Jah Shaka

Benji B

This makes me very happy to be able to say this. Please join me in welcoming the legendary Jah Shaka. It’s a real buzz for me personally to be able to host this lecture today because the man sitting beside me has had a massive influence on me and so many people in the UK and around the world. For people in the room that aren’t familiar with yourself or what you do, could you introduce yourself please and describe what you do in soundsystems?

Jah Shaka

This is Jah Shaka, spiritual soundsystem, playing spiritual music from in the ‘60s in England, where there was a lot of difficulty with people arriving from the Caribbean. The music was the thing that kept people together because when the people left Africa to go to Jamaica and the Caribbean, all they could bring is their songs and their music. They weren’t able to bring things with them on a slave ship. They were unable. All they had was songs and memories of home. So over the years, the music has kept the people together. In the ‘50s and ‘60s in London, there were house parties, parties in rooms, 50-60 people. There were only what we call record players. It kept the people together and let families know other families, which was very important at that time because the people were segregated.

When the black people arrived in England in those days, the difficulty was even to get a room. To get somewhere to live was very difficult. So you had to be very skilful. The nurses came from the Caribbean and helped the UK system. The people working in the hospitals, nurses and people like that and doctors, came from the Caribbean to help their families left in Jamaica and left in the Caribbean. That was the reason for people to come to the UK and other countries, to better themselves and to make sure that the people left behind in the Caribbean – that’s the only kind of insurance the families had in those countries, were the people and the families that went abroad. Some people went to Canada. Some people went to America and were able to have jobs. So over the period of time, the music is the thing that all the people had because it was very difficult for them in the early days.

Benji B

Could you explain what the Windrush was?

Jah Shaka

The Windrush was one of the first ships that came to England, with the first arrivals from Jamaica and those, as I was just saying, people had to be skilful because England wouldn’t allow you to come there to just sit around. You had to have a skill or a gift, something to offer the country. So those people, when they came to London, it was to help the system of London. That’s why they were able to come there, because Jamaica did not receive independence until 1962. Jamaica was ruled by the British until 1962, when they were able to get their independence, to separate themselves. Therefore people could have Jamaican passports. There was no Jamaican passport before 1962 or no Jamaican money. There was no Jamaican dollars. The money was English money – pounds, shillings and pence. In the early days, that was the currency for Jamaica and for England.

It was very difficult after the Windrush time and, because of the Windrush, more people were able to come to London to send for their friends. If their friend was living somewhere, they could write a letter to Jamaica saying, “Come to England and get a job,” and be able to help the families and able to maybe get a property, which was very, very difficult because in the Windrush time, the black people going to London, on the doors of the houses and the gates of the houses there were signs saying, “No blacks, no Irish, and no dogs.” These were the signs on the houses. So black people had it very difficult because you were rated like you were not a human being. Growing up, our parents and people that directed our lives would tell us, you have to work very hard to overcome such system, such a regime. You had to be very skilful. The Windrush people worked hard so that others could come to England.

Benji B

You were born in Jamaica, but which year did you arrive in London?

Jah Shaka

We came into England in 1956.

Benji B

You’re schoolboy age at that time.

Jah Shaka

Very young, yeah.

Benji B

Yeah. What were your first experiences like at school?

Jah Shaka

It was very difficult, as I’m explaining, for black people, because arriving in England at that time [there were] very few black people. The schools might be one or two other families or two other children, black. All the rest of the school is white. If they say, “Go back to your country. We don’t want you here.” Very, very difficult time. Very difficult. The music is what kept the people together, and the good memories of the past where people used to enjoy themselves without having money. Money was not the enjoyment. The enjoyment was to meet other people. For other people to get together, it was a joy.

Benji B

When was the first time that you were enchanted by a soundsystem, and when was the first time you were allowed to touch one?

Jah Shaka

I would speak, I think, before that. I don’t know about the schools in Japan but the schools in England said, “Don’t bring toys to school. No toys to school.” But I got a gift of a mouth organ. I had it in my pocket and I used to take it out in the school, but it was forbidden [to have] toys. So the teacher said, “You know that you’re not supposed to have this – but can you play?” I said, “Yes, I can play.” “Stop the class. Everybody stop. He’s going to play.” So I had to play. That was my first idea that you could entertain people because at the end of me playing, the crowd clapped.

So that will bring us to entertainment. Very early, there was a soundsystem named Freddie Cloudburst in south-east London which was very close to us. At that time, no children or young person [was] allowed to touch equipment. No touch. Because of that and we looking after [the] equipment, polish[ing], the owner of equipment say, “Play records.” So people said I can play. But that crowd at that time were older people. We were young and we are playing to people 50, 60 years old. So we had to know what kind of record to play for older people, not young. Old. Going through that training with Freddie Cloudburst, it served a purpose for us.

Benji B

What kind of records did you have to play for them at that time?

Jah Shaka

All kinds of… you got Nina Simone. You got Tamla Motown with Diana Ross. You got the Temptations. You got groups like the Drifters and people like this in the early days of England, because they didn’t start to make Jamaican music yet at that time. So we were collecting music from America. And the people in Jamaica were listening songs from America. Only one station in Jamaica, Rediffusion, so the people were listening to music from America and getting inspiration to do music in Jamaica. At that time, only one radio station to listen to music. So people were glad that some people like Studio One and other studios were able to provide equipment for singers and musicians to come and play.

Hence, you have a school in Jamaica, the name is Alpha Boys’ School in Jamaica, where a lot of legendary musicians, they grew up in the Alpha Boys’ School. That school was run by a lady named Sister Ignatius, it was a Catholic school. The Catholic people decided to let the children get instruments to learn to play music. You have many great musicians what came up through Alpha, like Tommy McCook, Augustus Pablo and many more people that grew up in Alpha Boys’ School in Jamaica. Listening to American music and English music inspired people to say, “My friend can make music. He’s good singer.” Your friend will say, “Oh, you can sing. You’re good.” And you try to go to studio to put your feelings from the heart. Many songs at that time came from within a soul, within a heart, because it was very important time for our people.

