Why CHOZE loves Brixton

Choosing his own destiny

Rapper CHOZE explains to Simone Richardson the reasons for his name, and where and why he got it

Rapper CHOZE began life here – in what he calls SW9 – taking in Clapham North and Stockwell as well as Brixton.

“My mum Emelia Annan is from Ghana and my father Tony Marinoni is half-Italian and half-Ghanaian, I am proud of my heritage and culture which has made me the artist and individual I am today,” he says.

He has even written a rap tribute to his mum called YOU available on Spotify. It’s well worth hearing and ends with a moving moment as she speaks.

CHOZE’s name was chosen for a very important reason: “A close friend of mine, who passed away, gave me the nickname because he always used to say: ‘We are all CHOZEn to choose our own destiny’ and it kind of stuck from there.”

He went to Haselrigge primary in Clapham, now closed, and secondary, Chestnut Grove in Balham – also, CHOZE is pleased to note, attended by Adele and Neutrino of So Solid Crew. “I went to Westminster Kingsway College to study A level business,” says Choze, who went on to study for a BA honours degree in business before finding his passion for music. “This helped me understand the music industry a lot better and the relationships needed in order to maintain a viable career.”

CHOZE has certainly done that. His rap creations are available live and online through the independent Kartel music services agency.

“My rapping was influenced by watching numerous rap programs on MTV,” CHOZE says. “And I wanted to communicate about the hard struggles we were all facing growing up.

“I was inspired by people like So Solid Crew, Eminem, Tupac, Soul II Soul and Lauryn Hill. These remain some of my top talents to this day.

“I used to do pirate radio stations with friends who motivated me to start writing – they believed I had a gift.”

Now, he says, “I work with a plethora of talented artists that I really respect and work with the unique sounds I look to create such as the Grime Violinist.

“We have worked together over the years and built a strong bond where we always think outside the box in order to deliver a show to remember.

“I worked with the late [drum and bass MC] Skibadee on my recently released

album, DIY, which shows a diversity of different sounds telling a story in one thread.

“This is just a small example of my eclectic working relationships to create the unique sounds, which is evident on my new album.”

Brixton Chamber Orchestra and CHOZE have also worked together and met though social media in 2021.

“People in both our circles kept on at us to collaborate,” CHOZE explains. “That is when the connection was made. We have gone on to work together on many performances such as The BCO Summer and Christmas estate tours that were showcased in Lambeth last year.

“I like to experiment with my music and find with the BCO I am able to connect with different age groups and backgrounds that may not have experienced my music before.

“The orchestral sound gives songs a different edge and can soften a somewhat harsh approach, which is often found in grime.”

He raps his love of Brixton too, saying: “The trials and tribulations I faced growing up helped me to express my thought process and why I felt it important to speak on topics close to my, and that of my community’s, heart.

“I believe freedom of speech, when articulated correctly, has the maximum impact; this is an important part of life as we know it and for future generations.” CHOZE has already performed at Union Chapel in Islington and Wilton’s Music Hall in Tower Hamlets. In the future he aims to play in Japan and Paris.

He has already been live at renowned venues in Brixton. “Brixton is the most diverse and buzzing part of London,” CHOZE says. “It has a special place in my heart as I grew up in the mix of it.

“Venues such as the O2 Academy and Hootananny are some of the best that London has to offer.

“I have had the pleasure to perform in some of these locations more than once, and would love to time and time again.

“The support artists receive within the Brixton area is second to none, with people travelling far and wide just to attend good music in Brixton.

“I am a big foodie with a love of world foods and can often be found wandering Brixton market and Village to try out or enjoy the cuisine. Brixton and the surrounding area will always signify home to me.”

CHOZE confides that some exciting things are coming in or near Brixton – “however I can’t give too much away at this time. Watch this space …”

@chozeoffi www.chozeofficial.com

‘The support artists receive in the Brixton area is second to none’

Short-lived band led to a lifetime of reggae in Brixton

Mark M Smith, aka Markie of Universal Roots Records in Brixton’s Reliance Arcade, tells Simone Richardson how his love of music spans life as a rocker and a reggae fan …

Mark M. Smith’s band – Universal Roots – started in 2010/11 and “just went on for seven months”. His stage name was Jah Lingwa / Markie Lingwa.

“The band didn’t take off because the drummer fell in love and he disappeared off the face of the earth – so that was the end of the band!

“Ever since we have been producing and releasing local reggae-based London artists and working in different studios – one in Brixton, one in New Cross and another in Epsom. I produce on them and even play on some of them – I play bass and keyboards.”

“We’ve got a sound system – RDK Hi-Fi – that I have been running for the past 30 years.”

Mark didn’t learn guitar until he was 42: “I never thought I was any good at doing it! I learnt it through a fella who was in Universal Roots – Drax Darby.”

Now Mark is also at Universal Roots Records in Brixton.

