• News & Editorials
  • Claat News
  • Bio-/ Discographies
  • International News
  • Interviews
  • Latest Releases
  • Lyrics Database
  • Reviews
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap
• Events
  • Event Calendar
  • Events Archive
  • Event Galleries
  • Featured Events
  • Live Broadcasts
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap
• Community
  • Downloads
  • Link Directory
  • Music Videos
  • Surveys
  • User Gallery
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap
• About Us
  • Contact Claat
  • Impressum/Imprint
  • Marketing Info
  • Newsletter Management
  • - - - - - - - - - - - -
  • Keyword Index
  • Latest Articles
  • Sitemap

---

Yaniss Odua talking about the french scene..

---

French artist Yaniss Odua just brought out his new album "Yon Pa Yon", and after his promotion show in FNAC, Redlion had the possibility to talk with him about his life and music.
Cla.at: Where are you from and since when are you pon the "metropole"?

YannissOdua: I come from the Caribean Isles, from Martinique, I lived in Schoelcher, Fort de France, Anses d'arlets and I am since 1998 pon the metropole.

Cla.at: Do u feel a difference compared to the islands?

YannissOdua: Yes naturally. Here people and society in general are more speed, and I think this has influenced my own life style. Martinique is a french territory, the problem that you meet there and here are similar, but there is a climatical difference and of way of living. First here it is colder, in Martinique people are more often out in the street : it creates a different atmosphere, moreover there is the crack which is terrible and which makes a hostile atmosphere. It is perhaps more closer to the united states way of life for the "ghettos".

Cla.at: Can You talk to us about rastafari?

YannissOdua: Rasta is many tings.It is a philosophy, for me it is my religion, what people have to remember is that it is a positive vibration.

Cla.at: What are your influences and your musical course?

YannissOdua: My influences has been Daddy Harry (original dj from madinina, nowadays selector of the forward sound system). I was inspired by him and I even copied him until I found my own style : the one you can allready find pon the Redzone (samplers from 97-98 grouping toasters and rappers from Martinique). I began at twelve when Daddy Harry launched me on the scene.

Cla.at: On your LP "Yon Pa Yon" we can find many styles for the instrumentals.

YannissOdua: Yes they have been arranged by Boussad Badji and Edwin McLennan. I met them here, they have a musical coception that interested me and they made me discover differnet sounds that I didn't know well.

Cla.at: You didn't want to take classics riddim pon your LP, like the bam bam, or..

YannissOdua: Nuh.Not the bam bam, it is good, but I heard it in so many different versions since I dj, so I know it...

Cla.at: But didn't you want to take riddims to make the people discover jamaïcan dancehall?

YannissOdua: Of course I wanted.But I think people should discover dancehall first and should learn what reggae is.Fot too many people it is Bob Marley or something like Bob , it becomes irritating, one try to bring some different colors and when they will see that reggae is different styles, different point of views then we'll give dem dancehall style even Caribbean style.

Cla.at: During the showcase it was the sound system's spirit...

YannissOdua: It is this way that we try to bring this : by showing people how it does work really but little to little, "yon pa yon".

Cla.at:You talk about many topics, and some of them are full of originality like in "une larme".

YannissOdua: What lead me to write this lyrics is the high hypocrisy that lies around this story, it's been a long long time that it exists and that one lives this situation and it has been a long time too that I wrote these lyrics and it is a pity that it is only released now but paralelly if it was released before iyt would have been unremarked like many other problems that have been wailed before.

Cla.at:You have a title "La caraïbe" in which you speek about repatriation, do u think that it is the solution?

YannissOdua: I don't speak about repatriation but about the situation of the country. When I speak about returning in Africa it is beacuse it is a so stupid matter: that's a journey that we have been forced to do and people deh don't recognize themselves as africans : what has happened is just a journey. One shall not spit on our african bredrens and there is a hypocrisy from both parts about this story. There is no separation to do one comes from the same place.Then if you want to stay in Martinique, you shall not just stay here and say "that's ours" : you have to do tings in order to make the country go up.

Cla.at:It is rather similar to Jamaica: a small isolated country...

YannissOdua: Exactly and that's why one has to make tings go on, you see what I mean?

Cla.at:You have a tune for the ladies called "Elle va partir". I have read somewhere that you don't want to do slackness and this title isn't at all. What do you think about slackness artists or artists like Sizzla or Capleton who were telling the same thing and now do slackness.

YannissOdua: First for the slackness artists I don't think anything. It isn't my style and that's all. Slackness artists are needed too but I don't think I'll ever do.For Sizzla or Capleton, we don't live in Jamaica to talk about this topic, we don't know the exact situation.I think there is a context and they know what they are doing. If they decide that it is good for them, but that doesn't mean I agree. I like the vibez and the style they are using but I don't like the lyrics that's all. In "Elle va partir" it was for denouncing the two speechs we got about women.

Cla.at:Do you think there is a sort of "french" reggae or dancehall?

YannissOdua: I think it is in expansion...If it isn't yet there will be.

Cla.at:You are on the "ragga connection sampler" from Xela which was a hit. Now one can see "Ragga Killa Show" being released which is for me pure exploitation. Aren't you afraid of a commercialisation?

YannissOdua: For sure there will be a commercialisation of reggae and it is to us artists to make allowances then when the massives will see what our style is they will make the difference.It was the same for hip hop: there have been true artists and many impostor, there are still deh and there is the underground, you see...

Cla.at:To end this interview you have made a featuring with Tippa Irie from the jamaican scene. Are some other collaborations of that kind to follow?

YannissOdua: In fact I want to feature with everybody...(laugh) Otherwise, it has nothing to do, but I would like to do something with Beres Hammond.



Seen.Thx Yaniss Odua and good luck for the rest.

---

---

---