Ten Minutes With Dreadzone

Words & pics: Will JobbinsDreadzone's new album is on the shelves in shops near you and it's a corker. Toxin attended a recent gig and then managed to catch up with Greg Dread - founder member, mentalist drummer and all-round good egg.

NB: Interview conducted in early 2010.


- Eye On The Horizon (out in March 2010) is your sixth studio album in a career spanning seventeen years. How have your influences changed over this period and what effect has this had on the music?

I like to think our/my influences are always changing and adding to the store of musical ideas to draw from. Our approach and outlook is that it is natural to be inspired by a wide range of genres. We try to keep the Jamaican influences in the picture somewhere, but as that culture has assimilated so easily into British UK music then it is much easier to sound like where you come from. The natural progression of the vocals is the main focal point of this album, though, as we have a lot to say from what we have been through, so I feel we have a true voice now. This has naturally reduced the need for sampling, pushed our storytelling more and made our song writing come to the fore. The dub and dance styles will always be there, but we have to reinvent to stay fresh and I feel songs will endure the most.

- The new album seems to have a slightly more traditional rock feel and a little less of the dub/dance influence (although this is based only on the three-track sampler and a few live tracks I've heard). Would you agree with this and was this a conscious style shift or a natural progression?

It is not so much the traditional rock as a widening of our song structures. There is a rock tune that links back to our BAD past (Big Audio Dynamite, Gregg's band before Dreadzone...Ed) but we also have a new guitarist and I wanted that to be heard. The dub bass is ever present and while the songs are still very danceable they reflect more the live sound and the fact that we had to express a lot of emotion in this album, and the best route for that was through lyrics and melody rather than more linear dance tracks.


- I caught your gig at the Garage in Islington in December and was, as ever, blown away by the energy created by the band and the way you and the crowd bounce off each other. How does Dreadzone maintain this momentum, and keep such a loyal fanbase, without falling prey to commercialism or 'selling out' like so many others?

We maintain it by knowing we have a special sound and energy that ignites the crowd, which in turn spurs us on more. The loyal fanbase comes from doing many shows and having a big back catalogue that puts quality first, but its not to say that we have never had our eye on the bigger prize. It's normal to want a wide audience to know and enjoy and buy our music (who doesn't?) which I guess will come on our terms, but ... I have nothing against selling records, lets make that clear.


- The two latest band members, the Chris' Compton and Oldfield, are still relative newbies to the Dreadzone line-up. How have they settled in and are they bringing fresh influences to the sound?

Chris Compton has filled a big role left by my brother and has brought a very unique style on guitar and a melodic sense to the writing. Oldie is like the man in the white coat that we always needed; keeping the technology under control and proving to be an adept catcher of sound. He is into quite a bit of minimal house, but we havent brought that into the equation yet although we both share a love of Trentemoller.

- You enjoy an enviable reputation as a fantastic festival/open air band - why do you think this is? Are festivals generally your favourite gigs?

It has all the best elements for that environment - dub bass, danceable beats, rocking riffs and uplifting tunes. Our years of experience have also made it easy to get out there and rock a big stage quite easily. I do love festivals of course, the summer is a golden time, but equally the intimate sweaty settings of soundchecked indoor shows can also give great satisfaction.


- What are the dynamics like in the band when it comes to songwriting? Is it a full team effort? And what kind of instruments and studio equipment do you use creatively?

It has been more focused on the band with the latest album, but as ever I will bring an idea based on a theme or a sample with some beats so we have a shell to flesh, which is when Chris on guitar and Leo on bass lock in a groove or riff and then me and Spee play the lyric and melody off each other while Earl brings his voice to make better shape of it all. All the time Chris O is capturing this, so in that sense it's very much a team effort which I then edit and play with, add keyboard textures (also on this album I used my son Marlon for some outstanding keyboard parts) then arrange and produce for the various mix teams to give it the right balance. We recorded a lot of live drums, bass and guitar into audio and then everything is written and arranged on Logic 8 on a Mac, or using other programs like Recycle and Reaktor.

- Would Spee dry up and turn into a crisp if Red Stripe went bankrupt?

I think he would survive! Anyway, Stella is more his tipple. But he maintains an incredible equilibrium when indulging many of his vices. I am with him a lot of times and he is always ready to go the next morning. An amazing gentleman.


- What does the future hold for Dreadzone?

Dread will continue to evolve and spread the word of good music and happy dancing vibes throughout the lands. We'll release more good stuff on our new label Dubwiser including back catalogue and exciting new projects, and try to work on a pretty fast follow up to this album. Keeping as busy as ever.

Cheers Greg!

Eye On The Horizon is out now on Dubwiser Records.

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