Du digital, du numérique pour les cavemen

Spécial FISHBONE, ça c'est la 1ère salve, et pour les fans de Blaxploitation, Blaxploitation SICKNESS, la discussion du 29 septembre..la prise de son est hasardeuse, mais l'intention y est..we spread wisdom for the community

What about Louisiana?

Here's the whole itw with David "D Funk" Faulk...enjoy the reading!!! Did you work with Black Menace and Ghetto Twiinz? What happened to them? And PNC (Partners N Crime)? Yes. I worked with all of them. The artists on Big Boy Records back then were G-Slimm, Partners-N-Crime (PNC), Mystikal, Fiend, Black Menace, The Ghetto Twiinz, Elate' and Insane. I played all of the music (guitars, keyboards/piano, bass, etc.) on all of their Big Boy Records album releases. I still consider them all my friends and some of us still keep in touch when we can but so many people have gone their own different ways, you know? Time goes on and people's lives change, they have kids, get jobs, etc... It's hard to believe Partners-N-Crime's "PNC3" CD was around 19 years ago! I remember playing the instruments and us recording those songs like it was only yesterday. These days, Black Menace and Partners-N-Crime are still around. From what I understand, they are more into working with some of the younger up-and-coming rappers, mentoring them and building their own independent record label. I spoke with Mista Meanor (one half of PNC) only 3 or 4 days ago. He was looking for someone to design a logo for their label. I've always been just as much into art (drawings, computer graphics, etc.) as I am with music so I'll try to come up with something they will want to use. As far as The Ghetto Twiinz go, I really don't know much concerning what they are doing these days. Tonya (one of the twins) wound up getting married to DJ Precise but since he and I had a falling-out (see answer to question #10) and don't speak to one another, I don't really know much about their current lives. It's a shame too because I had always gotten along well with Tonya and Tremethia and really enjoyed creating music for them. Do you have an idea/are you aware of the influence of G funk and down south rap on people in France and elsewhere (Europe, Asia...)? Do you know some French rappers or producers: beat makers? I actually had no idea. It's almost like New Orleans is in their own little musical bubble here and most of the people don't realize how much the rest of the world likes (or even hears) any of the music that comes out of this area although I'd assume that whoever is collecting the royalty checks and money from the sales would be well aware of where it's selling. To this day, I don't know much in regards to where the music I created was sold (or is selling). I was royally screwed over regarding all the music I did on those CDs. To this day, I don't receive a single penny in royalties or anything. I was verbally promised that I would be well "taken care of" when the money came rolling in and yet I watched as the owner of the label and the guy who got the producer credits bought Land Cruisers and enjoyed the money from record sales while nothing was ever kicked back to me. Nothing. Zero. After that, I knew I would never work with that label or DJ Precise ever again - and I never have. I have a number of gold and platinum record awards and plaques - all of which I'd happily throw in the garbage if I could have been properly compensated instead. Don't get me wrong though. I still consider the musical content and creativity to be the most important and enjoyable thing. I'll never stop creating, composing or playing. If ever there is an instrument within reach, I'll pick it up and get lost in my own little creative world for a while because of my love for music - not because I hope to make a "hit record" and a ton of money. But no matter who you are, if you created something with someone else only to find out that they not only got paid a huge up-front amount of money for it but that they can sit back while they forever receive royalty checks in the mail at their nice home and driving their expensive cars while you wonder how you're going to pay your next month's rent. Then you find out their plan from the very beginning was to use your skills or talent simply to make themselves rich because they had secretly been copyrighting everything in their name all along. If I sound a little bitter about that - I am. Even with a signed statement by the artist Mystikal (and some other BBR artists who were around in those days) confirming they remember me creating the majority of the music on those CD's, their is a law called the "statute of limitations" which basically states that - in my waiting for him to do the right thing - I waited too long to file the case. The only way around this now is for HIM to contact the copyright and publishing offices and declare that he did NOT produce, write and compose all of those albums by himself... and, of course, that is nevvvvvver gonna' happen. I was all set to bring a guitar, a keyboard, a bass and a drum machine into a courtroom and have them call out the name to any song from any of those albums and I would play 'em right there. Of course, I would then expect him to do the same because his not-being-able-to-play-anything would be proof enough... but I digress... Let's talk about your career, how and why did you decide you would be a musician? Is the name "D Funk" related to D Train? Did you study classical music, jazz? Did you play with soul, funk or rock bands? I guess you could say it had to do with being born into a musical family of sorts. I never studied music and even to this day, I play entirely by ear. My mother used to dance on the stage in Dublin, Ireland where she was born and raised. She was always singing around the house when I was growing up and my oldest brother played in a rock band for as long as I can remember so there was always something musical going on around me I guess. We also had a little upright piano in the house but I didn't have an interest in music at that time yet - but I completely remember the day I wanted to get a guitar and learn how to play. I must have just turned 14 years old and I was hanging out with some guys who were much older than me - like in their early 20's maybe - and they would sit around smoking marijuana and playing their records and tapes and they'd just sit there listening intently. Music wasn't simply a background thing to them. I remember thinking it was strange when I'd go to talk about something and they'd be like,"Shhh. Listen to this song." Anyway, I remember they were playing a song and something was strange about it to my ears. I remember saying,"There's something wrong with your tape or whatever - it's like.. skipping or something..." because I couldn't tap my foot or hand to the beat. They said there was nothing wrong. The band was purposely playing that way! Well, that blew my mind and changed the rest of my life in ways of listening to and understanding music. The band's name was "Rush" and the album was called "Hemispheres". Well, to make a long story short, I soon bought a 2nd-hand guitar from a pawn shop and started out trying to learn songs by Rush and other odd-time progressive rock/jazz fusion music but even though I liked all that intricate stuff, I was a huge Prince fan and really enjoyed anything funky with lots of bass playing and wah-wah guitar effects. "Earth, Wind & Fire", "Cameo", etc.. - were all very influential to my playing style. Then, fast-forward a few years later to when I was 17 years old, I applied at a local recording studio and told them I'd do anything - cleaning up the place, whatever - in order to learn about recording and engineering. Luckily, they took a chance and hired me making $150 per week mostly making digital back-up copies of old reel-to-reel tapes and stuff. In the meantime, I started a band and was creating my own original music. The only music I ever really enjoyed creating with a band was always some weird mixture of funk and progressive rock/jazz fusion. Sometimes during the day at work, I'd be on my lunch-break or something and I would take every opportunity I could get to play the studio's instruments because the owner of the studio had a lot of great vintage keyboards and synthesizers, guitars and basses, a Baby Grand piano and a drum set, etc... It was a dream come true to be around all these instruments every day and really helped me learn and grow musically. Different local rap artists and labels would book time at the studio and eventually they would hear me playing one instrument or another and ask me to play on their songs. There's a ton of those early, early rap records from New