Resonators (Kassia Zermon): "As individuals we all make very different music, but when we get together as a collective this is the sound we produce."

Resonators really started with Seth and George finding each other through a message on a notice board. Kassia Zermon (vocals): "Yeah, very old school! (laughs)" Leroy Horns (saxophone): "Brighton is a very transient city, so in the band Abraham is really the only true Brightonian. George (Berrills, bass, red.) and Seth (Tuffnell, drums & percussion, red.) had both moved to Brighton to study and were both using the same rehearsal space. At one point George put this notice up stating he was looking for a drummer who was into reggae and the rest as they say is history."

Kassia, how did you and Faye get involved? Kassia Zermon: "Well Faye (Houston, vocals, red.) and I went to university together, so that's where we originally met. Then there's a well known reggae event in Brighton that's been running for many many years called Roots Garden, where Faye often used to sing on sound system and that's how she got into contact with George. Abraham and myself are part of a collective and little record label called Beatabet and we'd often have guest musicians come over to do art residencies. That's how the whole gang basically got together. At that point Resonators were still only looking for backing vocalists as Keleche Turner was still singing lead. After he left, we started writing our own stuff and in a very organic way became the lead vocalists of the band."

Does Brighton have a vibrant reggae scene? Abraham Moughrabi (piano, organ, synths): "Oh yes, most definitely. If I'm well informed, Roots Garden, the weekly reggae night at The Jazz Place that Kassia just mentioned, is the longest running reggae night in the UK (running since 1995, red.). You can basically see that as the core of Brighton's reggae scene. But apart from that, well-known UK sound systems like Channel One or Iration Steppers often play in Brighton and the city is often included in the tour schedule of visiting Jamaican artists. It's a very cosmopolitan city with a very young population including lots of students and artists." 

Does all of your time as musicians go into Resonators or are you also involved in various other projects? Kassia Zermon: "Everyone is involved in their own solo projects as well. Most of them not reggae related at all, which in my opinion if you listen carefully to our songs is reflected somehow in the music we do with Resonators as well. I'm into more experimental stuff, Abraham combines soul and electronic music, Leroy is into jazz and drum & bass, George  plays a lot of jazz as well, together with Michael (Shirley, red.), our guitarist, Faye forms a future soul duo, and as a solo artist Michael plays his own very psychedelic folk influenced music."

What is it in reggae music that brought all you guys together? Kassia Zermon: "To put it simply, our shared love for reggae music! (laughs) We're all just crazy about reggae and dub and before we started playing together would already often bump into one another at the same dances in Brighton and London."
Do you guys gravitate towards heavy dub and UK steppers, or lovers rock or vintage roots? Abraham Moughrabi: "I don't know if in the band we necessarily think about it in these terms. Being from Brighton you can't get around Roots Garden, so the sound system side of things definitely played a role. We're also heavily into vintage rocksteady and ska. We kind of love it all and all of these influences go into making our music and come out as well."

You guys can't stress enough that Resonators is a collective. Why is that absence of hierarchy in the band so important? Kassia Zermon: "It's important in the sense that that's just how this unit works best! (laughs) But that being said, we never sat down and decided that was the way it was going to be; it was just one of these things that grew organically. I think there's something beautiful in the fact no one individual gets more credit or attention than the others. As I already explained, as individuals we all make very different music, but when we get together as a collective this is the sound we produce."

The new generation of UK reggae acts - The Skints, Prince Fatty, Hollie Cook, Gentleman's Dub Club, The Hempolics… - seems to have steered away somewhat from the Caribbean side of things. Abraham Moughrabi: "I think that's mostly to do with wanting to create our own sound. We still draw on the Caribbean side of things for inspiration though, that part hasn't changed, but first and foremost it's about creating something of our own. That being said, Caribbean culture has almost grown into an integral part of urban life in Britain."

It took you guys quite some time to come up with a successor for 'The Constant'. Is there a perfectionist streak in Resonators? Abraham Moughrabi: "Definitely! I think anyone who's passionate about the work they do will strive for perfection. But, after the release of 'The Constant' there was a whole period where we weren't really in a recording mood as we were touring a lot. 'Imaginary people' took us about two years to complete, which admittedly is longer then it took us to complete 'The Constant', but to us it felt right."

For at least part of the process, you guys secluded yourselves in a remote part of Wales. Kassia Zermon: "I already told we all met during this residency we did at Giant Wafer Studios and we opted to go back there. It's this remote idyllic place in the middle of nowhere. We're all city folk, all living very busy lives, so the idea was to get the whole band together so we could work on the album without distractions." Abraham Moughrabi: "We're a nine piece band and one of the hardest things to do is get everyone together in the same spot at the same time! (laughs)"

You guys are signed to the Wah Wah 45s label. How did that relationship come about and how important is it for a band like Resonators to have the backing of an established label? Leroy Horns: "It just kind of happened, or as we would say: "A classic Resonators story!" (laughs) At one point we were invited by Wah Wah 45s to come and play a gig in Brick Lane. They really loved our performance and without further ado put out 'Sweet Love Affair', a single from our debut album 'Resonators'. Everything just rolled on from there really. It really helps us with the pressing and distribution side of things; it's just one less thing we have to deal with our selves. Apart from that, it's also nice to have some outside input from some people who are also in the industry, but might have a different perspective on some things. We're all so involved in the creative musical side of things, that we might lose sight of the rest!"

The artwork you guys choose for your album sleeves is always very striking and also un-reggae-like, if I can say so. Abraham Moughrabi: "Yeah, we've basically been working with the same artist since our debut album." Leroy Horns: "His name is Jim Sanders or Jim Sans. In reality the painting we used for the cover of 'The Constant' is huge; I guess it has to measure about two by two meters! Just wanted you to know that… (laughs)" Kassia Zermon: "Jim has got an insane body of work and calling him prolific would be an understatement. For 'Imaginary People' we all gave him images and objects that had a special meaning to us, and he literally created hundreds of postcards. For the sleeve we then jointly selected the one we wanted to use." Leroy Horns: "It all really started with our debut album. We'd picked out some artwork we wanted to use for the sleeve, but when Jim saw that he told us this really didn't represent what we were about. He then went home to his studio and spent the rest of the night working with his spray cans and stencils and the next day came back with about 20 or 3à different options for the album cover. Since that moment, when he sort of "saved" our first album, he's our go-to-man." Abraham Moughrabi: "One of the reasons why we like working with him is the fact his style is not immediately reminiscent of what you'd expect a reggae album to look like. It think his style could be described as outsider art and contains a lot of primitive and symbolic elements and his works are always multi-layered with lots of attention for detail as well. It's definitely something we can all relate to."

Among your fans there's one name that sticks out and that's Sir David Rodigan. How important is it to have the backing of a well-known public figure like that? Kassia Zermon: "Extremely important! We really appreciate his support." Leroy Horns: "Yeah, we're very lucky there as he's been absolutely brilliant with us. We've met him a couple of times now, and he's always had lovely things to say. When someone that knows the music that well, has met nearly everyone that mattered and matters in reggae, supports what you're doing, it means you're on the right track!"