U Ljubljanu 25. studenog dolazi Jah Bami, soca i reggae izvođač s Trinidad i Tobaga. Popričali smo s njim o sceni na Trinidadu, glazbi općenito i što nas očekuje u Ljubljani...

Reggae hr: When you realized that you want to be musician in Reggae music?
Jah Bami: I would't say just musician in Reggae music, I just want to be musician in all forms of music. I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago and Soca music is genre from place that I came from. And I also do Soca music so and I want to belive that I am very good at doing Soca music as well. My Reggae music is more a freedom of expresion when you deal it of roots and reality, when you deal it thing with a Earth, when You deal it laws, goverment and stuff like what happening today. You will find a Reggae song that sing about that easier, You must be creative in crossing message. Reggae music is more freedom with a message. I always want to be a musician and I am grateful to be and recognize in Reggae genre.
HR: Kada si shvatio da se želiš baviti reggae glazbom?
Jah Bami: Ne bi rekao da sam reggae glazbenik već glazbenik općenito u svim stilovima glazbe. Rođen sam i odgajan u Trinidad i Tobagu, a soca je žanr iz mjesta iz kojeg dolazim. Tako da se bavim i soca glazbom te želim vjerovat da sam također vrlo dobar u soci. Reggae je za mene sloboda izražavanja; kada se moraš nositi sa stvarnošću, vladom, zakonima ... U reggae pjesmama je lakše opjevati takve stvati, moraš biti kreativan u prenošenju poruke. U reggae glazbi poruka je slobodnija. Oduvijek sam htio biti glazbenik i zahvalan sam što sam prepoznat u reggae žanru.

Reggae hr: In generaly, you met with the music already in the age of six. Can we conclude that music is your way of life?
Jah Bami: From age six, I was blessed to be around lot of musicians in my family, I am part of steelpan family from my young age. Playing pan is part of my culture. Because of that I was blessed from young age to learned instrument and I really like it because I have to also learn a piano that is something that I never liked and because of that I really never master of piano. Guitar is something that I a selftaught and pan is something that I grew up with it and I love it and from age six I was blessed to be in music as such young age. My mom always singing back then and my family tour the world by singing. They were trio group of ladies (my aunts) traveling all over the world singing. There was always in a family where music was privilege and blessings.
HR: U glazbi si od svoje šeste godine. Možemo li zaključiti da je glazba tvoj stil života?
Jah Bami: Od moje šeste godine blagoslovljen sam što sam okružen s glazbenicima u vlastitoj obitelji. Dio sam steelpalm (vrsta bubnja s Trinidad & Tobaga op.a.) obitelji od malih nogu. Sviranje pana je dio moje kulture i kao mali sam naučio svirati taj instrument i svidjelo mi se. Također sam morao naučiti svirati piano što nikad nisam volio, stoga ga nisam savladao. Gitaru sam samostalno savladao, a pan je je nešto s čim sam odrastao i blagoslovljen sam što sam u glazbi od rane dobi. Postojao je jedan ženski trio mojih tetki koje su putovale svijetom i pjevale, uvijek je u mojoj obitelji glazba bila blagoslov i privilegija.

