Sly and Jasper relaxing on the set of Sly and Reggie's Dub Save The Queen video shoot
Okay, so I realised today that it's been the best part of a month since I last blogged on Intensely Relaxed. Appropriately enough, my last post was about life being what happens to you while you're making other plans (to blog about stuff). True to form, just as things have gotten interested I've gone quiet on the personal blogging front. So what's been happening, I hear you ask?
I briefly mentioned in my last post that I had the pleasure of finally meeting up with reggae poet Roy Gunter last Friday. Roy will be performing at the Roots of Reggae launch event. Ahead of Roy's performance this Saturday, I would like to tell you a little more about Roy and the role reggae and poetry has played in his life.
First Impressions
I first met Roy around the corner from Brixton Town Hall. Roy had just driven in from his home in Camberwell after a day at work. At first glance, Roy did not initially match my expectations of a what a poet, or indeed a reggae poet should look like.
I’m not entirely sure what I had expected Roy to look like but in my limited experience of poetry (which extends to being made to read them at school and attending a few hipster poetry readings hosted by Pen Pusher) I suppose I had expected one or few poetic affectations. Clearly, Roy didn’t seem to favour the cravat look sported by my old English teacher. Nor was he was working the rasta-inspired style I had seen Blacker Dread in. Instead, Roy looked like much like any other early middle-aged person I would have worked alongside during my days at Lambeth Council.
The contrast between all the amazing things I had heard about Roy and the regular person I first saw on Friday on Friday intrigued me. I wanted to know more about Roy and how he had become a reggae poet.
A life in Reggae
As I chatted to Roy as he gave me a lift back to Forest Hill, I was struck by how significant a role reggae has played in his life. As a teenager, Roy explained, he had been involved with sound systems. This led to working with many of the pioneers of the London reggae scene, including sound system leader and Roots of Reggae guest star Lloydie Coxsone. Back in the day Roy would even be called upon to tune-up the trucks that transported Lloydie Coxsone's sound system all around the country. Roy proudly recalled the nickname he earned, 'i-chanic' (a rasta-inspired take on mechanic), and the excitement of receiving ultra-exclusive dub plates of the latest tracks in return for his services.
From a young age Roy has enjoyed writing poetry. Gradually Roy began to combine his love of poetry with his passion for reggae, recognising putting his words to a beat enabled him to connect with a much broader audience than would otherwise read his poetry. This realisation has led Roy to produce an album of his poetry set to music, as well as two printed anthologies.
Connecting through Poetry
Whilst reggae is central to Roy’s outlook, from speaking to Roy I discovered his true calling in life is working with disadvantaged young people. Over the course of our journey Roy told me that he is a Youth Worker for Lambeth Council. His work regularly takes him into Young Offenders Institutions such as Feltham. Roy described to me the important role poetry can play in this work, encouraging angry and frustrated young men to reflect on their situation and channel their energy in positive ways. Roy beamed with pride as he told me how by writing poetry that is authentic to his life he has been able to connect with even the most disaffected young person and get them to imagine a brighter future is possible.
Roy’s Work
With just one day to go until Roy performs at the Roots of Reggae FREE launch event I don’t want to give too much away about Roy’s work. What I can do, however, is whet your appetite.
From spending some time this week reading and listening to Roy’s work, two things struck me. The first thing that struck me was the positive and universal message Roy delivers through his poetry. One of Roy’s anthologies is called Poetry of the World and in it he speaks with a sense of hopefulness on everything from slavery to a subject close to my own heart, The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Roy Gunter - Brixton Riots
The other thing that struck me is how Roy’s poetry is enhanced by the addition of musical backing. And this is not just because his heavyweight reggae connections have resulted in collaborations with reggae legends such as The Congos and the late Sugar Minott. Listening to Roy’s album, the musical backings he has selected enhance the emotional resonance of his message. Highlights for me are the chilling and hypnotic dancehall track about the Brixton Riots and the spiritual ‘Agony & Shame’, a lament about the social problems black youth experience over a mellow roots tracks.
Roy Gunter - Agony & Shame (Performed by Leroy Jones)
If you’re planning to make it along to tomorrow’s Roots of Reggae launch event make sure to listen out for Roy Gunter, a true local legend!
As a self-confessed Guardian reader I was particularly looking forward to meeting Reggie to find out more about Sly and Reggie, East Dulwich's premier purveyors of Middle Class Dub. I'd like to share with you what I learned from meeting Reggie and tell you about Sly and Reggie's plans for world domination.
