the old music was bringing in new music if you see what I mean."
Matt is articulate, positive and has a can-do attitude that's infectious. He rapidly moved from market stall to selling vinyl on-line via the Lion Vibes website. "I sell everything Jamaican that's come out on vinyl from 1950 to 2004. I don't sell any re-press. The tune may have come out in 1990, but its the original press. People love to have the real thing, the record as it came out. The sound reproduction tends to be better on the original . Re-presses are often taken from another record whereas the original will be taken from a DAT, a minidisc or direct from two inch or quarter inch tape. The labels can also be different, so you have that feel or sense of the time." Lion Vibes have established a network of people in Jamaica who find music, they ship records over on a regular basis and Matt flies out to the island several times a year. But the focus on Jamaican product doesn't mean that he'll only listen to reggae from JA. "I love UK roots, UK dub. People like Dub Judah, Russ Disciples, Jah Warrior and Alpha & Omega. I judge each record as I hear it. There's fantastic UK dub and terrible UK dub; fantastic Jamaican roots and rubbish Jamaican roots. I love all of it when its great."
As someone who knows the Jamaican roots scene I was keen for him to explain the differences between there and here. It was the one question that interrupted his flow. I got the feeling he's rarely speechless, but it seems that the differences are so great that it was difficult to know where to start. "Well, the UK dub scene is uniquely British and the University Of Dub at Brixton Recreation Centre is a uniquely British scene. There isn't a comparison in Jamaica. The closest that you would get would be an oldies session. But there again they would play vintage Treasure Isle and rocksteady. in Jamaica they mix things up. In this country and Europe we like to split everything and put it into camps. In Jamaica you go to a dance and they'll play everything. You're just as likely to hear Madonna's 'Like A Virgin' as you are to hear 'On The Beach' by The Paragons or 'Earth A Run Red' by Richie Spice. That's how a Jamaican sound system will play. Whereas if you go to Aba Shanti you'll only hear one style."
The Wildfire rhythm he's produced will be out on five seven inch pre this month. I wanted to know how he managed to assemble such an enviable line up of vocalists. " There's an element of luck, there's an element of cost. You can't expect people to do anything for free. But most of the artists, once you reason with them and they understand exactly what you're trying to achieve, will be reasonable back. I can't stress enough the importance of my website because I have to pay for all these sessions, the mastering, the tapes and all that. The only way I can do it is from selling tunes." It's easy to imagine Matt being both very persuasive and able to handle the financial aspect. He's got something of the natural salesman about him, handles my questions with the assurance of someone who's interviewed every day of the week, but still manages to sound idealistic and to come with his principles intact. I wondered whether people like Luciano or Turbulence, who have a devoted international following, are treated as stars in their own country. "They're not regarded as highly as they should be by the Jamaican people. Sometimes the artists get a surprise when they come to Europe and are greeted with this big welcome. Out there everybody's treated pretty equally, so you can be a big star but you just get on with it because its everywhere in Jamaica. You walk into a studio or you walk down the street and everybody's there. It's a small place, only two million people on the island. A lot of people know somebody who knows somebody. Everybody's kinda like family in a way. People tell you about guns and this and that. But if you fly to Jamaica and you go with the right people and the right attitude you'll have a great time. The doors are open. I met Bobby Digital sitting on his veranda at Digital B. They're just sitting there - real people wanting to make real music. Anything can happen."
The most important person that Matt has come across has been Kirk Bennett. "He's the foundation of the Lion Vibes musical side. He's an up and coming musician. Sizzla uses him all the time and he's the main drummer for Bobby Digital. Most of the great new live rhythms that you hear have been laid down by Kirk Bennett. We work exclusively together on all the productions that we've got coming out."
|
|