Words/Image-Art Jefferson
Flying into France for one night to do a show, only to head back to London hours later for more work, Aba Shanti-I is no stranger to travelling the planet to continue his mission of unifying the people through the power of roots and dub music. He was recently invited to the Red Bull Music Academy to give a lecture and was headed back to Italy for yet, more shows. The fact is, Aba Shanti-I is one of the masters of the dub sound system. Having grown up with a father who immigrated to England from Jamaica and operated a sound system of his own, as a youth Aba Shanti-I acquired first-hand experience and knowledge of the way a proper system should be controlled. In the eighties, people around London became familiar with the deejay, who, was then known as “Jasmine Joe” effortlessly grace the microphone and play some of the biggest tunes with Jah Tubbys sound system. Upon adopting Rastafarian culture and faith, the name “Aba Shanti I” was then acquired along with a conscious outlook on life. Aba Shanti, as well as his brother Blood Shanti, went on to travel around England and integrate people from various nationalities, religion and culture, creating an atmosphere that was not only inviting but uplifting. Taking the next leap into producing music, the brothers along with the Shanti-Ites band released key dub albums such as the “The Wrath of Jah Verse I”, “Jah Lightning and Thunder” and “The Jericho Walls Verse III” on the Falsaha Recordings label. Aba Shanti-I has not only been a fixture at the Nottinghill Carnival for years, but continues to remain a key element of helping the sounds of roots and dub to travel throughout the world. Indeed, this prophet of the music continues to spread a message of love, unity and awareness, a hand that he was blessed with.
Interview conducted in Lyon, France
AJ-Did you ever think that your career would have lasted this long ever since the days of Jah Tubbys sound system back then?
ASI-Yeah because sound system has been an ongoing thing from (when) our parents came from Jamaica and brought the concept here. Then it’s just been building and building and building and now it’s just gotten broader and broader. We have a white attendance now. It’s very multi-cultural. Everybody getting with the message because they say it’s a universal message.
AJ-What inspired you and your brother to start your own sound system?
ASI-Well we’ve always been involved in music through our father because our father had a sound system when he came to England in the early ‘60s. Blues parties and stuff like that was just the way how we socialized and spent time. From we were born we’ve always been in the concept of music. My brother has always been inspired by the drums and actually making music. Me, I’m more, sound system from school. You know, man o man getting together, putting little subs or their school dinner money, cutting that in half, denying ourselves nourishment and all of that so we can go buy records and buy wood and amplifiers and stuff like that because, back then, it was all self made. It wasn’t like now where we can get on the phone and phone up Turbo sound or Asus or a reputable company and say we want twelve scoop bins made. We’re more hands on. Its jus the way of the world now because see, with our children and that now, they prefer to sit down at a computer. With us now, we just get a sheet of wood. “What you doing with that Dad (Imitating son)? I’m going to make a box. Boy, it doesn’t look like a box at the moment (imitating son).” By the time they’ve gone to sleep and woken up in the morning, it’s like “Wow, Dad, is that what you made out of wood (imitating son)?”
AJ-What do you think about the new sound systems today compared to those days?
ASI-Well, the foundation is always going to be the foundation. You’ve got different genres of people coming into it so. Some people have a different take on what they think a sound system should be about. And, sound system, you’ve got dub sound systems, you’ve got soul sound systems, you’ve got jungle sounds. You’ve got sound systems in all genres of music now so.
AJ-What do you think about the new UK movement such as the dubstep movement?
ASI-(They’re a) branch off the tree but we’re the roots. We’re the foundation. You know, they’re borrowing elements of our music and stuff like that but that’s another avenue for people to listen and go, “where did that come from?” So they all come amongst us, the older guys that play the traditional music and go “ok, that’s where you got that sample from. That’s where you got those key riffs from. That’s where you got that bass line from.” So, it’s all good. It’s all good. If it leads the younger people to go and research and go and find out the origins of where this music came from and that, it’s all positive.
AJ-You’ve traveled around the world. What has been some of the best places with the best systems that you’ve played on?
ASI-England (laughter)! Basically England, we have the best systems there but, I’m one for getting the music and getting the message across. Obviously, when we go abroad the equipment I’m using is not mine. It’s not tailor fitted for me to use or for me to abuse as some people would think. You know, good P.A’s…as long as the mid range and the tops and the bass is alright. It’s just about getting the message across. If you want the real thing, then you’ve got to come to London. You have got to come to “University of Dub” and experience it in its full entirety.
AJ-Going back to a little bit of roots, who were you listening to when you were getting started in sound systems?
ASI-The likes of Jah Shaka was a major influence for me, Jah Tubbys, Coxsone, Fatman, Sufferer…There was a sound on every corner. From where there was a tenement block, there were three or four sounds in there so. Sound system was the order of the day and through sound system and I would say, through the musicianship, this is how we’ve interlinked with friends and that from around the world. That’s what’s drawn us closer to people so.
AJ-How did you get the chance to work with Jah Tubbys system? How did that happen?
ASI-As a youth, Tubbys is a sound that comes from area, Hackney. We had a thing called “switching sounds off” because he had more power and stuff than most of the other sounds. He was one of the strongest sounds back in the day. Sound quality, yeah, that drew me to Tubbys. Knowledge and learning about amplifiers and stuff like that, yeah, I learned a lot from Keith being around Tubbys.
AJ-You’ve played here (in France) before and they show you a lot of love. What do you think about the crowd here in France?
ASI-Well, we’re giving love so boy, expect love in return so. The French crowd, especially from the ‘90s like, when we started coming over here in the ‘90s, really locked on to the UK roots scene because, boy that’s what introduced a lot of them into even back tracking and getting on the Jamaican chart. France has a history for being accommodating to all kinds of music over the years. You had people like Louis Armstrong and a lot of American artists would come here and perform and you had a lot of Jamaican artist that actually immigrated here and came here to live and play music so.
AJ-Coming from the UK, they say it’s the savior of the music, especially coming from Jamaica. Do you agree with that?
ASI-Totally! Totally, one hundred percent…England is the gateway. Even some of the old producers like Striker Lee and stuff… I’m very humbled to hear these guys on camera say, “Boy, if it wasn’t true (of) the UK, boy we would have starved!” Most of the music, what he was producing then, he wasn’t even letting that off to Jamaica, he was selling that to England. You know, England is a very cosmopolitan place. You have a lot of Japanese, Chinese, Americans, New Zealanders (and) Australians. You know, England is a big melting pot. I love England for that because it gives me a head start on people’s culture straight away because we’re inter-mingling with each other anyway. It’s nice to be able to take what we do in England and take it to these places around the world where people have come to England and (said) “Boy, you’re missing out on something very, very phenomenal that’s going on in England.” Then when we do get our opportunity to bring it to their place of origin, it’s like “Yeah, see, I told you! I told you! This is what these guys are doing in the UK.” We have to give thanks to the olders though because without them coming and laying the foundation in England, who knows where we would have been with the music. So, thanks to our heroes and that, the musicians and singers and players of instruments. Our parents were being pioneers from leaving the Caribbean and coming to the shores of England. A lot of them were coming to a strange place which is totally alien to the Caribbean. Coming and walking off of a ship in South Hampton, (there was) the temperature difference, culture shock… so we really, really have to give thanks to those.
Radio Interview