Solidly Middle Class Dub
First of all, a little background on Sly and Reggie and what they are all about. Alongside ideas man and design guru Jon Daniel, Sly and Reggie make up The Suburban Pirate. The Suburban Pirate critique and celebrate, satirise and support, the fall and rise of the Middle Classes through the medium of Middle Class Dub (Sly and Reggie’s music) and a range of Middle Class products (encompassing everything from satirical greetings cards to fetching kitchen aprons).
In keeping with Sly and Reggie's Middle Class agenda, it seems only right that the place of our meeting, Reggie’s kitchen, is the epitome of middle class living, from the upright piano to the numerous Nigel Slater cook books. Reggie's kitchen provided the perfect setting for us to discuss plans for Roots and Reggae and for me to find out how Sly and Reggie found themselves at the vanguard of the Middle Class Dub revolution.
Becoming Sly and Reggie
After a brief chat about arrangements for next Saturday's Roots of Reggae event we got down to what I really wanted to know: how did Sly and Reggie get into making their unique brand of dub?
I discovered that Reggie, who by his own admission is not exactly young, has been making music with Sly, on and off, for many years. The Middle Class Dub sound they are now famed for, however, is a relatively recent development. Back in the day Sly and Reggie used to play together in a three-piece band and their music had an Astral Weeks era VanMorrison vibe to it. It was only a few years ago, after they started playing together again after some time apart, that their friend Jon Daniel suggested they combine middle class angst with heavyweight roots dub that the concept of Middle Class Dub was born.
Throughout our conversation I was struck by how much Reggie enjoys making and performing his music with Sly. Whether describing how technology allows them to professionally produce tracks in his home studio or recounting how they managed to blag their way into performing at Bestival this year, I felt Reggie was driven by a restlessness to keep developing as a musician and to use their profile to cause a little mischief, rather than a desire for fame and fortune.
Going Mobile
This restlessness and desire to cause a little mischief goes may help to explain Sly and Reggie’s unconventional approach to music promotion. Back in 2009 Sly and Reggie built their ‘middle class sound system’ - a Morris Minor flat bed pick up with their own sound system on board to bring their music to the people. What is more, this decision to broadcast their music street-by-street contributed to the development of Sly and Reggie’s sound, with Sly’s distinctive toasting style developing organically (to use a word close to heart of the people of East Dulwich) from off –the-cuff musical interludes between their ‘proper’ songs.
On The Road with Sly and Reggie
2012: A Dub Odyssey
Artwork for Middle Class Dub Vol. 2
Reggie was also kind enough to fill me on what lies in store for fans for Sly and Reggie's Middle Class Dub sound. I was given a special sneak peak of the artwork for Middle Class Dub Vol. 2, which is coming soon, and is will feature just as heavy a sound. I also understand that plans for a third volume of material are already well-advanced, with Sly's social issue rants set to take centre stage.
It is clear Sly and Reggie and The Suburban Pirate have a bright future ahead of them and, aided by their performance at next week’s Roots of Reggae event, I predict 2012 will be the year of Middle Class Dub revolution.
I am very excited to say Sly and Reggie will be performing at the Roots of Reggae FREE launch event next Saturday afternoon (3rd December) at the Brixton Ritzy. Full details can be found here: Roots of Reggae FREE launch event. You can also follow latest developments on Twitter @RootsofReggae
@JoeSmithDesign Roots of Reggae poster on display at Supertone's Store, Acre Lane, Brixton
It's been an enjoyably hectic couple of weeks or so since my last proper post so I thought I had better get another one written before my thoughts take on a rose-tinted hew and (to continue with the colour theme) my anger at the Coalition's plans to privatise the NHS simply becomes just another grey hair on my weary head.
So where to begin? Gainful employment seems a reassuringly sensible place to start so here goes.
Experience is Everything
A poster which caught my eye whilst on location at James Cake hospital in Middlesbrough
Last time I mentioned I'd picked up some freelance project work with thinkpublic. With much fanfare I can now reveal I've been leading on a piece of work with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. The project is looking at how staff and patients experience either delivering or receiving Ambulatory Care services and exploring with them how, in future, we can build better processes for capturing and understanding these experiences in order to improve how services are designed and delivered.