Benji B

Can you talk to us about the concept of soundsystem, having a soundsystem, and a little bit about the hierarchy within the soundsystem – starting off as a box boy and then learning the equipment and making the equipment?

Jah Shaka

As I said, we came through Freddie Cloudburst soundsystem. After that time, we decided to have a soundsystem for ourself which, in that time, because of the difficulty of black people coming to London or coming to England, we had to have something to bring message to people. Therefore, many people at that time were in Black Power, which someone called Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, and other great people were sending messages for the people to be united around the world. Therefore, this transpired to come to London where many people were feeling the pain of suffering, not good jobs, not being able to make money, very difficult.

These messages from these great leaders like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King and such forth gave the people hope. Hope was very important because nothing else was there. You had to only hope for the future and pray for the people, for the future. A very difficult time for our people. Because of this, in those days, because of Black Power, the soundsystem was formed [as] a vehicle for the message. To bring message of peace. To bring people together. You have great leaders, national heroes in Jamaica. I’m sure you have heard of Marcus Garvey, a great leader in Jamaica, [he] would also bring messages to the people. These people are very important. That’s how they become national heroes, because [of] what they stood for, what they believed in, and what they lived by.

Therefore, these things have been handed down that some people will carry on the work. Like for instance, if I come next year, this person might be Minister of Trade. This person might be manager of company, because when you practise something, eventually it will reach somewhere. You set high targets that if you miss, you are still somewhere. You set high targets and if you don’t hit center, you’re still somewhere. This is important. Many messages, like from Martin Luther King and these people, were sown amongst our people for some other person to take the message onto further level. The music helped to do that.

In Poland, the Freedom Party, their messages were spread by reggae. In Poland, the Freedom Party, [there were] messages to help freedom fighters, reggae music. When Bob Marley went to Zimbabwe for independence, [it was] reggae music. It’s very important messages, and also the music helped vocabulary, words. People learned to speak English by listening to music. They learned words. I’ve been in Ghana before. Someone I meet can sing “One Love” by Bob Marley, but can’t speak English. They can sing that song but can’t speak English. When the song is finished, they can’t speak. They learned to speak English around the world through the music.

So it is important not just to dance, but to listen to message. Message is very important to spread amongst the people. I say again, we plant the seeds that it will grow, because you have professors in England and around the world studying about music, what it does for people. Professors in university in England study about music, where it came from. During the studies of the professors that study about music, they want to find out origin of music. When they check all the records to find out, they go back to Africa with the drum. The drum. The Indians used to send smoke signal for message. Someone on a mountain could see message. In Africa, drum is used to send message. The drum speaks. When the professors check everything, they find out the music and the beat from Africa very important. The professors have said this, not just I, studies about culture, about where people come from. Give thanks.

Benji B

You’re considered very much the father of soundsystems in the UK, certainly dub reggae soundsystems, and have gone onto influence so many more. What was the moment where you first started your own sound and, furthermore, how did you find your own musical direction? Because you’ve stayed very firmly true to the dub reggae sound, all the way through the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, to the present day. What was the moment that made you realize that that was the message that you wanted to spread?

Jah Shaka

From early childhood, I played as a musician. We play instruments. From school we are playing the drums. We are playing guitar. We are playing keyboards. Then, you have a part when our parents were in churches in England. Many churches had bands, with choir singing, band playing in the churches. In fact, one of the churches in south-east London was formed in my mother’s house. So we had a early insight of the church. We became very thoughtful about what God wants us to do. What difference can we make in the world today?

We decided at that time, through the movement of the Fasimbas [black political organization] in London, that this would be a way to spread a message to enlighten, to give people more knowledge, because we still see that they say people have five senses. Five senses, they have said. But we think that there is two more senses, which will make seven. Telepathy, where you spread message from mind, and you have intuition. Intuition is you can see far away. Intuition and telepathy will develop your mind. Like for instance, some of the people here would have heard about Beethoven or Mozart or Bach or Tchaikovsky. These are early musicians who write music, written music. Beethoven, they write music. But sometime in Jamaica and in England, people don’t write. They play from memory, from memory. When a band is on the stage to play, you hear the drummer say, “One, two, one, two, three.” No sheet, no read, no read, no sheet. Memory training very important. Practice, preparation, very important things.

Benji B

Do you want to play us a record, any record?

Jah Shaka

Give thanks. Rastafari. I’ll find something to play for you. Just a minute. This is one of our productions. Because Shaka made quite a few albums and 7”s and disco. A lot of CDs we made over the years concerning what we are speaking about. We have made music to give that message. Rastafari.

(music: Jah Shaka – “Promise Dub”)

Jah music. This is dub. Concentrate on the bass mostly. The Bible said, “Praise Jah on the drum and the bass and the sound of high flying cymbals.” This is a dub music. New Testament of Dub, on Shaka label. We are playing from this album, New Testament of Dub. I give thanks and praise to Jah.

(Sings) Jah is good and his mercy is enjoyed forever. Jah is good and his mercy is enjoyed forever. Give thanks and praise unto Jah. I say fi give thanks and praise unto Jah. I say the Jah, Jah maker want Jah Jah maker Jah. Jah Jah maker, Jah Jah maker Jah. Let Jah Jah be your guiding star. I said, Jah Jah be your guiding star. I said that whether you come from near or far or whether you come by bus or car. Let Jah Jah be your guiding star. Let Jah Jah be your guiding star. Love Jah and live I say because if you will die. Love Jah and live you better love Selassie-I. Jah is the light of the world. Jah is the light of the world. Jah is the bright and morning star. Jah is the bright and morning star. Jah is the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. Jah is the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. Jah, Jah, Jah, Jah Rastafari. Jah, Jah, Jah, Jah Rastafari. Jah, Jah, Jah, Jah Rastafari. Jah, Jah, Jah, Jah Rastafari. Jah, Jah live ’pon earth in the united sky. Jah, Jah live ’pon earth you better love Selassie-I. Jah is my guiding star. Jah is my guiding star. Jah is my guiding star.

