![]() There was also Mickey Dread (singer, producer and radio host, Editor’s Note), who was suspended by the JBC at the time, and we talked among peers. Then, I went to the JBC, the Jamaican national radio, where I ran into Errol Thompson ( one of the great sound engineers of the genre, Editor’s Note). I asked where Treasure Island (legendary label from the rocksteady era in the 60s, Editor’s Note) was and if someone could take me there. It was crazy: every day, I lived a new adventure. I went to Maxwell Avenue, in Kingston, in the Channel One and Harry J studios, then on Orange Street, at King Tubby’s, where I also met King Jammy (who was at the time only Prince Jammy, Editor’s Note). I had been a professional radio DJ for five months on Radio London, and being on the BBC opens doors for you throughout the world. No, I had a few contacts, and most of all, I had a great calling card thanks to the BBC. How did you gain acceptance? Did you have to gate-crash their studios? In January 1979, you went to Jamaica for the first time to meet the big names of reggae. And I’d rather share my passion with the public and receive smiles rather than have an audience looking at a very serious DJ behind the turntables from afar. And then, why not dance? And this is how it started. But after saying a few words on the song or on the artist, I had to play the disc. It became a way to share the history of reggae. By getting closer to people, I thought that I could connect with them, and with the mic, I starting telling stories about the disc I was going to play. With time, I gained confidence and, one day, I broke this wall between the DJ and the public. Personally, I have no mixing skills, so there was no point pretending. Behind the turntables, the DJ feels safe, and aside from raising his hands up from time to time, he focuses on his mix and it’s great that way. By the way, this is why I had hired an MC, Papa Face, and I settled for passing discs with my head down. But when I started DJing, in the late 70s, I was shy, nervous and restless, I was mumbling behind the mike. I love answering to the music by moving my body. When I was a teenager, when I was going clubbing, I was always impatient to start dancing. I love music so much that I can’t refrain myself from dancing. There’s a part of theatrical performance, but it’s mostly the natural expression of my passion for music. Is it a way for you to show your untapped acting skills? On stage, you are very dynamic, you talk, jump and dance constantly. Some want to work in a museum or a zoo, because it’s their passion. I never looked for success I just took the opportunity to dive further into the subject matter, like any enthusiast. I was happy to share my discs for 90 minutes once a week and it never went further than that. This is how I got into BBC Radio London, to host the Sunday noon show. During the interview, the show producer, who was white, told me: “Mister Rodigan, I am sorry, but you aren’t of the good color.” I answered: “Okay, that’s fair.” Then, he gave my tapes to some West Indian producers, who advised him to hire me, regardless of my skin color. A friend of mine wrote a letter for me to the BBC for a position of radio host on a reggae show. ![]() I came across reggae completely by accident. Then I took classes for three years to become an actor. I studied economics for a year, and it wasn’t for me. What was your original ambition?Īll that I wanted was to be a stage actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company. ![]() ![]() You have just released your biography My Life in Reggae in which you tell the story of your career in music, that you have journeyed for 40 years. As he released, in early 2018 his book My Life in Reggae, David Rodigan talks with Qobuz about those secret songs, his trips to Jamaica, his frantic scene play or even his “mystical” meeting with Bob Marley. Since his early beginnings on BBC Radio London in 1978, this enthusiast has gone well beyond his function of radio presenter, as he went mixing in the clubs and festivals and became a world champion of soundclash, a Jamaican tradition that confronts DJs (the “selectors”) in a disc against disc duel, with the help of a special version of reggae classics called “dubplates”-the artist changing the lyrics to sing the praises of the selector. For forty years, David Rodigan has been the voice of reggae on British radio.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |