INNER CIRCLE AT THE 22ND PRZYSTANEK WOODSTOCK

14 JULY 2016

Inner Circle’s more than twenty-year history on the reggae scene contains far more than might first appear. The five-piece Jamaican outfit have a Grammy to their name and have been among their genre’s most respected representatives since the 1970s. It was their musical style, combining Jamaican rhythms with a touch of pop and incredible energy, that brought the band enormous success. The reggae spirit present in every Inner Circle live performance has enabled them to move beyond the genre’s traditional boundaries and create an exceptionally appealing blend of styles. They appear at festivals around the world, taking their rightful place among stars alongside musical icons such as Elton John, Van Morrison, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and Carlos Santana.

Inner Circle’s first success came in 1978 at Jamaica’s One Love Reggae Peace festival, when Chris Blackwell secured them a contract with Island Records. That same year, their Island Records release “Everything Is Great” enjoyed considerable commercial success, reaching the top twenty in the UK and the top ten in France. It includes the popular singles “Mary, Mary” and “Music Machine”.

Tragically, in 1980, just as major international fame seemed imminent, lead singer Jacob Miller died in a car accident. Devastated, the group split. Ian Lewis and Harvey moved to Miami and opened their own Circle House recording studio. Roger joined shortly afterwards. Before long, however, Inner Circle became the first Jamaican band to put together a tour of the United States.

Circle House remains one of Miami’s most distinguished recording studios. It was there that Pharell Williams’s hit “Happy” was created in 2014.

Further Inner Circle successes came in the 1990s. The title song from “Bad Boys” topped charts virtually throughout Europe, while the album sold around 7 million copies worldwide. At the same time, Fox television chose “Bad Boys” as the theme for its new reality show Cops, which quickly became a major success, turning the song into a widely recognised pop-cultural meme. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of its inclusion in Cops, “Bad Boys” was honoured as the world’s most-played reggae song.

The song “Sweat”, also known as “A La La La La Long”, spread around the world soon afterwards, reaching number one in several countries in Asia, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In Germany it was the most-played song for a long time, holding the top spot in the charts for a full three months.

In 1993, “Bad Boys” won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album. A year later, the newly released “Regae Dancer” was nominated in the same category. “Summer Jammi” featured on the soundtrack to “Beverly Hills Cop III”, starring Eddie Murphy, while “Bad Boys” became a hit again when it was used as the title song for the action film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, as well as its sequel, “Bad Boys II”.

After 1997, Inner Circle entered the most intensive touring period in the band’s history. They played to enormous crowds, often in places where other musicians dared not appear. “Over the last three or four years, we have travelled all over the world,” says Roger Lewis. “Brazil, Guam, India, Taipei, Beirut, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Asia, the United Arab Emirates,” continues Lanceot Hall. “For some people, a ‘world tour’ means playing North America, Europe and Japan, but not for us. As long as the concert location is somewhere on the map, we will get there.” “Travelling around the world like that makes you realise that people are fundamentally the same everywhere,” observes Ian Lewis.

Inner Circle readily collaborate with other artists, as demonstrated by their recent successful reggae remix of Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dog’s “Young Wild and Free”, featuring Bizerk and IOctane. Inner Circle’s version reached 3 million YouTube plays, an incredible result for a reggae track. In May 2014, young artists and producers Chronixx, Steven McGregor, Don Corleaon and Supa Dups gathered at Circle House studio. Chronixx, the latest to join these reggae veterans, sings the lyrics of Tenement Yard in one of his tracks, while Miller’s distinctive voice from the original recording can be heard in the background.

As Lewis says: “Jacob would be very happy. It's the perfect bridge between past and present. This song will turn reggae music upside down.” Other tracks Inner Circle have taken on include “Fall in Love” by Flo Rida and Nengo Flow, “One Love”, and songs by Pitbull and Peter Morgan.

Inner Circle co-founder and guitarist Roger Lewis says working with young reggae bands is a way to reach the next generation. “We're doing this to reach new people. We collaborate with artists who have good vibes and whom we connect with musically,” he explained to the Jamaica Observer.

“We are all one, regardless of differences of opinion, and music is the best way to convey that idea. Music is the highest language: it transcends politics, geography and skin colour, everything that divides people.” As Touter Harvey said: “The name ‘Inner Circle’ means family, and that is exactly what we are: a family. We are all devoted to the band and to one another, and that is what gives us strength. We believe in spiritual bonds between family and friends. Our success would mean nothing without good, genuine people around us to share it with. Success means trying every day to be happy and true to yourself.”