Inspiration from Jah. Rastafari to the people of Japan. Rastafari. (Applause) Yeah. Rastafari. Jah! Selassie-I. Always give thanks to Selassie-I. Jah!

Benji B

Is that New Testaments of Dub, right? Yeah. I want to show a video of you at The Rocket in the UK if that’s okay with you. I think this is late ‘70s. Have we got video? Yeah, all right. Let me see if I can get this technology right. The quality is really bad but you get the vibe.

(video: Jah Shaka at The Rocket, London)

What’s that? You want to play a message? (To audience) He just told me that’s Dennis Brown’s voice saying “Shaka.” I always wondered.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, Virgin, Dennis Brown.

(music: Roger Robin – “Journey On”)

This song by Roger Robin, I See Jah album. Jah Shaka production. “I See Jah,” Roger Robin. Young singer in London. Thank you.

Benji B

The video that we just watched, what year was that do you reckon?

Jah Shaka

It’s about ‘71.

Benji B

That’s at The Rocket on Holloway Road?

Jah Shaka

I believe, yes.

Benji B

I mean, I didn’t get to come to The Rocket until the ‘90s, but amazingly I came to see you in the same venue over 20 years later, and the same thing fascinates me as what fascinated me in that video. The first thing that happens is you have to get over the physical impact of going into the space and feeling the music, which is a physical experience. Then once you’ve acclimatized to that, I was just fascinated by the equipment. So right now, I want to get technical and for you to start talking to us about the equipment that you built to put together that legendary soundsystem.

Jah Shaka

In the early days, we had ideas of earlier sounds, coming from Jamaican soundsystems, coming from Jamaica to England, and records coming. We had ideas and, because of the topics of freedom of the people, we made certain design. So in the early days, if you had some equipment, it wouldn’t be the same as this person equipment or that person equipment, because you had your preference to how you want it to sound. You had some expert builders of amplifiers because it wasn’t bought in shops. These were built by friends or companions, or close people put you in touch with somebody that could build an amplifier. After the amplifier was built, you had to explain to the builder or engineer what you want to sound like. Do you want your bass here? Do you want your bass there? Do you want your treble here or here or do you want your mid-range here? You had to explain your preference. That made the early days of soundsystems… each soundsystem was unique.

Nowadays, the soundsystems, some amplifiers are bought in shops and it is not custom. So it’s difficult for them to change the equipment. But in the early days, engineers were available, great engineers, to make things that you could tell them, “I want this. I want this. I want it to sound like this.” As I explained before, practising and testing over the years and collecting information and listening to sounds, different sounds, and being a musician. I would explain now to many people that are in Logic and [their] computer making music, it’s very important to know about true sound. When I say true sound, I mean, a drum – what is the real sound of a drum? You have to have the idea of what is a real drum. Although you’re using a computer, you want it to sound real. Therefore, some people will sample real instruments into their computer, real bass drum, real hi-hat, real guitar sample, so when you play your computer, you will get a more true sound. Because the computer is made with certain sounds in it, but to get true sound, you have to adjust. You have to adjust it to get a real sound.

There was an interview with Family Man, who is the bass man for The Wailers, which is a friend of mine also. It’s on the internet, they ask him, “What information would you give to people coming into music now to tell the youth? What would you tell them?” Family Man, bass man from The Wailers, said, “Tell them to study music from the ‘50s and ‘60s and study analog before digital. Study analog.” Family Man says study analog to know about sound, to study about true sound, analog sound. Then when you go onto digital, you have more of an idea. You have more of an idea how to tune your computer for it to sound more real, because not everybody can afford to go to a studio like Red Bull studio. It would cost a lot of money in England for a musician to book this studio. So many people try to make music on their laptop or on their computers. They try to make music about this. So it’s important to learn about analog as well as learning about computer. And when you link the two of them, good sound.

Benji B

Talking of making the most of what you have, can you talk to us about the modifications that you used to make to your amplifiers? What kind of things would you do to make the most of the equipment you had?

Jah Shaka

In the early days, the equipment was very small. We depended more on frequency, not power – frequencies, frequency. We depended more on frequency than the power because the power will only amplify your frequency. Therefore we try to get the frequency of the bass and these things working properly. Again, I speak about the professor at Cambridge University, study about music. He go to many parties, many festival with meter to check decibel, decibel meter, to study about sound. The professor’s conclusion was that bass help the human body bowels, the bowels of the human body. Bass can help the bowels of the body. Not Shaka say, professor say. (Laughter) Shaka only repeat. Not Shaka say, professor. Bass is good for your system, your digestive system.

Also you have people in car crash, in hospital, can’t speak, coma. They call it a coma. They bring iPod, cassette, put music in their ears in hospital bed. They recover, regain senses. Music also is a therapy for people, the human body. There’s elements of music which is like nature for the people. These elements are very important as well, to get these elements into your music when you are making your music, that other people can feel, not just hear. Feel, hear, heart, and feel the beat and then acknowledge what the music is about, what the music does for you. Those things are very important to us.

Benji B

Can you expand a bit on the difference between volume and frequency, because I feel like that’s an important part of the science of what you do, the difference between having loud bass and the right frequency of bass?

Jah Shaka

It’s very difficult to explain. Some bass is very loud, so people (clutching his ear), too loud. Some bass is hertz. Hertz means like rumbling but you don’t hear. It’s very low frequency. Hertz is very, very low frequency. So we try to play the low frequency, which some people think is volume but it’s not volume, it’s a frequency. It would be hard to explain unless you have some equipment where we could show the people what we are talking about. Frequency is whether it’s in mid-range or whether it’s a treble, the frequency is different. For instance then, this cartridge is a magnetic. If you were playing a record now and you take out this cartridge and put a ceramic needle, it’s a different frequency. Still play the record but completely different frequency. So it might be you’d have to adjust this different when you change this needle. It’s adjustment sometimes and what you need to get. People need to study frequency.

Benji B

With that in mind, do you find it difficult when you travel to play on sound systems that aren’t your own soundsystem?

Jah Shaka

Sometimes, but we try our best to do what we have. Sometimes. But we give thanks because some people are only learning. Yeah, so after we leave, they learn a bit more. Next time it’s a bit better. Next time a bit better. We explain and advise.