Orleans that I was never even credited as playing on. I just saw it as a way to make some extra money while getting my own band going, you know? As far as the name, "D-Funk" goes, it came about by accident actually. Early on while doing the session work for different people, one guy didn't know how to spell my name and what should have been,"D. Faulk" (my first initial and last name), he had typed as, "D Funk". By the time I had seen it, it was already released that way but a few of the rappers I knew said I needed a cool producer name and that I should just keep using it - so I did. I wish I had a better story as to how I got my producer name but it was really just an accident. :) How and why become someone who can play several music instruments? Besides Prince and maybe Bootsy Collins I don't know many of them being in front (and not behind the scene/ in the background). I just genuinely enjoy playing any musical instrument I can get my hands on. Every instrument seems to enable me to release a different aspect of my feelings or emotions. When I play a piano, I tend to play with a lot of dramatic and moody expression whereas when I pick up a bass guitar, my hands seem to naturally gravitate toward a funkier style with all the slappin' and poppin' a bass enables you to do. I mean, you simply can't create the same feeling and sounds on an electric guitar as you would be able to do with an acoustic 12-string guitar. They sound totally different and early on I realized that I didn't want to have to wait for another musician to be available in order to create a complete song. By learning as many as I could, I was able to record myself playing the drums and then over-dub a bass guitar, then a keyboard, then a lead guitar, vocals, etc... whatever you want. A lot of that inspiration came from people like Prince and Paul McCartney who I'd find out later that some of their best songs that I enjoyed so much were actually recorded by them playing all the instruments themselves in the studio. Of course, their bands were needed in order to play the songs live and stuff but it's a great way to really help yourself complete the writing (and recording) of a song without having to wait for other musicians and their schedules to coincide with your own. About the song "Slippin Into Darkness" (G-Slimm) I suppose you know Eazy E also used (well maybe more DJ Yella) WAR song, if you had to compare which one would you choose? Hmm. I don't think I could compare them. I mean, as far as the G-Slimm song goes, basically the "producer" brought a cassette to the studio with a song by War on it and asked me if I could replay each of the instruments. I said sure and he recorded/sampled me playing each instrument while I tried to emulate the same feel and sound that was on the original song. I haven't listened to the song in years but I remember there were two versions of the song. One version had me replaying all the instruments and the other version was simply a sample from the original War song sampled and looped/repeated which G-Slimm rapped over. I think the original version was the one that had the music sampled from the War song. Then, when Relativity was interested in signing G-Slimm as an artist and wanted to re-release the CD, they asked us to add another 4 or 5 new original songs and, due to the fact that you have to pay more to use a sample of someone's music as opposed to if you replay it, they might have then used the version where I replayed the song. In all honesty, I really don't know at this point - it's was so long ago. Still about G Slimm, could you tell us how the song "Four Deuces and Trays" was born, the lyrics, and the beats? Did you take part in the shooting of the video clip? I had no part in the shooting of the video. Due to the fact that the "producer" had always tried to keep my music playing and production work a secret, I was never invited to any of the video shoots. I suppose in retrospect that I could have gone if I sought to do so and everything but I'm not the type of person to just show up somewhere if I wasn't invited. Plus, I'm sure I wouldn't have been included in the actual video. I don't know how much skin color played a part in a lot of decisions back then but me being the only white person with a company that began using slogans like,"Black-owned and Operated" (to follow No Limit Records' lead), I honestly doubt they wanted to show me as the one and only white guy creating the majority of the label's music. The song itself came about the way most all of the songs we were doing at that time came about. The music would be created first, always. Then the rappers would basically take a cassette tape home with them and write their lyrics. When they had their words all worked out, they'd come back to the studio to be recorded. I remember at that time G-Slimm was really influenced by a lot of the west coast music sound and so the music we'd create for him would be done with that in mind. About another famous song, "Y'all Ain't Ready Yet" (Mystikal), how was it conceived/ created? This is a very interesting story and a bit of information that just about no one knows: The bass-line for "Yall Ain't Ready" was actually a bass-line I had been working on for a song my band was going to do called,"Crimson Holds". One day while we were in the midst of creating and recording Mystikal's album, I was in the little kitchen/lunch area in the back of the studio and, as usual, I was practicing and playing some of the songs for my band. I was playing an acoustic guitar and repeating the main bass-line riff when Mike (Mystikal) walked into the area and went,"Whooooo!! What's that?" and began doing this little side-to-side thing with his shoulders he does when he's really feeling the groove of something. He said,"We gotta' use that! Don't forget that." I knew I wouldn't forget it because I had been playing around with that riff for a couple of months already. Well, it was the end of BBR's recording session that day but like 2 days later when they came back to the studio, I remembered how much he liked that bass riff so that was the first thing I played on top of a simple mid-tempo beat just to remind him of it and no sooner did I begin playing it when he (again) went,"Whooooo!! Yeah! That's that thing from the other day! Keep playin' that!" And that was that. I think we just sampled the bass and looped it over the simple beat for him to write and work out his lyrics to it and when he came back to record it, I knew it would be something. I knew people would really feel it. I didn't know it would be his first single but I really liked it a lot. Mystikal liked it so much that he didn't care about the label wanting me to be "in the background", he included my name in his lyrics and at one point in the song say,"Dave, play that funky guitar!" I still remember to this day when the album was about to be pressed up and he had a sheet of paper torn out of his notebook with everything he wanted to have printed in the liner notes of his debut CD. There was a big thank-you section he showed me where he thanked me in detail for all of my creativity and how his album wouldn't have been the same without my guitar, keyboard and bass playing, etc..., etc... When the CD was pressed up and the first box of them were brought to the studio, we all got a copy of course and I couldn't wait to pull the plastic off and open the case to see my little pat-on-the-back. But it wasn't there. Nothing about me except being listed as a "playa" of instruments. As soon as I saw Mystikal, I said,"Mike? What happened to that cool thank-you thing you put about me?" It really meant a lot to me and yet it wasn't there. He said he didn't know why it was excluded so I asked the "producer" (DJ Precise) what had happened. He said,"The place that pressed the CDs said there wasn't enough room and some things had to be taken out." In other words, he lied. Yet for some reason, I continued to believe him. Album after album of music, I saw the one person who was responsible for keeping my name hidden, for blocking me from ever getting a penny of royalty money, etc... - I saw this one person as my friend. Soon, my "friend" would build a small career and name for himself on the music and creativity I put into all of those CDs while I would get nothing. Amazingly, years after it's implosion, the label would try to make a comeback with him producing the music by himself. Take a guess what happened. Nothing. People aren't stupid and they know when something is missing. All of a sudden, every song he did didn't sound anything at all like the hits people were used to hearing from "him" before. Even with trying to hire session musicians