Bobby Digital and the power of Digital B
For people who loved Jamaican music from the 90s, Bobby Digital and his Digital B label were one of the leading standard bearers during this time period. His passing will definitely leave a void in the global sound space. We, at BACKAYARD, did an interview with the legendary producer and label head several years and now, in tribute, we have decided to re run this piece. Sleep well Bobby D
“That yellow label, that DAMN yellow label”, this was the cry of many a dancehall/reggae producer from the early to mid 90s. And with good reason, as that particular trademark belonged one of the most accomplished imprints of that time period, Digital B records. With classics such as ‘Black Woman and Child’ – Sizzla, ‘Matie’ – Beenie Man, ‘Wicked Inna Bed’ – Shabba Ranks, ‘Its’s Growing’ – Garnett Silk among many others, the Digital B label always stood for quality production the world over. Robert ‘Bobby Digital’ Dixon, the owner and more often than not producer on the label, has always been synonymous with good music, from his composition work under King Jammy’s, to his solo projects the quality of his work has never been questioned. The only questions we at BACKAYARD have for the normally media shy impresario are about the man himself and his journey to the top of his profession, the triumphs the failures and everything inbetween. So join us as we delve into mind of one of the most important producers of the dancehall era.
What is your birth name?
Bobby Dixon
How did you get into the music?
Got in it from a very tender age, yuh nuh. Loving di sound system, I was like a technician. Someone who was always fixing televisions and making amplifiers and stuff like that. Back then in my community, there was several sound systems at that time where as a kid, yuh nuh, yuh usually go listen to sound system dances where yuh have di famous sounds of Stur Gav and King Tubbys and Socialist Roots. Name di sounds back then Gemini and all dem sounds from that era, yuh nuh, I fell in love with the music. I was tempted to tief out of di house and guh a likkle dance and yuh have yuh likkle tape and yuh tie it up on a tree and yuh record di sound system a play next door. So yeah man it was from a very tender age, early days yuh nuh.
Where was this?
Olympic Gardens, Waterhouse, yuh nuh, a community what bring up alot of talent from that time up until this time. You can name quite a few U-Roy, Shabba Ranks, Wailing Souls, Black Uhuru, Hugh Brown some real famous people come from that circle, Kingston 11.
When did you make the transition from technician to producer?
Well it was in the early 80’s, yuh nuh, ’83, ’84. A friend of mine introduced to King Jammys and for di love of di music that my friend knew what I had and di fact that I always wanted to involved in di music from such a tender age.
So why didn’t you try to become an artiste?
No, artiste I didn’t think I fit that role, yuh nuh. I usually DJ too, yuh nuh, yeah man I usually DJ. Daddy U-Roy and Rankin Trevor these are di people who I grew up listening so mi seh alright a music. My brother was a technician who usually build di amplifiers and I would jus be at home and play di records and get mi likkle mic and start DJ. My friend was a customs officer so he was clearing some goods for Mr. James (King Jammys) and eventually I had to take the goods to Mr. James. So I make di right link and so mi a guh keep di link and mek it gwaan, yuh understand, cause yuh know love I have for music I used to guh to Channel One studios to cut dub plate for our likkle sound system. See di whole operation and Soldigee, Squingy and Peter Dennis and all a we was friend from that time. So it sort a gi mi a boost so mi seh yeah this it and I get di opportunity to go by King Jammys. It was from then I went and prove myself that was when di thing kick off.
When did you go off on your own to start your own label?
Well I think it was di ending of ’88, yuh nuh. After di Sleng Teng era, yuh doing things and yuh would like to get into doing your personal things, yuh understand? And yuh feel like you were impeding on other people time. Then yuh have a likkle bad vibes so I seh you know what before anything else happen, we nuh want no disrespect or anything. We going to jus going to mek your step peacefully and try fi mek it on your own. Because I made my own label while I was there, yuh nuh, but I never really get di chance to do what I really wanted to do. Because if I did get di chance at that time it would be as dem seh a conflict of interest. So yuh haffi know seh yuh haffi mek your move to get your ting going and that was my decision so we haffi give God thanks cause di father guide mi all along di way. He knew I was capable because what I was doing I was doing from my heart and soul. He saw that I could manage on my own he said ‘Son pick up yourself and mek your move’ and I did such move. It work out.
What was the name of the label?
The name of the label was Digital B. Yeah di yellow label and from that time I get that good and great energy from di almighty. Because inspiration comes in many ways, yuh sing of your past life yuh sing of your future, yuh do a hol’ heap a tings yuh understand and di almighty jus guide yuh. And seh this is right thing at di right time and yuh must be focused. If yuh come fi deal wid music then is music we a deal wid we nah deal wid nutten else, that is it. We try to make good music that will elevate and motivate. That was always me, mi always seh mi want my music play after mi live and gone. Di yutes and everybody can seh ‘Yeah.’
Which song or production would you say put the Digital B label on the map?
