Mungo's Hi Fi: What would Tubby have done?

Photo: Mungo's HiFi Credit: Cam Creative

Having formed at the turn of the millennium, the ever growing sound system collective Mungo's Hifi has in the past 15 years shot to international notoriety thanks to an unrelenting dedication to reggae dancehall heritage as well as a desire to push things forward both musically and aesthetically.

Their hard work and persistence has seen them create one of this country's most revered sound systems, as well as run one of the busiest record labels in the business, Scotch Bonnet, which champions the work of roots music trailblazers who share their passion for exploring the future of the genre whilst remaining mindful of its illustrious past (check out some of the label's highlights of 2014 below).

Ahead of a tonne of upcoming shows this summer, we grabbed five minutes with the lauded sound system troupe to talk out about their initial exposure to sound system culture, what we can expect from Scotch Bonnet, and the master of it all, King Tubby.

You're going to be hitting Reggae Roast and Love Kulture in Brixton in April. Is London somewhere you look forward to playing? How strong is the scene in the city?

It's hard to pin London down to one kind of experience as people and scenes can come and go fast, but it's always great to catch the buzz of the big city.

You've got a particularly busy summer season lined up, you’ll be hitting a lot of festivals such as Knockengorroch as well as events all over the UK. Where are you particularly excited about playing?

We love taking our sound system to festivals. It is such a rich experience and an opportunity to meet folk and hear music from all over. Knockengorroch was where we cut our teeth so we'll always have a soft spot for it.

But then Glastonbury Festival, Uprising in Slovakia and Outlook in Croatia have all been long running favourite festival residencies, each with abundant charms.

Boomtown always provides a thrill and is ground-breaking in many respects for its music and production... but if I have to pick out the one we're anticipating most from in 2015 it would have to be The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California. It's the first time we have had a headline slot at a festival of this scale in the USA.

So how did it all start for you guys? Where did your love and appreciation of sound system culture start and what was the moment where you knew you had to get involved and build your own rig?

Primarily we love music, and were playing in bands, DJing and producing through our younger years. We all gravitated towards reggae music, and became entranced with its many forms, and the thread running through them all of sound system culture.

If you have tried playing bass music through regular PAs it can be a frustrating experience, so we decided to take the power back and control the whole process. This also meant that we could run free parties without having to hire a rig. It was musical freedom, until the neighbours complain.

Your records and sets link together the past with the future incredibly well, sounding fresh as well as authentic and deeply rooted in the sound of the original pioneers. How hard is it to achieve that balance?

Thanks for your kind analysis. I'm glad it comes across like that because it's what we're aiming for. All music comes out of what has gone before before, and reggae heritage is so rich a source of inspiration. Then it's about getting the essence from the music without simply emulating it and injecting some contemporary spirit into it. 

You mentioned earlier about your forthcoming Californian headline slot - Mungo's is now very much an internationally renowned collective, what do you think has been the key to your success? 

Passion for what we do, which has led to our longevity, which has enabled us to build a team who share our passion and make us achieve far more than we could on our own.

Scotch Bonnet is now in its tenth year and at the height of its powers, what new treats can we look forward to from the imprint?

'You See Me Star' is the new LP we have made with Charlie P which is coming out in April. We have been recording and touring a lot with Charlie over the last few years and we have picked out our favourite tracks and put them on an record (listen to the preview below).

There will also be more singles from Solo Banton, Mr Williamz, Blackout JA, Marina P, General Levy, Sugar Minot and Daddy Freddy all coming out before the summer.

In the meantime we are working on the singles and albums for after the summer. We got to a kind of overload where we were recording more tunes than we could release. We are trying to be more restrained now to avoid building up a frustrating backlog.

Which artists or sound systems have been the biggest inspiration to Mungo’s over the years?

King Tubby as producer and sound man stands out for me. I find myself asking myself myself 'What would Tubby have done?' when it comes to questions of using more old school equipment compared with the latest technology, for example.

You hear of artists often changing the genre they work in, but you’ve stuck to your guns since you started out, what is it about dub and reggae that continues to excite you? 

You say that, but I feel we have covered quite a broad spectrum from ska, rocksteady and rubadub through digital, dancehall dubstep and other bass music. But we do always get drawn back to reggae in one form or other. It's such a rich heritage that never fails to delight and surprise, no matter how long you keep digging. Also, it's about the community that surrounds it feeling like home.

Lastly, a hypothetical question, you've been asked to curate the ultimate Mungo’s HiFi gig. Who would join you, and where would you have it?

Just me and your ma, round her house, dropping dutty wine.

Haha! That's definitely the best answer we've had to that question. 

Head here to check out where Mungo's Hi Fi are playing this year.