to add guitars and basses to his drum loops and beats, it wasn't selling. Am I secretly happy about this? No way. I'm openly thrilled about it. You see, even though he and BBR can no longer use me to fill their pockets ever again on any new music, they still continue to collect royalty money from all of the past recordings and albums we created. And a few years ago when Ja Rule used a sample from one of those Mystikal songs, guess who gets another big new royalty check in the mail. Ten years from now if Burger King decides to use a sample from any of those albums I created and played all of the instruments on, once again I'll continue to receive nothing while this "producer" will be watching for his mailman to come by. Let's talk about the album "Fours Deuces and Trays", how much time did you spend on it? How did you and G Slimm work on it, did you rehearse parts of songs, achieve a track then another, and another, or you wrote the whole ( the beats i mean, not the lyrics), G Slimm would come, listen to one beat, write something, go in the booth and record? The entire album was probably created from start to finish within 4 or 5 months I would guess. Most of the time, we would continue working on instrumentals no matter who was the current artist we were working on. For example, we would be creating the music tracks with G-Slimm in mind and he would be at the studio almost daily to hear what we were creating and he might sit and write lyrics there in the studio or take a rough copy home on a cassette to continue writing but if we were to create an instrumental that he wasn't really feeling to fit him, it wouldn't matter because there was always 6 or 7 other artists or groups who would gladly scoop it up and begin writing their lyrics to use the song for their own CD. Nothing was ever really rehearsed but when an artist would be in the booth and recording their vocals, you could work out some little discrepancies on the spot by stopping the track and saying,"Put more emphasis on that last word." or "It sounds better when you do it a little more laid-back on that part.", etc... Generally, we'd always only record one song at a time so the artist could put all his attention on that one. To have an artist record 2 or 3 songs in one day could tend to make it a bit stiff or "formula" if you know what I mean. These days, it's not uncommon for a lot of the new young local rappers to simply download a bunch of instrumentals from different websites out there and then come to the studio and flip through their notebooks of lyrics and throw some verses on them and they're done. We used to really put a good amount of time and effort into the artists and songs but I don't hear that kind of dedication in many of the artists around these days. I'm not saying there aren't some but many of them just kinda' throw it all together and wonder why they haven't been discovered or signed to a major record label. I've said it before but I think a major difference is that a lot of so-called producers simply produce tracks whereas I like to produce the artist. How do you write in general? Do you sample something ( a guitar riff for example), add some bass, keyboards, drums, or you play the sample (for example "Funky worm" by Ohio Players or "Mothership Connection" by Parliament) with real music instruments ( i mean bass, guitars, drums, not just a computer) and use the result as you want, or you create something from nothing, a bassline, a drum pattern or a guitar riff or some keyboards, and then it leads you to something else and so on and at the end you have the music part? I talk about your work nowadays and also you work at Big Boy records back in the days.... Simply put: I like to use as much live instrumentation as I can and I never sample - ever - unless a particular sample is requested by someone I am working with. That's the way I've always done it and continue to do it today. I'll usually begin by creating a drum beat but sometimes I might start out with a guitar riff or keyboard chord progression and then build all the other instruments around the initial one. It may seem like a simple formula but no keyboard synthesizer or computer program can take the place of holding a real instrument in your hands - in my opinion. I've done a good amount of experimenting with computer programs like Acid and some others but mostly just for their looping and multi-track capabilities. Some instruments leave you no choice but to play them on a keyboard like if you want an orchestra-like section on your song with violins, cello, french horns, etc... (By the way, I was wondering - do you call what Americans call a "french horn" simply "a horn"? Hehee.) There was also DJ Precise in the Big Boy records staff, which was his role ? Did you work together? 11) Are there rappers, or singers you would like to work with? I've mentioned a good bit about him and his role in my answers to some of the other questions. Whenever possible, I choose to refer to him as the guy who was credited as the "producer" (in quotation marks). He's had enough of a life making money from the music we created while I still receive nothing so I avoid using his name whenever possible but basically he'd create or play a drum loop and I would create and play everything else. Rappers or singers I'd like to work with? I'd have to say guys like Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, The Beastie Boys (r.i.p. MCA), Kanye (sans the attitude) because I like people who aren't afraid to try new and different things in their music. I admire the innovators. People who like trying to mix it up a bit and incorporating other sounds into hip-hop music like heavy rock guitar riffs or odd-time signatures, progressive jazz chords and new age ethereal moods, etc... There are so many possibilities. Those are the kinds of things I've always tried to do when creating original hip-hop music. How would you describe Louisiana for foreigners, in general and about music scenes? I have to say that New Orleans is known worldwide as a kind of music mecca but in reality the music scene here probably 85% cover bands doing old blues and dixieland music or top 40 hits. The greatest thing about New Orleans is the food which has a lot of french/cajun seasoning and spices, etc... It's best to come to New Orleans and eat but musically its a struggle for anyone to make it out of here doing original music. If you had to compare yourself ( the way you write songs/music) to Cold 187um ( Above The Law), Erick Sermon, DJ Quik, Khayree, RZA, The Bomb Squad, what would you say? Of those you mentioned, I have to acknowledge DJ Quikk as someone I very much admire. From what I understand, he is a real musician and his rap tracks always showcase that too. Other than that, I really couldn't compare myself to anyone else because I think I have my own way of creating and the majority of my influences are musicians that most people have never heard of: Allan Holdsworth, Return To Forever, Mattias IA Eklundh, Steve Vai, Mike Patton, John Zorn, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, The Dregs, etc. I think that my influences being as they are has got to affect the way I think in terms of creating music and the fact that I do a lot of hip-hop and rap music wouldn't make a lot of sense to many people but there is so much great music out there. I don't understand how anyone can just listen to the radio as their main source for hearing new or interesting music. I think the majority of the greatest music and musicians out there will never be heard on the radio - which is a shame. What is David "D-Funk" Faulk up to nowadays? 14) Something to add? Struggling and trying to make it. Hehee. I'm currently working on my own debut solo CD of all original music featuring myself playing all the instruments. I have a website that needs some serious updating which will hopefully be completed by the time this interview is printed. Other than that, I'm still recording and producing other artists. I've been lucky enough to work with some great people since my Big Boy Records days. I produced a song for George Clinton with myself on all the instruments, did some assisting / engineering for Lenny Kravitz and Glenn Tilbrook (of Squeeze), recorded and mixed the artist Tricky for a remake of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" (Verve: Remixed) and some other things. I'm always looking to be involved with new and unique projects so if anyone your way is interested, these days it's easy to collaborate and create music by sending stuff back and forth through the internet. - David "D-Funk" Faulk DFunkFaulk@aol.com | MY WEBSITE - Divergent Recordings | (504) 296-1004

