Culture Freeman interviewed by Jakob Levi & Truzd Issachar (Guidelight Movement) at Andreas (Meditative Sounds) apartment. 2004-04-08 in the evening time...

As most of the Conscious Sounds/BushChemists crew Culture Freeman has been around for quite some time although the amount of releases from him have been few. This being good or bad I don't know although in contrary to other reggae deejays, who put out everything they write and record no matter quality, he seems to treat us with just the highlights of his repertoire.

Guidelight Movement: Greetings Culture Freeman.

Culture Freeman: Blessed love. Honour.

GLM: Could you introduce yourself for those who don't know you and your music ?

CF: Well, I-man name is Culture Freeman. I come from London and me deejay for Conscious Sounds and part of the group Bush Chemists, you know. Blessed love. Honour.

GLM: So could you tell us how you began ?

CF: Uhm, it was kinda accidental really. Me really planned nothing. No nothing like that. Man used to pass the mic and just like pirate your favorite deejay at the time, you know what I mean. Man never had no lyrics to start of with or nothing like that. You just like study the breddah that you like this week, you know what I mean. I could be like Johnny Ringo. I could be Squiddly Ranks. I could be Welton. I could be, you know, Ranking Joe or some man, you know. Whoever you like you just listen to him lyrics and take that style. And as you progress you start writing your own lyrics. And Saxon come up with them fast-style and everything and like the music changed as well. The digital beat start come so you start kinda like write the lyrics to fit certain riddims, you know what I mean. So that was how I start. It was about that time -84-85, but me never get involved seriously until -90 something. Me get on tour with a ska group, Maroontown. Its like a few of them members drop out. So is like them call me and me brethren fi come hold the fort fi them. Just to like get them through this tour and me go Switzerland, Italy and France.

GLM: And you where a deejay at this time still ?

CF: Yes still, you know what me mean. It's like keeping it old school stylee, you know. Just giving my lyrics to put on top of their stuff. But me never really tour again til about -94 or so, cuz I was working ina shop in Benzley Park. So me kinda get tighed to that, you know me mean. But me love the music still. Even that it wasn't much money, you know. We just love working there still. But later on we get chance to go to a studio and take tour. So everything was alrigt from there, you know.

GLM: What about your releases in the early days ?

CF: Well, it's more down to Dougie (Wardrop) really. He kinda decides what was coming out...

GLM: Did you team up with Dougie Wardrop at an early stage or ?

CF: Yeah, quite early. He used to come and drop his records off at the recordshop, and I used to go like: -How much you charge for your studio ? And he just go: -Nah, just come around, you know. So one day me get a little time off from work. I couldn't get no time off from work so I couldn't get around there, you know. So it was like frustrating really, but the shop close up and everything. So I just start to rally with Dougie fulltime really.

GLM: Was this your own shop of someone elses ?

CF: No, it was a brethren, Pepi, you know, Youth Sound. He kinda released a few records still, you know. Like Danny Red and all the man deh, you know me mean. He used to grow me and school me still, you know. Then we just rally Conscious Sounds and stay there really.

GLM: What about your first recording ? Was it "Dread ina Babylon" ?

CF: Nah, that was my second, "The Fittest" was the first one...

GLM: Wicked tune...

CF: Yeah, they came up with the riddim and I versed it in one take. And it kinda go down alright. So we just keep the tune, you know. Everyman love it. So Dougie decided to release it and then not too long after that, properbly about -96, "Dread ina Babylon" come out. Yeah, but they're older stuff. I kinda laugh at them like little kids, you know man, but give thanks still for inspiration...

GLM: Yes. It´s a progress. Talking about "Dread ina Babylon", it was done over a King General tune...

CF: Yeah, King General had already voiced his version, and I didn't really hear it to nicely. Dougie would play it to us. But after I voiced mine. He obviously played his cut and ting and ting. But King General's one was sort of before that one. Because the LP had already come out and everything, but (we) just used the riddims at the same time. Every man can ask for whatever he wants, you know. It's no partiality over riddims, if a man wants a riddim he can get it, you know.

GLM: Whatever happened to King General by the way ? The last thing I heard about him was that he was working as a plummer...

CF: Yeah. He's kinda like, he get disillusioned with the music business. Because he have a wife and a young family and him have a mortgage and everyting deh. So he kinda get a work and earn money to support him family, you know what me mean. The music comes about 3:rd or 4:th on his list, you know what I mean. He doesn't come to the studio much these days, you know...

GLM: Yeah understandible, it's hard putting food on the table for a whole family…

CF: Yeah, and him have a mortgage. But alot of man ask for him, alot ask for King General. Especially in France. Aahh King General, we would like to see him (imitates those who asks). But you can't see him, you know. You can try talk him out of it. But when a man don't want to do something you can't make him do it, you know what I mean. You can tell him. Give him the proper feed back and tell him what's happening. But you can't when it don't move him, you know what I mean. I would like him to come on tour. He would love it. But I just don´t really see him much, you know. He's a paranoid dude. That the way I could put it, you know..hahaha. He suffers from nerves...

