Ah, you got here, must have lots of free time to spare so thought, let me find out who Floyd is and what he's all about. Well, sort yourself out a lot of your favourite something, put your feet up, tell the Mrs you soon come or Mr that you busy right now, put the youth dem to bed, lower the lights and there. ........Ready. With much of the same love and dedication others have stressed about their fondness for music Floyd can boast the same. Coming from a music orientated family Floyd remembers having to sit with his two elder sisters and listen to his father play his well polished and tuned piano every Sunday, the centre piece of the sitting room right next to the the Blue Spot Gram in a little house in Deptford South London. As the only boy in a family of nine girls all with the Edmund name from two brothers, Floyd had to struggle to find an interest. "Fighting with my sisters became a dangerous thing, girls don't understand the rules of fighting". Floyd’s eldest sister, Marilyn joined a group called Negro, formed of Jerry Lyons, Black Steel, Animal on drums, Corren (RIP) & Natalie on vocals and Stone on bass. Rehearsals was something Floyd would not miss, most of the time having to sneak out without mum and eldest sister knowing for fear of being told “your not going” Floyd would turn up just as rehearsal started so his sister could not tell him to go home and mum wouldn't have a clue he had left the house. Those sessions where great, Negro rehearsed upstairs at Telegraph Hill Community Centre, New Cross London, (the area of the New Cross Fire, where many of our brothers and sisters died. The incident continues to this day to be investigated with no one being brought to trial) while Jah Man sound played down stairs, most of the time you could hardly hear the band, maybe that’s why they call the drummer animal because he had to play so hard to be heard, he went through drum sticks and high hats like crazy. During the 1990s my second eldest sister Pat had provided backing vocals for a reggae artists Danny Red on a track called Be Grateful and Metropolis which was a eight piece Jazz funk band who released an album called Hour Time. With music being at every stage of Floyd's life even in primary school as we called it in those days, he used to bring his fathers 7” tunes to school just to prove to his friends he got that tune as well while also tuning into pop stars like Gary Glitter, David Bowie, David Essex, Michael Jackson, The Bay City Rollers, alright alright enough! enough! and take those tartan trousers and platform shoes off, sorry about that went too far into one there. Where were we, right, onto secondary education when Floyd began selling his fathers old tunes to Skinheads who were held bent on getting hold of any old Blue Beat record to call their own. A rather confusing time for music, with the Skinheads, Mod's and the Punk craze searching for identity and fighting against..... The Government, The Royal Family, all foreigners, any Skinhead, Mod's or Punk who happen to stray too far out of there safe zone, even spilling over into each other's musical interests. We had the band Madness doing over reggae legend Prince Buster track Madness. When the Skinheads at school heard it they thought it was created by Madness. What madness!, that's madness, who's Madness?, Madness? Madness they call it Madness? Same too when The Sex Pistols done their version of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves, well the Punks created a whole dance for that one, the " pogo" with added saliva, spitting was spitting in those days. What was most confusing they all got their musical roots and fashion from the influences of Jamaican Reggae music and Rude Bwoy culture bar the saliva, which was fighting the whole system to establishing itself in British culture. Confused? Yeah maybe that's why at the time i was "more into the Soul music man", Floyd began reading the Blues & Soul Magazine's his father would buy and the Black Echoes Newspaper (as it was then) which he got during school. Floyd remembers tuning into Greg Edwards on Radio London each Friday evening, practicing steps while listening out for the latest big Soul tune from the states to bust through. One nation under a grove getting down just for the Fu*k.?, of it, i'm sure it said that. All this gave Floyd a greater insight into the soul music scene, attending local clubs after school such St Seprines a Church Hall that held a regular Friday night session, Electric Ballroom in Camden Town London and 100 Club in London's West End, that was the place to be if you could move you performed it there and at The Cats Whiskers all dayers, (if you lasted) in Streatham South West London. Those days there was a clear distinction between soul and reggae boys, Soul boys wearing pointed shoes with gold tips and baggy trousers, while the reggae crowd wore Farrah trousers and Cecil G tops. Along with increasing his own record collection daily with imports just in from America purchased from one particular record shop he would visit on Fridays after school all the way in Soho central London, "just can't remember the name of the shop". Floyd's interest in Soul music began to wane. The move to Reggae music which he new very little about came quick, "it's much easier to dance to, you don't get so dizzy trying to spin on your feet". "My interest in Reggae music started when i was listening to the radio at home and heard some deep bass rattling my bedroom window. I remember opening the window and climbing onto the roof, there i sat and listened to this music sounding heavy shacking me and my whole room. It was, as mum would call him, "Natty J" our neighbour playing his music making a hol heap a noise in mi head". "When i discovered David Rodigan and Tony William one after the other, Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons on the radio that was it", mum continues to this day shouting her slogan "u playing dat natty j music it hearting my head", feeling the bass in her head at the same time. This only happens now when i visit her can't take her shouting too much, you would have thought she sussed it by now or grown out of it. "Just cool mummy". By the 4th year in school Floyd had joined a sound system called Atlantis with his cousin John Mitchell and a group of brothers from the Lewisham area. He recalls, "we went and got our first dub plate, Dennis Brown Revolution, no one had it right?" As a party sound they played out every weekend across London, smashing up parties while making a reputable name for themselves, "this was where i met Dennis Cross (Heru) and brother of Sandra Cross, more on him later) we played at his daughters birthday party. I remember well, it was just when the two deck ting came in on sound systems we had a pair and i was selecting at the time, started doing a quick test ting with the tunes you know when you play about three seconds of a tune i was doing that back then". Lewisham as a London Borough is where many great sound systems derived from like Jah Shaka, Jah Man Sound and Saxon Sound who all laid the foundation for many up and coming sound systems in the area to gain experience and knowledge from, just don't test dem. Attending a Jah Shaka dance back in those days in the Moonshot Community Centre was part of a learning ritual that all locals who attended understood and considered as must, while attending a Saxon dance on a Sunday first at Childers Street Youth Club Deptford an area we use to call ghetto mainly because the air there had a distinctive scent of Marijuana constantly. Wonder what was going on down there then? It was also where the beginning of history for Saxon Sound which started with party vibes intentions but quickly became England's major sound killing machine, (incidentally Deptford was also where the fight against the abolition of the SUS Law a law given to the Police to legally stop and search people if they believed an offence had been, about to be or was being committed. Yeah believe, guess who they searched the most? was fought causing the Government to eventually scrap it. Deptford was also the area where parts of the great Black film Babylon was filmed, remember Brinsley Ford from Aswad running down the road being chased by Police in a car? That"s Deptford High Street, he was looking into a shop called Fantos which is no longer there. The garages where Beefy dem kept their sound was right where i grew up, the block where those white boys threw the bottles from, that was where my cousins lived much of the film was filmed around my local area). Then Senegal Fields now Millwall Football Club's new ground was a Sunday afternoon roller skating spectacular known as Skateland along with the regular sound killing sessions at Lewisham Boys Club, Saxon murdered some sounds in there man!, one particular clash was Saxon against Ghetto Tune and Papa Levi slaughtered Dirty Des and Leslie Lyric (now Professor Leslie after studying at Goldsmith University and the place where all Black members of the community gathered to clash with The National Front back in the early 80s and chasing after a close friend of mine Glen Kirkland RIP trying to stop him running down the road wielding a sword over his head and shouting "come on then". Tense times almost returning back to the River Of Blood speech made by Enoch Powell back in the 60s). Anyway the sound system standard at that time was very high, spending money on your sound was the name of the game and Saxon made sure that you did or else you die. Remember the days of lick wood tear down neighbourhood? Them speaker boxes took a beating and so did Atlantis sound when we ventured a bit to far and found ourselves face to face with Saxon and the whole entourage, i don't remember hanging around then or even seeing the sound after that, any clues as to why this may have been? no? Moving on swiftly then, practicing selecting his ever growing music collection on his fathers Blue Spot Gram enabled Floyd to develop a skill for playing sound and entertaining crowds. “I remember me and my sisters helping my cousin Sister C prepare for what was the first female mc clash against another female mc Lady G which was held in north London, Sister C ended up winning amidst much controversy". Floyd soon moved on to bigger sound systems such as the famous boxer Lloyd Honeygan’s sound of the same name, which he played for a short time with Sweet Vibes from 5th Avenue and Quadsy (RIP), Lloyd's younger brother. Honeygan as we called him when he came around the sound was always excited about the sound and would brandish new dub plates fresh from yard. Forgetting that it took time to build a reputation to play those kind of dubs, things never materialised as visioned by Lloyd Honeygan causing us all to eventually go our own way. "He used to drive a two tone brown Rolls Royce with cream leather interior and oak dashboard & trim, always full of energy and much too busy to enter the sound system arena seriously. Floyd is still involved with sound system today and provides a fully mobile 40k system for some of the big names DJs, promoters and sound systems. For example Saxon, David Rodigan, Stone Love Sound when in London England, Nasty Love, 5th Avenue, Chris Sweeney Promotions and Mistry, Mickey Koos even Taste back in the 90s a house and garage event that started from 3am and took place in a venue under the road in Camden Town. " remember having to watch the sound while Brendan and Delroy P went home to change, i was carried to a phone box by two Policemen who on seeing the size of our van shouted 'wow your van is bigger than ours, right you got ten minutes to clear all your speakers away or we will throw them in our van'... carried to the phone box i called Brendan, and by the time i had put the receiver down and carried back to the venue by the two officers we were all putting the sound back into the van while the Police cleared the bar of all it's takings, stock and searched everyone who had not managed to escape in time. If i was a drug dealer i would have been living in the Costa Del Sol by now the amount of drugs that was found in the place. At 5am in the morning people were turning up in taxi's, on foot, in flash cars, groups of scantily dressed women asking us and the Police if the rave was still on. The Police could not believe it. Yet these were the type of events that was becoming the norm for us, today under the name of Delroy P set (not the real name just what everyone knows the sound as) is owned by Delroy P, Brendan and Floyd, the has traveled the whole of length of England, played in most hotels, Town Halls, Buttlins Holiday Camps whole weekender's with 3-4 venues and our sound doing the lot, a Casino in France. Floyd had also taken part in Jah Works Promotion roots sound competition playing a sound called Dubvision during the late 1990s playing roots music with DJ B and Poet Chanta, and Singer Ras Degus who later sang the song called A Poem. Pax Nindi of Pax Vision a video making and editing company that trained young people how to record and make video was based in The Albany Empire filmed our session with a sound called African Ship. Edgar and his brothers from France, boy they got a good shacking up from us, even Pax stated "Dubvision is a very heavy sound" the widows and door frames played our bass line, tell you that for free. If you checkout Jah Work Promotions web site you can see the list of sound that entered the competition each year, who played who and who won each year and that as well, yeah for free too. After leaving school, Floyd had joined The Lewisham Academy of Music, which is now The Midi Music Company and managed by my good friend Woozy Brewster MBE. There, things really got under way. Meeting professional musician such as Courtney Pine, Roy Ayes, Lee Scratch Perry and Curtis Mayfield was the norm as music teaching and creating was what went on there. Having quickly turned his attention to music recording, Floyd began teaching others sound engineering (those days live musicianship and reel to reel tape machines were running things) eventually taking on the roll as technical support with Lloyd Mitchell (Kemist) an old primary school friend, business partner and close brethren to this day still working together, his Kemist-In-Da-Zone, must think his playing basketball or something. Move on move on. This is where Floyd got his first job as a youth worker going on to qualify as a part time youth worker with the GLC (long since been disbanded) and at the time headed by the one and only Ken Livingston, who was the Mayor of London. The Lewisham Academy of Music pupils performed two