Sunless Friday...some rain too!

Et oui, FISHBONE était de passage dans cette charmante et culturelle ville de province que l'on nomme, Joey Joey Starr, mais j'ai pas fait 500 mètres que les...petit moment d'égarement..que l'on nomme Tours, plus exactement Chambray-les-Tours, la banlieue ouest ou nord ouest, sans Booba, Ali et les cohortes des Hauts de Seine, ce qui fait que le hiphop local ne repose pas en paix (en tout cas pas celui de basse qualité mais c'est une autre histoire...)..comme me l'a fait remarquer plaisamment un collègue d'instrumentations sonores, que gagnait-on avec le tarif plus élevé du "ticket"? Steeve O ou un autre clerc du Jackass crew qui surgit de sa boîte en disant "Got punked, mother f**ker!!!!" Enfin bon, Angelo Moore, Norwood Fisher et Cie étaient bien là, en rouge ( ça passe, Chambray n'a pas été colonisé par Snoop Dogg, Eastsidaz, Dogg pound, LBC crew, donc n'est pas encore un territoire CRIP :-)), en vedette américaine pour Mass Hysteria...on en reparle plus tard, et on salue le clavier ( funny guy, qui non seulement se permet de se moquer de moi, mais plonge de temps en temps dans la foule)..Red party at Chambray, fallait y être, j'espère que c'était le cas pour vous!!

Blaxploitation Sickness contest: correction des copies

Voici les réponses que j'attendais aux 7 questions... 1) Pierre Rousselet est PARANO REFRE, non seulement présentateur de "Blah Blah rap" sur MCM mais également rapper du groupe Tout Simplement Noir ( fallait me dire au moins tout ça) 2) Le principal compositeur ( sauf mention du contraire par les spécialistes) du morceau "Maggot Brain" est le guitariste voire lead guitar player EDDIE HAZEL ( en tout cas c'est la réponse que j'attendais) 3) on pouvait citer "Ebony, Ivory and Jade" ( Rosanne Katon), "Coffy" ( Pam Grier), "Melinda" ( Rosalind Cash), " TNT Jackson" ( Jeanne Bell), "Sugar Hill" ( Marki Bey), " Darktown Strutters" ( Trina Park+les 2 autres actrices)...etc... 4) l'influence de la voix off ( trailer anglo-saxon) = RUDY RAY MOORE aka DOLEMITE ( n'est-ce pas Bullhorn?) 5) le lien entre les Boondocks et "Black Dynamite", c'est que la version animée de B.D. est assurée par ceux qui ont bossé sur le dessin animé "The Boondocks" ( les aventures de Riley & Huey, et de leur grand-père) 6) le film qui a donné lieu au terme "Blaxploitation" c'est "Superfly" ( terme créé par Julius Griffin en 1972, si je me souviens bien) 7) 4 femmes importantes dans la vie politique afro-américaine, Fannie Lou Hamer, Kathleen Cleaver, Betty Shabazz, Coretta Scott King, Assata Shakur, Rosa Parks, Angela Davis, Nina Simone... On reviendra sur l'opération Blaxploitation/ Blaxploitation Sickness event plus tard...mais ceux qui n'étaient pas là le 29 ont raté quelque chose ( "Black Dynamite" on peut toujours acheter une copie du film), je vous le dis...il y a des enregistrements pirates (semi-officiels quand même) qui vont circuler, wait and see !