Reggae hr: How did you get your artist name, Jah Bami?
Jah Bami: Again, I was blessed to be signed to a record company that was in Japan. Recordc company was own by my African brother Bobby Digi he does lots of big things and he still countinue to do big thing. When I signed to Thello Entertainment which was a Japan company I was privilaged to live in Japan little bit, it was almost 11 years ago. And in Trinidad before that I move to Japan I was known like Juice. And then I Google it Juice and there is no anything about me and then I try to find myself in that whole thing of Juice. An then my homie said to me: „You need a name that just can be you.“ So he call me Bami Deli oke !!!. I really didn't like the Deli but Bami Deli means take me home. So I took the Deli of and I use a take me. But in being Rastafarian, Jah is in front of everything. So I put Jah Bami. So where ever in matter of world it means Jah Take Me. So, that's my name.
HR: Kako si dobio umjetničko ime, Jah Bami?
Jah Bami: Svojevremeno sam potpisao za izdavačku kuću u Japanu. Tu izdavačku kuću je držao „moj brat“ Bobby Digi, on je radio i još uvijek radi puno velikih stvari. Kada sam potpisao za navedeni Thello Entertainment, bio sam privilegiran živjeti u Japanu prije 11 godina. A u Trinidadu sam prije preseljenja bio poznat kao Jucie. I jednom sam „uguglao“ Juice i nisam mogao naći ništa o meni i tada sam se pozabavio s tim Jucie imenom. Zatim mi je jedan frend rekao: „Trebaš ime koje te najbolje opisuje.“ Stoga me je nazvao Bami Deli, ali mi to nije sjelo skoz, a Bami Deli u prijevodu značu „vodi me doma“. Zatim sam maknuo Deli i zadržao Bami (vodi me), a obzirom da sam rastafarijanac, Jah je ispred svega i tako je nastao Jah Bami.

Reggae hr: Trinidad and Tobago is a small island state. Could you made us more familiar with the music scene in your country?
Jah Bami: Trinidad, even that is dot in world map it is pretty big when it comes about music and production. In a Carribean, I know because I travel a lot, people are focused to be on a Trinidad island. That is a place for entertaiment, you get a money worth as an artist internationally. The music scene in my country is more about Soca and Calypso. Calypso is a main trend, and Soca is mixed about Calypso and Chutney. Trinidad is multicultural island, we have lots of culture mixed in one. We have still Spanish culture, about Christmas time we wing „Feliz Navidad“. We have also Indian culture and a good thing is that every culture have it own food that goes with a music. And because of that Trinidad is unique. Soca is trend actually created new image for Trinidad culture and now is expanded even more. Now You cannot really tell it different between Afrobeat or Dancehall when it comes with Soca. But I do Reggae and Reggae is still try to find fit hole in place like Trinidad becuase is not really accepted. Everybody wants to defend their own culture. Me doin' a Reggae in Trinidad is not easly accepted but we are getting there. Music is very important thing in Trinidad and Tobago and we are getting there to understanding that basically.
HR: Trinidad i Tobago je mala otočna država, možeš li nas pobliže upoznati s glazbenom scenom u svojoj državi?
Jah Bami: Trinidad i Tobago, iako je točka na karti svijeta, poprilično je velika u pojmu glazbe i produkcije. Na Karibima, a znam jer mnogo putujem, ljudi su fokusirani na Trinidad. To je mjesto za zabavu, mjesto gdje kao umjetnik vrijediš. Glazbena scena na mom otoku je fokusirana na socu i calypso. Calypso je glavni trend, a soca je mješavina calypsa i chutneya. Trinidad je multikuluralan otok uz dominaciju španjolske i indijanske kulture, a dobra stvar je što svaku vrstu kulturu ide i određena vrsta hrane koja prati njihovu glazbu. Soca je trend koja je stvorila novi imidž Trinidada. Sada je teško odrediti razliku primjerice između afrobeata i dancehalla kada dolazi sa socom. Ali ja radim i reggae, a reggae još uvijek pokušava pronaći svoje mjesto pod suncem na Trinidadu jer nije baš prihvaćen. Svi žele obraniti svoju kulturu. To što ja radim reggae na Trinidadu nije baš lako prihvaćeno, ali pomičemo se polako. Glazba je jako bitna stvar na Trinidad i Tobagu i krećemo se prema osnovnom razumijevanju glazbe.