Benji B

Obviously you’re known very well as a DJ, but what was the moment that made you decide to start creating music as a musician yourself?

Jah Shaka

In the ‘80s there was a time when oil was not so prevalent like now. Oil. In Jamaica, there was a period in the ‘80s and ‘70s where no pressing in Jamaica, vinyl was very scarce. People had to regenerate old stuff to make stuff. There was a time – in fact Bunny Wailer made a record, “Arab Oil Weapon,” because of those times. There was no oil for other people. So we started to put trumpets, saxophone onto old music to be something different at that time, to do different things. Because for one year, no records from Jamaica. You had to make your own records.

Benji B

That’s the reason you started making your own music, to have something to play?

Jah Shaka

Different than other sounds.

Benji B

Yeah.

Jah Shaka

Because soundsystem at that time was very competitive.

Benji B

Tell me about that competition. Tell me about the legendary Shaka and Coxsone [Dodd] clashes.

Jah Shaka

You have all these soundsystems and on the night, everybody want to come out on top of a certain gig. Everybody wants to be on top. We didn’t really enter as clashes really, but the people, when they want to take you on you had to defend yourself. All those soundsystem know that Shaka comes with a message. All of those soundsystems, they know that. Shaka is a message of Rastafari, a message of Jah, a message of goodwill, righteousness, trustworthy, dignity, integrity. They know what we stand for. Shaka sound is built on a principle, not just equipment, principle. They know about Shaka principle. So some people don’t try to clash because we have our principle and we have many supporters over the years, because of the principles what we stand by, how we live.

Benji B

It’s really important to talk about that principle because it relates directly to you sticking to your guns with dub music through the ‘80s. Is it fair to say that in the middle of the ‘80s, dub wasn’t as popular when dancehall emerged and “Sleng Teng” emerged and “slackness” started to emerge in records? It’s important for you to explain that turning point in the music’s history and the music that was coming out of Jamaica, and that decision that you made to stay true to your principles.

Jah Shaka

About ‘83, ‘84, I believe [dancehall DJ] Yellowman came to London to do a show. I believe it was in Edmonton, a place called Pickett’s Lock. It was a very big show. People were thinking, “Bob Marley is not here – who will lead reggae?” People had this thinking in mind. When Yellowman came to England and [there] was a roadblock, police diverting traffic, a lot of excitement, they said, “Well, Yellowman is great.” Therefore, in Jamaica now, more DJs rise up. When you’re at Sunsplash in Jamaica and these big shows, DJ nights were bigger than singer nights because of the excitement and the thing around it. During that [1980s] period of time, we didn’t play those records of that era because it was different than… because it’s good to have a topic, that we don’t have to divert from the topic. I’d like you to find something.

Benji B

Yeah, yeah. Sure.

(video: Unknown)

(Speech from video) People have been left behind in their school work and Whitley and this fine organization is making a difference. This has been an awesome night, hasn’t it? How many of you like Negro spirituals? An old black lady down south showed me something about the Negro spirituals and I want to share it with you. The black folk down south had more sense by accident than some of us have on purpose. You know what I mean? You didn’t hear what I said. I heard an old black lady say, “Son, if the mountain was smooth, you couldn’t climb it.“ Think about that for a minute. She said to me, “Did you know all, just about all Negro spirituals are written on the black notes of the piano?“ This is absolutely true. You can go home tonight and play almost any Negro spiritual. Just play the black notes on the piano. You look skeptical. You can’t see it out there but I want you to watch. Watch. There are five black notes on the piano and those same five black notes just keep recurring. You can go home tonight and play almost any Negro spiritual. Just play the black notes. Watch.

(Plays “Every Time I Feel The Spirit”)

Jah Shaka

Just an insight about music. This man is in America and you can see the mixed multitude of people that are interested in the music. This is America. This man is living in America. It’s very important to know about the keys, the keys on a keyboard and the notes that you use. Shaka really uses minor notes. You have major notes and you have sharps. You have other notes that you can use, diminished notes, but there’s minor notes, which we regard as angelic notes, what is used in music. Minor.

So, like the brothers, their practice is very important to come up with new ideas. There’s seven notes in music, only seven. It’s almost a very high science how many millions and millions and millions and billions of music is made from just these seven notes. Just seven notes in music but billions of songs, different counteractions, different putting together, is completely different. When you are practising, you will find a new way of introducing these seven notes because people have got the skill and inspiration to be able to do this. It’s very important as a subject to keep practising, keep playing, because now they’re using music to advertise on TV, music advertise selling washing machine, selling soap powder, selling chair. Music is selling. To get to the people, they use music. Some people here, I don’t know if the people at the Academy can write music because to write music is another angle within the music, to be able to write the notes on paper. To be able to write the notes on paper, if you make an anthem or a theme song, you are able to register with companies that can use your music in a film or an advert but they would need it written. To write music is another study that probably the Academy can let the people know.

Benji B

We have a pretty amazing studio on the ground floor, which you’ve seen.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, I’ve seen it. Very good.

Benji B

I’m sure I speak on behalf of everyone in the room that it would be amazing if you would, if you have time to come and show us your recording techniques.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, we’ll have to do something.

Benji B

And maybe the basic principles of versioning and of dub as well and your way of doing that.

Jah Shaka

We can work on it. No problem.

Benji B

Does that sound all right? Yeah? Cool. If we have time. I don’t know. Wulf’s the boss but if we have time we’ll do it after this session. Otherwise...

Jah Shaka

We’ll do what we can.

Benji B

We’ll do what we can. Otherwise, we’ll do some more tomorrow. Talking of film, do you mind if I play a clip from Babylon?

Jah Shaka

You can play.

Benji B

Because that was the first time that your system appeared on camera right? Officially. Can you just give us some context on what was Babylon? It was a 1981 film.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, 1981.

Benji B

What was it about?

Jah Shaka

Really the stories, our story really, but the people that lived nearby us saw things that we had done and was able to, [because] they live in the same area, to put something like this together. The whole story is really Shaka’s story.