Interview with David "D Funk" Faulk

( it's just a part of it...if you want to read more, you have to be patient :-)) 1) Did you work with Black Menace and Ghetto Twiinz? What happened to them? And PNC (Partners N Crime)? Yes. I worked with all of them. The artists on Big Boy Records back then were G-Slimm, Partners-N-Crime (PNC), Mystikal, Fiend, Black Menace, The Ghetto Twiinz, Elate' and Insane. I played all of the music (guitars, keyboards/piano, bass, etc.) on all of their Big Boy Records album releases. I still consider them all my friends and some of us still keep in touch when we can but so many people have gone their own different ways, you know? Time goes on and people's lives change, they have kids, get jobs, etc... It's hard to believe Partners-N-Crime's "PNC3" CD was around 19 years ago! I remember playing the instruments and us recording those songs like it was only yesterday. These days, Black Menace and Partners-N-Crime are still around. From what I understand, they are more into working with some of the younger up-and-coming rappers, mentoring them and building their own independent record label. I spoke with Mista Meanor (one half of PNC) only 3 or 4 days ago. He was looking for someone to design a logo for their label. I've always been just as much into art (drawings, computer graphics, etc.) as I am with music so I'll try to come up with something they will want to use. As far as The Ghetto Twiinz go, I really don't know much concerning what they are doing these days. Tonya (one of the twins) wound up getting married to DJ Precise but since he and I had a falling-out (see answer to question #10) and don't speak to one another, I don't really know much about their current lives. It's a shame too because I had always gotten along well with Tonya and Tremethia and really enjoyed creating music for them. 2) Do you have an idea/are you aware of the influence of G funk and down south rap on people in France and elsewhere (Europe, Asia...)? Do you know some French rappers or producers: beat makers? I actually had no idea. It's almost like New Orleans is in their own little musical bubble here and most of the people don't realize how much the rest of the world likes (or even hears) any of the music that comes out of this area although I'd assume that whoever is collecting the royalty checks and money from the sales would be well aware of where it's selling. To this day, I don't know much in regards to where the music I created was sold (or is selling). I was royally screwed over regarding all the music I did on those CDs. To this day, I don't receive a single penny in royalties or anything. I was verbally promised that I would be well "taken care of" when the money came rolling in and yet I watched as the owner of the label and the guy who got the producer credits bought Land Cruisers and enjoyed the money from record sales while nothing was ever kicked back to me. Nothing. Zero. After that, I knew I would never work with that label or DJ Precise ever again - and I never have. I have a number of gold and platinum record awards and plaques - all of which I'd happily throw in the garbage if I could have been properly compensated instead. Don't get me wrong though. I still consider the musical content and creativity to be the most important and enjoyable thing. I'll never stop creating, composing or playing. If ever there is an instrument within reach, I'll pick it up and get lost in my own little creative world for a while because of my love for music - not because I hope to make a "hit record" and a ton of money. But no matter who you are, if you created something with someone else only to find out that they not only got paid a huge up-front amount of money for it but that they can sit back while they forever receive royalty checks in the mail at their nice home and driving their expensive cars while you wonder how you're going to pay your next month's rent. Then you find out their plan from the very beginning was to use your skills or talent simply to make themselves rich because they had secretly been copyrighting everything in their name all along. If I sound a little bitter about that - I am. Even with a signed statement by the artist Mystikal (and some other BBR artists who were around in those days) confirming they remember me creating the majority of the music on those CD's, their is a law called the "statute of limitations" which basically states that - in my waiting for him to do the right thing - I waited too long to file the case. The only way around this now is for HIM to contact the copyright and publishing offices and declare that he did NOT produce, write and compose all of those albums by himself... and, of course, that is nevvvvvver gonna' happen. I was all set to bring a guitar, a keyboard, a bass and a drum machine into a courtroom and have them call out the name to any song from any of those albums and I would play 'em right there. Of course, I would then expect him to do the same because his not-being-able-to-play-anything would be proof enough... but I digress... 3) Let's talk about your career, how and why did you decide you would be a musician? Is the name "D Funk" related to D Train? Did you study classical music, jazz? Did you play with soul, funk or rock bands? I guess you could say it had to do with being born into a musical family of sorts. I never studied music and even to this day, I play entirely by ear. My mother used to dance on the stage in Dublin, Ireland where she was born and raised. She was always singing around the house when I was growing up and my oldest brother played in a rock band for as long as I can remember so there was always something musical going on around me I guess. We also had a little upright piano in the house but I didn't have an interest in music at that time yet - but I completely remember the day I wanted to get a guitar and learn how to play. I must have just turned 14 years old and I was hanging out with some guys who were much older than me - like in their early 20's maybe - and they would sit around smoking marijuana and playing their records and tapes and they'd just sit there listening intently. Music wasn't simply a background thing to them. I remember thinking it was strange when I'd go to talk about something and they'd be like,"Shhh. Listen to this song." Anyway, I remember they were playing a song and something was strange about it to my ears. I remember saying,"There's something wrong with your tape or whatever - it's like.. skipping or something..." because I couldn't tap my foot or hand to the beat. They said there was nothing wrong. The band was purposely playing that way! Well, that blew my mind and changed the rest of my life in ways of listening to and understanding music. The band's name was "Rush" and the album was called "Hemispheres". Well, to make a long story short, I soon bought a 2nd-hand guitar from a pawn shop and started out trying to learn songs by Rush and other odd-time progressive rock/jazz fusion music but even though I liked all that intricate stuff, I was a huge Prince fan and really enjoyed anything funky with lots of bass playing and wah-wah guitar effects. "Earth, Wind & Fire", "Cameo", etc.. - were all very influential to my playing style. Then, fast-forward a few years later to when I was 17 years old, I applied at a local recording studio and told them I'd do anything - cleaning up the place, whatever - in order to learn about recording and engineering. Luckily, they took a chance and hired me making $150 per week mostly making digital back-up copies of old reel-to-reel tapes and stuff. In the meantime, I started a band and was creating my own original music. The only music I ever really enjoyed creating with a band was always some weird mixture of funk and progressive rock/jazz fusion. Sometimes during the day at work, I'd be on my lunch-break or something and I would take every opportunity I could get to play the studio's instruments because the owner of the studio had a lot of great vintage keyboards and synthesizers, guitars and basses, a Baby Grand piano and a drum set, etc... It was a dream come true to be around all these instruments every day and really helped me learn and grow musically. Different local rap artists and labels would book time at the studio and eventually they would hear me playing one instrument or another and ask me to play on their songs. There's a ton of those early, early rap records from New Orleans that I was never even credited as playing on. I just saw it as a way to make some extra money while getting my own band going, you know? As far as the name, "D-Funk" goes, it came about by accident actually. Early on while doing the session work for different people, one guy didn't know how to spell my name and what should have been,"D. Faulk" (my first initial and last name), he had typed as, "D Funk". By the time I had seen it, it was already released that way but a few of the rappers I knew said I needed a cool producer name and that I should just keep using it - so I did. I wish I had a better story as to how I got my producer name but it was really just an accident. :) 4) How and why become someone who can play several music instruments? Besides Prince and maybe Bootsy Collins I don't know many of them being in front (and not behind the scene/ in the background). I just genuinely enjoy playing any musical instrument I can get my hands on. Every instrument seems to enable me to release a different aspect of my feelings or emotions. When I play a piano, I tend to play with a lot of dramatic and moody expression whereas when I pick up a bass guitar, my hands seem to naturally gravitate toward a funkier style with all the slappin' and poppin' a bass enables you to do. I mean, you simply can't create the same feeling and sounds on an electric guitar as you would be able to do with an acoustic 12-string guitar. They sound totally different and early on I realized that I didn't want to have to wait for another musician to be available in order to create a complete song. By learning as many as I could, I was able to record myself playing the drums and then over-dub a bass guitar, then a keyboard, then a lead guitar, vocals, etc... whatever you want. A lot of that inspiration came from people like Prince and Paul McCartney who I'd find out later that some of their best songs that I enjoyed so much were actually recorded by them playing all the instruments themselves in the studio. Of course, their bands were needed in order to play the songs live and stuff but it's a great way to really help yourself complete the writing (and recording) of a song without having to wait for other musicians and their schedules to coincide with your own.

Essonne G Funk

Mr "L'Heure Du Crime" aka G WAX le Parano G vous présente sa nouvelle oeuvre Enjoy!

Louisiana G Funk...in the 90ies

Alors qu'un certain album, "Four Deuces and Trays" est réédité par Big Boy Records, Il serait bon de regarder "behind the music", dans les coulisses, qui faisait quoi... David "D Funk" Faulk a travaillé sur cet album de G-Slimm, interview à suivre....David Faulk

Concours Blaxploitation: les questions

Roulement de Tambour, alleluia, they call him Casper...voici les questions !! 1) Qui est Pierre Rousselet ? 2) Citer le principal compositeur du morceau "Maggot Brain" de FUNKADELIC... 3) Citer 4 films Blaxploitation dont le personnage principal est une femme, attention il faut au moins deux actrices différentes ( correspondant aux 4 films cités), selon la règle Wonder B 4) Quelle est l'influence de la voix off ( j'attends un nom précis, si j'en dis plus je donne la réponse) du trailer anglo-saxon de "Black Dynamite"? 5) Quel est le lien entre les "Boondocks" et "Black Dynamite"? 6) Quel est le film qui a donné lieu au terme "blaxploitation"? 7) Citer 4 femmes importantes dans la vie politique noire américaine dans les années 50, 60, 70 (exemple, pour les années 2000 on peut citer Condoleezza Rice, Maxine Waters, Cynthia McKinney, Michelle Obama(encore que...)....) Comme vous le voyez, il y a des questions ouvertes, et d'autres très fermées. A vos plumes, à vos mails, et que le plus rapide gagne ( ou la plus rapide)!! Attention, changement de dernière minute, l'adresse pour répondre ce sera blaxploitationsickness (at)yahoo.fr!!!

