SISTER MILLIE ---D.J. MILLITANT SOUND SYSTEM

Interview conducted by Sista June Wilkes

On Monday 19^th July ,I had the pleasure and felt the warm vibes relaxing with Sister Millie Gaad from the radio station 92.2 revive fm ;she hosts the Roots Reality Session ..

Sis June : “Irie Sister Gaad” Sis Millie “Irie sis how are you” Nice I reply

S.J. I start a conversation telling Sis Millie that I have been around the Roots and

Culture scene for some time now and that something about the Sistren intrigued me to find out more. I recall the night when I saw Sister Millie with her sound system playing tunes at the Mansion House Club in Harrow alongside 2 other sound systems;I was really intrigued by this ,I remember thinking this sister is serious ,a sister with a sound system .I am very interested to hear how you got into this scene and what your thoughts and feelings were and I know the massive would like to know more too ; so fire

S.M. Well it started from I was a youth ,I was approximately 8 or 9 yrs old. I regularly turned on the radio and scanned the stations and came across a show presented by Steve Barnard.He played some roots tunes and I knew from listening to them tunes there that this is really me,I thought they were really nice and I have gone from strength to strength from then on ,this was back in the early ‘70s.Then when I was about 11 yrs old ,I went to dances to listen to sounds like Shaka and various other sounds about during that time and I knew from then on that I belonged to this scene ,it was definitely me..the music and the vibes I felt from listening to conscious lyrics is unexplainable .It was like I have never heard such true words spoken by teachers ,its like the lyrics were so true and it brought me back to my Roots.A few years later I started having youths ..I have 2 youths and I knew it was time to get to get serious,I knew I had to stop raving,I cut out the whole scene to bring the children up ,I knew my time would come again after they reached a certain age I would be able to start again.I knew there was going to be a future there .(The sistren laugh..)

Iknew I was going to continue in the roots scene,I grew up my youths and now they are olderm.It was in their early teenage years when I started to build up my sound;I received a message from the father (and Sister Millie’s eyes light up) the message was it is time to build your sound ;something I had always wanted .

S.J. Did you really do the physical work yourself,things like nail up speaker boxes etc

S.M. It was a pastime something that she enjoyed and occupied herself with whilst staying at home to look after her youths .and in her spare time whilst the youths were sleeping. The sistren tells me she would visit her friends to see what amplifiers they had for sale .She recalls that she started off using 20-30 watt amps and states that the light wattage was only good enough to be heard in your living room .

(massive can you feel the vibes the 2 of us were under on this day).

S.M. During 1989-1990’s I started getting around I noticed the name Abashanti on a leaflet,it gave details of where I could go to hear the Aba Shanti Sound,I remember

It was the Vox club with Aba Shanti sound and Mad Proffessor,,before stumbling on this ,I was regularly going down to the Rocket to hear Shaka sound system.

S.J. I understood the vibe Sister Millie was on because I too was also supporting Shaka Sound (there was no other sound to match Jah Shaka at this time as far as I was aware)

Sister Gaad says during this time she was still building her sound piece by piece ,box by box and although she was present at the roots scenes she explains that she did not know anyone nor anyone know who she was .She explains it is only now that she is getting to know others and she has consciously thought about how she presents the sound system. Sister Millie had a mystical vibe within her pushing her to step forward ,to be out there with all the other bredrens ”yeah with the bredrens of

Course,but it was getting to know everyone…I thought “me with my shy self how am I going to communicate with these people and find out

More about the runnings “ but slowly I have managed it .This is all because I play my sound .From the first record I knew this was it.I call my soundsystem the MILLITANT SOUND SYSTEM,this is because I have had to fight throughout my life to keep JAH name alive .I believe we must fight for our rights (nuff respect Sister)

As you are aware I play tunes on the radio stationand through this I was crowned QUEEN OF DUB (on REVIVE FM West London)

Meanwhile Sister Millie explains she hopes to make her sound heavier

She realises how important it is to keep abreast with technology and power in order to improve her system.I enquired whether Sis Millie expected to enter the Jah Works Dub competition one of these years with her sound system and she states “I am not really into competitions,It’s not a good thing”. ……Sis Millie Gaad believes in peace love and unity …… the vibes at this point was quite low and the music playing in the background was “why why why do the wicked ones rule” Her feeling is that two sound systems should hold a dance and play together in unity to raise money for a worthy cause,it could be a cool dance session rather than a sound clash ,she believes this situation(sound clash) creates bad thinking between bredrens and sistrens .Sister Millie believes many other sound systems would also show an interest and wish to take part in raising funds for a good cause.This is my personal view but I still respect the works that the Jah Works Promotions Crew is dealing with.

The Millitant Sound System is a sound to hear and once you have heard her play you will not forget her name .

Sister Millie’s words of encouragement for other Sistrens

“While you are at home with the youths ,find something to do,,don’t sit there and worry about your man too much as he has his own things fe do and they get on with it anyway ,so you must do your works whether

it be knitting or building up a sound system .Believe,everything will work out when you find what it is you want to do. RASTAFARI LOVE

Interview coducted by Sis June Wilkes

(editors comment) Also runs a one-stop Roots Dance Video production setup,providing videos of all the top Roots Reggae Sound Systems in action.

Sister Millie’s Roots Reality Show no longer available on Revive Fm

SISTA MILLIE CONTACT:

email : iremillitant@hotmail.com

sistermillie@msn.com

phone: +44(0)7950 790 261

CAMERA - ACTION

SISTA MILLIE (QUEEN OF DUB)

RASPECT SIS JUNE