Chronixx, 'Chronology', the title of your debut album of course refers to your stage name, but it also sounds like anthology.
Chronixx: "Well, 'Chronology' definitely contains a collection of songs we've been working on for a long time, so you're right in assuming that's what the title refers to."
With 'Spanish Town Rockin' you paid homage to your Spanish Town roots…
Chronixx: "Yeah, Spanish Town is a great place and with the song I hope I can get it the attention it deserves, to give the many talented youths that live out there the opportunities they deserve."
In the realization of 'Smile Jamaica' some natural mystic was involved, I believe?
Chronixx: "Like a lot of my music 'Smile Jamaica' came forth out of the mystical divinity of Rastafari. What happened is I found the riddim on a computer, wrote the lyrics, but couldn't find out who'd produced it, so it stayed shelved. Eventually I linked up with the guys from Silly Walks Discotheque from Germany. They handed me a headphone to listen to some of their riddims, all of a sudden I recognized the riddim I'd fallen in love with a while back and the rest is history!".
You started out doing gospel music. Are there elements from that period you still use in your music today?
Chronixx: "It's my opinion that while on a musical journey you don't really get to choose what to leave behind and what to keep. In the end you're the sum of your past experiences, and singing in church as a child was definitely an important step in my musical journey."
The only guest slot on the album was reserved for your father Chronical. A sign of respect or was that just how things turned out?
Chronixx: "In all honesty it was the only collaboration that got finished in time for the album! (laughs) That being said, it's always fun working with my father."
The attentive listener will also recognize Peter Tosh's voice in the intro and outro of 'I Can' though.
Chronixx: "That wasn't really my choice as Peter's voice was already included in the riddim built by Diplo. It was really the idea of the Pickard brothers (Clement and Maxime, red.) to do that, but I quite like the result."
For Chronology you also took to Inner Circle's Circle House Studio. How was it to be able to work with these Jamaican legends?
Chronixx: "The entire album was mixed there and we also recorded 'Tell Me Now' at Circle House. Not too long ago I recorded a version of Jacob Miller's 'Tenement Yard' with them and I have to say we have a very good relationship with the Lewis brothers; they're really good people and they've played quite a significant role in my development as an artist."
Earlier this year you became the face of an Adidas SPEZIAL Spring Summer 2017 collection campaign. There's a longstanding relationship between that brand and reggae music.
Chronixx: "For me it's mostly about making my presence felt cross culturally. Within culture you have fashion, food, music, visual arts and so on. As an artist I want to ensure that the presence of Rastafari and Jamaican culture in general is represented as widely as possible. And that's what my involvement with the Adidas campaign was all about."
Instead of using the classic red-gold-green pattern for the cover design of 'Chronology', instead you opted for a rainbow or kaleidoscope of colors.
Chronixx: "The artwork for the album was done by Drew Sanders from Chicago, a great visual artist. I liked it because it reflects the different energy patterns and frequencies in your body represented by a kaleidoscope of colors."
In 'Likes' you criticize the impact social media has on our lives, but as an artist you hail from a generation that benefited greatly from those same social media channels.
Chronixx: "I don't see that song so much as a critique of social media, but rather a comment on certain actions that go on social media and the motivations behind them. If I take you as a journalist as an example… Do you simply do your interviews so you can get clicks and likes on social media or are you genuinely interested in what an artist has to say and because of your love for the music? All I'm saying that there are more important things in this world than the amount of likes you gather on Facebook or the retweets you get on Twitter. The reason I'm active on social media is first and foremost because I want to reach as much people as possible with my music. And in doing music my first motivation is still love, so it should be love not likes that should be at the center of our attention!"