| 'We love it and we will keep on burning everyplace we go' |
Today we have for You all interview with Dolfo from Oldies but Rudies, The Upsttemians, Oldies but Rudies Records. As You can see he is a very busy man. As he says Reggae for him is a way of life.
It was a pleasure to ask him few guestions. Enjoy!
Hot Shot Wear: Who You are for a reggae music in Spain? Tell us something about You and your ‘reggae occupation’.
Dolfo: My illness with reggae music began when my girlfriend and some friends infected me with some cassettes they stole from their elder brothers and sisters and then it becomes something really close to a way of live , cause it is the thing that occupies the most of my day time...more than sleeping. Within rehearsals with Upsttemians, recording tunes (always at Studio2) with Oldies But Rudies and spending my time searching for new tunes and learning with other people knowledge of tunes , labels, histories....Just love it...
Hot Shot Wear: I think You are a very busy Man: Oldies But Rudies, Oldies But Rudies Records, The Upsttemians anything else?
Dolfo: Actually this is one of the most important things in my life apart from family...and it’s all is about music. There are new things coming but are Top Secret!
Hot Shot Wear: It looks like you have a head full of ‘reggae ideas’. You can’t stop on only one thing how your story shows. You want to create more and more.
Dolfo: Yes, this is true. I´ve always been an non-quiet boy and it affected also to my different projects. Upsttemians is a 9 years old band and we have our own style that won´t change it cause we like it like this. With this I want to say that I am always opened to different new projects and it is a fact that new things going to happen... Well, I’m also starting to promoting some gigs in order to bring bands from abroad to Madrid, cause is the only way to see them here....I use to work with Miki (Upsttemians percussion) and we use to take them to Madrid and make one or more gigs around Spain.
Hot Shot Wear: It means that if someone from some decent ska, reggae band reads this interview, can he writes to You to talk about gigs in Madrid?
Dolfo: Mmmmmfff.... Actually not at all...we use to look for bands that could have same spirit as we use to...but of course they could try to send us info of his bands cause as I told you, all is about music.
Hot Shot Wear: How You mentioned, the beginning Your reggae fever was connected with the cassettes stolen from brother and sister of your friend. I was wondering if You remember artists from that very first reggae cassettes?
Dolfo: Yes of course!!! I have still some of them... I remember Desmond Dekker It Mek, On the beach The Paragons and good compilations as Skinhead Revolt and many more.
Hot Shot Wear: My first cassette with ska was a tape with Specials on one side and Desmond Dekker on second side… back to the topic.. What is Oldies but Rudies? We come from Poland and I think we need to explain our readers who you are and what you do? How many people is involved in Oldies but Rudies? When and how did it begin?
Dolfo: Well, Oldies But Rudies is a project which Yorch (Rude Yorch) and me started around 4 years ago. Yorch proposed me about start recording our own lyrics over the original tunes. We start recording Spyder over Johnny Osbourne and the Sensations.-Warrior with a really old micro and we liked so much the sound we got so.... In resume....we sing our own songs over the original pressed 7 inch.... Oldies But Rudies is nowadays my favorite hobby! The best way to know what is Oldies But Rudies it is bring us to Poland and see it with your own eyes, dance it with your own feet..and you will feel it down the beat!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hot Shot Wear: It looks like something more than hobby …
Think that You are a dj, it is really important topic for us, because Hot Shot it’s not only T-shirts but we started with allnighters as well, so I would ask You, if you play often reggae partys? Which music do you prefer the most at the party? Or maybe you make mix of different Jamaican music genres? Do You have your floorfillers?
Dolfo: We like many different music genres as Rock, Soul, Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady... When we spin in differents events we often play Reggae, Rocksteady and Ska in this order... We use to record some sessions we played in anywhere and give it to the people who comes to our parties so ...Yes We have our Floorfillers....
Hot Shot Wear: So it’s the best time to share with us your Top Five Tunes. I know it’s hard to choose only five but do it.
Dolfo: I can’t tell you because I have more than 1000 favorites songs but the five first songs came to me now could be:
1-Pioneers- Dont you know
2-Versatiles-Push It in
3- Harmonians -Whats wrong with you
4- George Williams -No Bussiness of yours
5- Maytones-Loving Reggae
Ufff...Im sweeding a lot
Hot Shot Wear: We guess you buy plenty of vinyls. Now comes to my mind the questions about prices of 45’s. What do you think of, in our opinion, price madness?
Dolfo: I think that is a crazy world. I’m afraid this will get higher and higher. Not many years ago when people can’t sell or find vinyls all over the world cause there was no internet, collectors could take bargains in many places where the vinyl was apreciated.
Now people, who make business with this, knows what the people are ready to pay for....
Hot Shot Wear: It's especially hard for people who’ve just started collecting vinyls. So tell me about some records You always dreamed to buy.
Dolfo: Yes, there are many records I dream with as one the top5 I did, Harmonians ‘Whats Wrong With You’ ....and it is only one..... There are not many people that are able to sell one and it makes it expensive...But who knows.... And of course not many people that are able to pay for it a big amount.
Hot Shot Wear: We are sure that one day You will get that one. Changing the subject I will ask You to tell me about the biggest and craziest party that Oldies But Rudies ever played?
Dolfo: I thinks it happends in Rototom last year. We should start at 12:00, at the same time that Damian Marley show, and we started to spin for about 20 people in a really big stage. We was laughing, because even our friends went to see Damian´s gig..... One and half hour later, we realized that more than 1000 persons came back, and we finished with lots of people dancing under the stage....Was amazing!!
