RAS ZACHARRI is one of those Jamaican reggae singers, whose voice is very specific. Zacharri´s music is mostly roots reggae with conscious lyrics,but his third album Rootstep was example which showed how versatile his music can be. ZACHARRI is artist who has strong charisma and therefore his live performances with band or sounds is a great experience for everyone who loves roots reggae. In October 2010 he performed in Slovakia for very first time and had two shows alongside ONE-OFF ROCKERS. That time during dubplate session ZACHARRI even recorded featuring track Naozaj with Slovak band A.M.O. which was released on their album Positive. Since then he has moved from England to Jamaica, he has released lots of singles & three albums (Herbsman, New Horizon, Rootstep),his fourth album Love Over Hate is being released these days.
GREETINGS
ZACHARRI! Let me ask you first wha gwaan? Cause it´s a long time since we
have talked personaly, so is everything good? Do you spend now most of your
time in parish of Portland,Jamaica, but do you still visit England regulary?
Well, wha gwaan? Life continues, living in the hills of Portland with my family. Blending back myself into the nature & living out of the land, farming, practicing yoga and enjoying the simplicity of life.
Since
2006 when you released your first tunes When
Jah Wrath and River Jordan for UK
label Roots Garden, you have released three full albums, fourth is on its way
(which we will talk about later) and many singles for various labels. Your
music and live performances caught various worldwide audiance, could you
imagine in the beginning that all this will happen?
Yes, cause Most High say, righteousness shall cover the earth, like water cover the face of the sea. So from the music is conscious & positive it will be accepted by all nations & my music is very uplifting & therapeutical & so it shall be heard and use as healing for the people and the world.
How would you compare living in Jamaica and England, now after time when you look back?
Well living in Jamaica is totaly different experience, the nature support you & you can survive from land.In England, it´s a concrete jungle and brick walls. It was tuff experience and I struggled to find a work & so I started to busk, playing my guitar & meeting some of the most amazing people & it get me back to music, even more the end of my England experience, I found myself recording the whole CD with THE WAILERS & many singles on various record labels.What about sound system bashments in England and in Jamaica, did you hear in England more roots and dubwise music inna dances than in Jamaica? Do you see some significant differences between bashments in England and Jamaica?
Surprisingly England has bigger roots scene & more different quality options of that music as drum´n´bass & jungle. When I first travel to England this completely changed my perception of music. In Jamaica, it most gravitates to dancehall music and just rarely we experience roots & dub music here, even thou a lot of artists make this kind of music here, the music is mainly accepted outside of Jamaica.
When we look back to Jamaica, your homeland and place where you spent your
childhood and youth age, you were surrounded by many musicians but you have
quite „famous“ uncle inna family. Many readers probably dont know that your are
nephew of Buju Banton. How does his music and presence in your life influenced you?
Yes, it influenced me greatly. Most of the thing I learned about songwriting & production come from being amongst him & being in that musical environment.
Why did you decide to sing roots music and not dancehall for example? Is it
cause of how were you raised in young age and values you have been taught as
person?
Yes, exactly, because of the values & the morals.Well, my first single was dancehall, even thou it was quite conscious because IRISH MOSH is this superfood high in Iodine & other minerals. But soon I realized it´s a kind a disposable & it was not satisfying to my soul at all & I was moved to my spiritual intuitiion to make reggae.
Lets look onto your debut album Herbsman
(2009) which was also name for
your very first single for your own label Shem Ha Boreh Records released
on 45 vinyl and you also made video for it? Do you agree that album opened much
more doors to your singing carrer?
Yes, because that album took me on tour and to Africa & all over the world & until now it´s opening doors & people remember that Herbsman song & the album as the very good one.On Herbsman you had recorded with UPRISING band, which is nowadays also very popular and active roots reggae band, you had also featuring artists LUCIANO, GREGORY ISAACS. How did you come to this band and artist in that time, did you know them for longer time or it just happened?
Actually,my good friend is the baseman of the Uprising band and we have a similar understanding about music & so we started to make music together.