Concours OPERATION BLAXPLOITATION

Vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que les 28 et 29 septembre, du côté de la Médiathèque François Mitterrand ( Black Kermit?!)ce sera le retour de la Blaxploitation avec le film "Black Dynamite", le documentaire "Classified X" et les "conférenciers" Maboula Soumahoro et Parano Refré aka Pierre Rousselet. A cette occasion, l'avant-garde éclairée du Maggotisme lance un concours dont voici l'ébauche de règlement * je décrète unilatéralement que le concours a démarré le 15 août et se terminera au plus tard le 20 septembre à 19h * Il y a 7 questions ( vous en avez déjà vu 2, et bien sûr les réponses de Wonder B sont caduques à partir d'aujourd'hui...et toutes les autres puisqu'il y aura des conditions spéciales à voir plus loin) * le gagnant ou la gagnante est celui ou celle qui propose le maximum de bonnes réponses, le plus rapidement ( d'où le "au plus tard" mentionné plus haut) *on répond par email, adresse figurant sur le post d'après, en précisant "Concours Opération Blaxploitation", et pas sur le forum Funk O Logy (ou alors en mp éventuellement) * comme je disais plus haut ( mais j'ai le droit de me répéter, en tant que maréchal président élu au suffrage universel après un coup d'Etat), le plus rapide, ou la plus rapide, à donner le maximum de bonnes réponses a gagné *s'il y a des ex-aequo, on fera un tirage au sort( sans huissier mais avec la bénédiction de Black Dynamite) * à gagner: 1 affiche A2 "Blaxploitation Sickness"+un exemplaire de FUNK U #15+surprise *dans l'idéal, le gagnant ou la gagnante vient chercher son lot les 28-29 septembre à Tours Nord, mais on prévoie des dérogations si la personne est suffisamment convaincante Quelques liens utiles...FUNK O LOGY pour commencer, Opération Blaxploitation et bien sûr BADAZZMOFO

BIG HUTCH STATEMENT ABOUT THE PASSING OF K.M.G. From the words of Gregory F. Hutchison, a.k.a. Big Hutch (Cold 187um), “I would like to thank everyone for their condolences during this unexpected difficult time for myself, the group Above The Law, as well as our families and close friends. I had received a phone call Friday night, July 6th, that KMG had collapsed in the shower from an apparent heart attack, but that fact is to be determined after we get the autopsy report. There was no foul play involved and my dear friend KMG’s death was simply by natural cause. It is shocking and tragic to all of us because he showed no symptoms that he was suffering from any type of heart disease or any type of other illnesses. Plus, I was just on the phone with him and Total K-OSS a few days prior discussing the new Above The Law album and my upcoming solo release with Psychopathic Records. We were further discussing, as Above The Law, it was time to move on the with the project and were coordinating plans to do so; then this had happened. I also would like to thank everyone for their patience in me responding to media and other close online publications. KMG and I, as you all know, go way back since the best years of Ruthless Records and prior. He has been my right hand man along with Total K-OSS and his abrupt passing was just totally unexpected and shocking to all of us. I personally have been in a daze since receiving the news and I just needed some time to myself and to put things back into perspective so I can re-focuse on the commitments and obligations I have to music and Hip-Hop. If I hear anything else that our fans need to know, I will indeed inform the powers to be and get that information out to everyone. Once again, thank you everyone for your caring concerns and the love you still have for KMG, myself, and Above The Law after all these years. And as with Eazy, we will continue to keep his memory and legacy alive through music.” ~ Big Hutch

KMG, repose en paix...pour les novices, KMG était membre du groupe de Pomona ABOVE THE LAW (avec Big Hutch aka Cold 187um, DJ K Oss, et des "démissionnaires" comme Gomack, Laylaw, Kokane) Un peu de lecture