Benji B

The whole story is?

Jah Shaka

Is really Shaka’s story, really.

Benji B

We’ll just play a bit of this.

(video: clip from Babylon)

You’re going to have to call only two songs tonight. That’s it. Me? Yes, man you. You do it. Good night.

Jah Shaka

Give thanks. That was Brinsley, the other co-star, from Aswad, and myself in the film Babylon from ‘81. Thank you.

Benji B

One of main reasons I wanted to play that clip, apart from it being of course a feature film, is to play those sounds, just to play those sounds, because for the people in the room that haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Shaka, and you will on Saturday, a crucial part of the experience obviously is the mad echo, obviously is the delay, obviously is the reverb, and obviously is the mic. But a huge part of it is a siren that has almost become officially known as the Shaka siren. I thought maybe you could just explain how that came about, how that became such a significant signature of yours working with the siren and the delay, and now there’s even an iPad app that has the word Shaka on the siren.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, Apple has used our name on a product somehow.

Benji B

They didn’t ask, right?

Jah Shaka

No, they didn’t ask. They seem to have sampled. No matter how many sirens have been made, ours is one of the unique sounds. Apple used that one in their program, on their apps. Other soundsystem over the years, many soundsystems, they have a siren like what they saw in the film. Because before this film, many people didn’t know about Shaka before this film. Although I had not met some people, they were able to see from this film equipment what we use. Over the years, it has been inspiring to know that other people have took note of what we were doing over the years and really carrying it on. I’ve also a record here from what my son produced because my son has his own studio. One of my sons, they call him Young Warrior. You can find him on the internet. That’s one of my sons, I have a record here of his production. Should I play?

Benji B

Sure, but just finish that thought about the famous Shaka siren. When did you make your first siren box?

Jah Shaka

When we started. That was about ‘69.

Benji B

Are you feeding it into a delay and then another delay?

Jah Shaka

No, no, just straight into one delay. Normally we use a delay called H&H but it’s very difficult to get it because it runs on a tape loop, not digital. It’s an analog set up so it’s very difficult to get now. It’s like antique, an H&H echo chamber. Maybe you can see it on the internet or things like that. That’s what we were using in that film.

Benji B

What else is in the stack? Tell us what’s in the Shaka stack.

Jah Shaka

You got the general pre-amp is the basic pre-amp, but you also have bass frequencies which you can adapt. Some people call it a parametric. We’ve got a parametric on the bass and a parametric on the top. It’s just simple. It’s not so much things but it’s how you use it.

Benji B

Tell me about the science of how you set up the room? How do you tune a room? When you go on soundcheck and you put the Shaka soundsystem...

Jah Shaka

Like this place now, if you put some boxes there in that corner, there’s an acoustic according to the room. If your speaker was there, you would play it louder than putting it here because the shape of the room and the roof can... Even sometime, if you turn the speaker to the wall, you get more bass by rebound. Over years of studying, when you go into a place like this, you assess where is the best place to put speaker that the people, everyone can hear. We don’t play, like some soundsystem play, with a stack or two stack. We want surround sound, so it surround. Everybody can hear everything.

Benji B

Normally you have four?

Jah Shaka

Four. It’s normally four stacks.

Benji B

So wherever you’re standing...

Jah Shaka

Wherever you’re standing, you get the same sound. If you are playing there now with your amplifier and all your boxes are here, you will turn up more to hear it. That’s not good to us. We need monitor, to monitor the sound from there to here, to have an idea that all of them now will sound equal. That’s part of balance.

Benji B

When I was a kid, I went to some festivals and stuff where there used to be guys in lab coats and it would say, “Sound provided by Jah Shaka.” Do you still rent sound or create sound for other people as well or is it just exclusively yourself now?

Jah Shaka

You know that Young Warrior has his own soundsystem. I think you can show him on the... He’s doing the new generation of dub and he played with Red Bull twice in England, for Red Bull Culture Clash. So there’s things happening. You can show a clip of him I think. I can play his record.

Benji B

All right. Yeah. Just before you do that, tell us about the selector tradition of always having one turntable at eye level?

Jah Shaka

Yeah, well, I always talk about this turntable in this way because that turntable, Garrard, is built during the war time. Those turntable exist between 1945 and 1950.

Benji B

You still use it?

Jah Shaka

Yeah, we still.

Benji B

You’re still using that?

Jah Shaka

We’re still using Garrard, yeah. It’s very old. It’s like antique now. It costs a lot of money on the internet to get a turntable like that because it’s completely different. The arm is completely different from these. You don’t get that feedback to the arm because those turntables were built to play 78 records. You got these turntables on there (points to table), for 33 and 45, but the old Garrard is built for 78 records. Therefore, you got like Nina Simone, “My Baby Don’t Cares for Me,” and all those things on that, [Jesse Belvin’s] “Good Night My Love (Pleasant Dreams),” was originally on 78 records. The early sounds in England used to have to have Garrard, else they couldn’t play them. There were no records yet from Jamaica. But we found out about when you link it up with equipment, it gives it less feedback than any turntable in the world.

Benji B

Oh, really?

Jah Shaka

Yes, less feedback. You can put it on the floor and play it.

Benji B

So you don’t need to isolate it from the...

Jah Shaka

Not so much, no, like other turntables. That’s the reason why we still use it.

Benji B

And the syndrum?

Jah Shaka

Yeah, that’s very important because other people have taken it like the siren but we actually play it like you saw in Babylon film. That was another iconic thing that people saw with us. So we try to develop new things and people see. We test lots of things what we haven’t even used yet, but we test things to know, does it sound good? Test. Test. Test. Lots of different things we test to get right sound.

Benji B

With the vintage and that more archive, old-school equipment, are you still using that because it’s what you know, or are you only using it because you haven’t heard anything that sounds as good?

Jah Shaka

If we make new amplifiers now, it has to be on a par with the old ones because the pre-amp is built to deliver a certain punch. We can use valve amplifiers, build a transistor amplifier to be able to sound like it, because you got an idea what type of sound you want to get. Therefore we can put things in the amplifier on the driving stage to give it a definite sound. So when you turn up, that is the sound you will get. Don’t change. There’s a set frequency which, once we’ve got it, we leave. We don’t keep turning, turning. We leave that frequency there and the treble frequency and mid-range frequency the same.