For your second album New Horizon
you went back to studio with UPRISING ROOTS band and released it on your Shem
Ha Boreh Records in 2011. Again you had some very nice featuring with artists
there like EARL 16, MARK TENN, TIWONY. After years if you look back onto this album,
what does it mean to you, I mean was it a new horizon for you in your
life and music career in that time?
It was truly New Horizon, and that´s why I named the album so, it was a transition, it was a time when I left England again & return to live to Jamaica. The New Horizon is as well musically more mature & evolved.
If you can look back into October 2010 when you had your two debut live performances alongside One-Off Rockers in Slovakia and between shows you have recorded some nice dubplates for various sounds and even featuring part in one song for Slovak band A.M.O. How do you remember those times, di you enjoy it?
Yaman, I enjoyed it fully,. Getting to know Kayaman and all these cool people. People really love music, so it was awesome to connect & share my art with them.
Kayaman & Zacharri /2010 flyers for RAS ZACHARRI shows in Slovakia
Now I am very curious to ask about your third album ROOTSTEP (2012) with dubstep producer ROOMMATE from San Francisco, how come this collaboration together?Did you meet personally or you just received riddims and recorded vocals in various studios?
I knew King Dubbist from London & this production was a partnership with the Roommate, whom I never met personally. So Roommate sent riddims & King Dubbist recorded me in London & we laid out whole new musical style the ROOTSTEP.
Album ROOTSTEP was in much different vibe than your first two albums and it
was also your first full album released on vinyl LP? Do you think that this
album helped to bring your music to wider audiance?
Yes, it did because of its heavy base digital music and it´s different beat.
Last year you have released big featuring tune with LUTAN FYAH With Jah We Stand,
few months ago your label Shem Ha Boreh
records released The 7 Chakra riddim
where you have featuring tune with HORACE ANDY One By One but also LUTAN FYAH, LUCIAN, LOUIE CULTURE also appered
on this riddim. Did you recorded this riddim with MY NAME IS BAND?
All these songs were recorded with legendary Jamaican musicians, The Love Over Hate album & One By One song, from the same album was whole made with M.N.I.B.
Your latest riddim is called The 7 Chakra Riddim and I read that according to you "the riddim is like the seven chakras which energy flows throught in our bodies he also note it´s important to understnad what each chakr represents and and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely." Did yoga influence you in making music too? How long you practice Ashtanga yoga, which position madew you make it hard?
Yoga influence my life & therefore the music, I practice over 10 years & my favorite styles are Hatha & Kundalini Yoga. I teach Yoga as well & daily practice. Daily explore my headstand.
Back to your music again. Now you are releasing 4th album called LOVE OVER HATE with French band MY NAME IS BAND? Is this album going to be released on vinyl too as your third album and what can your fans, listeners expect from it?Will it be in roots reggae style?
Yes, Love Over Hate is a classic roots reggae album, nice strong conscious tunes to directly light up and uplift your spirit, very positively charged music. Very musically advanced compared to the previous three albums.
Except of releasing your new album you are setting your EUROPE tour for 2017, so tell readers or even promoters since when are you available in Europe, if you are with band also ready for sound system performance? Do you have some confirmed dates already which you can tell us?
Sure European tour is set for 20.8. to the end of September. We have shows set:
25.8. Belgium, Uhuru Festival
26.8. Slovakia, Uprising Festival
3.9. France, Party Time Radio
12.9. France, Shake The Town Radio
14.9. France, Listen My Soul Radio
26.8. Slovakia, Uprising Festival
3.9. France, Party Time Radio
12.9. France, Shake The Town Radio
14.9. France, Listen My Soul Radio
15.9. Paris, La Java
20.9. Paris, Peniche Antibodes
28.9. London - Brixton, Hootanany
20.9. Paris, Peniche Antibodes
28.9. London - Brixton, Hootanany
Dates are still available, promoters contact us on RasZacharri@gmail.com
18.In my last question I always give free space to artist to send the last message to readers of interview. I thank you for your time to answer my questions and of course for great music which you are uplifting us all with. Respect!
Love & prosperity to all, keep focus, look what you eating & especially thinking & drinking, keep the vibrations high, Bless it.
