>> Yam Yam
bio: Yam Yam are Guy Morley and Rick Turner. As one of the Big Chill's recording artists they released their Afro-funk single 'Bahama Mama' at Eastnor Festival 2004. Its addictive groove was picked up by many Big Chill DJs at the Festival and has since been played on Radio 1's Worlwide and The Blue Room. Sam Sofa has a chat to Guy Morley.
Brighton vs London? Brighton is better than London because it's by the sea, it's in the hills of the South Downs, it has a beach, not too much pollution and it's very funky.
Favourite city? My favourite city in the world is difficult to say because all cities have their strengths and weaknesses. My favourite times in cities have been in Manchester where I did a lot of growing up, where I love the mix and attitude of the people. Vienna where Rick lives and where we often record. San Francisco and Sydney because they are so much fun. Stockholm because I still feel half Swedish. But if I had a time and place I would probably go for pre Giuliani New York. In the 80s and early 90s it was a way out and exciting place to be with a real edge. I felt more of a culture shock going there then than on travels in further flung places like Africa.
You've lived everywhere! Can you speak any foreign languages? I can speak one full and two half languages. I speak English because it's where I grew up. My mother is Swedish so I speak a modicum of Swedish and I learnt French at school and tried to keep up practice, even doing an evening course in Manchester when I lived there. I feel that when ever you visit a new country you should, at least, learn a few words of the language so you can get by and be polite.
Erm, explain those lyrics in Bahama Mama...? The 'potato, bananas' lyric was a lucky find on a very obscure and ancient recording of a lecture given in San Francisco about Yiddish roots in music from the Bahamas (believe it or not). Mama, Bahama Mama, errr....
What was your best Big Chill moment this year? The greatest moment for us at this year's Big Chill is difficult to pin down but probably the sheer joy of being on the main stage. After spending the previous week rehearsing Yam Yam live we didn't know quite how it'd go down. It was great to see so many people dancing. We liked stepping out of the studio and putting it onto the stage and now we'd like to do it again. Yam Yam have only played live twice before in 10 years. Previously it's been a DJ set from me sometimes with Kwasi Ashanti MCing.
Do you have a typical fan? If we had a larger fan base I think we'd appeal to very young kids (you can bend your knees to Yam Yam music if you know what I mean) and open minded adults of all ages (if you know what I mean).
Tell us about the original Yam... Important things to know about Yams: They are vegetables not fruits. They can grow up to 7ft long. They are a tuber from a tropical vine. They are not the same thing as sweet potato. In Nigeria there is a Festival of the Yam. A Yam Yam is not to be confused with a Paw Paw.
What's next for Yam Yam? Next on the agenda, we want to play live again so look out for a few select gigs once the album comes out. We also want to collaborate more when we write new stuff. We enjoyed working with Nigerian guitarist Olu Oluseinde when we played earlier this year and we want to work with old Congolese artists too. We love classic Congolese rhumba. I hope we'll be able to write more alt/electronic afro hybrids.
You mentioned an album. What's it called? The album's working title will be called 'On The Shoulders Of Giants' although we're not settled on that yet. It should be listened to when you need a bit of energy in the morning, when driving, whilst eating, when makin' out, when coming up or when coming down. Or if you're feeling a little sad we hope it would make you feel a bit better.
What else do you do? When we're not Yam Yam my day job is programmer of dance, music and theatre events together for the Brighton Dome's large arts centre. I also commission and programme the music and dance for the annual Brighton Arts Festival each May. In my spare time I DJ at AfroBase which has a regular club night and a weekly radio show.
Finally, what does The Big Chill mean to you? The Big Chill to us means friends and family and a special treat. Great music and countryside.
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