GLM: Whole heap of ganja then..hahah

CF: No, well. He's not lazy. He used to grasp with Dougie anyway so Dougie knows him sort of very well, you know. So that's how he got to come to the studio. Because he know Dougie good apart from that. But it's not 100 % commimentwise, you know what I mean. And there's quite a lot artists like that in London. He's good but getting them to them studio is hard. And certain man always have the money to put out the tunes as a man would wish. And when the cheapman don't have alot. The artist get disillusioned and say that breddah deh rip me off and reh reh. Or me voice a tune for a man and nothing's happening. But maybe he run into financial difficulties and don't put the tune out. That could be very disappointing from a artists angle. But Dougie always kinda work to put the tunes out. I kinda notice this still. So he live up to his word on that. If he say it's coming out it's coming out, you know what I mean.

GLM: Talking about releasing tunes. Which other producers have you worked with ?

CF: Yeah, I worked with one and two. Dubcreator from Holland, Heartical Crew in France, Reggae On Top, Steve Jah Warrior, that's about it really. I don't really run about to tuff, you know. I don't think it pays for me really, know what I mean. If a man glorify the works that's fine. But I not really saying record me, record me, you know. I just a bit humble. I don't want to push myself on no producer. Because you can get ripped off easy, if you know what I mean. So you have to be kinda sharp, you know, with the riddims and what you gonna voice. So I try to keep it exclusive still. So I've only recorded for a handfull of labels. I really don't love run around. I love to produce myself maybe. In the final run, yeah definently. But it's the matter of the founds, you know what I mean. Because I no rich man, you know.

GLM: You have one LP out so far. Is there any plans for another one ?

CF: So far, yeah...not just yet. I'm just gonna keep bubbling and keep trying store up as many tracks as possible and see what happens, you know what I mean. I'm not gonna say, oh it's gonna be an album out and nothing happens, you know what I mean. I'm just gonna build up some tracks and see what happens. I'm ain't gonna say it's gonna be a part 2. Because part 1 was kinda like painstaking still. It was a lesson and I properbly learned it, you know.

GLM: Future plans ?

CF: Production.

GLM: Like producing your own stuff or other people as well ?

CF: Yeah, maybe. I got a few names in mind. I just kinda have to wait and see what materialises still, yeah. Even some little family members that can do certain things...

GLM: Like local talents ?

CF: Yeah. London singers and maybe even certain jamaican ones. Because we have links in Jamaica as well. Like Lutan Fiyah, Jah Mason, etc. Yeah something can happen, you know what I mean. Don't rule out nothing. Hahaha. I can't really tell you nothing cuz I don't wanna give you all math and nothing happens. Just keep tuned, you know.

GLM: It´s your second time in Sweden, yeah ?

CF: Yeah, I enjoyed it the first time as well coming around about 3 years ago, you know.

GLM: You did a session with Meditative Sounds and Ras Peter...

CF: Yeah, that's right. In Örebro and in Uppsala at the place were playing tonight.

GLM: So what do you have to say about Sweden ?

CF: Yeah, I done my homework. I know that Dennis Bovell and his dub band used to come here a long time ago.
I remember Bob Marley did mention the place that he used to live here for a while. He come with Johnny Nash and do a film and the film got released in Sweden and it didn't really get the promotion that he was hoping for and that alot of sufferation did gwan here ina Bobs story. But I know that the whole vibe life has a kinda positive, you know what I mean. And I like the way that the people them deh pon kinda fitness kinda tip and healthy, you know. Which is kinda refreshing, you know. And the facilities obviously here are very nice. What can I say, you know. Alot of progress.

GLM: What about your own experiences from the roots scene ?

CF: Ahh, too many to mention man. What can I say. Back in the 80:s. Man getting their hands and banging it
on the box and when King Jammys just left Unity Sound with like a pile of dubplates like that and Ribbs (selector for UK´s Unity Sound in the late 80:s) just playing it one after the other and the crowd was just going crazy, you know. Sleng Teng had just came out and a whole heap of them early digital tunes started to come out, you know. Really experimental. Nitty Gritty and the man called Tenor Saw.

GLM: Where you a apart of the Unity Sound ?

CF: I was in the background still, you know what I mean. I needed to work it still, you know. I was a little less mature shall we say. So I just kept in the background, you know what I mean and just waited for my chance. I never recorded for Ribbs but certains things happened still, you know.

GLM: How old are by the way ?

CF: 38 (years), so I'm quite old...

GLM: And you're from England originally ?

