New labels fly upside our lugholes on a weekly basis. Defiantly established in the face of the recession, it’s the dedicated independents that fuel our scene with some of the most exciting material around. Few, however, have got such an interesting back story as Saysell Music.
Believe it or not, label head honcho Jamie Irie knew little about drum & bass until recently. A seasoned reggae singer who’s worked with the like of Shaggy and Elephantman – and easily the most famous white reggae singer Gloucester has ever produced – his belated D&B revelations came later in his musical life than most of us… But with them comes an interesting viewpoint.
“Well it’s all reggae really isn’t it?” he grins. “It’s all roots. Different avenues. I don’t feel like I’m coming from the outside. And from a reggae point of view I don’t think I’m selling out. To me, drum & bass is a form of a reggae. It hasn’t lost its roots. It’s still got soul. It’s just the drums are doubled up!”
Anyone who’s done so much as 10 minutes reading on the history of jungle will know how crucial reggae, dub and dancehall have been to our music. And Jamie’s been brought up to speed by some of the best in the game; the Serial Killaz.
“I was invited to perform in Lithuania and they were on the same line-up,” says Irie. “Graham’s jaw dropped throughout the whole show. He was like ‘where have you been? Every one of your tunes is kicking!’ It started from there. Me and Graham are like brothers you know? You need that understanding to work well with each other. He’s given me the best schooling in D&B possible.”
And between them they’ve created one of the biggest skanking bangers we’ve heard this summer. With Jamie’s voice and the Serial Killaz well polished bullet-proof beats, it’s an encouraging sign for an exciting future for the label. And that’s before we get to the equally slamming remixes from iDavid and J Bostron. Have a listen right here…
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2OkpLm9RJE
Download it right here
“It’s not a strict drum & bass label,” says Jamie who named the label after his family name… A notorious Glouscester name, it’s his mission to extend the legacy beyond being ‘hard knocks’. “Nothing is strict in music, ever. Where Saysell Music differs from other labels is that I’ve got the original stems! The original House Of Riddim Band stems! It’s the pure sound. The original bassline. The original drums. The guitars. The keys. You can not get more organic.”
Jamie’s story from inner city club bouncer to the Kingston ghettos via Brooklyn is a whole other feature in itself, but trust us; when he says he’s got the pure sound, he really has.
“We’ve got so many exciting plans,” he grins. “I want to put a lot of focus on new talent. How do you think people at the top got there? If we don’t pass it on, no one will. Right now I’m working closely with Aries, iDavid and loads more. There’s so much great talent out there and Saysell’s gonna help them deliver the goods!”
We’re looking forward to hearing them…
My Sound is out now. Listen and download.