TF Archives

Ru C.L interview

Author: Tranzfusion
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Local MC RuC.L has just dropped his debut artist album 'Straight Down the Line', an LP filled with smooth Jamaican flavoured rhythms. He caught up with Tranzfusion.

Congrats on your album 'Straight Down The Line'-tell us about the LP.
Thank you. 'Straight Down The Line', has a lot of variety. Traces of hip hop, dancehall, reggae, rock, soul and R&B can be found on the album. Something for everyone. The producers of the album are Katalyst, Geoff Barrow (Portishead) and Stewart Matthews. 'Straight Down The Line' is a universal sounding product representing Australian urban music.

You studied at the Jamaican School of Music in Kingston. Tell us about the experience.
Studying at the Jamaican School Of Music in Kingston, I was taught traditional percussion and vocal training. At the end of the course students were required to perform in front of a local audience. The highlight of my performance was to sing Redemption Song, by national hero Bob Marley. It was important to get right, luckily for me the audience really seemed to appreciate my efforts. It was an incredible and satisfying experience, staying in an artistic environment with dance, drama, art and music students. There was plenty of learning, making new friends and enjoying the Jamaican way of life.

You're mother 'Jigzie' contributed to two tracks on 'Straight Down The Line'- what was it like having her involved in the album project-
I work with Jigzie as a percussionist for 'Jamaica Irie'- a show about traditional and contemporary Jamaican song, dance and story telling. Including my mum on the album was great because she's been an influence on my career. Recording the tracks was easy, she nailed both her parts in one take.

Musically speaking who inspires you-
There's a lot of great music and there are many artists that inspire me. My favorites are Common, DJ Premier, Timberland, Elephant Man and John Legend. The thing that inspires me about these artists is that that they are all pioneer song writers, producers and performers - they're all producing their own special sound.

You're supporting the Black Eyed Peas on their current Oz Tour. What are your feelings on the tour-
I am very excited about being part of the tour. The Black Eyed Peas have a huge show organized. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to perform tracks from 'Straight Down The Line' to an enormous audience. So far I'm enjoying the tour.

Apart from touring, what's coming up in the future for you-
I am currently working on an album to be released in the UK. This could mean another tour when the album is finished. I am also looking at producing and writing songs outside of my own material. I plan to keep up the live momentum by doing an exclusive Ru C.L Tour around Australia. Finally I would like to revisit Jamaica and work with some of the many talented artists over there.
RuC.L's 'Straight Down the Line' is out now through Invada
Tags