Born in Erith, Kent, to parents Michael and Jennifer Smith, he later went to Buildwas primary and William Brooks comprehensive in Shropshire on the Welsh border, leaving at 16.

“Me and my mate used to come down to London a lot and I used to come to visit and lived with both my Aunt Nin (Diana Hirst) in Peckham Rye and Uncle David (Yeats) in Wandsworth.

Mark wasn’t so keen on school and he explains why: “I liked doing sports, music and carpentry – stuff like that.

“I used to enjoy fishing, trekking and country stuff, but I was also a rocker. I used to go through Brixton a lot. Me and my mate used to sneak off when I was about 13 and 14 and go down the Kings Road to see all the punk rockers.”

Reggae in Wandsworth had an impact and the flats where Mark lived at that time were where he was introduced to sound systems.

“I was living round it,” he says. “My uncle David introduced me to a lot of reggae as well. At the time they didn’t really have anything in the UK.”

Mark met Claudia Wilson at the Prince Albert in Brixton in 1987 – and they’ve been together in Brixton ever since for 30 years with four daughters.

Claudia introduced Mark to the idea of beginning Universal Roots Records.

“I started the shop in 2017. Claudia had already been there for two years before with Pure Vinyl records.

“She was offered a shop on Ferndale Road, so I decided to keep this shop as it’s in a good spot in the market.

“I thought it was good for what I have been doing as a record label, also called Universal Roots Records, since 1998.”

Mark’s hair grew into locks along with his love of reggae. “Locks are about a Rasta faith,” he explains, “but a lot of people might not understand what Rasta is about.

“Rastafarianism is something to me, but something that is my business. I don’t want to have to prove to people what I’m about as a Rasta. People think as a Rastafarian you’re like this, you’re like that, In actual fact, it’s a liberty!

“Bob Marley was a prophet – what he was talking about was what reflects on so many people’s lives – a sentiment and how he explains it – it resonates with so many people. More popular than presidents!”

Mark has one young man, Muri, who lives in Brixton, working with him – “He used to come round in his school uniform and started working here and five years later he is still here!”

Customers come from all over the world – “Canadians, Americans, South Americans, Chileans, Japanese, Australians, New Zealanders, India, Africa – Brixton is a worldwide destination Everybody knows Brixton.”

“I love Brixton – my girls are from Brixton where they have grown up. My wife Claudia and her family are from Brixton, and my four daughters all went to St. Martin’s.”

Mark’s favourite social spot in Brixton is the Effra [Hall Tavern]. “I have been going there for 25 years – cool. I like the Errol Linton night – I collect rhythm and blues.”

Make your way to Universal Roots Records for T-shirts and bags as well as records. Universal Roots Records, 33-38 Reliance Arcade, 451 Brixton Road, SW9 8JX. 020 73261783. Open 10.30am to 7pm. Closed Sundays and Wednesdays.

A legend and a question

By Alan Slingsby

The striking church of St Barnabas in Dulwich hosted a remarkable music event last month.

Remarkable because a truly legendary figure in the history of popular music performed at a largely unknown event.

And remarkable also because she was doing so to help an ordinary London school keep music on its curriculum.

The performer was Dionne Warwick. Her performance of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s Walk on By was one of the defining records of the 60s.

She is one of the most successful singers of all time. Some 56 of her singles made the US Hot 100 between 1962 and 1988, 12 reaching the Top Ten.

The school is Dulwich Village Church of England Infants’ School. Ms Warwick has a connection with a school parent.

Headteacher Helen Poyton says on the school website that, unless it can raise £20,000 a year, the “challenging” nature of school funding means it will be unable to retain its specialist music teacher; be unable to continue to develop its rich music curriculum; and be unable to replace its musical instruments.

At the end of the evening, she was able to say that music was safe for another year at her school.

So doubts about the huge cost of my ticket were dismissed. I had seen and heard a legend of music and just possibly contributed to helping educate another.

As the heading at the top of the school’s music appeal web page says, quoting Confucius: “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”

Afterwards, sipping prosecco at fundraising prices on the church forecourt, surrounded what looked like a largely well-heeled crowd of parents and their friends, it was impossible not to wonder what some of the primary schools in Brixton, a couple of miles away, will have to do to save their music education – if there is any left to save.

Bob Marley lives on in Brixton

Ziggy Marley performed a tribute to his famous father – Bob Marley – at the O2 in Brixton. Simone Richardson enjoyed every moment

Bob Marley will live on through his music. Renowned for reggae all over the world, he was born on 6 February 1945 at Nine Mile, Jamaica, and died so young on 11 May 1981.

His music lives on after him in many ways – records, CDs, the radio, obviously online and, now, through his first-born son – known as Ziggy Marley, who was born as David Nesta Marley on 17 October 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Ziggy has achieved for himself the reputation as one of the genre’s leading artists.

