Interview with Murry Man at Johan (Meditative Sounds) apartment in Uppsala, Sweden. Interviewed by Jakob Levi on the 13:th of August 2005.

Murry Man has been around for quite some time although it's just recently people have been giving him the recognition he deserves. Starting out spending years in the sound system scene before heading into the recording business in the late eighties. With his eyes on the price he then took a pause from the music to find the money to build up his own studio as well as label so he could carry on indepently with his musical works before reappearing in the late ninties. Today Murry Man done works with numerous European roots labels and tours all over Europe doing shows and holding sessions.

Guidelight Movement: Greetings Murry Man.

Murry Man: Yeah man. This is Murry Man. Live and direct. Respect.

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

MM: My name is Murry Man from Birmingham, England, UK. I represent UK music. I have a label called Mellow Vibes. You can get our program on our website www.upfront.ch. You can see my line-up there.

GLM: Could you tell us about your early experiences in music ?

MM: Yeah, my early experiences were actually coming to England with my parents...

GLM: From ?

MM: From Jamaica. I came at an early age and started to go to school. I started to do musical stuff. I really didn't started to sing as any. I just wanted to take part in trying to play music. From there moving on into my times I started to move with people who wanted to build a sound system. At the age of fifteen sixteen. Through that we made the sound system and played for a few years. So really that's how I kind of came to the ranks of building sound system and devolop music.

GLM: What was the name of the sound ?

MM: The sound was called Virgo. Virgo Sound. We were just based in Birmingham. We didn't really play outside Birmingham. We played like most little major sounds in Birmingham.

GLM: Local sounds.

MM: Local sounds, yeah, and quite most of Birmingham know us as Virgo in the early eighties. As a good entertainment sound.

GLM: How did it devolop from there ?

MM: Yeah, we changed the name to a sound called Live Wire which was when the sound was changing into a digital aged. So we merged with a few more people and changed the name to Live Wire. It was a very big sound system. We merged with a lot of technicians and a lot of people who had speakerboxes and stuff. Through that ranks the sound climbed a ladder in Birmingham. But we got loads of mishaps along the way like someone got murdered at a festival around the sound and because of that we had a bad name. So the sound history of Live Wire kind of went down.

GLM: Alright and how did you carry on from that ?

MM: From there my musical talents kind of changed because just before the sound change from Virgo to Live Wire, I started to try to devolop music at home with like a few keyboards and stuff. Trying to make music and copy stuff on the street as well as making a few original tracks. When the sound system later died, coming into the early ninties I decided to start and take studio engineering and stuff. Learn to mix music and be a bit more computer minded. I had songs, I had rhythms in my head that I always wanted to put forward but I always had to rely on other sources like go to a studio or go to a friend to make rhythms and stuff. As I past through the years I just started to devolop my own studio.

GLM: Alright. Where you still based in Birmingham at this moment ?

MM: Yeah man. Still in Birmingham everything is.

GLM: I heard that you started your musical career by singing lovers rock at first before changing into roots.

MM: Yeah. What happen is that living in England and stuff, the English orientation of some kind of side of reggae music obviously have three kind of styles. You have the dancehall. You have the roots and you have the lovers rock. We have many dances and most of the records I was brought up on was actually lovers rock. So the first kind of hit I wanted to hit with was the kind of singing about women and I love you kind of stuff. You know what I mean ? Which was a great symbol of the love style. In those days many of the artists were hitting off in that kind of style.

GLM: They still do.

MM: Yeah, they still do and it's a great kind of style that's in my heart deeply. I started with three lovers rock. The first major tune I made was with a company called Silicon Squad and the song was called "Love My Today". That was done in 1989.

GLM: And this was released as well ?

MM: Yes, it was released on the Silicon Squad label.

GLM: Under your present artist name ?

MM: Under Murry Man, yeah, and that was done in 1989. At the time in Birmingham Reggae Music Awards was happening with London and it was hosted in Birmingham. Overall my music made a hit to the judges and stuff. They gave me Best Birmingham Artist or the year and Best Newcomer. So I got like these gold discs for what I've done. So that was like the first song I actually produced with other producers in Birmingham which I'm respected for now. Who helped me along the way of me devoloping my own studio and musical talents.

My company didn't start until -97 when I started to do the lovers rock again. I've done two lovers rock on twelve inches. I've put them out. What I can do is send you a programation of them on CD or if you want the vinyl as collection it's no problem. In the same time, I've put the two lovers rock tunes out and having a family of mine, a cousin of mine who knew the music fraternity in London. Because I'm still like 120 miles away from London. To do anything with the music industry you have to go to London, you know. So I had a cousin in London who helped me and gave me all the numbers to the people I should know to do the music and to get it mastered, labeled and registered up. So then he told me it's time, some people are saying my music can go on seven inches which I knew then. On the seven inch market, from when I was very young I seen seven inches and it was a great love of mine to start doing the seven inches and the twelve. I knew that I could do more deep rooted music and more deep roots music on a seven inch because it would be heard to a greater audience and fraternity of roots music. So the first track that I've done after lovers rock tunes was "Jah Send Them". That was the first roots tune I did. For the lovers rock tunes I've actually put out two with myself on Mellow Vibes. The first one made a good impact but the second one didn't really make good sales or good play because again I was inexperienced of how to sell my music. Like running around to recordshops and so because I used to do that myself. I used to run around to London myself and try to sell the music. I was still inexperienced and didn't know alot of people but as soon as I released "Jah Send Dem" and I started to run around and check a few people. I went back to the same shops. Tried a little distribution for them to try. I started to have feedback on the tune. You know, that people like it and stuff like that. It gave me encouragement because I'm a person who believe in myself. So I give myself my own determination to try and make the tune possible for people to get it available in the shops. Because I'm a artist that...I've been there and it's only in 2000 that I've been recognized for the music that I've been doing. So it's like from I'd made the first release on my own label in -97 and I'd done the "Jah Send Dem" in -99. Its made a great difference between -99 and now. Because now the music is selling on a vast scale.

So it's like when I'd done "Jah Send Dem" it's like I started to get recognized. Then I met a guy who have a recordshop in London called Roots Ting. A Chinese guy. A very good guy. He kind of believed in me, took all my music. He was the only guy who kind of took all my music and tried to sell it for me. He knew people in France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland. Little pockets of places he knew loads of people. He would sell them music for me. It was going well. We stock together. He also got a sound system which is based in Paris and in London.

GLM: Known as ?

MM: Roots Ting. Since the year 2000 he told me that he would take me out. To go and entertain crowds and stuff like that. So we started to go around Europe. We started in Paris in 2000. But he was already playing there from a few years before but he already put the word out that he was coming with somebody who will make a good impact on the sessions and stuff. So I started off with him on the travel experience in Paris. I went to Paris every six weeks and held big sessions. Crowds of people. Different, you know. My mind just opened up in a different way. Also he took me to Switzerland as well. He took me to Ireland. Done a few shows there. Again I impressed the crowds. Alot of people liked what I'd done. At the end of the sessions people didn't want to move. You know, it was just like wow, you know, I'm really good in what I'm doing.

As I was moving I was meeting more and more people who wanted to buy my music. So obviously I started to develop more of my skills in the studio and started to release stuff to sell to the public. So that's basically how everything started to generate. More pace. More distributers are getting involved and want to buy my music from me direct to sell to the smaller pockets of shops that are around Europe. Now the label and myself are now a worldwide reputable UK label which I'm quite suprised of. I'm greatful for the work I've done knowing that I have been behind the scenes all along but only been recognized in 2000. I have a lot of stuff to give the people still.

GLM: Was it through your trips to Switzerland that you linked up with Cultural Warriors ?

MM: Yeah. The first time I went to Switzerland was with Roots Ting playing with Cultural Warriors and they wanted to have me in the studio to make a song release which I was quite interested in saying yes I'll go for it. So I went to their studio and sang the first song for them which was "Warn Dem". It was quite a good tune. It was a nice slow medium vibes tune. Things started to take from there because now I had tune released from a different side of Europe going to a different audience of public. We kept the connections going. Me and Cultural Warriors are more or less like family now. We kind of link up on good terms. We have great vibes together and sometimes I do take a holiday there to go and see them and same for them. So we have a great movement together. Just by going to Switzerland, not only for one time, they have made shows and dances for me since. Moving around.

GLM: Heading into the more recent years how have the devolopment been ? You have been releasing more and more stuff from a lot different labels in Europe now.

MM: Yeah, over the recent years now people are starting go recognize the talents I have got. Some of the major labels and some of the small labels want a piece of my talents to go on their rhythms and stuff to make major releases which is good revenue for me and a good revenue for them. Also it makes a larger scale for me because the selling of music we don't know how far the music goes when it's released by some other company. If it's a small company people just listen to the music and know if it's good or not. But I find that a lot of people have recognized my talents and they want to come forward now to help me broading my style by going on their rhythms, as well for the message I'm preaching at the same time. Because I've done quite a few songs for Cultural Warriors. I've done a tune for the Zion Gate label. Uplift Productions. Patate Records in Paris as well.

GLM: What about your message ? You always forward the message of love and Rastafari. At what part of your life did you adopt to the philosophy of Rastafari ?

MM: Well, Rastafari have really been there from birth. It's been there from creation still. It's just that there's many parts of the world that believe in some form of God but really it's the same God. So to believe in Rastafari is also like somebody with a Bible who read the Bible regular the old testament or the new, you know, it's just spritual people who do natural things. Who know the right from wrong. So in my growing up it came from my parents taking me to church. It started with that. Not only the church but also the movement of Rasta who was great in those early days when I was growing up in the eighties. It's the same way we're giving thanks and praise, seen ? We are open and free minded to speak whatever, seen ?, and to love one another.

My message is like a gospel message, you know. I'm just preaching the word of love and respect. Remember roots music also symbolize the freedom fighter style of music. Always against the politicians them because them hold down the poor and the poorer countries. There's no third world there's one world, you know. It's that some countries are poorer than some. So we're all singing about help the nation and more love and stop the shooting and so forth. So that's the fraternity of the roots music side.

GLM: Let's talk about some of the people you have been working with lately like people you have been putting out on your own label. Collie Weed for instance, what can you tell us about him ?

MM: Yeah, I have some artists back in England because a lot of Jamaicans are now in England who we knew from long time and nuff producers and artists are there now residing and living. They produce music also and they are singing for English labels as well. Some of them still go back to Jamaica to go and produce it or mix it down or even to change rhythm. Collie Weed is one the those artists that live in my area of Birmingham which I knew from his music. So it was a great joy to have him around and have him as good company as well as giving me some experience from the Jamaican vibes. In my part of devoloping Mellow Vibes to release new seven inches I had Collie Weed around me and I had Tenna Star who also come from Jamaica though a different side. He come from the town area, he come from the Jaro, the Killamanjaro stable like. So we have Tenna Star coming in. It was nice to have those artists with me developing a different vibe and plus them singing talents uplevel with me and it was a great experience and they gain experience from me too. Also we have other artists behind those as well coming up which I'm trying to develop.

GLM: Like ?

MM: We have a new artist called Mister Diamond who's also a Jamaican artist. He's slightly unrecognized but have great talents. Also Ras Tweed who come from a sound system called Overproof Soundsystem in England. They play half live and half digital on stage and stuff. So I have two new artists coming out this year. Also Tenna Star is back in line for the new year. I have some rhythms that I've mixed with him maybe two three years that are now ready. So we just need to finish them. So I have many artists in the pipeline I want to produce but I'm taking the time to make the right tunes and the right mixes.

GLM: Alright. What about your label Mellow Vibes ? You mainly started it because you wanted to do your own thing and be independent ?

MM: Yeah, I started the label because me personally believing myself because I had many catalogues of music that I had on file. That I wanted to release. But I kept going around for many years. Going to friends and going listen to this. You know. It was just going around in a circle. It wasn't going nowhere. I done five years of just doing tapes and CD's. Listen to this, listen to this and it didn't go nowhere. So I started to get angry with the music because I'm saying I got all these songs and stuff in my mind. I want to get them out and how am I going to do it ? If nobody wants to take upon what I got to offer, you know what I mean ? How am I going to do it ?

So my determination goes back to me going back to work and forgetting about music and going back to education and back into a job. So I could raise the money to finish my studio and build the Mellow Vibes label to put myself out and to put my friends out as well. So see me ? Because my hands are not afraid to get dirty. I have a education I can still back to work and forget about this thing. So that is where my determination is and where Mellow Vibes originally originated from. Just my determination and believing in my music and that's what brought me here today. Still persevering. Still have to find the money to develop another new tune.

GLM: What about your name, Murry Man. Where did it come from ?

MM: My name is Howard Murry, so it's from my sir name.

GLM: What about future works from yourself ?

MM: Future works are that I'm just waiting for a few album deals to be sawned up because I have about two albums ready already. But for the moment I'm waiting for a few album deals to be sawned up before I can actually release them. So I'm hoping within two years I can have them out. Otherwise from that we will always be on the sinlge market. That means singles being out either from other companies or from my own Mellow Vibes.

GLM: So what's the future plans and releases for the Mellow Vibes label ?

MM: The future release is the Mister Diamond tune called "Putting Me Down". It's a song about...doesn't matter if you're right or wrong you keep on putting me down. It's like nobody wants to you win, you know. But everybody's equal and have a chance so if you believe in yourself you can persevere and go on to do other things. Then there's the Ras Tweed one which is a anti gun tune. We put the fire on the guns. It's fire on the guns in the area and cities around the world. You have to look at it on a world thing not just areas where there's gun crime. There's many gun crimes around the world, so it's a gun tune about we don't want to guns around. So those are the two releases that's ready to be released now. Also I just released a tune called "All The Days" and I don't know if you know of the one before called "Run Go". Have you heard it ?

GLM: Yeah, I heard it.

MM: That's one of those songs that just come naturally. Soon as I hear or see something I capture that vibe in music.

GLM: A natural response to it.

MM: Yeah, I keep most of my stuff original. I like everything I hear outside and I roll it all into my own. So I keep my stuff original. Like everything I hear from jazz, reggae, r'n'b to pop music. I like all fraternity of music because I was grown up on it..

GLM: Alright Murry Man. Give thanks and thank you for your time.

MM: Yeah man. It's been a pleasure talking to you.

GLM: Likewise.

Forward to media