Jazzie B The Onginal Funky Dred

Rip It Up, Issue 219, 1 November 1995, Page 12

Jazzie B The Onginal Funky Dred

In the late 80s Soul II Soul predicted the sound of the 90s. They opened a gateway and introduced the world to the concept of what I’ll loosely call ‘club culture’. Their first two albums, boldly titled Club Classics Volume I and II were just that — massive hits, they defined the sound of the turn of the decade. But now, as we approach the turn of the century, to a soundtrack of hed funk and ambient drum ’n’ bass. Are Soul II Soul still relevant in a constantly mutating dance environment? I spoke with the original funky dred, Jazzie B.

Since Soul II Soul came out in the late 80s, the dance scene has become incredibly diverse, with the rise of jungle etc. What are your thoughts on the current scene? “I think it’s great. I love the jungle vibe. It’s

a young scene, but it’s totally healthy. I love clubbing and still do the odd bit of deejaying, and I’m still doing me Monday night show, The Funki Dred, on Kiss FM.”

You’ve said it would have been easy to jump on the latest bandwagon, but you’d rather stay true to the Soul II Soul sound. Describe the sound of Volume V: Believe. “Well, since we started, there’s been a real explosion of genres. Each of those is someone’s way of trying to express who they are. That’s very healthy, it’s what we’ve always preached, and now Soul II Soul are one among those choices. Believe is very much a representation of Soul II Soul in 95. We didn’t want to diversify too much from where we came from. It’s still funky, black, British soul music.” You’re onto Volume V, a major achievement for a dance group. Did you think you’d make it this far?

“Well, Soul II Soul has always been a collective rather than a group, so we’ve always been able to come up with something new and, therefore, hopefully some sort of longevity in the business. We’ve got a lot of new faces since we started out, but that’s club culture and that’s why we’re still here.” To finish off, are you touring and can we expect a Volume VI? “Yeah, we’re going to hit the road next year with a wicked new band I’ve put together, so we’ll see if we can sort out a New Zealand date sometime. And definitely a Volume VI, mate, for sure.”

ANDY