We’re just a little over a week away from the second coming of the Snowy Mountains of Music Festival in Perisher. As such, as thought we’d check in with one of the artists playing the festival – Jake Savona of Mista Savona. We chat about the past, present, future of Mista Savona – and of course the festival!
Melbourne Meets Kingston, your album of 2007, was the first to pair Australian and Jamaican artists. Was it a difficult process making it happen? I read that it was recorded over three years?
It was actually really just a matter of jumping on a plane! I flew over with a good friend – reggae DJ Jesse I – and we met up with another mate Yonatan (DJ name Top Ranking), who had based himself on the west coast in a town called Negril. I had a bag of my favourite instrumentals that I’d worked on in Melbourne, and I knew the Jamaican artists would be happy to work with these! We based ourselves in a small studio called Jah Freedom for most of the time, and apart from a few phone calls initially it wasn’t long before artists were coming to find us. The whole of “Melbourne Meets Kingston” was recorded in less than month – but yes I spent almost two years on the mixes and remixes back in Australia, making sure the whole thing was world class and going to raise eyebrows – which it did!
It felt like such a natural fit. Were you surprised it hadn’t been done before?
Yes I was surprised actually – but the distance, the cost of airfares from Australia, and the lack of Caribbean culture here has meant that there just hasn’t been the groundswell or cultural exchange in place, like there is in the States or most of Europe and the UK. At the same time Aussies love reggae for the most part, so I guess it was just a matter of time!
Hip Hop, in particular, has seemed to be paired with Reggae more often since then. I note Damien Marley and Nas as a most recent example. Blue King Brown headed to Jamaica to record their latest album, too. Who do you recommend the world listens too under this heading?
With Jamaica and the states being so close together, hip-hop and reggae have always fed into each other. In fact the first vocalists to record freestyled, rhyming lyrics were definitely the Jamaicans back in the late 60’s. Its a natural fit, and crossovers have been happening for a long time, particularly the last 20 years. American artists making reggae, and Jamaicans making hiphop – Busta Rhymes is a good example! In terms of recent releases, I think everyone’s looking forward to checking out the whole album from Nas and Marley. Other interesting artists doing crossover styles are Jahdan Blackamore, Major Lazer, and I love hearing artists like Sizzla and Capleton ripping up hip hop beats.
You have your own Riddim series in Jamaica – and you’re the first Australian who can make that statement! Can you explain what a Riddim is exactly, and how you got interested in producing that style?
Well a riddim these days is really just another name for a beat or a jam, as hiphop producers like to call their productions. Could be a reggae feel whether live or programmed, dubstep, hiphop, dancehall etc – any style really is possible. The difference is the Jamaican culture of ‘versioning’ that underlies most riddim productions, in that you get multiple artists recording their own vocal versions/songs over the riddim. This gives DJ’s ample opportunity to extend a track, mixing the different versions at will and keeping the dancefloor vibed. My riddim, the ‘Fire Dragon’, got a lot of airplay in Jamaica and the radio presenters would mix through the different versions on air, the same way Dj’s in a club do. The tunes all got pressed on 7″ vinyl, just before the vinyl industry in Jamaica began to wind down. The Sizzla and Burro Banton cuts are my favourite, together with the Vida-Sunshyne cut “By The Way” which always rocks crowds in Australia.
And you of course have two solo albums as well – can you tell us a bit about them?
Well I actually have four albums released so far -“Bass & Roots”, “Invasion Day”, “Melbourne Meets Kingston” and the most recent, “Warn The Nation”. All my albums feature my productions and instrumentation, alongside different vocalists and musicians I’ve met in my travels, both here and overseas. The first two albums have a more hiphop/downtempo feel, whereas the last two, both recorded in Jamaica, are more vocal heavy and definitely have a stronger dancehall feel to them.
You’re about to play the Snowy Mountains Music Festival. It’s quite the unique event – are you looking forward to it? What have you heard about the first year?
Yes can’t wait! Never been to the snowy mountains. Looking forward to checking the snow crowds and making sure they party hard while we’re around! Also looking forward to some fresh air and beautiful scenery.
What material do you bring to the table live? And will you have the 12 piece band with you?
We’ll have the full band, and some great vocalists that know how to ride a riddim! We’ll be playing new tracks from the album, a few remixes plus heaps of tunes we’ve been working on over the years that will be coming out on future releases. We like to mix up styles and sounds to keep things interesting for people.
What’s your advice to producers just getting started out?
Work hard! Listen to as much music as you can, push yourself, find your own sound and style, and make gig opportunities for yourself so you know how to perform your music to a crowd. Collaborate as much as possible – with rappers, singers, musicians, everyone. The only way to learn is by getting out there!
And finally, what can we expect from Jake Savona next?
Working on my next album, got more collaborations with Mantra and Real World coming soon, as well as a huge recording project with one of my favourite vocalists in the world. Can’t give away any more about that one at the moment!
Mista Savona are one of the headliners at the Perisher Snowy Mountains of Music which runs from 11-14 June. It’s going to be awesome weekend with over 40 bands & 130 concerts across 10 venues at Perisher. Tickets still available at $135 for 4 day festival pass. http://www.snowymountainsofmusic.com.au/
