WITH a music career that spanned at least 30 years, Etonia Lote Sr is now tired and prefers the low-key life.
He sits contemplating about his music past as he tries to piece together a coherent narrative in his mind, that will for once, show the nation one of its greatest musical talent and mind.
Master Lote, as he is usually called, is one of the best composers that Fiji has ever seen with his group the Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki in the late 1970s and the early 1980s.
He did so with his penmanship, composing tunes such as Kecisemani and Talei Na Talanoa Kei Jisu, both of which won back to back awards at the Vakalutuivoce Awards in 1981 and 1982.
He finally attained legendary status 20 years later when he completely changed the face of Fijian music with his own sons, who re-formed the Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki group and spawned sweeping changes of how Fijian music is being played nowadays.
Speaking in the Bauan dialect, Master Lote recalled how he came about deconstructing Fijian music and found a new sound.
“My ears were getting tired of listening to acoustic — all my albums were done in acoustics so this new sound was a welcome change. I knew that this kind of new music would definitely be attractive to listeners.
“I first heard that kind of music from Manu Railoa and I think that it suited the vocals that my kids had, and in fact, it lifted their voices to another level. I just listened to the boys’ vocals and think that acoustics will not suit it.
“At that time too, music was plainly acoustics for all occasions — there was only sigidrigi and, in the nightclubs only English songs were being played, never Fijian songs.
“For the children, they knew only English pop songs, but that all changed when Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki came onto the scene. For the first time ever, these children were singing Fijian songs.
“It is something good too because it made the iTaukei proud of their language and this was one of my aims. One is the business side of it, the second one is to earn money and, thirdly is to revive the usage of the iTaukei language. The Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki’s first albums revived the use of the iTaukei language,” Master Lote said.
With Railoa as his producer, Master Lote produced the first two albums for Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki based on his musical nous. The result is what we all now know.
The Nasau villager from Koro Village said Railoa had already produced similar music prior to that and, he thought the new sound and music where the iTaukei vocals combined with musical instruments would really suit his sons’ vocals.
His three sons Soko, Junior and Vilimone as the new Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki group, took the nation by storm registering instant success and receiving rave reviews and accolades from all quarters.
“Following the release of their first album, our phone at home was just ringing as bookings for the boys came rushing in.
“People wanted to engage them to sing at their birthday parties, weddings, family functions, fundraising, bazaars and, even nightclub owners wanted their services.
“I was at USP at the time, I felt that their popularity was (increasing) a heavy burden because it started on Monday from the morning and did not end until late in the night, and throughout the week until Saturday.
“The bookings came in from round Fiji — from Rakiraki, Nadi, Ba, Sigatoka and Lautoka. It was a really busy time for us. I became the manager and was accepting bookings from all over Fiji — from the islands and Vanua Levu, around Taveuni, Kadavu, the Lomaiviti group and even overseas to New Zealand, Australia and USA.
“I even resigned as a teacher to concentrate on the music business because I felt that the money earned from the music was more than what I was earning as a teacher. I was fully occupied with this and became a full time musician.”
By the time Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki released its second album Master Lote said they had reached the pinnacle of a music career that had never been surpassed by any other group that came afterward.
“Looking back and comparing all from 2001 right up to 2010, I would say that the sales of Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki’s Volumes One and Two have never been surpassed in terms of sales and in terms of the popularity of these two albums in Fiji and in the Pacific region. They served as an inspiration to the next generation of singers who came after them,” Master Lote said.
He attributed this to the new sound Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki was producing and also, since computers and technology were not readily available in those days, music CD piracy was not as prevalent as today.
“At the same time, when Volume Two was released, piracy became popular and it started at various government offices because computers were readily available at these places. That was where piracy started.
“Our music started to be pirated before computers became widely available to the public and to homes and individuals.
“Music sales just went south from then on as many pirates started selling their own copies.
“I became concerned because I was dealing with SPR (South Pacific Recordings) at the time and they told me that the sale for Volume One and Two had started to fall. Fiji can never reach the heights of music like that again because of piracy.
Master Lote added that even after parting ways with his sons and starting his own group Senileba ni Delai Dokidoki in 2003 and later Vodre Drokadroka ni Delai Dokidoki the following year, musicians still managed to make a decent living from their talents.
“These two groups recorded two volumes each and following the release of the second volume of the Vodre Drokadroka, that was the time that I felt that piracy had completely destroyed the music industry,” he added.
He was well on his way on the Road to Damascus by this time as the popularity of Voqa ni Delai Dokidoki had spawned a musical sub culture, pulling youths away from their parents, religion and well-grounded values.
This was evident in the number of youths who started taking an interest in music as well as those who entered niteclubs while still wearing their Sunday best.
“I saw that I had started to enter nightclubs, taking my sons along with me, and later one year, when the Methodist Conference was being held at Furnival Park, Maikeli Radua was promoting our show (for Leba Drokadroka) to be held at the Bali Hai niteclub that Friday over the radio. One particular Methodist Church steward was listening to the radio and and he challenged himself to meet me at Bali Hai that Friday night.
“He simply told me that, “Verily, verily, if I will go down to hell because I followed my mataqali Lote, it is because of the beautiful lyrics of his songs”.
“I immediately went home and asked the boys (from Seni Leba and Vodre Drokadroka) to meet up at my place in Namadi the following day. The next day I disbanded both groups and gave up singing and composing right there and then,” Master Lote said.
He moved down to Qauia Settlement with his family and from there, started to write textbooks for high school students. He released his first set of textbooks in 2010.
“I have never lost my passion for writing but I do it now for the betterment of young people. Next week, the Ministry of Education will be releasing two more Fijian language text books that I wrote for Form Seven students,” Master Lote said.
