Jazzie B

Were from the days when a number 14 bus and a supermarket trolley got us around. Jazzie will tell you when talking about his early sound system days. And it is this determination, desire, resourcefulness, passion, enthusiasm, drive, ambition and a simple love for music that has got Soul II Soul where it is today.



Jazzie took his first steps into the bass heavy world of the sound system when he was just 13. Following in their big brothers footsteps, Jazzie and a school friend known as Daddae started a sound called Jah Rico, which played mainly reggae music. After a three year apprenticeship as Jah Rico, Jazzie and Daddae changed the vibe of the sound and began playing more soulful music. Soul II Soul was created.



We came up with the name Soul II Soul not just because of the music we played, but it also stood for Daddae and myself - two souls moving together. Weve always had that kind of relationship ever since we were little. Hes a very integral part of what I do. There are not many words exchanged between us but everything that has happened has happened very much in tandem. And a whole heap has happened since playing music at birthday parties and at school lunchtime parties.



On leaving school a careers advisor told Jazzie she couldnt get him a job in the music industry she politely suggested he became a milkman or a BT engineer. So Jazzie opted for his second passion sport. He went to college to train as a PE teacher. After six months Jazzie decided it wasnt for him and left to go back to the energy that is Soul II Soul.



Soul II Soul had by now achieved a name on a community level, but they still needed funding. They were not in a position to give up the day jobs yet. Jazzie worked for the RNIB as an engineer making books for the blind. Then, when he was 18, he worked for Tommy Steele as a tape operator. He was there for the next two years. As one of the few black people in the business at that time, Jazzie endured a sometimes hostile environment. It made me vexed in one way, but it made me see that there are parts of the industry that were not taking care of because we always want to be so upfront. It also hardened me.



Perhaps it was this encounter that helped Jazzie to create an environment, which was to appeal across the board. With its Balearic beats and a new sound called Acid House, the warehouse scene was in full swing by the mid 1980s. Expressing a flare for creativity Soul II Soul naturally slotted into that scene. We were very arty as an early sound. We never had conventional speakers, we used pyrotechnics in a dance, we had banners and strobes in a house party! This appealed to the white middle classed punters of the warehouse functions.



Soul II Soul then landed a gig at the now legendary Africa Centre in Londons Covent Garden. There they created the Soul II Soul experience. Unlike other sound systems on the same circuit, Soul II Soul wasnt just about the big name DJs, it was about a vibe. And that vibe not only gained more street credibility, but it had spilt over into another scene. You had people from all walks of life at the Africa Centre. A very eclectic crowd. It was like Benetton down there.



The Africa Centre caught the attention of record industry executives and it wasnt long before Soul II Soul were being persued by record labels. In 1986 Soul II Soul signed to Virgin as an artist/band. This partnership catapulted Soul II Soul into a tornado of success.



The Soul II Soul sound was original, new, fresh, and infectious, but above all it was a UK thing. It was homegrown. It represented without alienating itself. And the masses couldnt get enough of it. Jazzie enjoyed chart success with Keep On Moving and Back To Life. And he and Soul II Soul quickly became household names.



There were three shops in London selling Soul II Soul clothing emblazoned with the distinctive Funky Dred logo, records, record mats, jewellery and accessories. They even had a slogan A happy face, a thumpin bass, for a lovin race. There were the resident club nights throughout the UK and abroad, concerts, radio, television appearances, and Jazzies show on Londons Kiss FM.



America embraced Jazzie B and Soul II Soul. In 1990 they picked up 2 Grammys. Jazzie was given the keys to seven cities in the US, including LA and New York, and the NAACP has honoured him. Theres even a Soul II Soul day in America.



On the tails of the US success came more record company deals. Soul II Soul signed to Motown as a label, and a production deal with Epic came shortly afterwards. This was alongside the Virgin deal in the UK. Then after 8 years with Richard Bransons Virgin, which saw the label grow from independent to major, Jazzie signed an artist deal with Island in 1996.



From the beginning of those heady, high profile days of the late 80s, right up to today Jazzie B has not only produced a string of successful cuts for Soul II Soul, but hes also managed to produce and re-mix tracks for the likes of The Fine Young Cannibals, Incognito, Maxi Priest, Charlene Smith, James Brown, Kym Mazelle, Rose Windross, Family Stand, Cheryl Lynn, Public Enemy, J.T. Taylor, Johnny Gill, Charlotte, Caron Wheeler, Isaac Hayes, Sinead OConnor, Alison Williams, Teena Marie, Ziggy Marley, The Jones Girls, Nas, and Destiny's Child. Somewhere along the line theres been the handshake with Prince Charles, and he even once shared a dressing room with the legendary Sammy Davis Jnr.



To date Soul II Soul have sold over 6.8 million albums in over 35 territories worldwide. Jazzie has accreditation on over 35 million albums in over 100 territories, Soul II Soul have product on over 200 compilation CDs. They have performed in over 20 countries, and appeared at some of the most famous venues in the world including Wembley and New Yorks Universal Ample Theatre.



With all this experience and an association with the likes of the late Don Taylor (Bob Marleys ex-manager managed Soul II Soul), Chris Blackwell and Richard Branson, amongst others, Jazzie has acquired the skills to become one of the UKs most successful entrepreneurs.



Jazzie now runs a successful independent label called Soul II Soul Recordings, he has a state-of-the-art studio in London and has plans to build a further studio and holiday cottages on his five acres of land in Antigua. He does voice-overs for radio and television, and Keep On Movin was used for the high profile Renault Clio television ads. Mary J. Blige recently released a cover version of Back To Life. Jazzie also regularly does a radio show on the in-flight entertainment for Virgin Atlantic.



For the man who considers himself as a pleasure giver, its paramount to Jazzie to remain a part of the club scene. Being a sound system is very important to me, I still DJ in clubs. And the label is run like a sound system. Its all exactly the same as before, except that the times have changed. Technically we are still a sound system. The singers and artists are our MCs, and instead of making mix tapes we now make records and CDs.



So while Jazzie B no longer borrows supermarket trolleys and probably hasnt seen the inside of a number 14 bus for a while, the sound system mentality is still very much at the root of Soul II Soul.



Soul 2 Soul Recordings.