He has continued the family’s involvement in music, creating albums including Conscious Party and One Bright Day.

On Sunday 26 June Ziggy Marley performed at the O2 in Brixton – previously known as the Brixton Academy – that was built in 1929 as the Astoria Variety Cinema.

It’s a fantastic venue that is the ideal format for a music audience due to the cinema structure, which ensures great views, and for dancing.

Ziggy, who seems to have inherited a voice very similar to his father’s, created a bond with the audience as they danced and sang in unison to many of Bob Marley’s classic tunes – including One Love, Could you be Loved, Redemption Song, and many more.

All colours, countries, generations and ages joined in as Ziggy Morley’s performance of One Love became a vibrant unified celebration with non-stop clapping.

Bob Marley must have been proud to watch his first born son from above.

Brazil comes to Brockwell Park

As we forecast in our listings last month, the appearance of Errol Linton and his band at the Brockwell Park Greenhouses in June (below) was something special – even if the electrics gave up just before the end.

This month’s event should be equally worth the visit to a night-time Brockwell Park.

Those who saw it say that last year’s Alvorada gig at the greenhouses was magical.

They are the UK’s leading choro ensemble. It’s an instrumental music from Rio de Janeiro.

Whether performing original compositions or classics of the genre, Alvorada play lively and expressive melodies combined with infectious Brazilian grooves and playful interaction.

The award-winning five-piece have performed at festivals and venues across the UK and beyond, with sell-out shows at the London Jazz Festival, Pizza Express Live and Paris International Choro Festival.

Their debut album First Light, released in 2019, was received with critical acclaim, leading to BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM appearances.

Alvorada also won Latino Life LUKAS and Focus Brasil awards for “Best Brazilian Band”.

And, of course, there is Mambista DJ Gerry Lyseight on the decks.

NEW SOOTHSAYERS SINGLE AND ALBUM

Brixton music collective Soothsayers have teamed up for an exciting project with New York-born, São Paulo-based producer-engineer-bassist, Victor Rice, and some of Brazil’s top musicians.

The result is Last Days, from the album Soothsayers Meets Victor Rice and Friends, due in July.

Written and recorded in London, São Paulo and Lisbon during lockdown, it is a heavy-stepping instrumental.

The album project grew from sessions in São Paulo for Soothsayers’ 2020 vocal album We Are Many.

Last Days is on Red Earth Records, available on digital download, streaming platforms, and limited edition 10-inch vinyl.

After Ziggy Marley, another reggae great is set to perform in Brixton. Walter Rodney, Burning Spear, is due to play the O2 Academy on Sunday 14 August.

The two-time Grammy winner is coming out of retirement to perform with his Burning Band in a first UK performance for more than 20 years.

The concert will also feature Horace “Sleepy” Andy (who you can hear free at the Lambeth Country Show) and Johnny Clarke.

LOUD WOMEN

The sixth LOUD WOMEN Fest moves south of the river for 2022 to the Amersham Arms in New Cross on 2 and 3 September. It has grown to become the largest female-led festival in the UK, attracting performers and audiences from around the world and, say the organisers, securing LOUD WOMEN’s position as the leading international showcase for female and non-binary alternative bands and artists in grass roots/DIY music.

It is run in partnership with: LEVEL UP, led by Janey Starling (who recently won a Kerrang! Grassroots award), running bystander intervention training and campaigning on behalf of pregnant women in prisons. SAFE GIGS FOR WOMEN, a team of volunteers creating a safer environment for women at gigs and festivals . GIRLS AGAINST, a non-profit organisation standing up against sexual assault and misogyny in the live music scene. ALLIANCE FOR CHOICE ,a Northern Ireland abortion support campaign group.

MYATT’S FIELDS

There’s music in Myatt’s Fields Park this month.

BRIXTON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA will be on the bandstand at 4pm on 22 July.

The PICO PLAYERS will give a full orchestral performance on Saturday 10 July from 1 to 6pm. Pico is an amateur symphony orchestra that is also a registered charity which has raised more £75,000 since it was founded in 2014.

And there’s free SHAHMA DRUMMING in the roundhouse from 4 to 6pm on 10, 17 and 24 July.

Jamaica celebrates 60 years of independence on 6 August. Trojan Records will mark the date by releasing Rise Jamaica! a new album featuring the biggest Jamaican radio hits of 1962 plus unreleased ska classics from Duke Reid recorded during the same year. Previews available on the usual streaming services.

LOS VAN VAN

Los Van Van, whose longevity as a top band is probably surpassed only by the Rolling Stones, play Electric Brixton on Sunday 31 July. One Bugle staffer has a vague recollection of seeing them there when the Electric was still The Fridge. The Cuban son and salsa kings were founded in 1969 by Juan Formell, who died in 2014, and whose son Samuel is now director of the band. Tickets are £30 from Eventbrite.