Fresh from the release of her much anticipated new album,
Rhoda Dakar (one time lead singer with all-girl Ska band The Bodysnatchers) has a little chate with hiapop Blog.
How’s the world of Rhoda Dakar?
Dark, very dark.
The new album, Sings The Bodysnatchers has received some
good feedback – are the happy with the response you’ve had?
Yes, of course! Good feedback is
what we’re after!
You’ve widely said that it isn’t the ‘lost’ Bodysnatchers
album, but the ‘unrecorded’ one. Why was
it never put to tape?
I have no memory of saying that,
however, nothing new there. It was never recorded because we didn’t have an
album deal.
Did you approach any of the band to record again? How do the rest of the group feel about the album?
No, and I don’t know.
What are your memories of the Bodysnatchers live shows?
Style over content, mainly. But,
having revisited the tracks, I don’t think that’s quite the case.
How was working with Nick Welsh of The Selecter?
He’s a great tunesmith!
Lynval and Horace from The Specials guest on the album,
presumably they jumped at the chance?
I don’t think I had to twist their
arms. Not sure there was any jumping involved, however!
What are your memories of recording In The Studio with The Specials?
Not good.
The new album was rehearsed and recorded very quickly making
the feel of it very exciting.
It was a financial issue, as much
as anything. It’s also true that we’ve all been ‘at it’ for a long time now, so
are fairly proficient!
It has a brilliant unhindered live feel.
Thank you!
Are there any new artists around nowadays that excite you?
The Skints aren’t exactly new, but
compared to me… The Velveteens just supported us and they’re fab. K-Weezy, an
Azonto (Afrobeat) artist who’s just starting out. My son plays me loads of new
stuff all the time, as he’s a House DJ, but it’s all genres – House, Grime, Hip
Hop.
How has music changed in the thirty-something years since
your first recorded? What are your
thoughts on digital music?
Music hasn’t changed, essentially.
It’s constantly evolving, as it should. What’s changed is access to music. The
idea that you can sit in your bedroom, make a beat (as the young people say),
spit some bars on it, then release it to the world, should you want to, is something
we couldn’t have imagined when I first recorded. Digital music is just another
way of sharing.
I’m coming for a meal, what are you cooking?
Sorry? Who invited you?
You released Cleaning In Another Woman’s Kitchen in 2007,
featuring acoustic versions of Bodysnatchers songs – are there plans to record
more acoustic material?
Yes, possibly. Let’s just do one
thing at a time, though!
The early 80s was quite a time for you – Madness, The
Selecter, The Go-Go’s – do you stay in touch?
There was a time when I would run
screaming in the opposite direction at the mere mention of Ska. I’ve overcome
that, however, and we’ve all become friends again and live together in the Big
Black & White Checked House. Not in touch with The Go-Go’s, but most of the
others.
Do you have plans to write new material, or even go on tour
with the new album?
I guess so. If we tour it’ll be
short!
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