This year I was back at one of my favourite festivals, doing what I do best, the Reggae Sun Ska interviews!
[Check out my blog post on 5 Things I Love About Reggae Sun Ska Festival]
It was super fun jumping back into my role of interviewer for the English speaking artists after a two year absence, and I had some really great conversations which I’d love to share with you!
Below I’ve put together some of my interview highlights:
Reggae Sun Ska Interviews
Steel Pulse
Starting with David Hinds of Steel Pulse, one of the UK’s biggest and most successful reggae bands. David was actually my last interview of the festival but he gave some really insightful thoughts that I’d love to draw attention to here first. Given his long career in music, I was interested to find out the reasons behind Steel Pulse moving record labels so often and whether David would recommend new artists to start their own labels. Here’s what he had to say:
To see the full interview click here.
Protoje
The day I interviewed Protoje, was the day that Usain Bolt ran his last 100 meter final in London. At that point we didn’t know what the outcome would be but I was interested to know what Protoje thought of the fastest man in the world and his legacy. Even in hindsight seeing Protoje’s thoughts it really hits home that despite everything, Usain Bolt really is the GOAT and a champion for the people.
To see the full interview click here
Ky-Mani Marley
I had a score to settle with Ky-Mani Marley! A grudge match as it were! A few years ago when I last interviewed him, we played a friendly game of table tennis. Of course he beat me – I underestimated him but at least I got his signed bat as a consolation prize (see pic above)! Anyway, this year, I decided to challenge him to a rematch and I’m pleased to say, I’ve evened the score to 1-1. The next time I see Ky-Mani will decide who is the champion – best out of three! For now though – enjoy our little game of ping pong!
To see the full interview click here.
Inna de Yard – Kiddus I
Inna de Yard is a really cool project that brings together the talents and experience of established elder Reggae Artists (Kiddus I, Winston McAnuff, Ken Booth) with that of the younger generation (Steve Newland, Kush McAnuff) to produce an album that seeks to encapsulate the real essence of reggae and “The Soul of Jamiaca”. There’s a superb documentary series that accompanies the album, narrated by singer Kiddus I. In my interview I asked Kiddus I if he’d ever thought about a career in narration! Look out Morgan Freeman!!
To see the full interview click here.
Chronixx
I love the way that Chronixx is making content for his fans, not just in terms of the music he puts out and the videos that accompany them (by the way if you haven’t already, you definitely need to see ‘Rastaman Wheel Out’ from his Dread and Terrible project – it’s brilliant!) but he’s also not afraid to show the reality of what goes into tour life for an artist (see his vlog here). I was interested to know why it was important for him to show that aspect of his creative journey.
To see the full interview click here
Peter Harper
Peter Harper is such an interesting guy full of genuine love and reverence for music as an art form. Having grown up surrounded by music (his grandparents owned a music shop and his brother, you may have guessed, is Ben Harper), he schooled me about the origins of his guitar. I could have happily continued the music history conversation, but alas, we had to move on! See for yourselves how interesting it is:
To see the full interview click here
Mike Love
Mike Love is making a name for himself for being a virtuoso when it comes to his loop stations and pedal board. I was interested to find out how he got to that point.
To see the full interview click here.
Kingfisha
Kingfisha are an Aussi Dub Reggae band making their first trip over to Europe promoting their album ‘Offered It Up’. Our interview was a bit of an introduction to the band and their music for the benefit of fans on this side of the hemisphere. Here we talked about how they got their name, Kingfisha!
To see the full interview click here.
What did you think about my Reggae Sun Ska interviews? Are you fans of Reggae music? If so, let me know who some of your favourite artists are! Also make sure you check out my blog post on the ‘5 Things I love about Reggae Sun Ska Festival’ and hopefully I’ll see you there next year!!