Vraiment... vraiment... RIEN DE BON SUR LA FM!!!! un teaser de ce qui pourrait devenir un bouquin aussi touffu que "Gangsta Gumbo" ou "Vibrations jamaïcaines"... Pour EJM le gangsta rap, c'est l'héritage de l'ambiance Blaxploitation, les livres de Donald Goines & Iceberg Slim, le côté "cinéma" de NWA, Too Short, Compton Most Wanted. Le G Funk c'est plu de chant ( Kokane, Nate Dogg), et des musiciens sont impliqués ( exemple DJ Quik), sur la côte Est on va apporter un bassiste,ou un guitariste, pour un beat lourd, sur la côte Ouest c'est un tout, plus musical , plus mélodique. Paraît que Dr dre a voulu signer sur [un label de ] la côte Est, on lui a refusé ses maquettes (...) Les particularités West, l'ambiance déjà, les lowriders, la voiture qui rebondit, et la danse qui suit, laidback, les mains qui "suivent", le rebondissement de la voiture, et en parallèle la danse des gangs, et les signes qu'ils font pour "coder", parler sans être compris des non initiés -> C walk ou B walk (...) Particluarités WEST aussi, c'est dangereux au sens où, il ne faut pas se perdre dans le hood sinon tu débouches sur un coin où il y a une fusillade et tu prends une balle perdue, ou tu débouches dans le barrio, et les Latinos détestent les Noirs, donc pareil, cercueil. Et il fait chaud donc pas de doudoune, mais truc léger comme les Dickies, pantalons courts, T shirts, et surtout couleurs neutres (...) pour éviter les ennuis. Une anecdote, il voit 2 Noirs et 2 latinos (entre 8 et 12 ans) qui vot jouer sur un terrain de basket, chacun de son côté, et ils ne se parlent pas, "apartheid" quoi --> et en revenant ( en France) il a écrit des textes comme "Elément dangereux". A Vitry, les gens ont accroché, sur le côté festif du G Funk ( barbecue, réunion de potes), et aussi le côté description de la réalité du quartier, les problèmes des gens.NWA, Above The Law, ca tournait ( il fredonne "Untouchable"), DJ Quik moins EJM se définit comme un MC de rue, street lyricist, on raconte ce qui se passe, comme MC Eiht notamment. Il écoutait le son de la Bay Area ( Spice 1, Too Short, le Dangerous Crew (au début des 90ies)) avant de plonger dans le son de Dr Dre. Selon lui, les1ers à avoir fait du G funk en France c'est TSN, ils ont fait venir des musiciens, et ça chantonne un peu. A Vitry ça n'a pas trop pris mais à Sarcelles....(et dans le 78, précise son acolyte). Et (selon EJM) c'est EAZY E qui a apporté l'image "gangster", la casquette, els armes, les voitures, le fait de marcher en bande, un aspect "cinéma", "classe" ( EJM) Ce qui m'a marqué[à propos de la culture hiphop, années 80], c'est qu'on avait cette image de Noirs américains, qui avaient une vraie place dans la société, des signes extérieurs de richesse, une espèce de fierté, un côté contestataire aussi, qu'on avait en commun (...) TSN, c'est un autre parcours, on a tout fait par nous-mêmes. Nous on était dans notre coin, autonomes (...) J'étais plus inspiré par des groupes US, comme LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Schoolly D (...) Déjà on se sentait plus proche de Ministère AMER que de NTM, qui nous paraissait plus "rock" à l'époque. NTM est un groupe qui a fait des rencontres, qui faisait partie d'un collectif, et dans ce collectif il y a Rockin' Squatt, fils Cassel, donc showbiz, on leur a tendu des perches.NT%M, ce n'est pas le rap qu'on aimait, nous on aimait le rap un peu "gangsta", le rap de L.A. (...) NTM c'était très "rock" , avec le Renoi avec un côté un peu disjoncté et Kool Shen le côté intellectuel, plus posé, le mélange de Noir et de Blanc..Nous, on n'était pas ça, un groupe de rap nommé Tout Simplement Noir, on avait des revendications, envie de faire connaître notre culture, de montrer notre différence et de l'affirmer, et de la dédramatiser...parce que le rap avait une hyper mauvaise image, c'était "gang, dépouille, voyou, violence" (...) Et on faisait l'amalgame "Noir=bande"... Nous (TSN) on voulait casser ces clichés... [sur les influences californiennes] C'est NWA, voilà, faut pas aller chercher trop loin , c'est Eazy E, tout ce côté Ruthless, The DOC, CPO, tous ces groupes à l'ancienne, Ice T, Ice Cube, ce côté "noir", comme il y avait à NY... sauf que eux revendiquaient leur environnement, quoi. Et c'étaient des mecs de quartiers défavorisés, comme dans le Bronx certainement, mais qui mettaient pour références les dealers de drogue, les maquereaux, et à Paris on avait ça aussi (...) le côté "peace, love, unity and having fun", c'était pas trop mon délire, parce que ce n'était pas (trop) la réalité de ce que j'ai pu vivre, tu vois?(...) [sur les films comme "Boyz 'N'The Hood" ou "Menace II Society"] C'était énorme, vraiment énorme! Parce que... on avait l'impression que...on avait en film, nos vies...enfin, même si c'est empreint d'images et de clichés américains, mais bon, voilà, nous on avait à peu près la même vie , des armes, il y en avait autour de nous, des meurtres on en a connu (...) l'alcool, la jeunesse, avec des femmes, et tout ça...ouais, on a kiffé (...) C'étaient des Noirs qui étaient portés à l'écran, et on n'en avait pas l'habitude, on avait plus les Rambo, les Stallone, des choses comme ça, et rarement les gens comme nous, finalement (PARANO REFRE, TSN) [Sur ses apparitions dans "Boyz 'N The Hood" et "Menace II Society", comment expliquer que lui a eu ces rôles et pas Hi-C, DJ Quik, Snoop ou Eazy E] J'ai eu de la chance, les metteurs en scène, les frères Hughes étaient des potes, ils ont grandi à Pomona, qui est près de Compton. A l'époque ( 91-92) il n'y avait pas beaucoup de gangsta rappers (en tout cas connus), donc eux c'étaient des étudiants, ils venaient d'avoir leur diplôme, ont obtenu le deal pour faire le film ( "Menace II Society"), ils connaissaient mes clips, donc ils ont contacté mon entourage, on s'est rencontrés, et voilà. Le courant est passé et j'ai obtenu un rôle. Pour "Boyz'N The Hood", c'était un hasard, il se trouve que je trainais dans le coin avec Ice Cube, sur les lieux du tournage. John Singleton en fait, était un fan de mes trucs, il m'a offert de participer au sound track, la BOF, et puis il m'a offert une apparition [pour les novices, la scène du barbecue avec entre autres, Yo Yo, Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr, Nia Long...et belle tirade misogyne du "ni**a you love to hate"]. Un bon début pour ma carrière d'acteur! (...) A l'époque aucun (gangsta) rapper n'était acteur, Ice Cube démarrait, il y avait 2Pac dans "Juice". En fait, c'est une chance que les réalisateurs soient fans et m'aient donné ma chance, justement, d'être acteur, ce n'était pas calculé, mais (très) spontané au contraire. Et ça m'a donné une [bonne] exposition médiatique. Jouer A Wax ("Menace II Society") c'était facile, parce que je connais cet environnement, ces quartiers, ces gens qui y vivent, j'en fais partie [Spice 1] Je l'ai rencontré au moment du film " Menace II Society". Spice 1 était signé chez Jive, et la bof du film était sur ce label aussi. J'ai produit mon morceau "Streiht Up Menace", et comme il a été choisi comme single principal, Jive Records m'a contacté et m'a dit que Spice 1 préparait un album ( son 3eme), et le label voulait que je sois dessus. Donc on nous a envoyés, DJ Slip et moi, à Oakland, au studio où enregistrait Spice 1, c'est là que je l'ai rencontré, et on est potes depuis. Jive a adoré "The M%urdershow", le morceau avec Spice 1, et comme il y avait le buzz sur moi par rapport au film, ce titre a été choisi comme single de l'album 187 He Wrote" [South Central Cartel] Comme Compton Most Wanted, on a démarré en même temps , de jeunes rappers qui veulent se faire une place. Je connais bien Havikk "The mouth piece", CMW et SCC avaient le même avocat, et comme je connais bien Russell Simmons, qui était un fan de "Menace II Society", on a eu des opportunités de soundtracks via Def Jam etc...En fait tous les groupes West Coast du début des années 90, je les connais bien, on a de bonnes relations, on s'entraide... [Impact sur l'Europe] Lorsque je suis venu en Europe [en tournée], en 1992 [j'ai vu que] tout le monde connaissait les textes, les albums de CMW, en Scandinavie par exemple, notamment "Music To Drive By". Donc là je me suis rendu compte que le hiphop était mondial, pas seulement un truc qu'on connaît à Compton, Houston ou New York. Parce qu'à l'époque ce qui marchait c'étaient les Geto Boyz, NWA, EPMD, Public Enemy, CMW [CMW et composition] DJ Slip était le producteur, DJ Unknown avait un petit label (...). Cela dit, je pouvais apporter des vinyles, choisir tel morceau de tel groupe et dire à DJ Slip "faut sampler tel ou tel truc" [ The Source, couverture Scarface, MC Eiht, Spice 1] ils faisaient en fait une série de numéros sur le "reality rap", parce que le gangsta rap avait mauvaise réputation à l'époque, la brutalité policière, le deal de drogue, et en plus il y avait beaucoup de négativité, des beefs. Donc The Source a décidé de faire des trucs là-dessus. Nous, on refusait le terme "gangsta rap" parce qu'on ne glorifiait pas le gangstérisme, nous faisions du "reality rap", on parlait de là d'où on vient et nos expériences (lutter pour survivre). The SOURCE nous a permis de nous exprimer, de donner notre point de vue. On parle de ce qu'on voit, on ne dit pas "nous sommes Untel de tel gang" mais "nous vivons dans un endroit où il y a des gangs, du deal de drogue etc...". Ca a été positif parce que les gens ont pu avoir un éclairage différent. (MC EIHT) [La composition] je joue de la trompette, de la basse, du piano (...) 85% de ce que tu entends sur les disques d'Above The Law, c'est mon oeuvre. Cela dit, si des musiciens, une pièce remplie de musiciens, sont présents, c'est le top aussi, j'adore collaborer avec [d'autres] instrumentistes... [le classique "Black Superman"] Avec "Uncle Sam's Curse" on voulait faire des morceaux sombres, et puis on s'est demandés "qu'est-ce que c'est ou qu'est-ce que ça pourrait être, un super héros noir", qu'est-ce que ça signifie? Un super héros noir pourrait être "a bad man", ou alors quelqu'un qui s'occupe de sa famille, de son entourage quoiqu'il arrive. Tout dépend de la façon dont on voit "la malédiction de l'oncle Sam" ( BIG HUTCH, Above The Law) Do you want more? let's say that the mf saga will continue....