shows each year a winter and summer show. During the winter the venue was The Albany Empire as it was called then and a place which we had full control over right up till when we left, don't remember paying to see anything there. Sorting out the PA system and lighting was always exciting and something all involved enjoyed doing, while the South Bank became our summer venue. Having to pack equipment into vans, lories and cars carting them across London with artists was another big exciting experience. Floyd remembers having to play drums for Sammy Dyett (Musical Genius to some and founder of One Harmony Music Group) band after the drummer was not allowed to attend. The Academy created many new acts at the time. Shovel from M People for one use to play with 691 Band, brilliant percussionist then a master now, Scratchy Fingers a master drummer at a young age who has toured the world with some of the biggest Reggae artists and to this day continues to provide drums for the big acts today and Roots Tradition two of my close friends Robbie Rowe and Derek (Nembo) Nembard who recorded an album for The Mad Professor back in the late 80s. When Dub Judah came down to the Academy he blew us all away with is recording abilities and his control over echo and sound effects. Dub Judah had turned a new page in Floyd's life as he went on a practice some of things he had saw Dub Judah do with ease. Floyd also assisted Charles Bullen in his studio Cold Storage in Brixton London working with Jah Foundation Band consisting of Dub Judah, Scratchy Fingers, Charles Bullen, Didiyeh and the late Ras Benji RIP on lead vocals. Benji's family owned a house next door to the New Cross Fire just for information, he also recorded an album with Tafari another close brethren of mine entitled Jah Is The One. Tafari also plays on the track Artical by Deadly Serious and regularly provides drumming for Irie Dance Company also drumming for Sizzla during his first visit to London. Life at the Academy was becoming a political affair, just trying to keep the place going had become a big struggle. With one of the main founder's Jack Belching from Test Department planning on leaving. The Test Department was the first band i saw using old piping, scaffolding, oil drums plastic tubing to make their music, they sounded bloody good as well despite the future of The Academy being bleak. We even put on a tribute to Marcus Garvey event way before the beginnings of Black History Month celebrations started, with Jah Shaka playing in Fordham Park right outside Moonshot Community Centre, that was mid 80s. There was a whole host of artists performing on stage while Jah Shaka made each blade of grass move to the bass with double and quad boxes nearly forming a full circle in front of the stage area. "At the Lewisham Academy Of Music i met Fitzroy King "Kingy" to all that knows him, he was the brains and Mr Know How. He put on a dance with Jah Revelation Music Sound the Official Twelve Tribe sound in the Albany Empire Community side and rammed the place till, boy it just done last week. What a dance, in my house there's a picture on the Rastafari sit up pon his Thrown yeah man what a dance that was". However, Floyd had outgrown his stay with little more to learn or do, it became clear it was time to move on. It was around this time Floyd and Lloyd put together a band with lead vocalist and cousin to Lloyd Vaughn now known as Rick Wayne, bassist and still close friend Andy McClean, another will known musician who continues to provide bass support to many of the big named artists world wide and Scratchy Fingers on drums. Rehearsals took place at Zookies house in Brockley London and at times went on all hours in the morning. Onto Ravens studio a massive 24 track 2" inch tape reel to reel studio based in New Cross London owned by Deon Marsh brother of Cassandra Mash, Stine aka DJ B was also involved and Tafari playing drums. Floyd with his old school friend and business partner Lloyd became heavily involved with the set up and began assisting with Jah Shaka, Roger Robin, Mickey General and Napoleon. Now working as a Social worker in East London. Floyd put together studio session for young people from East London to gain experience in working in a professional recording studio. It was also around this time that an opportunity came about to provide road support for Maxi Priest who was beginning to make a big name for himself. Floyd enlisted the help of Lloyd and Scratchy Fingers and we all went touring the length and breath of England with Maxi Priest, Mafia & Fluxy, and Jerry Lyon etc. Another such opportunity arose, this time it was to provide support for artists during the Capital Radio Music Festival of 1987/88. This was a weekend event consisting of a whole range of contemporary music. Floyd had asked his sisters Violet to provide the work during the alternative music