Actually, you can play any record like that. Sometime you might need a little more treble or a little more bass, according to the record. Some records are made on reissued vinyl. Sometimes the quality is not excellent so you have to have a good pre-amp. In the early days, people didn’t play Studio One records unless you had a good sound. Because the sound on it, the vinyl was crackling on the record (makes hissing sound). To get that out, the Garrard needle used on the Garrard, [there] was already equalization in the needle because of playing 78 record, to get that at that speed. The Garrard turntable was the best to play Studio One on, these early pressings, which were not of high quality.

Benji B

When you’re isolating, when you’re actually playing and you’re isolating the bass, is that an isolator that you’ve made yourself?

Jah Shaka

No. That’s a crossover that’s built in the pre-amp first. We build that into the system.

Benji B

Right, right, right.

Jah Shaka

When other people went to the builder, they said, “Oh, we want a pre-amp like Shaka’s.” Yeah.

Benji B

Yeah.

(music: Young Warrior presents Sista Beloved – “Freedom of the Land”)

This is your son.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, this is produced by my son. The vocal is Sista Beloved. Not just men sing music. Woman sing as well. “Freedom of the land. Every nation wants freedom.” Every nation wants freedom and it’s necessary that every nation has freedom. And everybody wants the freedom because it’s been taken away from them. The freedom to love each other, freedom of speech, movement and religion is a human right. We talk about freedom of the land because human rights are there that everybody wants freedom, no matter what nation you belong to. When you’re free, you’re happy. You’re joyous. And it’s very important you can develop and come up with ideas to progress yourself.

(Turns up music) Young Warrior production. OK, Jah too darn right. Ah, Jah Jah too darn right. Too darn right Jah Jah righteousness. Too darn right Jah Jah righteousness. Freedom. Freedom of Jah land, you know. We have to get freedom some day, freedom with what we want today. Creation. Jah be for creation. Tell it to the nations. Tell it to the nations. Jah be for creation. Equal rights and justice stands for all. Equal rights and justice. All nations want equal rights. Fighting for equal rights and justice for one and all. All nation want freedom. All nations want their freedom. All nations want freedom. Young Warrior productions. Rastafari. (Applause)

Notice the reference on the bass. The notes you are hearing are minor chords, minor chords. Some people who read about music could tell you now what chord this is in. Is it A minor? Is it D? Is it E? Is it F? Is it G? When you study music, you could tell now what key this music is in. There’s much more studies to know about keys, to just listen and know. Is it F? Is it D? Is it E? Is it a minor? Is it a major? Is it a flat? Is it a diminished note? There’s many notes so you have to study about it. Rastafari.

Benji B

Can I play something from the Commandments of Dub album? Early, early Shaka. This is some of your first releases, right? Some of the sounds on this LP must have been the most sampled in UK music sound effects, definitely.

(music: Jah Shaka – “Verse 1”)

You’re playing bass.

Jah Shaka

This is from Commandments of Dub Chapter One. Rastafari. From 1980. 1980 this one, Shaka label, Commandments of Dub. Shaka playing bass on this one. Shaka on bass, yeah. Some of the sound effects from the past.

Benji B

You talked to us about the techniques in the dance, but do you want to talk us a little bit of studio technique when you’re in the studio? What’s your approach in the studio when you’re producing?

Jah Shaka

We go to the studio with a clear mind and leave room for Jah to inspire. You go to the studio [with a] clear canvas and leave room for inspiration and then we come up with ideas which is new because it’s not good to go into the studio all the time to copy somebody’s music what has been done already. It’s good to create your own music, with your own blend and your own notes, your own changes, your own bridges. So we like to do that, to create, create new music from the seven notes.

Benji B

It’s worth mentioning that your label has released music from the likes of Johnny Clarke. Who else? Max Romeo.

Jah Shaka

Horace Andy, Max Romeo.

Benji B

Bim Sherman.

Jah Shaka

Twinkle Brothers, Bim Sherman. Yeah it’s list of... and amongst Vivian Jones, English artists, many of them, Sister Rasheda. Now my son has released four new albums this year. We still work with the community and try to spot talent where it’s possible. If we spot a talent and it’s good, we let that person know and give them more confidence, even if they’re not working with us. To go on to be a success, we try to advise them.

Benji B

With that in mind, are there any selectors or sounds, young sounds, that you think are...?

Jah Shaka

We have a new generation of sounds, which play with my son and they play in England, like Iration [Steppas], and you have Earthquake, another soundsystem which is in that kind of genre, that kind of era. But a lot of the old soundsystems doesn’t really exist again. A lot of the old ones from the ‘60s. You had Duke Reid. You had Coxsone. You have Count Shelley. You have Sir Fanso. You have Fatman. You have Quaker City from Birmingham. A lot of good sounds which help their community at that time. As I was saying, the music was important to keep people together. So you had a lot of soundsystem were played for their people. If they were playing at the dance with you, they could have their friends and your friends would meet and sometime friendly.

It depends between sound men because the sound people have control. If they don’t make noise on the microphone to each other, the people will be all right, if they are not against each other. If we should go in a dance and I say one love to the next sound and the sound said one love back, it would be a peaceful affair and you’re able to put over a message clearly because no preacher has ever been preaching in the church to give a sermon and be interrupted. So sometime if you know a lot of sound is making noise, we don’t really play with sound system, because we want the message to be very clear, so you don’t want too much diversion. Because, you know, some of the soundsystem are playing different type of music. Because we have got our topic from a long time, we continue that role. Jah has inspired us and he gave us this gift and we are honored to be able to play a role in the development of reggae and the development of a generation of people around the world. We are honored to be able.

Benji B

You mentioned community. A lot of your dances would happen in community centers where often alcohol was not served, which means there’s not so much restriction on the license which means that often when you leave, the buses are running again and the tubes are running again and it’s the next day.

