Sly Dunbar

REGGAE’S DRUM KING

What music are you currently grooving to? To everything that sounds good, reggae, hip-hop, and I love dancehall very much. And [Sly-starring] The Kingston All-Stars record, I love that – it has ‘Hux’ Brown, Jackie Jackson, all these great musicians who have done so much for Jamaican music.

What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album? Double Barrel [Dave And Ansel Collins], because we made it together [it was Sly’s first appearance on vinyl]. Of mine, Rasta Fiesta [from Sly Wicked And Slick, Taxi, 1979]. We were charging up, we were experimenting, and it was an uptown kind of dub. I like the way it turned out.

What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it? Wow. I used to buy a lot, maybe it was Sly & The Family Stone. From somewhere in Kingston, yeah.

Which musician, other than yourhave self, you ever wanted to be? Ha ha! Maybe Jackie Mittoo, or Al Jackson of Booker T. & The M.G.’s, or Earl Young of The Philadelphia International All Stars. There’s a lot I admire, but I’m glad I’m me.

What do you sing in the shower?

I don’t sing music in the shower. I think there’s some kind of music in the shower anyway. But sometimes I’m thinking about putting beats together, y’know?

What is your favourite Saturday night record? Real Rock by Sound Dimension is great. Another one that’s good is Alton Ellis’s Laba Laba. And Jackie Mittoo’s Ram Jam. I used to go out a lot when I was younger, but now, I’ll be in the studio working, you know?

And your Sunday morning record?

I listen to 105.FM in New York, a hiphop and R&B station. But every day is a working day. I’m a bounty hunter, so I’ll be hunting, all the time.

The Kingston All Stars’ Dubwise is out now on Roots & Wire