JAZZIE B | CLUB PREVIEW
Get Loose @ The Garage, Swansea
Sat 11 May
Tickets: £10
words: Ryan Heeger
It’s not easy to condense Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE’s curriculum vitae into this small space, but no matter what your age or disposition, he has permeated your eyes and/or ears at some point. The period during which he found his mainstream feet would centre around Soul II Soul, the chart-conquering outfit responsible for Back To Life and Keep On Movin’. Fast forward 14 years and Jazzie B has recently launched his own ‘classics’ range of clothes at Harvey Nichols, with artwork from the Soul II Soul archives described as “raw, handmade and depicts the iconic Funki Dred image which illustrates the do it yourself energy of those early sound system days.”
Those days took place prior to the late-80s period where Jazzie made his household name, when he was aged 13 and honing his craft with schoolmate Daddae, creating their Jah Rico soundsystem after years of watching how their big brothers did the same.
Day jobs with the RNIB and then as a tape operator for Tommy Steele (!), and training as a PE teacher only led back to his calling in life, but it wasn’t until a certain musical explosion at the close of the 80s happened that the planets aligned and one of the very first soulful house outfits stepped onto the crest of the acid house wave. Tonight is a rare chance to experience that vibe.
Info: 01792 475147