Jah Shaka

All night, yeah.

Benji B

All night. How long, as a DJ, how long as a selector would you play for, on average, on a Jah Shaka dance?

Jah Shaka

Sometimes eight, nine hours, sometimes. Sometimes 12. It depends. Sometimes you’re at festivals, big affairs where the people want us to play. The promoter might try to say, “Can you finish?” But the people say, “No, no, no. We want more. We want more.” We play for the people.

Benji B

I remember it was always a known thing that you had to wait until about three o’clock, that was the time where Shaka would open the dubplate box. The dubplate box stays closed until about 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.

Jah Shaka

Yeah, because you’re always had - and people talk about this, because we promote - most of the labels that come out in the world that makes music which is our topic, about God, about his majesty, about truth and rights. We promote all these labels around the world. We do promotion for labels, not just Shaka music. We promote all these other labels. It’s a big list of labels that make roots music what fit our topic. The things I’m saying, there is music that is made. So sometime I look at it to say, the people have helped my subject by making these music. I can get them and put them into my sermon, my message what I’m putting over. So that’s a part of it, that the young youths get promotion.

Because when we started soundsystem, you must know that there was no radio station. Reggae was not being promoted on the radio like now. At that time, the only promotion you had was soundsystem and parties. That was the only way people would know the records from Jamaica. We’ve had many good friends over the years. Some are not with us now, like Gregory Isaacs, a good friend of mine. We were in Jamaica together. We were in London together. There is John Holt, a good friend of mine that maybe I can find a picture on the laptop to show you, John Holt and myself this year, Garance Festival. A lot of people have played a big part in reggae. Sugar Minott, people like this have played a big part.

So we hope that the companies that sell reggae sometime will look back and look at these artists and able to help their families. Because they’ve made big impact on record company, whether Island Records, CBS, EMI, all these labels, Virgin, a big impact was made by these artists in the early days to build these companies to what they are. So we pray that at some time, the companies will able to put something back like Red Bull is doing now because I’ve asked you about it. You said you’re leaving the studio here for the students in the Academy, which is very good that you have left something for them to continue and practice. We give thanks that Red Bull was able to set up this Academy in Japan. Thank you. (Applause)

Benji B

We’re going to open up for some questions from the room but, before we do that, Shaka wanted to play a recording recently made in Edinburgh to give you a little flavor of the... Not recent? We just play any part, right? Yeah. You want me to start it from the beginning?

(music: Excerpt from Jah Shaka Soundsystem featuring Norman Grant)

Jah Shaka

This is a live dance in a place named Scotland in Great Britain. Edinburgh. The singer is Twinkle Brothers’ Norman Grant. The soundsystem we were playing on that night is Messenger from Edinburgh. The club is the Bongo Club in Scotland. Edinburgh.

Benji B

One thing we have to mention is, as we were just talking about, the famous Shaka last tune. And it’s always famous because you always draw some dubplate that everyone has been waiting for about seven hours to hear. It’s also famous because it’s pretty much the only time that you can see anyone, because it’s been so dark up until that point and then the lights come on. There’s a few on YouTube and I can’t find the right one but we’ll just play a random one from the Dome in London to give you an idea of what it looks like at 7:00 in the morning. We’ve got two things going on there. Sorry. My bad.

(video: Excerpt from Jah Shaka soundsystem at The Dome, London)

I feel bad now. I don’t know how many of these people know they’re being filmed. We’ve all been there. There’s a lot of clips where you can actually see Shaka at the controls which are better than this one. I’ll leave you to find those in your own time. But the Shaka last tune is always a special moment. Where are you playing on Saturday? What’s the venue on Saturday?

Jah Shaka

Unit.

Benji B

Perfect. All right. We’ll make sure we’re all going to be at Unit on Saturday, hopefully until the last tune for sure. Have we got any questions, because time is running out and I want to make sure that you get a chance to ask questions to Mighty Shaka? Oh, there you go.

Audience Member

This is quite a humbling experience. I’m a big fan of your work and legacy and also quite a fan of a lot of other British Caribbean hybrids like Mikey Dread and Aswad and through to The Specials and Fun Boy Three. This is kind of a delicate question but I wondered how yourself and the early British black community responded to white people wanting to integrate with your scene and from David Rodigan wanting to do his own soundsystem in Kingston and things like that. Did it flatter you or did you want to protect it?

Jah Shaka

You know that ska was a music that existed long time ago, the music of ska. One of the famous people in it was Prince Buster in Jamaica. Blue Beat Records. Prince Buster made “Judge Dread” and a lot of other songs. When he came to England, it was white people that met him, not black, at the airport. It was white people. We call them at that time skinheads. They wore small pork pie hats, Crombie coats, Doctor Marten boots. They were meeting Prince Buster. So you had a lot of people that recognized from ska music and came in. Even the punk music, they recognized it from the early ska. Many groups like Madness and all these groups that exist, they learned from reggae. UB40, all these big groups, their parents were playing records in parties for them to know, “Red, Red Wine,” all these songs. For them to know, their parents were playing them.

I knew David Rodigan before he was famous. He used to come and listen to soundsystem. We are playing now for 49 years. That’s the length of time, nearly 50 years. Five decades. When Rodigan came, he saw us, sound systems, to know about music. He study about music and some early people in music business. Their names don’t come up often. John and Felicity Hassell. They used to cut dubplates on the machine in a place named Barnes in England. We used to meet David Rodigan there with these people. It was very tight community at that time in reggae. When you had somebody like [mastering engineer] John Hassell, a man named Graeme Goodall, and a man named [producer and arranger] Tony Ashfield, [who was] able to go to Jamaica and put strings, violins and things onto John Holt music. It’s an idea of some producers in London that were able to go to Jamaica with these ideas too. So the ideas still work and it’s carrying on, regardless of who, because the truth carries no color. The truth doesn’t have a color. It doesn’t matter who spoke the truth, it’s if it’s true, and your inside will say it’s true. There is no color barrier within our function in our playing of music. As you can see from some crowd, it’s mixed.

Audience Member

Was that how you felt at the time, like in the early ‘60s and ‘70s?