We was dressed with a nice headstick!!!
Hot Shot Wear: Probably 1000 people realized that better party is with Oldies than Rudies than with Damian Marley. Now we can talk about Oldies But Rudies Records. What records did You release? And what are your plans for future?
Dolfo: Well, Oldies But Rudies Records born with Upsttemians Reggae Lessons third album and......as Branlarians new Lp, was the first and maybe the only!!!! We have no plans for this.
Hot Shot Wear: Shall I understand that You won’t release any other records? Is Oldie but Rudies Records created only for The Upsttemians?
Dolfo: Mmmmffffffff.f......Difficult one but sadly, it seems that The Upsttemians Reggae Lessons was the first and the only. We hadn’t created it only for Upsttemians but it will be like that. Maybe we make up our minds again and we will see how far it will go. We will try to make parties in Madrid taking here the best collectors and starts with 7inchs parties in Madrid....
Hot Shot Wear: If You mentioned I have to ask you about The Upsttemians.
Dolfo: The most important thing of Upsttemians is that we start as 5/6 friends who love this music and wanna play songs of our idols. I mean that we do not start looking for gigs and more. We just want to spend our time writting songs and play reggae and ska. Once we see that we feel good with these songs it becomes a little more serious but always with the same formation in drums, bass, guitar and keyboards.... It is an important fact, we know each other since more than 15 years and we understand without a word.
Hot Shot Wear: What was your inspiration for this very first record of Upsttemians? It was some time ago so I am curious, what had the biggest impact on your music then?
Dolfo: We had about 20 years old and we played our favorite reggae numbers in a shabby place to weak equipment. We thought it does not sound such that bad so we cheat a friend who has a good recording equipment and we do like that. I had never sung with a microphone in my life, when we made one instrumental tune, that we called Surfera. I started singing and then we recorded 'Jump Up.......then all starts...
Hot Shot Wear: I’ve heard ‘Reggae Lessons’ CD and I think it’s a real scorcher so I can’t wait for your next album. Are You working on new material now?
Dolfo: Yes we are... Sorry hold on for a bit...Postman is here....Some good stuff is coming..
Hot Shot Wear: Of course, so before You will tell me about Upsttemians discography and about future plans, let us know what records postman brought to You?
Dolfo: Here again..... Postman brings me good things....hahaha.... Just one of my Top10 which I have been looking for years.... ‘Dont you know/Me nah Go a Believe’ by Pioneers.....
Hot Shot Wear: I suppose that a lot of our readers want tell You now: ‘Boss Sound, Mate’. Probably now You want to play these tunes?
Dolfo: Yes
Hot Shot Wear: So Take Your time
Dolfo: No no don’t worry...I know the sound....I will take a beer later after Real Madrid-Bayern Munchen and I will listen to it.
Replying to your question…..We are working on different tunes in these months.. I hope after summer or during it, we start recording four songs, two in Spanish (we have only one called Sin Voz) and two in English as usual. And probably some surprises on there..
Hot Shot Wear: For sure a lot of people would like to listen to Your music live. Could You introduce us Your summer plans connected with concerts of Upsttemians? Maybe Festivals in Europe?
Dolfo: In 2 months we will be backing to Mr Tbone in Madrid for the second time, a musician we love and we are great friends. This will be 22/05/2014. (as You see it took some time from our talk to the publication Hot Shot) On June we will be backing again to Roy Panton &Yvonne Harrison. The originator to great tunes as Endless Memory or the Chase.
And I don’t know if we can say it already but 12 of July we will be in Antwerp in Smile Fest with Glenn and the boys... Hope we could find some more gigs close to Antwerp for 10 and 11 th....
And maybe in Summer we start recording the tunes, so we will quiet at the training and have sun in Madrid!!!!
Hot Shot Wear: I hope to catch You in Antwerp and maybe one day You will be able to visit Poland.
Dolfo: Will be great...I have been two times in Krakow and I just love that city.... So we will be opened to go anywhere to show the Upsttemians Therapy!!!
Hot Shot Wear: We will talk about that later.. My last question will concern the Spanish reggae scene? From our point of view it seems to be very large and developed. Do You agree?
Dolfo: There are many points of view.... The first is that in Spain we always have good bands that have been playing in the most common places around Spain and Europe. I mean bands like Malarians (Malarians) which, personally, has been the seed of all the bands here in Spain. They start with something that we try to continue at the moment. Also bands as Granadians, Akatz, Soweto, Kinky Cocoos, Cabrians, Oldians, Transilvanians and Smooth Beans with a lot of experience....bands that we have seen alive many times....Also there are younger bands in Madrid and Spain that will sound louder in a few years....
But there is another point of view....
The fact is here anyone can offer the minimum conditions in order to cover the expenses of a band that should travel with 7 8 or 9 persons for 3/4 days and the people think it is an easy work and offer you some beers and a sandwich.... In Spain the situation is critical. Many bands is giving up and it is not fair...
Anyway....we love it and we will keep on burning everyplace we go....
Hot Shot Wear: Only we can do is to appeal to the people to support these great artists. I mean visit their concerts, buy records, share an opinion. I am sure they have many potential that they want to use and show us. Otherwise in few years we won't have such a good bands as Upsttemians, The Transylvanians, Smooth Beans, Kinky Cocoos, Granadians etc. In result this scene will disappear.
With this in mind we end up this interesting interview. so really thank You for time You decided to devote us.
Dolfo: It was a really good conversation indeed....We appreciate it a lot...sincerely. Thank u to u.....You are doing a great job dudes!!
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