Whilst East Germany still laboured under the illusion of being a socialist, democratic state, there were only really two bands around at that time who experimented in the realms of Ska and Reggae. One came from Berlin and the other from Leipzig….and both band names began with the same letter: M.B. – a concidence?
The Berlin band were called Michele Baresi and their musical repertoire included healthy doses of Punk and World styles. The Leipzig group on the other hand called themselves Messer Banzani and they stuck more closely to Jamaican music with sprinklings of hip hop. At a later stage, both bands decided to go their separate ways but remained good friends and then it occurred to Lanni – one of Messer Banzani’s old singers – that they could continue to work as a backing band (i.e. they could accompany singers on live tours. ) ‘Far East Riddim’ was to serve as their name: not only because of the obvious associations of the bands roots with Eastern Germany but also because it was an old Studio One classic which had already been used by the Leipzig Far East Soundsystem…
The first line up on 1997 looked like this:
Joanna Järemo Sax, originally from Sweden
Marco Baresi Drums
Andre Heyer Bass
Andreas Wendland Guitar
Matthias Falkenau Keyboard
Yet German Reggae was still very much in its developing stages at that point in the late 90’s and so they had relatively little to do. The first artists they worked with included Tolga, Back Yard Crew, Dr. Ring Ding, Natty Flo, Nosliw, Mono + Nikitaman amongst others. A certain singer called Gentleman was also in tow for several shows before he released his own album. The Millennium saw collaborations with Jamaican artists. They played at the Splash Festival 2000 with General Degree and Chico. The following year brought with it a small European tour with Red Rat, Buccaneer and Sean Paul, who at that point was only really famous within the reggae scene.
The end of 2001 proved to be a very important period in the band’s history. Shortly before the release of his second album, ‘Journey to Jah’ Gentleman cut ties with his former backing band and asked the Far East Band if they’d like to come aboard his reggae ship. It didn’t take long for them to make up their minds. The Yorkshire born guitarist Pete Fischer joined the crew as well to bring the total number of members up to 6. What followed were hundreds of concerts in Europe, California, Jamaica, Bermuda, Morocco and Surinam, as well as TV appearances and a Live DVD that was released all over the world.
The keyboard player had to be replaced in 2003 as Matthias Falkenau left for family reasons, and Peter Hirsch took his place. If they had time, the band also performed at festivals with Tanya Stephens, Ce’cile and Red Rat / Buccaneer. In the summer of 2006 two more horns joined the saxophone…accompanied of course by the hefty lungs of two old chums from way back when – Steffen Zimmer (Trumpet) and Rob Gutowski (Trombone), both of whom used to be part of the Baresi-collective.
Inspired by the reactions of audiences across the world, the band then decided to create an album of their own where they invited various artists to perform, infused with innovative and creative influences, that go even further than the boundaries of Reggae and Dancehall.
Work began in 2004 and took 3 years over all. Recording took place in various different studios. Album jam sessions even took place during the world tour with Gentleman in hotel rooms! They travelled to Jamaica and Sweden to record with artists. Other collaborations occurred through the medium of myspace. Old friendships (Seeed, Fettes Brot, D Flame, Klee) were called upon to make musical collaborations of excellent calibre. After all the work that had been put into the album, the studio belonging to Marco Baresi – the band’s Drummer and producer – burnt down. Yet they were clever enough to have already planned for all eventualities – back-up copies saved the day and no single recording was lost. ‘Tough Enough.’
Current Line Up:
Johanna Järemo Saxophone
André Heyer Bass
Marco Baresi Drums
Andreas Wendland Guitar
Pete Fisher Guitar
Peter Hirsch Keyboard
Steffen Zimmer Trumpet
Rob Gutowski Trombone
THE FAR EAST BAND - DATES
THE FAR EAST BAND
Currently not on tour
THE FAR EAST BAND - PHOTOS
Great song, great guy:
Four Music proudly presents
Rafael Weber - Es tut mir leid
