RFI Musique - - Interview - Justin Adams’ Anglo-Afro fusion

Justin Adams’ Anglo-Afro fusion

Ex British punk’s links to Africa

Paris

17/08/2009 -

British rock guitarist Justin Adams has teamed up with Juldeh Camara, a traditional Fulani musician from the Gambia, once again on the album Tell No Lies. Adams, a former punk, has long been fascinated by music from Africa and the Maghreb and in this interview he looks back on his various fusion projects over the years.

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RFI Musique: When did you start taking an interest in African music?
Justin Adams: It all dates back to my childhood really. I lived in Jordan then in Egypt for a while. And while I was there I became fascinated by certain sounds and rhythms. Then, during the ‘post-punk’ period in the eighties, I discovered a lot of musicians from Africa and the Maghreb who came over to play in England. It was around that time that I began weaving elements of Arab melodies and Arab rhythms into my own sound.

You brought out your second album with Juldeh Camara this year. But another highlight of your recent career was a performance with Morocco’s Berber diva Najat Aatabou at the Rio Loco festival in Toulouse. How did you come to meet Najat?
I’d just started listening to Khaled’s debut album when a friend of mine gave me a cassette he’d recorded off a radio station in Paris. It was a tape of the most incredible voice. I listened to that cassette over and over again for years without knowing who the singer was and then one day I found out – it was Najat Aatabou! We finally got to meet through the Rio Loco festival, but before we performed together there we shared a short residency in Fes, in Morocco. I entered into our collaboration like a student. I’m a bit of a punk guitarist really with not much of a formal education in music. Working with Najat and her musicians, I learnt to adapt to a repertoire that was completely different to my own. It was a real challenge for me and I had to add extra frets on my guitar so I could play the quarter tones.

Apart from Najat Aatabou what other musical treasures did you discover in Morocco?
Well, I have to say I’m really impressed by the variety of musical styles the Maghreb has to offer. I discovered a huge amount in Morocco. I was fascinated by ahwah, for instance, this traditional style from southern Morocco. I came across it staying at the foot of a mountain in Tafraout, in this little Berber village in the Anti-Atlas. I remember there were some sixty women or so sitting round in a circle, singing and accompanying themselves on percussion. I ate the best tajine I’ve ever had in my life there with a wonderful glass of mint tea. It was the most amazing experience for all my senses!

You’ve produced albums for the Tuareg group Tinariwen, you work with a traditional musician from the Gambia and you play guitar with a Berber singer. Are these projects with African artists inspired by your eternal quest for fusion?
I think it’s a completely natural process. All music is the result of fusion, but everyone does it their own way. When I listen to Elvis Presley records, I can hear black music, blues, country and western and elements of traditional music from Scotland, Ireland and other places in Europe. Listen closely to any kind of music and you’ll find ingredients from other countries.

Where does this attraction to Africa - which you seem to share with quite a few colleagues from the rock world - come from?
It’s probably motivated by a need to get back in touch with our musical roots and invent a new identity. But you have to proceed carefully, the mix doesn’t always work. It’s just like cooking. You mix all these different ingredients together, but sometimes the finished product comes out too salty, too sweet or totally over-cooked!