Interview avec Jérémie Kroubo pour son livre "Vibrations Jamaicaines"

1) Présentation pour les novices (et ceux qui n'ont pas écouté l'interview de 2009/2010 malgré les 2 ou 3 rediffusions)...

Je suis docteur en langues, littératures et civilisations anglo-saxonnes de l’Université Bordeaux 3 et le livre « Vibrations Jamaïcaines » est tiré de ma thèse. J’enseigne actuellement à l’Université des Antilles et de la Guyane en Martinique. Par ailleurs j’ai écrit un 1er livre, « Les origines du reggae : retour aux sources », paru chez L’Harmattan en 2008.

2) Pourquoi cet intérêt pour la Jamaïque et ses musiques "locales"?

En fait j’écoute du reggae depuis très jeune. J’ai découvert ce genre musical vers 13 ans avec un pote qui jouait dans un groupe de reggae. Les côtés engagé et rebelle du reggae, ses rythmes afro-caribéens et l’idéologie rasta, entre autres, m’ont immédiatement plu. Ensuite je me suis intéressé aux autres genres musicaux jamaïcains, puis dès que j’en ai eu l’opportunité, je me suis rendu en Jamaïque pour approfondir mes connaissances.

3) As-tu rencontré ou contacté des gens comme Don Letts ou Basement 5?

Oui j’ai eu la chance de pouvoir interviewer Don Letts dans le cadre de mes recherches. Lors de notre entretien, il est notamment revenu sur les débuts du punk en Angleterre ainsi que sur les liens entre les mouvements punk et reggae.

4) Comment un "si petit pays" arrive à être aussi ou plus prolifique que "la Terre Mère", l'Afrique (cad la somme de tous les pays)?

Je ne sais pas si les Jamaïcains sont plus prolifiques que les Africains, mais c’est vrai qu’ils sont très féconds. Pourquoi sont-ils si prolifiques ? Je ne sais pas exactement, mais ce qui est sûr c’est qu’ils sont très créatifs et qu’il y a une véritable énergie et une profusion d’idées qui se dégagent de ce peuple. Produire et créer, ça semble être une sorte d’exutoire pour les Jamaïcains. Par ailleurs, l’utilisation massive de « riddims », héritée du dub et du toasting, contribue clairement à cet aspect prolifique.

5) Le reggae a semble-t-il eu des difficultés à s'imposer aux Etats-Unis, pourquoi selon toi?

Ben tu sais depuis des décennies, ce sont les Nord-Américains qui globalement créent les tendances, notamment d’un point de vue musical, donc il est difficile pour un genre ou des artistes non-américains de s’imposer aux Etats-Unis, en particulier si cette musique vient d’une petite île comme la Jamaïque et prône le retour en Afrique. Et puis quand le reggae est arrivé aux Etats-Unis par le biais de Bob Marley and the Wailers notamment, les Noirs Américains n’ont pas vraiment accroché, car eux ils étaient à fond dans la soul, le funk ou le disco. Le reggae était d’une certaine manière considéré comme trop « indigène » par le public noir américain de l’époque. Mais en réalité, depuis plusieurs décennies, la Jamaïque est un peu comme les Etats-Unis, dans le sens où il est très difficile pour un genre non-jamaïcain de s’imposer sur l’île.

6) Vu de l'extérieur on a l'impression qu'il y a beaucoup de chanteurs, toasters, DJs, et peu de musiciens...n'y a-t-il que des "requins de studio" type Sly & Robbie, ou de véritables groupes, en tout cas vendus comme tels, ont émergé, ou émergent, si on met le ska et les Skatalites de côté?

Non il y a énormément de musiciens, mais c’est juste que comme partout, ce sont les chanteurs et les toasters qui sont mis en avant sur les albums, dans les médias etc. En témoignent des mecs comme le guitariste Chinna Smith, le batteur Horsemouth Wallace, le bassiste Larry Silvera, le claviériste Tyrone Downie etc…Il y a vraiment plein de musiciens, et nombreux ont fait leurs armes au Black Ark, chez Lee Perry !

7) Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, The Congos ou d'autres groupes/ chanteurs sont réédités à plusieurs reprises. Hormis les labels, qui profite des bénéfices ou en tout cas des ventes?

Les artistes (s’ils sont encore vivants) ou leurs descendants tout simplement….

8) Est-ce que la vague anglaise (Aswad, Steel Pulse, Cimarrons....) est aussi respectée que les groupes jamaïcains (en Jamaïque, et ailleurs)?

Oui bien sûr, car ces artistes sont tous Jamaïcains, même s’ils ont fait carrière et pour certains grandi au Royaume-Uni. Ils sont aussi importants et respectés que des groupes comme Culture, Mighty Diamonds ou les Kingstonians.

9) A-t-on en France, Allemagne, Italie ou dans les pays de l'Est, l'équivalent d'un Steel Pulse?

Personnellement je ne pense pas. Il y a effectivement des artistes qui ont énormément de succès comme Alborosie en Italie ou Gentleman en Allemagne, mais ils ne sont pas Jamaïcains et ne sont pas perçus comme tels en Jamaïque. Mais ça ne les empêche pas d’obtenir une certaine reconnaissance là-bas.

10) Que dire sur la scène reggae (pas ragga/dancehall mais ska/rocksteady/reggae plutôt) hexagonale, des années 80 à maintenant?

Le reggae en France a connu son âge d’or dans les années 1990 avec des artistes comme Princess Erika, Tonton David, Daddy Nuttea, Saï Saï et Massilia Sound System, et surtout au tournant des années 1990-2000 quand les médias se sont intéressés à des artistes comme Pierpoljak, Sinsemilia, Baobab etc., mais sinon cette scène reste plutôt underground, en particulier en termes de ska et de rocksteady. Il y a aussi de très bons groupes de dub français, ainsi qu’une scène provinciale très active, mais globalement le reggae français et les genres dérivés ne sont pas trop médiatisés en France. Ce qui n’empêche pas les artistes d’être très dynamiques, surtout en matière de concerts.

11) Ton avis sur un groupe comme Bad Brains...

Il s’agit d’un groupe atypique dans le paysage musical nord-américain : des Blacks, des dreadlocks qui jouent de la musique de Blancs, du punk. En fait, ce groupe montre les liens qu’il y a pu avoir entre les mouvements punk et reggae. Ce sont deux mouvances rebelles et anti-establishment !

12) Peut-on dire que la musique punk, et la Oi, ont été fortement influencées par les musiques jamaïcaines pour les lignes de basse?

Fortement influencées c’est peut-être beaucoup dire, mais influencée oui je pense. En témoigne la musique de groupe comme les Clash ou les Sex Pistols.

13) Quelque chose à ajoûter, à préciser... projets futurs...

Je termine la traduction de « People Funny Boy » de David Katz. La biographie de Lee Perry devrait donc être disponible en français avant la fin de l’année.