Exploring how staff and patients experience and feel about services is a really powerful way of involving them in identifying and co-designing service improvements. The project is still ongoing but already we have identified lots of new areas for improvement and, more importantly, got people believing that they have the power to improve health services. You can read more about the project, including an explanation of what Ambulatory Care actually means, in the blog I wrote for thinkpublic.
Guardianista Profiling
An ambition realised: my profile on The Guardian Website
Besides the work for thinkpublic, I'm also proud of the article on co-production which I recently wrote for The Guardian local government network. For the 90 per cent of the population who don't and should never have to know what the term means, co-production simply describes sharing the design and the delivery of public services with users. The article is based on my experience of attending a leadership network event designed to give officers of Lambeth Council the confidence to work in more collaborative ways with their citizens. You can the full piece here.
I am also pleased to have recently connected with the social enterprise Spots of Time, whose mission is to make it easy for all of us for volunteering our time in fun, bite-sized ways. Rather like the work I've been doing with The Amazings, my involvement with Spots of Time is strictly pro bono for now (and I HATE U2) but hopefully there will be more formal opportunities as the organisation grows and connects with different communities. Watch this space for how things progress.
Roots of Reggae
An even greater ambition realised: Roots of Reggae blowing up the spot at Sainsbury's Forest Hill
Those of you with the good fortune to have spent any time in my company or read my Tweets may well have heard of a little project I'm developing in my spare time called Roots of Reggae. I don't want to go overboard in this post but here are a few key milestones:
Age UK Lambeth have endorsed the project, which should help attract an older crowd than might otherwise get along to the Ritzy Brixton.
For the next week or so I'll be working hard to ensure the Roots of Reggae launch is a success. I'll look to write a separate post this weekend on my experiences of developing the project. Other than that, I'm looking to continue with the freelance work whilst looking for new opportunities.
You can follow developments with Roots of Reggae on Twitter @RootsofReggae but to really get what I'm talking about make sure to get along to the FREE launch event on the afternoon of Saturday 3rd December.
Hopefully a good few of you will know this already but I thought it would be worth confirming that my plans for Dub Revolution have really taken off and I am now holding the FREE launch event for the project in Brixton on Saturday 3rd December.
The event, now called Roots of Reggae, will bring people of all ages together to celebrate reggae music and culture. The event takes places Upstairs at the Ritzy Brixton on Saturday 3rd December, 3 – 7pm. Roots of Reggae is a FREE community event and has been developed with the kind support of Ritzy Brixton cinema and the charity Age UK Lambeth.
Brixton and reggae go hand in hand and Roots of Reggae brings this local scene to life. Older people are invited to come along, enjoy some great music and share their memories. For younger people, the event offers a unique chance to hear music from reggae’s golden age in the company of pioneers of the Brixton scene. Roots of Reggae offers an afternoon of live performances and DJ sets. Confirmed acts include: Sly and Reggie (Suburban Pirate), Mistah-Brown Selector (Tighten-Up Crew), DJ Keith Lawrence (Colourful Radio) and MC DaddyRanks and reggae poet Roy Gunter. We are also expecting sound system legend Lloydie Coxsone (Sir Coxsone Sound) to share his memories of reggae music. Guests will also have the chance to share their own memories of reggae music and Brixton’s past.
To find out how to get to the Ritzy Brixton, click here.
Roots of Reggae is designed to be accessible for all. Ritzy Brixton is an accessible venue.
For further information about the event please contact Francis Clarke on 07749374339 or clarke.francisg@gmail.com or visit ourFacebook page.
For latest updates and to share your ideas for future events, follow us on Twitter @RootsofReggae
Gloria (right) and other members of the Vida Walsh centre enjoying Solid Gold: Music from the 50s, 60s and 70s
One of the main reasons I set up the Intensely Relaxed blog was to capture my thoughts and feelings about the changes I am currently making in my career. I think Bowie may have hit the nail on the head when he said, 'every time I thought I'd got it made, it seemed the taste was not so sweet'. Nonetheless, I've got to say this past week has definitely been one of the sweeter ones of my life, and I'd like to use this post to explain why.
As part of a long standing in-joke, Natalie, a good friend of Sarah's will often ask, what's been your champagne moment of the weekend/holiday/trip to Sainsbury's?* (*delete as appropriate.) I'm not going to explain why she does this but, trust me, it can be a surprisingly entertaining line of questioning. If pushed to answer this question, my sensible side would probably say my champagne moment was contributing as an external expert to an event on co-production Lambeth Council had organised, as part of its work to deliver on its goal of becoming a co-operative council.