Jah Shaka

It was very difficult for black people, but when you was good at something, the white people recognized you. When you’re good at something. If you was playing football in school and they said the white guy should pick the team and they knew you were a good footballer, he would pick you first because he wants to win, not because of color. He wants to win. Because you have got that skill, he would put you in his team. So when you’re skilful at something, you are recognized more. You had to work hard to be recognized in those early days. Yeah.

Audience Member

Thank you.

Jah Shaka

OK.

Audience Member

Hi. I’m very moved with everything you’ve shared with us and I wanted to ask you about how your spiritual search has influenced your sound search? How frequencies and that kind of approach to your tools with which you work have informed you.

Jah Shaka

Well, as you have said in that word spiritual, spiritual around us and to accept spiritual understanding and put it into action, not just to know, to put it into action. The topic of Africa, the topic of the Almighty, the most high, Jah, Rastafari, these things are topics which we pass onto people which is very important to me. Rastafari is not just a religion, it’s a way of life. It’s a principle. It’s a way of living. The Bible says, “Do your work to let others see that that might glorify God.” Not the person, for we are just a tool. We are just a tool God uses to get to the people. All of us is tools. You have gifts and you have talent. It’s up to each person to investigate their talent and link it with the spiritual things in life. Link it with nature. Yeah, it’s very important. Nature is a very important subject to link music.

It’s really a science to be able to receive message and transfer message to people. Receive, transfer. Spiritually, that is what gives us the inspiration and the knowledge and the understanding. You can know about the world, but to understand what the world means, it’s a different thing. It’s always investigation. Every day there is something to learn, each and every day, when you’re spiritually linked. Yeah, make sure your mind is clear that you can receive spiritual message to enlighten you, that you can make changes where changes are necessary. Thank you.

Audience Member

OK, so we talked about how bass is good for your body and how you have a message in the lyrics in the music. I was wondering about the role of the siren in your music. I was thinking maybe, tell me if I’m wrong, but it could be like you have a siren on an ambulance to warn people about your message. Is it something in the likes?

Jah Shaka

Definitely. It’s like you’re throwing a spear. Yeah, it’s a warning and it causes people to think. It causes the mind to reflect. Very important. In fact, we were playing with a soundsystem in Brixton before when some speaker was on fire, in Brixton Town Hall. We play the record with the siren to say, “Come quickly,” and it worked. It worked. (Laughter)

Audience Member

Thank you.

Jah Shaka

Yeah.

Audience Member

Hi. Thanks. Hello. I’ve always been interested in how, in hindsight, how easy it is to trace the lineage of reggae from (mimes fast drum beat) and then slowing it down to (slower drum beat) and so on. I was wondering, at the time, how conscious were you of that, and how much did you really see the development happening, or did it seem to arrive in its fully fledged form?

Jah Shaka

In the ‘60s, the music and lyrics were more dance. People were happy dancing. In the ‘70s, it became more message. In the ‘70s, people used to sing about what’s happening to them. Not American songs like you see on the radio and sing back. They used to sing about, “Yes, I met Tom yesterday.” They put that lyrics, or Gregory said, “I gave her the key to her front door.” Somebody like [inaudible] said yes, “I was there the day when you gave her the key.” It’s more reality music in the ‘70s.

You have certain artists that come with messages like Burning Spear, coming from the north coast, like Twinkle Brothers. You have singers what are message singers and you have singers what sing reggae. So you have different branches of reggae, different branches. Now you have dancehall. Now you have bashment, but it’s a different branch. When you have a tree and you break off all the branches, break off all, the root is still there. The roots. Other things are there, but the root is dominant else you don’t have a tree if you don’t have a root. That’s where we are really, to make sure that we’re at the source, the source. Yeah, that’s where we stand.

Audience Member

Thanks, man.

Benji B

Do we have to wrap it up? Yeah? I think it’s time. I’m sorry that we’ve run out of time. I’m sure you’ll join me in saying that was amazing and to give thanks to the Mighty Jah Shaka. Thank you.

Jah Shaka

I’d just like to say something. I don’t know if any students are here. Students of university or college? Two subjects are very important otherwise than music. There are two important subjects; geography and history. It’s very important because you can trace time. You can find out where it happened, when it happened, how it happened and who did it. We can find out these things by studying history and geography to find out where the countries are. Like, when they say Christ came from Bethlehem. Do you know where Bethlehem is on the map? There’s things to find out in geography. Do we know where the Nile began, the river Nile, that people used to use as a road to transport ships to bring to other countries? Abyssinia, the place that it was called before it is called Africa. The place we now call Africa, that shape was Abyssinia before. The history. When you study about these things, that is why now you have students that study in the universities. They are finding out the truth. Nowadays you have the internet and all these things where people can communicate and find out things. But it is how you use what you have found out because everyone has got a talent and a skill. The students going to college, it will be very important for the future of this country and the future of the world. We don’t know what country the next great leader will come from. I’m sure you heard about Marcus Garvey and these people. Gandhi used to be in contact with Marcus Garvey. Elijah Muhammad, which the Muslims speak of, was in contact with Marcus Garvey. The Marcus Garvey philosophy spread amongst many nations. There’s a philosophy that when people stick to those principles, other people will see and it can carry on from generation to generation. Because what I’m speaking about is thousands and thousands and thousands of years of history to come to this stage today. Thousands of years of history. It’s very important that the students keep up the good work in the school and tell the children the same thing because they eventually will take up our jobs. One love. Rastafari.

Benji B

Have you got one song you can play us out with? You’re going to be around tomorrow in the studio. Is that possible? I don’t know if we have time today. We’ll find out shortly because I know that a lot of participants are DJing or performing live tonight. (Inaudible from audience member) Yeah, and if not, maybe we can do something tomorrow. I’m sure we’d all love that if you could come to the control room downstairs. Don’t forget, Shaka is playing on Saturday as well and he’s going to give us something to... I need to hear some more music. I don’t know about you, but just to finish off with. And let’s say thanks once again.

[applause]

(music: Jah Shaka – “My Prayer”)