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Euro Star Jonah Dan is our millennium man |
 The Inner Sanctuary must have been a claustrophobic space at one time. Jonah Dan says it was located in a "cupboard in Kilburn" until recently. The studio is now lodging with Alpha & Omega in Harrow, in a room that would best be described as cosy. Jonah is the UK's Roots renaissance man. A renowned percussionist and session player, producer and microphone chanter. He's invited everywhere and sees everything UK dubwise. He says the improvement in his own studio set-up is indicative of what's been happening with many of the well established UK Dub producers. "People are improving their techniques, trying to emulate how things sound from Jamaica. Seeing how they get their sound and how fat it is. People had some cheap equipment before, that wouldn't do the job, so they've upgraded. Also you improve your mixing and engineering skills. This is where I'm at myself, as I've got more stuff. If you hear all our old tunes from back in the early nineties, they sound so thin compared to now." Digital Reggae has been around since the mid eighties but Jonah feels that it was the recordings that came from the Music Works studio in Jamaica that were the first to really get it right. "Gussie Clarke hit the nail on the head. It was what digital music was supposed to sound like. Then in the latter end of the nineties things really started to pick up, Xterminator and all all of these. We said "oh yeah, digital really has arrived now." So we started to emulate that and see how we could improve our productions too. New equipment came out as well, so in Jamaica their production started to sound fatter, and we tried to do the same."
It was one week after the Ethiopian millennium and it seemed a good time to take a little look back and review the progress that UK Dub has made so far. I needed to speak to someone who could roll through the history and then bring it bang up to date. Jonah Dan was that man. He laughed. "UK Dub? I know my bredrin Disciples doesn't like to use that terminology; but it's just the words to distinguish what we do here. It is different. I've got other bredrin who argue with me "its not Roots, it's not Roots!" And they fight us, you know what I'm saying. But we have to feed our families too. We're not born in Jamaica, we're born here. Yes we try to emulate what they do in Jamaica, but we still have our own input and flavour from the UK because that is where we're born. Big up all the UK artists who a try something." Jonah's accent is unmistakably that of a first generation black Londoner and his conversation moves with the flow of someone who's controlled the mike in countless soundsystem sessions. He didn't hesitate when asked to identify the starting point of UK Dub. "When Shaka started producing at Addis Ababa and Ariwa studios. The 'Commandments Of Dub' series and all that. The second phase was Manasseh, Alpha & Omega, Russ Disciples, Jah Works and a few other people dem in the mid to late eighties. Dances were still predominantly black people at that time." It was a pleasure to get the story from someone who has been there for every step on the journey. Even better is the fact that it was delivered with no competitive agenda or self aggrandising. The head-top history continued. "Manasseh and Joey Jay on the radio had a great impact. Listening to the radio was particularly important. Taping cassettes, so you knew what was new, so you could go and buy the records. That's something that was different to now; we might tape on cassette but we went and bought tunes, you know what I mean. When Manasseh played things like the Sound Iration stuff, people really started to take note of what's going down. When Shaka started to go to the Rocket, that was a turning point. Then lots of these same people dem started to play in the Dub Club when it was at Tufnell Park. Sound systems, a lot of people used to come... a lot happening, that was like the peak of things. Because of that a lot of producers started to come out, like myself. That's the third phase; people like Conscious Sounds, Blakamix, Jah Warrior, numerous people. Dub was really popular and spreading. Germany was the first to pick up on it, then Spain, France and all of these places. Disciples and Bush Chemists first toured Europe in 1996. Tings was really good." Jah Shaka laid the foundations in the eighties and the profile of UK Dub has continued building. It has been noticed in even more territories, the touring has carried on and new soundsystems spring up all the time. However, Jonah has been releasing records since 1994 and can see how this outwardly impressive structure is pretty hollow on the inside. "Since the western millennium things started to turn because of computers. Things speeded up; first it's CD, then in no time minidisc, then it's MP3 and within a short space of time we're talking about downloading. No breathing space or nothing. To me it was just like a conspiracy by whoever the powers may be, you understand. They know they can mek they money. It's just to sieve out certain people. That's how I see it. We're a small market, we're underground so it has a greater impact on us than it does the mainstream. The knock on effect is greater. They feel it as well, but it's just a slap on the wrist for them. But give thanks vinyl is still there. The hardcore still buying their vinyl. We're still touring, still travelling to all these places and looking forward to travel more places that we haven't touched." Jonah emanates a calm contentedness. He's a great advertisement for what he