Mista Savona Interview

Mista Savona is widely regarded as the premier reggae producer in Australia, his latest album Warn the Nation released in July 2010 has been described as "Australia's definitive reggae album" by Triple J. Soulshine caught up with Jake Savona aka Mista Savona ahead of their support slot for the legendary Stone Love from Jamaica and Groundation from the US as part of the Australasian World Music Expo on Saturday the 20th of November 2010 at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne.

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Soulshine: Jake can you tell us a little about what first caught your interest in music?

Mista Savona: The piano in the bungalow out the back of my Mum's house! I started getting lessons when I was six, from the same teacher who was teaching Claire Bowditch at the time, funnily enough. Also my Mum's vinyl collection got me interested in classical music and 60's rock, and once I discovered Hendrix and Bob Marley it was all on!

SS: When did you develop your interest in reggae, dub and dancehall?

MS: When I was about 16 or 17 I got my hands on Bob Marley's 'Legend' comp album from Batman Records in the Melbourne CBD, who at the time were hiring out CD's for a small weekly fee! From there the next big step was spending a bit of time in Brixton in my early 20's, where a a few earth shaking dub parties and a personal encounter with Horace Andy sealed the deal.

SS: Your last two albums Melbourne Meets Kingston and Warn the Nation were recorded between Melbourne and Jamaica, can you explain the process you went through?

MS: Airports, studios, ackee and saltfish, rum, computer screens, crazy drivers, Kingston night life, incredible mind bending studio performances from almost all of my favourite Jamaican singers, editing, editing, editing, mixing, that amazing feeling 18 months after a song is actually recorded when it is actually finished. Lots of adventures and lots of cabin fever.

SS: How did you develop the contacts with people such as Horace Andy, Sizzla and Capleton to guest on these albums?

MS: As stated earlier, I first met Horace Andy in London at a tiny party in extremely fortunate/synchronistic circumstances. We've since toured Australia twice together, and both times recorded here. Sizzla was an amazing host, who put us up for two days and threw us a party on the second night because he was so happy with the recording we'd done. A true legend! Capleton was also a pleasure to deal with, and inspirational in the studio. It's not hard to meet artists in Jamaica - you really just need to walk into a studio. Having good riddims/instrumentals, friends that know people and a bit of cash also helps!

SS: Can you describe the challenges of bringing these albums to the stage, when most of the vocalists are on the other side of the globe?

MS: We have two shows, one as a live soundsytem (where I DJ) playing mostly my own music, and where I can drop the acapellas and riddims in and out of the mix on the fly. Vida-Sunshyne and Jornick both feature as live vocalists, bringing their own flavours to my tunes and lots of great stage energy. We can also perform as a rather large 10 piece band with dancers, in which case we focus more on Vida's talents as a songwriter and collaborator, together with other guest vocalists. This show has a massive sound, and its own very special and highly visual flavour.

SS: I remember reading somewhere that you brought two albums worth of material back from the Warn the Nation session in Jamaica. What will become of the material that didn’t make that release?

MS: Working on it right now! Got a massive back catalogue I'm trying to get through as quick as possible...

SS: Are there any reggae acts from Australia or Jamaica that we should be keeping an eye out for in 2011?

MS: What about 2010! Stone Love together with Groundation, Diafrix and us at the AWME show (Nov 20 HiFi) and the transcedental Midnite performing in December. Next year the Good Vibes lineup is looking massive, with Damian Marley and Nas performing together - that's gonna be huge!

SS: Which artist are you looking forward to seeing the most at AWME?

MS: Stone Love, Femi Kuti, and too many more to mention without quoting the whole program!

You can catch Mista Savona (10 piece) on Saturday the 20th of November 2010 @ the Hi Fi Bar as part of the Australasian World Music Expo.

Tickets available here www.thehifi.com.au