Returning to my old stomping ground of Lambeth Town Hall as a guest brought home to me how committed I remain to local government. Even more than this, however, it also confirmed how much I have changed and developed as a result of having the chance to work for organisations such as FutureGov and thinkpublic over the past year. This event, together with a a number of other promising developments on the work front this week, has given me renewed belief that I can turn the changes that I am currently experiences into positive new opportunities.
As important as today's event at Lambeth Town Hall was, from a purely personal standpoint, my champagne moment (or should that really be cava or even Lambrini, given the current parlous economic situation?) actually occurred earlier in the week, when I stopped by Age UK'sVida Walsh centre in Brixton to attend the Solid Gold: music from the 50s, 60s and 70s music afternoon. The session provided me a great opportunity to find out about how older people feel about music and find out what they make of plans to bring older and younger people together through the power of reggae and dub.
Situated just off of Windrush Square, the Vida Walsh centre provides a range of activities for people over 55. Upon entering the centre, two things struck me. First and most importantly was the warmth of the staff who run the centre. Erica Tate, the centre's manager, thanked me for visiting and immediately made me feel part of the team. I also greatly enjoyed chatting with Trevor, who oversees the kitchen, not to mention Joyce, who plied me with more patties than one person should ever eat in one sitting. The second thing thing that struck me was, the actual warmth of the centre. Age UK definitely like to keep the place toasty - check the thermostat if you don't believe me.
Keeping things toasty at Vida's
Once I'd acclimatised to the room, I set about testing out my plans for a reggae and dub-based project with members of the centre. Recognising I was a guest at members' music session, I did this in a low-key way, focusing on ensuring members were enjoying themselves and making the most of opportunities to informally discuss my ideas. To this end, I took on the role of DJ (or should that be selector?), asking members to suggest songs, which either myself or Erica would then find on YouTube and play via a surprisingly nifty set-up comprised of a laptop, video projector and portable speakers.
Centre manager Erica enjoying the music
While I had come along to the session with the intention of road-testing older people’s reaction to vintage ska, reggae and dub sounds, it soon became apparent that members’ tastes were surprisingly eclectic. So while Sound Dimension’s Real Rock instantly elicited some top skanking from Eric and even an impromptu toast from Trevor, Violet was just as pleased to hear Abba kick it it far from freestyle with Dancing Queen. Whether it was Gloria’s sweet singing along to Harry Belafonte’s surprisingly suggestive Jump In The Line or Joan doing Karaoke to Elvis’ The Wonder of You, it was clear how much music meant to everyone at Vida’s. And yes, I’ll admit it, after some initial trepidation over losing my carefully cultivated indie image, I found myself enjoying even the more syrupy numbers in the infectious company of the staff and members of Vida’s.
Violet, Joyce and Pat enjoy the tombola raffle
So what does my experience of Vida’s mean for my plans to use the power of reggae and dub to bring older and young people together? In pretty good shape, actually. In between lining up the selections I managed to have a chat with quite a few people about my plans and everyone was very encouraging about my ideas and expressed interest in attending a community-based event.
Some of the songs requested
While it is clear from the requests we received from Vida’s members that not everyone is a fan of reggae and dub, for those who had grown up with the music, my selections hit a nerve and sparked memories (to mix metaphors) of family life and good times. Although I do believe Erica is right to adopt an eclectic music policy for the Solid Gold session, I am not entirely convinced sure shots from the likes of UB40 and Shirley Temple would bring in the younger people I am also looking to engage through my project. Instead, I believe by deliberately focusing on reggae and dub I will be able to attract both older and younger fans of the music.
Thanks for sticking with me for what’s turned out to be a rather epic blog post. Still, how many other blogs do you know of that can turn you onto everything from David Bowie to Harry Belafonte and Shirley Temple by way of Sound Dimension? On second thought, maybe don’t answer that question ...
The sounds of Vida's
Sound Dimension - Real Rock. An absolute classic from Studio One. I used this as a statement of intent and it got Erica and Trevor moving and grooving.
Harry Belafonte - Jump In The Line. Requested by Gloria. This really got members of Vida's going. The message of 'shake, shake, shake seniora' shows that pop music really hasn't changed all that much in the past 50 years.
Shirley Temple - On The Good Ship Lollypop. One of the more sugary numbers selected but, heh, what do I know?
Elvis Presley - The Wonder of You. Joan gave a great karaoke performance to this number.