Ahh bwoy, mi a tell yuh I know all di works that I did put mi on di map, yuh nuh. Not jus one individual because I work wid most of di artiste from that era to this era. From Frankie Paul, Leroy Gibbons, Cocoa Tea, Shabba Ranks, Chaka Demus yuh name it. Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Sizzla come right up Morgan Heritage, name di artiste dem I have played a part in building their career. Whosesoever choose a career out of di music. Reggae or Dancehall because di dancehall era back then in di‘80s, yuh seh Jammys and when yuh seh Jammys yuh seh Bobby Digital. Dancehall uptempo ting same way nice music, people could jus walk into a store and seh Jammys label, Digital label, Scorpio label, Taxi label, it was standard. So we always to live up to that and nuh try fi…
Go below that…
Yeah. Di standard of di ting, if I not going to do di ting right, I jus not going to partake, yuh understand. We need fi tek ten years fi rebuild di ting put di ting back into shape as how we think di pathway it supposed to be on. It is going to tek some time, yuh nuh. What I feel like we really need to tek our ting off di ground is supp’im within di school system. So if a kid in school dem can do likkle music lesson, yuh haffi groom di ting or introduce di music at a very tender age. If yuh don’t know your do re mi fa so la ti do’s and somebody can teach yuh keys and chords and melodies and all dem ting deh. We need to gather that from early and if yuh leave school and yuh heart desire to build on di music ting. Yuh have some idea on how to approach it because yuh already have an understanding of di basics. When di kids don’t know di basics and how to approach di music dem jus approach di ting wrong and dem jus have dem own way of doing tings and they think that those ways are di correct ways before seeking di knowledge. If we are trying to save our culture we have to put in a nursery so we can nurture it from a very tender age so when dem grow dem have a basic idea of what dem getting into. And because yuh don’t know this is what causes these types of music now. Man deh inna him bathroom a sing and him neighbor seh ‘Tom yuh wicked. Mek wi guh a di studio’. Everybody have a computer now a laptop, everybody can build a likkle beat cause dem siddung and do dem ting but there is no guidance. If there was someone there with some experience and oversee and suggest. I think we would have better production, better music coming out but there is no one there to tell Tom that Tom yuh wrong. All di people dem saying that Tom it wicked. All these likkle tings mek di ting tek a downfall. Good music mek, yuh nuh, everyday yuh find people making good music but we need di assistance and di help to get di good music out there. If yuh feed people wid crap dem jus love di crap. If yuh feed dem wid good food eventually dem know seh is good food and dem know seh di crap is crap. If dem did have a basic idea of what music is supposed to sound like dem woulda appreciate good music. If dem nah get di good music dem won’t know, dem hearing jus in tune wid dem hear every day and dem jus accept it.
Where do you think Jamaica is at 50, in terms of culture?
I think Jamaica has one of di strongest cultural heritage holding on to. Very very strong very very rich in culture because we have talent in abundance but as I was saying we need to get di ting nurtured. Get people more aware so people can develop on what they have from an early age. If yuh listen back from where we are coming from to where we are now, yuh see seh there is a rich heritage. Di yutes dem head even more quicker than back inna my time because they are more exposed. Exposure have a ‘hol heap fi do wid it. People can get information on anything 1… 2…3… and everybody link and yuh nuh. So I think we on a good path when yuh seh culture, heritage nah man we firm pon that. That is why we a emphasize seh we nuh waan di yute dem fi lose it and dilute di ting and seh dem waan fi be American or dem waan fi be whosever. Cause even di American artistes, society and music industry a feed off of Jamaican energy fi hold fi dem vibes, yuh understand. If we a guh water down our ting and want to be like no we have to hold our own. Because our ting really really powerful but yuh see when a man really don’t see what him have a that is di ting. Is people on di outside really gravitating to di ting. I can name all di different nations who come to Jamaica jus to get a piece of reggae done or try to adopt di culture, even jus we likkle talk, yuh nuh. Dem might adopt it good but they jus caan live it di way we how live it cause we grow inna it. So yuh can see that people love what we are doing but we don’t know what we have. We should hold on to what we have and keep on building on what we have. So we can mek our ting stronger.
Where do you see in the future for our culture?
Di future is bright, yuh nuh. What goes around comes around, everything what is happening now happened then. We have a bright future because people are getting more aware of what is going on in society and what music can do to really bring into di country as capital. Di harmony wah di music bring because music break barriers, yuh nuh. Some people never DREAM about going down under or round a Dubai to do a music show, a festival or anything like that. And when your music can tek yuh to all these places that would mean you are doing a great job, eh? And people are listening and are trying to gravitate to your culture. Di nuh really dead it jus need fi revive. But as weh mi seh first educate di yutes dem of what dem have. Setup some after school places or centers where inna a community a man can have a bandstand or some yutes can guh and program a drum machine and get an understanding. Because internet now a man can go and learn so much tings and educate themselves. Di future bright man, we do 50 by wi self so wi mus can do 50 more.
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