Interview with David Boomah

We had a chat with David Boomah about life, jungle and his inspirations.

Check out his facebook page for updates

You started of performing as a reggae artist, how has that influenced your sound?

Reggae has influenced my sound massively,  being immersed in reggae culture growing up and living in Jamaica throughout the 1980’s shaped my songwriting and my attitude to music and it’s purpose

You had a number 1 with Shy FX with Who Runs Tings, how did that change your career?

Yeah that first number 1 with Shy in 1995 didn’t have an impact on my career until about 10 years later as no one really knew who I was or that I existed ….I think people thought the vocal was a sample and I was busy doing other things at the time so I was unaware of the impact the song was making

You’ve worked with some amazing artists and producers throughout your career, what makes for a good collaboration?

A good collaboration between a Producer and a Vocalist in my opinion is one where the Producer is comfortable working with vocals.
Not all Producers have mastered this skill and it can make the marriage of vocal to instrumental very difficult

What’s been your most memorable performance for you so far?

There are many memorable performances so far and it is hard to pick one.

I did have an amazing time in Brazil last September 2013 though and that will be hard to beat.

Birmingham has always been an important city for Jungle and Drum and Bass, what makes it such a unique city for music?

Jungle has deep roots in reggae and dub wise music and Jungle stems from these genres. It is impossible to imagine Jungle without reggae and Birmingham is home to some influential Reggae Artists Steelpulse, Musical Youth, UB40 etc.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you about music?

Believe in yourself and your talent.

Your debut album ‘One World Many Cultures’ transcends musical boundaries, how did you find the process of creating an album?

It was tiring and stressful but at the same time liberating and fulfilling.
At the end I felt like i had achieved something that I thought would remain a dream and never materialise into a reality.

How did V records help you with this process?

V Recordings helped with distribution, song choices collaborations, finance and of course kudos.

Bryan also convinced me to develop the album process in stages and not to rush it …which I feel was the right thing to do

It always seems a shame when artists restrict themselves to one genre, did you consciously want to show different sides to your music or was it just a natural route?

I really wanted to show different sides to my music and gave always wanted to make a multi – genre album so I am fairly happy with what we created

What projects are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a number of projects.
I am toying with the idea of releasing a 2nd album.
I am working really hard rehearsing with my Live Band The Uknowns to give people a Live experience.
I am co – presenting the Forward Ever Radio Show with DJ Majestik and managing the London Urban Arts Charity providing arts and media activities to young people across London, there’s a lot happening at the moment!

Bad Up The Town Feat David Boomah Turno Remix is out now and Typical Description Feat David Boomah is out in September 2014