OMAR & BLACK I ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’ IN SESH!
UK LEGEND OMAR’S ON THE BLOWER WITH SJP HQ.
YOU MUST KNOW WHO OMAR IS … HIS BIGGEST UK HIT STARTS WITH “BAA DOO BE WEE OOOH … SIP A GLASS OF COLD CHAMPAGNE WYYYYYNNNEE” (‘THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THIS’). HE ALSO CREATED A SONG CALLED ‘OUTSIDE’ CO-WRITTEN WITH LAMONT DOZIER, WHICH IN SJP’S OPINION IS ONE OF THE BEST SOUL SONGS OF THE 90’S. SO WE CONTACTED HIM. WHY? BECAUSE IT DOESN’T STOP WITH LIKING A SONG … WE NEED TO KNOW HOW A PERFORMANCE AS GOOD AS ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’ (TRACK 3 ON THE SJP COMP ‘SOUL & THE CITY’) CAME TO BE? WHAT WAS UK SOUL SUPER HERO OMAR LYE FOOK DOING DUETTING WITH BLACK I IN NEW YORK ANYWAY? THAT’S A LONG WAY FROM SARF LONDON. WHO THE HELL ARE BLACK I AND WHAT ARE THEY TO HIM? AND WHY COVER A SLY & THE FAMILY STONE MONSTA IN THE FIRST PLACE?
SO MANY QUESTIONS…
 THE BLACK I CONNECTION!?
OMAR:
“ERIC BROWN & MIKE GRIOT (BLACK I) PLAY FOR ME WHEN I’M OUT IN THE STATES AND ARE PART OF MY BAND. ERIC PLAYS DRUMS AND MIKE PLAYS BASS. THEY’RE MY RHYTHM SECTION. IT’S A BIG TERRITORY FOR ME (THE STATES). I HAVE FAN BASES IN THE MAIN PLACES LA, SAN FRANSISCO & NEW YORK. WE GET SOLD OUT SHOWS AND PRETTY GOOD REACTIONS.”
US SOUL BAND VS. UK SOUL BAND!?
“YOU KNOW IT’S LIKE CHALK & CHEESE, ALL THE MUSICIANS ARE VERY ACCOMPLISHED. THERE’S A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FEEL IN THE US BUT ALWAYS A GOOD VIBE. THESE GUYS (ERIC & MIKE) HAVE PLAYED MY MUSIC FOR THE BEST PART OF 5 YEARS NOW SO THEY GOT IT DOWN PAT.”
WHO’S IDEA WAS ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’!?
“I WAS ALREADY OUT THERE AND MIKE SAID “DO YOU WANT TO COME TO THE STUDIO, SMOKE A BOWL AND PUT DOWN A VIBE ON THE TRACK?” AND I WAS LIKE “OF COURSE MAN!” BECAUSE I’D DO ANYTHING FOR THOSE GUYS … THEY’VE COME THROUGH FOR ME QUITE A FEW TIMES SO I WAS RETURNING THE FAVOUR. THE TRACK WAS ALREADY DONE. IT WAS QUITE SIMPLE … NO PRESSURE.”
DO YOU GO IN THERE TO “OMAR” UP A COVER!?
“YEAH I TRY TO. I HAVE TO IN A SENSE BECAUSE ITS VERY HARD FOR ME TO DO OTHER PEOPLES SONGS WITHOUT PUTTING MY OWN THING ON IT. IF YOU’RE GONNA DO A COVER YOU GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE ADDING SOMETHING TO IT OTHER THAN RECREATING BECAUSE THAT’S JUST KARAOKE. WITH ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’ I WAS JAMMING ALONG WITH WHAT THEY PUT DOWN ALREADY. ERIC’S GOT A WICKED VOICE SO I TRIED TO COMPLIMENT WHAT HE’D DONE.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SLY!?
