It was 1975 on my 5th birthday when I got my first turntable.
To this day I wonder what my mum was thinking, I doubt we
could afford it and little should she understand what happened
in my head when I put on “The Apache” for the first time.
In the late 70´s and beginning of the 80´s we lived in a place called
Märsta. I met a friend there who would be by my side for a long time, Floyd Dixon.
He had a thing for break-dancing and a crush on graffiti.
I use to listen to radio a lot and there was one station MRS with Rinkeby International
who use drop Funk, Reggae and Hiphop.
Many thanks to: Kennet “Kenny Black” Seremet,
Miss Funky Fly, Brother Memo, Glenn C, MC II Fresh, DJ Rock Ski and Jeff.
(Also one show that came thru on Kiss FM when this still was pirate I guess.
It was Miss Lady B dropping some serious roots.)
I was lost in the overdose of music from early age aswell with my sports and fishing.
But it would not take long before I tried to “shake” a leg or two over The Sugar Hill Gang
grooves that came out of the stereo.
We use to travel into the centre of Stockholm and link up at various Hiphop jams.
These where great places to connect with people who shared the same ideas and
beliefs. If there was anyone who needs be mentioned that made an impression on me
it would be: Dj Rock-Ski, Crazy-Eric, Cherno Jah, IC-Rockers, Dizzy & Ziggy.
We had our heroes who had showed their skills earlier well to impress us; Ayodele “ Rock Ski” Shekoni, Krister Linder and Cherno Jah was three people who I met and felt strongly about.
We where like a “Crew” without knowing this and sometimes I miss theese times.
The B-Boys; DC, Patrik Helge and Floyd Dixon
My family moved 30 minutes closer to Stockholm to a town named Upplands-Väsby
about when I was 13 and this would change things in general.
Here I met a friend, Claudio-Ortiz-Delano (older brother to Alexi) who had a pair of 1200´s, and from the day when I touched them it was a new beginning of something else.
The makin of mixtapes, an era that helped me to gain respect around the streets.
The summer of 86´ me and Floyd together with a very inspiring friend Jackiat went to
Denmark to see more closely how Hiphop culture had changed the youth
and their communities.
I met loads of exellent graffiti artist and MC´s, but the person who would change
my ideas for the next 20 years or so was Dj Soulshock.
The blackbook and music took more and more of my time. It wasn´t until one day
when the police knocked on our door and asked me to come down to the office.
I was convicted for what I thought was art or as it is known; graffiti.
Anyone could imagine how it feels when you become a criminal for the first time and
everything turns upside down.
My mum and my brothers moved away from the “city life” and I was left by myself
around 1987.
Studies took more of my time and today looking back why didn´t anyone tell
me there was a school for media and communications ?
(I can´t remember myself enjoying any of the studies of electronics and communications.)
The first two years by myself my life was only music and work, the turnaround came
when Akilles “Acke” French called me and asked if I wanted to start a club with Ayodele “Rock Ski” Shekoni who also introduced me to musicproduction.
Our first club was called Soulnights, a club playin various music with influences
from Funk, Reggae, Hiphop and Soul.
It was held at club Melody with owner Peter Ahlm. Live music arranged by the hardest workin man Harry Byrne even today one of my big sources of inspirations.
On my way to town by train I use to meet people who tagged the trains. And it was
here where I met Cari Lekebusch for the first time checkin out a blackbook.
I had made mixtapes for many years and they where played and sold without my knowledge
around Stockholm and later on even worldwide.
We had linked up with “The Mc Carty Brothers” during the summers playing basketball.
Ben and John was the first people who shared the same interest in Hiphop music and we decided to make a Hiphop band.
Sons Of Soul would be something I to this day are very proud about.
We won a record deal with the legendary label SweMix and little did I know about how tings would change. Arranged by Alex Strehl and held at legendary Fryshuset (youthcentre) with
Jungle Brothers on stage as main act.
1989 I went abroad for the first time and New York was my final stop.
I hanged with pimps, hustlers and interviewed Hiphop artist like; Biz Markie, Graig C,
Chill Rob G and Kool Keith of the mighty Ultramagnetic MC´s (who stoled those tapes?).
I was introduced to Kool DJ Alert and saw people at recordlabels,many of these things
thanks to Carsten “The Killa” Willer and Funkenklein.
It was the absolute best way to get behind the scenes to get and idea about what and where
Hiphop was goin also for the first time ever get the view over what a drug named Crack was doin to a bigger scale of people.
It was almost after blood,sweet and tears when we finally had a album ready.
The selftitled Sons Of Soul album hit the streets 1991 early year and we went
on tour. Before this we released two 12-inches “Madness”/ “Another day is gone”.
To this day I don´t know how many members we where but here´s the list:
Floyd Dixon, Ben “Big Ben” Mc Carty, John Mc Carty, Adam “ADL” Nilsson and
Robert “Lam-Ez” Åsard.
Sons Of Soul, Cherno Jah, ADL, Majik-E, 3 Pieces Of A Puzzle, Infinitive Mass became the beginning, an era of new Swedish talents and today we have Hiphop acts like: The Latin Kings, PH 3, Bluez, Feven ,Petter , Ayo and Ken to name a few.
When workin at SweMix with Robert “Mopz Below” Broman and Stonebridge I met Dj Renegade, JM Fax, Dragon Fly, Kayo Shekoni, Emil Hellman, B True, Da Yeene, JJ ,
Denniz Pop and Titiyo.
All people who influenced me into House (Acid), Techno and dance music in general.
I remember when we had a permanent night at The Ritz and Steve Blame stood infront
of me and interviewing me for MTV about our club. I didn´t even know that until later
when friends called me saying: -You on MTV !
During different happenings I got introduced to the UK scene of underground music.
Longsy D, Rebel MC, Faze One and A Guy Called Gerald just to drop a few names.
The beginning of the 90´s was an exellent era of music worldwide I guess.
Jazz made an new entry thru modern music and it also put a very cool vibe around design and lifestyle.
Konkreet Jungle would be our Mecca and again a place for change.
This club was a collective of producers, dj´s and friends.
I was again asked to join Lion and Pierre Mocka who found a venue who looked
for the right concept. We had a misty start but eventually when all pieces came in right
place. It was here where Addis Black Widow also made their entry.
If there was a “rat pack” ever in Stockholm the following names would have been in that:
Dj Rock Ski, Leafnuts, Damon Frost, Bebop, Desmond Foster, Langsam and Camille Esquerre.
We where and had a soundsystem til it got stolen and it was built by Johannes Blomé.
It was now when I heard what would later become Jungle or Drum and Bass.
Some called it “Ragga Techno” others “Jungle Techno” and I was in flames.
Almost first flight over to UK and with a little the help from ZTV I managed to get a
the chance to do some material for TV. The fist office I visited was the Renk Records
and I was introduced to Junior and M-Beat. Also thru contacts I met Rude Boy Keith
( part of Kings Of The Jungle with Dextrous) he took me thru the suburbs of London
and I was goin from clubs to raves meeting up with everybody involved in the scene.
We even chased The Ragga Twins by car just to say hi !
The Wax and Rollers Express presented heavy sounds with the latest dubplate pressure to name a few.
I went to Leicester to link up with Dj SS and we met loads of times since then.
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