Reggae hr: You're known as a multi-instrumentalist. Is there another instrument that would like to learn to play and why?
Jah Bami: I would love to learn to play the saxophone because is soulfull thing. To create air from inside where you speak and transform in message that you sing and it will be great that you can let that song resonate through saxophone. For me saxophone it will be grate to express how I feel sometimes. But I smoke so much weed and I don't know if I have enough energy to blow a sax (laugh). If I will have it opportunity to learn a next instrument, it will be definitly saxophone.
HR: Poznat si kao multiinstrumentalist. Postoji li još koji instrument koji bi želio naučiti svirati?
Jah Bami: Želio bi naučiti svirati saksofon zbog njegove milozvučnosti. Stvaram zrak iznutra i pretvorim ga u poruku koju pjevam te bi bilo odlično kada bi mogao pjesmu realizirati kroz saksofon. Za mene bi saksofon bio odličan način izražavanja kako se osjećam ponekad. Ali pušim puno trave i ne znam bi li imao energije puhati u sakosfon (smijeh!). Ali, ako ću imati prilike učiti još neki instrument, to će definitivno biti sakosofon.

Reggae hr: You are young man but you already have a rich career. Can you tell us some highlight from your career, good moments that you remember?
Jah Bami: Things that I really don't wanna do happend. Because I grew up in being Rastafarian in Bobo Ashanti order and the only music that I grew up that I like it was drum 'n' bass aka nyabinghingi Drum so singing wasn’t a part of the plan at first . I was always tought that music is vein, you must be careful how you doin' and even I could do a stuff I shy away from it because I felt if do it too good I didn't want to overshine true essence. So I took myself of lot of that. But as I always said, I am blessed that I am talented in music because I didn't have to slaved in Babylon and I didn't have to follow people's rules and regulation and I just did that I want to do. I belive in myself and that I stand for. And because of that the best thing in my career is coming from a dot in world map and seen a world. Yes, that is the best thing in my career and I appriciated that. And I hope and wish that it can happend to others.
HR: Mlad si, a imaš bogatu karijeru. Možeš li nam navesti neke super trenutke iz svoje karijere.
Jah Bami: Stvari koje stvarno nisam želio se događaju. Odrastao sam u rastafarijanskom redu Bob Ashanti i jedina glazba uz koju sam odrastao je drum and bass aka nyabinghingi drum i pjevanje nije bio u prvom planu. Mislio sam da je glazba žila kucavica, da moraš biti jako oprezan kako ju radiš. I kada sam mogao raditi, sramio sam se zato jer nisam htio zasjeniti pravu bit glazbe. Stoga sam se odmaknuo od toga. Ali kao što uvijek govorim, blagoslovljen sam što sam talentiran i što nisam morao služiti Babilonu te nisam morao slijediti pravila ispisana ljudskom rukom, radim ono što želim. Vjerujem u sebe i za što se zauzimam. I zbog toga je najbolja stvar u moj karijeri to što sam iz „točkice“ na karti svijeta, zaista proputovao svijet. Da, to je najblja stvar u mojoj karijeri, cijenim to i želim da se to dogodi i drugima.

Reggae hr: What can we expect from your show in Ljubljana, November 25th?
Jah Bami: I never been to Ljubljana, this is my first time that I came to Slovenia and I am pretty excited. I will bring it a different vibe, a different energy. My songs will be well structured and I already plan to do Soca on my repertoire event that is a Reggae show. I will doing Soca so they can feel where I came from. We will have fun in Ljubljana and it will be crazy! And I am grateful that Slovenia actually doing a my own show, I will give my all so people can full joy in thing. Ziggi Mastah big up yourself!
HR: Što možemo očekivati od tvog nastupa u Ljubljani?
Jah Bami: Nisam nikad bio u Ljubljani, ovo je moj prvi posjet Sloveniji i poprilično sam uzbuđen. Donijet ću drugačiju vibru, drugačiju energiju. Moje pjesme biti će dobro strukturirane i planiram izvoditi i soca repertoar iako je reggae događanje. Izvodit ću socu da ljudi mogu osjetiti od kuda dolazim. Zabavit ćemo se i bit će nam ludo! I zahvalan sam što u Sloveniji rade moj nastup, dat ću sve od sebe da ljudi mogu osjetiti potpunu radost. I big up Ziggi Mastah!