“ACTUALLY I WAS A NOVICE TO SLY. HE WASN’T ONE OF THE ONES I WAS LISTENING TO GROWING UP. BUT SINCE THEN HAVING SEEN & READ ABOUT HIM, THE STUFF HE DID .. I THINK HE’S SUCH A BLAZING PATH SETTER. IN TERMS OF PRODUCTION AND SONGWRITING PLUS THAT WHOLE RAINBOW BAND HE PUT TOGETHER.”
SLY WAS OUT OF HIS HEAD DURING THE RECORDING OF ‘FAMILY AFFAIR’. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE ALBUM THE SONG FEATURED ON CALLED ‘THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON’ ?
“FROM WHAT I HEARD IT WAS VERY GOOD. AND I’VE DEFINITELY BEEN OUT OF MY HEAD A LOT OF THE TIME (LAUGHS). COZ YOU KNOW I LIKE TO SIT DOWN AND HAVE A SMOKE, I MEAN I’M NOT SURE I’VE BEEN IN THE CONDITION HE WAS IN BUT I THINK ¾ OF AMAZING MUSIC HAS BEEN MADE BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN WITH US OR OFF THE PLANET AS IT WERE! THAT STUFF TRANSLATES ITSELF INTO THE MUSIC AND LASTS A LONG TIME.”
DO YOU FIND PERSONALLY IT HELPS YOU BE MORE CREATIVE?!
“ABSOLUTELY I MEAN I HAVE’NT BEEN SMOKING NOW FOR ABOUT 4 WEEKS BECAUSE I’M IN TRAINING FOR A CHARITY BOXING MATCH. SO I’VE GIVEN MYSELF A LITTLE BREATHER BECAUSE OF THAT I’VE GIVEN THE STUDIO A WIDE BERTH. COZ AS SOON AS I SIT DOWN IN FRONT OF SPEAKERS AND A MIXING DESK THAT’S ALL I NEED TO PUT THE PAPERS TOGETHER AND START ROLLING UP. SO I DEFINITELY SEE WHERE THE LINK IS. I’M SURE ONCE I GET USE TO THE FACT I HAVEN’T BEEN SMOKING I’LL GET BACK IN THERE (OMAR’S DUE TO START WORK ON HIS 7TH ALBUM SOON). BUT ROLLING UP HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF THE ROUTINE BECAUSE IT JUST TAKES YOU SOMEWHERE ELSE.”
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN OUT OF IT, RECORDED MUSIC AND LISTENED BACK THE NEXT DAY AND THOUGHT “OH WOW”?!
“YEAH (LAUGHS) I’VE DONE IT SO LONG NOW THAT I MAKE SURE I DON’T GET TOO OUT OF IT BECAUSE SOMETIMES I USE TO LISTEN TO IT THE NEXT DAY AND IT’S LIKE “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?” DID YOU HEAR THE STORY ABOUT PRIMAL SCREAM WHO WERE ON A CERTAIN SUBSTANCEAND THEY DID A WHOLE ALBUM ON IT ANDTHOUGHT IT WAS FANTASTIC UNTIL THEY THEN REALIZED WHEN THEY HAD DONE THE WHOLE ALBUM FULL OF SONGS IN THE SAME KEY! SO YOU NEED TO BE IN TOUCH WITH REALITY ENOUGH. I’VE HAD A SPLIFF NEAR BY FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS THAT’S HOW I WORK.”
SO WAS IT LIKE THAT WITH FAMILY AFFAIR!?
“YES. MIKE LURED ME INTO THE STUDIO WITH THE PROMISE OF SOME GREEN!”
CHEERS OMAR. AND THANK U LUCIA FOR THE HOT LINE!
THE EXCELLENT ‘SING (IF YOU WANT IT)’ OMAR’S 6TH ALBUM IS OUT NOW. THE SJP SWAG FAVOURITE IS ‘YOUR MESS’ – THE RECORD FEATURES COLLABS WITH ANGIE STONE, ESTELLE & LIL’ STEVIE WONDER - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
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