days while Lloyd, Scratchy Fingers, Stine and Deon covered the Reggae event rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barrington Levi, Frankie Paul, Dennis Brown, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Gregory Isaacs the list is endless. Floyd recalls “yeah that was a great time, I remember driving the van with all of us in it going to Alexandra Plaice for the first time blew my mine the size of the place. When we got there we were told to park our vehicle in the same area as the artist, I remember the only suitable space was between to very large blacked out coaches, little did I know that I would be responsible for the occupants who turned out to be Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. It was not only them Rita Marley and the whole family where there also. I remember boarding the coach after being given my access all areas pass and introducing myself then asking "could i get anyone any thing" and Rita Marley saying "yes son some water”. No sooner had she asked she got. If there was a film made about the show we all would have to be in it, that’s how exciting and eye opening it was. Sitting and eating and communicating with these larger than life artists was a joy and a dream come true. During these time creating music for Floyd was a thing that required much planning, without the financial means to afford studio time Floyd never managed to record music for himself until 1990s when he recorded Roger Robin, Senior Sandy, Papa Levi, Ras Benji, Marilyn, Pat and Corren. Intended as specials for Stampede Sound which traveled all over England and Europe clashing sounds like Scalawax from Paris and Sovereign Sound with Skully and Crucial Robbie from Luton. Floyd lost interest in playing sound following a tragic incident which affected his family and his desire to continue. His time at The Lewisham Academy of Music, experimenting with recording live and programmable music had given him a good foundation and understanding of what was required. Then technology brought new opportunities with it, the computer. This meant a lot could be done even to the degree anyone could have a full recording studio right there in their bedroom. A decade had passed and by then Floyd had continued the work him and Lloyd had started way back in 1985 with Youth Expression, a voluntary community based project aimed at providing opportunities for young people to express themselves through music. With Youth Expression Floyd and Lloyd managed to fund raise to put on events for young people. These included a three borough music competition with the final being held in Fordham Park. Artists featured included, Roger Robin, Cassandra and with DJ Mistry comparing on one event. "We spotted these Rap artist who tuned out to be all brothers, three of them calling themselves The Power Lords from Hammersmith West London. When they came down to perform in Fordham Park South East London they dressed all in Black each wearing those big chunky gold chains Rap artists used to wear. When the crowds saw them coming everyone thought they were big named artists just out from the states coming to show use ghetto ass youth's how to rap. As they got nearer to the stage the crowds parted allowing them to walk right down the middle. When they performed, they had the crowds in their hands, they rocked the park. Youth Expression also controlled a regular stage at Lewisham Peoples Day Festival held in Mountsfield Park Lewisham, where year after year young up and coming artists, musician and dancers would perform on stage to a packed park. One of our last events was with the full Saxon sound along with mc's Senior Sandy, Roger Robin and others performed to a packed tent. Youth Expression continues to this day providing sound engineering training, DJ & MC workshops. Now seen mostly as an alternative to custody and diversionary projects, funding gained from this work had paved the way for the creation of ukhomegrownmusic-studio to be formed. In 2004 Floyd had set up ukhomegrownmusic studio and within the same year released his first ever tracks, by Lloyd Brown, Peter Spence, Ras Degus, Deadly Serious and Peter Spence. Tracks were also released on CD format consisting of Soca artists Soca Banton who in 2005 came second in the Soca Monarch Competition held in London for the first time and blew up Grenada the year before with tracks such Oh Mammy, and Rude Jab Jab which Floyd brought himself to Radio stations across Grenada. Well known soca artist Strongman Squeeze came over from Grenada and recorded a whole album which got released and done well during 2005 Notting Hill Carnival. Further tracks followed with artist like Gospel Fish and Jimmy Screechy By 2005 UK Homegrown had been legally formed. This is just a small snap shot of the history and current work of Floyd that will be regularly updated and made available.
To be continued