describes as "conscious livity". At first it was a surprise to hear that he was spending so much time away from the hustle and bustle of Kilburn and its hectic High Road. But he seems comfortable strolling in the more sedate surroundings of Harrow Weald, where he can eat fresh organic vegetables from a nearby allotment and take or leave the crazy intensity of Central London down there on the other side of Harrow on the Hill. Like myself, I'm sure many people are happy to make the journey to see him there because of the relaxed welcome that awaits them. Jonah reclined in his padded producer's chair and brought the story up to date by suggesting which new producers we should listen out for. He feels that the French Dub scene is particularly interesting right now. "Improvisators Dub from Bordeaux are the original French Dub crew. Everyone else comes after them. Uzinadub and all them that came from their ranks are doing very good tunes. As far as strictly Dub is concerned there are some very good ones; you haffi tek set. They sound so fresh because they're coming from their angle. Where we were in the nineties, they are now. As a matter of fact I don't know if I can make that style of Dub no more. Somebody like iration Steppas is gonna play that kind of stuff, so they're filling the gap." Jonah has even linked with an artist from across the Channel to create some of his most impressive Inner Sanctuary productions so far. "Big up the D Roots crew from France. Momo from D Roots plays percussion and I'm kind of like one of his influences. He asked me to listen to his playing. He sent a track over the internet and it was frightening! He sounded exactly like myself and when I listen I said man! It sounded so much like me. Nobody ever came that close. His track also had a singer on it called Messalie. I said "wow I like that artist". So we commune and he gave me her details. I got in contact with her and the rest is history." Messalie had an immediate impact when Jonah released her song 'Pretending' in 2006. It's been a while since a new artist has made people sit up and take note so quickly. Jonah agrees. "She's an English teacher in France and sings all different styles; Jazz, Hip Hop, Soul, ballads, everything. She's really deep, a strong lyricist. At certain periods in this life you feel up and sometimes you feel down. I was going through a likkle cloudy patch, nothing heavy, but something was there. She sent some tracks over to me, I listened to the first one and bwoy - it just hit me! instantly the vibration just shifted whatever was there. She sent four tracks that time and the whole four... I couldn't believe it! I was lifted for a whole week. Vibrations from her lyrics, you know what I'm saying. Now I got about eight tracks with her. The original track for 'Pretending' is 'Meditation Rock' which I'm most known for. Inevitably I had to put a vocal on that. As a fresh artist she just lifted that right up. Licking out against Mr Bush. Straight up!" The brand new 12" singles on Inner Sanctuary are in the shops now. One features a song called 'Struggling' by Messalie. "Everybody's been ringing off my phone for it. We gave it out to the radio stations and they're popping it. But people had a great expectation to get it straight away and it didn't happen like that. I had some mishaps here in the studio which I had to take time out to resolve." At last the waiting is over. The other 12" is by the group Shades Of Black. Jonah and Paul Fox are the core members and they are regularly joined by other musical collaborators. This time it's the Outsider. Mykal Rose also pops up with the vocal on 'Babylon Kingdom'. Jonah explains. "He voiced down by Paul Fox in Winchester. We give thanks to the Outsider who brought Mykal Rose come. They're fresh riddims, you know what I'm saying. We'd much rather create riddims than lick over old ones.'
In many ways Inner Sanctuary exemplify how UK Dub is a tiny cottage industry that now has a global reach. Jonah will have carried hefty boxes of records via the Silverlink train to the first distributors and retailers to receive copies. Yet he'll also have people turning up at his door to buy records for shops in Brazil and a healthy chunk of his new vinyl will eventually find its way to Japan. I finished up by asking this much travelled performer to consider which of the Roots and Dub sessions he most enjoys when touring with Disciples, Bush Chemists and Alpha & Omega. "I'd have to big up Musical Riot Crew from Marseille. For where it's at on the Dub scene check out Dub Station in Paris. It's every month or so. Blackboard Jungle play as the resident soundsystem there and they are a very good; if not the best sound in France. It's the vibes, you can really feel the love of the people. There's nuff people there and it's together you know what I'm saying. You don't have to force people to respond. They shout out and every time you drop a good tune you can feel the vibrations of the people. The last good one we had there was Alpha & Omega, myself, Paul Fox, Messalie, Iration Steppa and Blackboard Jungle. That was a very memorable night. A lot of people talked about that session. The same crew come to London for the dances here as well. Give thanks for Eurostar, the cheap flights and all that stuff." Yes, carbon emissions aside, give thanks. According to the original calendar we're just beginning a new millennium and we'll see where it takes the music next. No matter how they conspire against it, as one early digital effort put it "Can't stop Jah music, no way".
September
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