“Soul-fuelled, dub-induced, reggae for the people”
Pama International are one of London’s leading and most original dub collectives, combining elements of '60s soul and '70s reggae with a 21st century social commentary that reveals their links to The Specials. After a total of seven albums and one EP in 10 years including an anti-knife/gun campaign, on top of sessions for Radio One, Xfm & BBC 6 Music, numerous collaborations, and sets at Glastonbury, Womad, Big Chill, Bestival, Beautiful Days and Wickerman festivals, the band are about to play some of their last shows as a band.
In anticipation of the release of their new collaboration with Mad Professor (arguably dub’s equivalent to Gandalf) we caught up with co-frontman Sean Flowerdew.
So how did this Mad Professor collaboration come about?
I met Mad Professor about five years ago when we did a gig together in east London. After that we worked together on one track called 'Come As You Are' for the Pama International – 'Loved Filled Dub Band' 2008 album, but I always knew I'd like to do a full album with him. And work live with him. The Pama International album from last year, 'Outernational', did pretty well, so it seemed like a good idea to ask Mad Professor to remix the entire album. The resulting album is called Pama International meet Mad Professor – 'Rewired! In Dub'. With the album due out on 1st November it seemed only right to promote it with some live shows.
What's he like to work with and how are you feeling about the results?
He's great.... the hardest working man in reggae. He has his own thing going on, so for this 'Rewired! In Dub' album I just gave him the masters and let him get on with it. It was a liberating feeling. All other Pama International albums I attempt to recreate the sounds I can hear in my head. It can be a questioning and exhaustive process. Getting Mad Professor to mix it was pain-free. The results speak for themselves and I'll let others decide how good it is. The reaction so far has been extremely positive, so I'm very happy.
Pama International have been hailed as the UK's leading reggae collective – how does that feel?
That's very kind of whoever said that. I don't think there's too many reggae collectives operating in the UK, not on a live basis, so I guess we have to be up there. There's a lot of brilliant reggae collectives running sound systems and club nights though... Mungos Hi Fi, Roots Garden, Tighten Up Crew, Axis Sound System, Pressure Drop, all great at what they're doing.
We never set out to be a collective; it's just the way it happened. I always want to work with the best players, from bands I love, which means they can be in demand for their own projects. From early on in Pama International's life I built a big pool of players we could call on. It's amazing to look back on. We've had players from The Specials, Madness, The Lee Perry Band, Style Council, PWEI, and The Selecter all in the band and collaborated with Wrongtom, Billy Bragg, Mungos Hi Fi and Michie One, as well as reggae legends like Rico Rodriguez, Dennis Alcapone, Derrick Morgan and of course now Mad Professor.
What really inspires you to keep making music every day?
My family, my kids... it pays the bills, which is grounding. Writing and making music is a constant balance of artistry and invention vs. necessity.
Other music is a huge inspiration. There's so much out there, I've only recently discovered Janis Joplin's soul album and Dr Feelgood. There's always something else out there to inspire and get excited about.
You've said that this October's tour will see the last Pama International performances for the forseeable future?
The October dates are the beginning of the end for Pama International. A lot of the towns we're playing on the tour with Mad Professor will be the last time we hit there… They'll be our very last shows as Pama International so to go out in style I've invited people to come play with us who have been part of the collective over the years, like Lynval and Horace from The Specials. It should be a lot of fun.
Pama International meet Mad Professor – 'Rewired! in Dub' is out on 1st November 2010, and will be available from www.rockersrevolt.com and all good music outlets.
If you want to check it out live, they’ll be playing with Mad Professor at Dingwalls in Camden this Sunday evening.
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