CF: Originally, yeah man. But we have links, you know what I mean. Dads from Jamaica and Moms from St Vincent in the eastern Caribean. So it's like I have a mixed background with the English as well. So it's quite complex, you know. But I'm roots still, all around, you know what I mean. But from my English perspective still, you know. That's how we live. Still I left there. But it's just apart of the journey still. Because man a African from all them places still you know what I mean. Regardless, because everyman shall look it out.

GLM: Why do you do this you do ? You're a deejay. Why not anything else ? Is it for the love of music or what ?

CF: I listen to my mama when I was young. But when you get 15-16. You start to rebel and grow dreadlocks and that. It's like your parents are worried because like they think you keeping bad company. Going the wrong direction and you're going out 5 nights a week. And what this boy a do ? You know. But they realised as soon as the plastic started to come out they kinda eased off a bit because they know like there always be something. But before that they used to come in and: -Get a decent job and stop fooling around. Loafer. Drug user, reh reh reh. You smoke to much weed and all you do is sleep and talk you down, you know. Negitive vibes. But you have to rise above that. Because I always new what I wanted to do since I was like a kid. But I never realised the path would take so long. Like the man Simba, African Simba. Me grow up with him. When we used to be ten. We used to play fotball against each other. He played for his school and I played for my school. Me and him, we kick football. Because he used to be good at fotball, you know. Very talented breddah. But we still see each other from time to time. We live in the same area still, you know.

GLM: Yeah. We did a interview with him when he was here not a long time ago. He's a hard working man, having lot of sticks in the fire as we say in swedish...

CF: Yeah, from time he's a very active breddah, you know. Different style, you know. All part of the same roots.

GLM: You always have a conscious message and vibe in your tunes...

CF: Yeah, forever. I never had no ambition to chat no slackness or to bill little people or nothing like that. I just wanted to keep it positive ever. Always. I have never chat no word of slackness yet, you know. What's the point, you know what I mean. I might as well keep it positive style and try to uplift the people, you know. To say something, you know what I mean. If you don't have nothing good to say than shut up..hahaha. That's the way we see it. You have to keep it positive. Because when you listen to hiphop and all them other music deh it's pure negativity them deh pon all the while. And it don't really solve nothing, you know what I mean. Alright, it made a breddah rich but it's that really helping manners, you know. Everyman have a difference. So man must be different, still, you know.

GLM: What about Rastafari ?

CF: What about Rastafari ? Ever living. Ever faithful. Ever sure, you know. Nuff influence from the elder mans. Like junior holidays as a kid were growing up. There be certain places you could go like Kensington, Seven Sisters, West London and Man A Simba. And you could go and check them and you could do whatever you wanted within Rastafari. If you wanted to reason with a man. They reason with them. And if you wanted to do art and craft. You could do it. And these places were goverment founded. But it was like some of the man deh who was running it kinda abused the money. So alot of those places closed. But it was good for I'n'I as a youth to have somewhere to go to get guidance and consul.

GLM: Like a youth center...

CF: Yeah, there's one or two still. But it's more underground now, you know. But in the 70-80:s that's were you spent alot of time. Especially during holiday and everything. You just go, you know. And once a month they used to have nyahbinghis. So you get nuff isis, you know. All the way round coming up. And say during the week a few dances. So you always had something to do, you know. That's the only way, you know. You have to keep yourself out of trouble. Because police ina England no yester. Epecially them times.

GLM: When Margret Thatcher were primeminister, it were hard times yeah ?

CF: Yeah man. Criminals. Them come beat up man, you know what I mean. They could kill a man, you know. And they were very aggresive towards black people. Specially at that time. Without no regard. Alright, they might have learned them lesson now, but still. It's only if them scared. Them come trouble us now you know. But then they would try, you know. And that's why the riots in -81 and -85 due to the police and their lack of training. That's what happened. I remember physically fighting with my father who was trying to stop my in 1985. He said: -You ain't going. Because you know. He's kinda streetwise so he knows what's happening. So he stop me from going, you know what I mean. Can't go out because you get in trouble and get jail sentence, you know. And that was the first time them (the English police) use videocamera to film. And months later they go around and sort of arrest them, you know. Going around them house and finding out about them and than boom! You kinda remember what you did that night. But the chance is that you might get booked, you know what I mean.

GLM: I read something in the paper about some rasta police in England ?

CF: Yeah, Birmingham them deh have a scheme were like them have men in uniform would walk about and protect the area. To kinda bring a more community thing towards it. So yeah some of the man take uniform. Good luck to them. But, you know what I mean, you can't come to me with that. Too long in the tooth for that (?). Me nah gonna listen to that, know what I mean. Better go with your foolishness. Go read a book. There's nearly a 100 black men that got killed in custody in England. That's not a very good record, you know. They tell people officially that it's a little better now, but still.
(Here some people entered the room and cheers and greetings were exchanged. So we lost the topic. Therefor the strange ending of the interview)

GLM: Alright. That's it. Give thanks!

CF: Good. I would like to go and smoke my spliff now...

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