UB40 - Red Red Wine. What can you say about UB40 that hasn't been said before? Yes, they may have have only recently been declared bankrupt but there was no sign that this affected their popularity at Vida's. For me, Red Red Wine is a true guilty pleasure.
Labi Siffri - Something Inside So Strong. A moving song and a Magic FM classic to boot. As requested by Pat.
Abba - Dancing Queen. Violet was keen to hear as many Abba songs as possible. Here's one of them.
John Holt - Mr Bojangles. A nice slice of pop-reggae as selected by Erica.
Theo Beckford - Easy Snapping. I learned from Erica that this song falls is technically blue-beat and not reggae. Apparently blue-beat is the link between ska and reggae.
Billie Holiday - God Bless The Child. Erica is a big jazz fan and enjoyed sharing with members three different versions of God Bless The Child. Two more to follow.
Stevie Wonder - God Bless The Child. This is more my cup of tea. Stevie smooths things out with his cover.
Jill Scott - God Bless The Child. A fresh, neo-soul take on a jazz classic. Gotta love Jill Scott.
I had originally intended to use this week's post simply to capture the solid progress I'm making on my Dub Revolution but after attending DJ David Katz' Dub Me Always last night Upstairs at the Brixton Ritzy I felt compelled to do something completely different. Luckily, the feeling soon passed so I am still able to provide you with an update on where things are at, project-wise. But before I do that, please indulge me a little as I share my thoughts on why Dub Me Always is such as special night.
Dub be good to me
The flyer for Dub Me Always describes the night as a 'reggae and dub extravaganza'. And for once a flyer delivered. After making my past the regular Ritzy crowd of cinema-goers we followed the low-key sign for the night and headed upstairs. There, we were greeted by the warm sound of vintage vinyl, with DJ David Katz sharing some of his rare and not-so-rare selections that stretched across rocksteady, reggae and dub. David delved deep into some heavy dub, all the while keeping things melodic and, dare I say it, infused with a jazz sensibility.
Besides the first-rate music being served up, Dub Me Always was notable for it's relaxed and friendly crowd. While I appreciate a gathering of people in the upstairs space of an independent cinema in the middle of the week is always going to feel more chilled out than a trip to Liquid on a Friday night, I was pleasantly surprised by the distinct lack of any hipster pretension that sometimes comes with specialist music nights. Instead, Dub Me Always attracted an unshowy crowd from a range of different ages and backgrounds who were clearly hear to enjoy some good music and good company.
Observing The Observer
(Left to Right) Bunny 'Striker' Lee, DJ David Katz and Niney The Observer. Photo: Louis Rougier
Whilst the music and mood clearly make Dub Me Always a great fixture on the London music scene, what made last night particularly special were the living legends of reggae and dub in the audience. After sitting down with a beer I couldn't help but overhear the conversation of a group of older men and the recurrence of the nickname 'Niney'. Surely that couldn't be the legendary Niney The Observer, producer of some of the finest dub alongside King Tubby? And who's that old guy with a yachtsman's cap on? He looks kinda familiar. And come to think of it, the nickname Tapper rings a bell too.
After catching up with David I subsequently discovered that the group we had been sat next to did include some bona fide legends, namely Niney The Observer, Bunny Lee (sporting the cap) and Tapper Zukie. Although I was too awed to introduce myself to them, it was still great just to see them hanging out and having a laugh with each other as old friends. Seeing how much these living legends were appreciated by the younger audience makes me even more committed to making a go of my own project, which aims to use dub to bring people from different backgrounds together.
Next steps for Dub Revolution
I'll look to provide a fuller update on my Dub Revolution in my next post but, for now, I just want to let you know that things are looking good.
Over the past week or so I've continued to build better links with the London reggae scene, most notably connecting with Sly and Reggie of The Suburban Pirate fame. I've also arranged to visit a music club for older people run by Age UK in Brixton, where I'm hoping I will get lots of valuable ideas on what older people think of my project. Lastly, I have also been exploring opportunties to partner with other organisations that are operating in a similar space.
All in all, I am really enjoying developing the project and have been blown away by the goodwill I have received from the people I have spoken with. Fingers-crossed I will be in a position to make some big announcements about the project within the next couple of weeks.
Watch this space ...
Every revolution needs a soundtrack
There were so many good songs at last night's event but, for me, the one that really stood out was Niney The Observer's cracking take on Sly and The Family Stone's Everyday People. Enjoy:
