Annons
Annons
John Masouri: In 1968 – I was 15 – I went to my first blues party. This was in a very run-down area of Nottingham. There were already a fair amount of Caribbean people there; I guess I was the first generation to go to school with Jamaican kids. I had a girlfriend, and her uncle used to run this blues, so I used to go there. It was very intimidating, very exciting – another world. I was fascinated. I moved to London in 1973 or 74, when the first big systems were beginning to appear at [Notting Hill] Carnival – Fatman, Coxsone, etc. It was wonderful being in London during that time; you didn't have to go to blues parties any more, the sounds would be playing in halls and proper clubs and community centres, and I was old enough to get in. But one thing I did notice was that things were more racially charged in London. It was certainly more unwelcoming than it had been in the Midlands. I think partly that is just being in London, though: London was much more competitive between the various systems, and they were the first to get into the consciousness-raising stuff that was going on at the time.The police harassment was coming on strong at that time as well. You'd often be in places and the police would raid them and search everybody and close off the system, close off the club… but you kind of got used to that – it became part of the experience. Wherever young people gather to have a good time there's always someone that wants to spoil it, y'know?
Annons
I think that it is certainly a primary way of experiencing roots reggae. But it goes back much further – even the early sound guys, like [Vincent] "Duke Vin" [Forbes] in the early 1950s, he was making the building shake, making plaster come down from the ceiling at the blues parties he was playing; it has always been a big part of the music. Those early sound guys were always very competitive in every area, whether that was sourcing the best and most exclusive records; getting the best MCs on the mic; having the best clarity of sound; being the loudest without distorting. They showed prowess in designing the sound and getting everything built to the proper specifications.The volume was certainly part of it, but I think it perhaps become over-prominent towards the end of the 70s. The early blues parties used to be places that people would meet; not just dance and enjoy themselves and have a good time, but also share news from whatever part of the Caribbean they came from. They weren't necessarily leaning massively toward the volume because people would want to socialise as well. But by the time the mid-70s came around you had sounds like Jah Shabba and Fatman who were absolutely killing you with volume. That was a real experience – you feel it in a bodily sense.
Annons
It's almost as if the sound inhabits your whole body. You become an extension of the very speakers, in a sense. And I must admit – because I can that tell you love it as well, Harry – there is nothing like that feeling of being taken over. It's like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers [laughs].Can you tell me a bit about what happened with sound system culture in England during the 80s?
The 1980s were the best decade ever for reggae in this country; it was this huge explosion of talent, not just in London but all over the country. There was this explosion of roots bands all over the place. When sound tapes – cassettes from Jamaica – became very popular you suddenly had a situation where English-born singers – singers who had gone to English schools – took elements of the Jamaican sound. You had real storytellers emerge. Dub-plates became less important; the performance of the DJs and the singers took over. That was such a talented generation with the MCs and the singers on systems like Saxon.In 1984 Papa Levi had a number one hit in Jamaica with "Me God Me King". That had never been done before – in fact, it has never been done since – but it was just amazing. A young guy from South London, from Lewisham, who learnt his craft in local youth clubs, and suddenly he's got a number one hit in Jamaica – the home of reggae sound systems, the home of reggae culture. To actually witness Jamaican DJs and MCs being forced onto the back foot and then taking on styles that had originated in the UK was a real point of pride if you were around at that point.
Annons
Firstly, we had a larger concentration of West Indian immigrants. Secondly, they brought that culture with them. It wasn't an insular community, and although of course there was racism – everyday racism and institutionalised racism – and I would never deny that, in my personal experience [English kids and West Indian kids had so much in common]. There were so many elements that we could share as friends; it was an easy fit and there were also a lot of interracial relationships happening. And then working class communities in England have always had this great love for American soul music and American rock 'n' roll. There has always been this appreciation of music – it's always been one of our great strengths as a nation.Wherever Caribbean people settled, from the 50s onwards, a music scene would develop. It was perhaps easier in the 70s because there were lots more facilities. Unlike today, you had a surplus of council housing; a lot of parties took place in community centres; there were lots of youth clubs – even church halls… there were many places where music could flourish and take route. There were lots of bands starting up, so it was able to spread. I'm not saying it was always easy, but the facilities were there in a way that they are perhaps not today.
I'll give you an example: it's now hugely expensive for a system to set up at Carnival. The complaints from residents in recent years mean that each system has to provide a level of security off their own backs, which is expensive. Take Sir Coxsone, for example. Nobody pays them to perform at Notting Hill, but they have to hire a van to take the system down; they have to pay for a tech crew – which could be six or seven people – they have to pay for security; they have to be responsible for rubbish clearance, all this stuff. It costs a huge amount of money.
Annons
WATCH: 'Noisey Jamaica – Popcaan'
Tell me about putting the London exhibition together – was it difficult to track people down who had been involved with the older systems?
Initially we had to cast our net around London, see who actually had photographs, that was the main thing. We didn't want to just use images from recognised photographers; we wanted to source the photographs that had been taken around the systems themselves, but hadn't been shared publicly. Those shots give you a different type of insight, and we're lucky enough to have a great exhibition. But what we soon discovered is that a lot of the older sound guys didn't take photographs back in the day, or that they're not computer literate, or they might not be around any more – scenarios like that.There were some earlier systems that I really wanted to be represented, but there were absolutely no photographs. Sometimes people would say to me, "Why didn't you take any photographs at dances yourself back then?" As a white man? In a blues party? People thought I was a policeman already, let alone if I had a bloody camera around my neck [laughs]. In the early-70s there was no way you were going to be running around sticking a camera in people's faces. And the other thing was that, in those days in London, not many people had a decent camera of their own. Photography was something that you didn't really do, in the modern sense.
Annons